Tripping

Chapter 8: Mia's POV

Mia

Do I want to take this amazing opportunity to go to Vancouver and be able to enhance my education on being the best paralegal that Downtown Toronto has ever seen? Yes.

But leaving Nate for three months when we have never been apart that long is making me wonder if the convention will really be worth it. We have never been apart for three months, the most we have been apart being a few weeks when he was on the road in college and during his professional career.

We are a strong couple. I know we are. When we first started dating I was always second-guessing if I was good enough for Nate. Why did he want just an average girl with basic coloured brown hair and a curvy body when he could have literally any girl on campus. He told me that he could be his true self around me and that meant the world to him. He was never embarrassed to admit he was an emotional guy to me, I saw that side of him especially when his mom passed away. He never felt like he had to hide who he was from me. Especially since his life revolved around hockey, where you are expected to hide your weaknesses and have to be a tough guy 24/7 on the ice.

So I guess that's why we are here today. We are always honest with each other, we respect each other's space, we tell each other everything, and we just have fun while loving each other. I have never had to worry about Nate ever potentially cheating on me, I let him go out with the boys all the time. He isn't much of a drinker anyway and I know he would never do anything to hurt me.

So I don't know why I would be worried if I left him for a couple of months. Yes, it would be hard and we would have to somehow visit each other a couple of times in the span of three months. But I trust him and trust our relationship to remain the same. I mean we are getting married, after all, a little business trip wouldn't mess with our love for one another.

But with our recent slip-up in Greece it's hard not to worry about it even though Mason got the article taken down. That doesn't mean that the picture is not still out there somewhere. I'm just silently hoping people will stop talking about it soon. Nate and I have done a good job of just ignoring what comes with a situation like this. People will probably talk about it forever. Our jobs are secure and that's what matters. We are engaged now and have been together for 6 years. Yes world, we do have sex, sometimes even on pool balconies. I just hope if I do leave Nate to go to Vancouver, he doesn't need to deal with any of the backlash of it alone here.

Maybe I can talk to my boss and see if I can somehow only attend the convention for a shorter amount of time. I have always been there when Nate's seasons started since they let me work remotely sometimes and to be honest I like being there for his home games, cheering him on and seeing what he does best. I'm not the type to just sit home and not work just because my partner can financially keep us stable and Nate knows this. When he got drafted, he said I can start calling him sugar daddy and at that moment I was grateful my dad taught me how to throw a punch. I hit Nate so hard in his very muscular bicep giving him a big bruise. Okay...so maybe it wasn't a big bruise. I don't think there was any bruise at all, but he did wince from the pain and that's good enough for me. After that, he knew I would never be able to just sit home and not do what I love while he did what he loved. I loved being a paralegal, I loved the late nights, especially when Nate was on the road, I loved getting lost in reading and doing what I could to help people out.

My phone starts to ring just as I finish up preparing dinner, waiting for Nate to get home from the gym. I go over to see Rebecca calling me.

"Hey girl," she says, sounding really excited.

"Hey what's up Becs?"

"I cannot wait for the convention in Vancouver, you're coming right?" she asks me, sounding hopeful.