CHAPTER 6

MIA

When I wake up Tuesday morning, I can feel every muscle in my body aching with regret from sleeping on the couch with El. After trying to focus on the movie last night, I kept finding myself listening out for Griffon. When I finally heard her door close, I fell asleep with my knees to my chest while El sprawled out completely. I figured I had no place to complain, considering I was the one who begged her to come over in the first place.

But when I finally crack open my eyes and see the other half of the couch empty, my body instantly relaxes. I stretch out my legs until I feel my toes crack. Glancing at the bathroom, I see the light shining from under the door, telling me exactly where El went.

She’s probably already getting ready for the day. It’s not uncommon for her to sleep over on Monday nights. Mondays are always the worst day at the shop, and we usually come upstairs, order pizza, and put on our favorite show to cope. But we never got pizza last night—thanks to my fear of running into Griffon again—instead, we filled ourselves up with popcorn. Even after El fell asleep, I kept stress-snacking, trying to stop my mind from roaming all over the place.

Now, sitting up and looking around my living room, I have a headache. When my feet touch the floor, I can feel the popcorn I dropped last night crumbling beneath me. I groaned in disgust, but I still couldn’t bring myself to get off the couch. Instead, I sink back into the cushions, trying to calm the dull pounding behind my eyes.

After a while, my head starts to drift again, and I feel myself starting to doze off when I hear a soft knock on the door. At first, I thought it was coming from my dream, so I snuggled deeper into the couch.

But then I hear it again, this time much louder.

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK.

“It’s maintenance!”

I’m jolted awake. El must’ve heard it too because the sudden screeching sound of the toilet flushing rips through the apartment, and I physically wince.

Without wasting a second, I peel myself off the couch, standing so fast I have to steady myself by holding my head, trying to control the dizziness.

I’m almost at the front door when I realize I didn’t have a chance to fix myself. I catch a glimpse of my reflection in the round mirror hanging on the wall beside me and almost gasp at the sight of my red-rimmed brown eyes and my dark hair twisted up like a bird's nest. But the annoyance from the persistent knocking pushes me to whip the door open before they can knock again.

I should’ve already registered that it would be Griffon on the other side, but I’m still left speechless when I’m met with her striking blue eyes and bright smile.

“Hey! I tried calling you earlier to let you know I was coming by, but you didn’t answer. Would you believe you’re the first person on the list?” Griffon says, and my brows furrow in confusion.

I clear my throat, trying not to sound groggy. “I’m sorry, you have my number?”

She looks a little confused but continues. “Of course, I got it from when you inquired about the problem with your toilet.”

It’s a statement, not a question, and she raises her eyebrows as she watches the realization hit me—she’s here to fix my toilet.

I finally take in her maintenance uniform: a dark gray utility jumpsuit. She’s holding a toolkit in her other hand, and I almost want to laugh at how picturesque it all seems. She looks like she’s about to shoot a porno. Her long orange hair, usually the show's star, is pulled back into a smooth, tight bun, accentuating her jawline and cheekbones. Her blue eyes, though, are center stage, especially with the gray jumpsuit making them pop.

I’m quiet for a moment, trying to think of something to say, but I’m overwhelmed. Of course, after all these years of spamming Ben with complaints about the issues in my apartment, he finally hires someone to help, and it just has to be a supermodel. Now, I’m supposed to let her into my place willingly?

“And you put ‘Please come as early as possible’ in the special notes, so I figured I’d get started early,” Griffon adds.

“Uh, actually, I fixed the issue with my toilet a while ago,” I finally manage to say. I avoid her eyes because I know I’m lying, but hers don’t waver.

“You mean the toilet I just heard screeching through the walls?”

My head snaps up, and my eyes widen. “You can hear that?”

Before Griffon can answer, a fully dressed Eleanor appears behind me, and I instinctively step aside.

“Of course, she can hear that. I told you it sounds like nails on a chalkboard! I have to plug my ears every time!” Eleanor exclaims.

I shut my eyes tightly. The last thing I ever wanted was for El to meet Griffon. She’s shy, but not as bad as me. Everything is just more matter-of-fact with her. After last night, I definitely don’t need her stirring things up further.

“Hey! I’m Eleanor, Mia’s best friend. You must be Griffon, right?”

Their words blur together as they introduce themselves, drowned out by my racing thoughts. What the hell am I going to do?

She can not come in here.

This has to be crossing a line in whatever game this is.

I’m spiraling now.

“I actually have to get to work, so I’ll have to reschedule this. Thanks, though,” I blurt out, loud and short, making both of them look at me, eyebrows raised.

“Don’t be silly. I can cover your shift—” Eleanor turns to me with a mischievous smile. She knows exactly what she’s doing. “—unless you want Griffon working in your apartment alone.”

Her grin grows as my eyes widen.

I glance at Griffon, who looks like she’s holding back laughter at my obvious discomfort. The smirk on her face only makes me more annoyed.

“Is it even safe for you to work with tools after a night out?” The words fly out of my mouth before I can stop them, and I feel El’s hand hit my side. Griffon’s head jerks back, her eyebrows raised.

“I mean, because I heard your door open late last night, that’s all,” I stammer, folding my arms across my chest and clearing my throat, still avoiding eye contact.

Griffon chuckles softly, but before she can respond, El cuts in again.

“Please, don’t mind her. She’s always grumpy on Mondays.”

I turn to glare at El as Griffon laughs, but she’s not even looking at me.

“Anyway, I’ve got to get going. Nice meeting you, Griffon! See you later, Mia!”

My mouth falls open, speechless that El is actually letting this happen. She just winks at me before moving swiftly past us both.

Griffon turns in El’s direction. “You too! See you around!”

When Griffon turns back to face me, something in her gaze feels different. The dark blue of her eyes seems to deepen, and I swear I notice her jaw tighten. Slowly, I feel my legs grow weaker as we stand there in silence, staring at each other until she finally raises an eyebrow.

Reluctantly, I step aside to let her in.