Can You Hear the Ocean?

Chapter 12

"It's a good thing Leila had an extra room," Julian remarked as he carried a cardboard box alongside Mia up the steps to Leila's—or Mia guessed her apartment. "I don't think I would've been able to convince my mom to let you stay with us."

Mia only half-smiled, not wanting to admit that if that had been the only option, she would've probably gone back to New York and crashed on a friend's couch. Still, she was thankful everything had worked out. The past week with Abby had been tense, but Leila graciously let her move in as soon as possible, meaning Mia had all her things boxed up by the end of the week.

The door opened before Mia could even knock. Leila stood in the doorway, a smile on her face. Mia was quick to notice the way her grin gradually dropped once Leila saw Julian. Abby used to make the same face whenever Mia brought him home. Quickly, a smile was back on Leila's face, as if she'd never frowned to begin with.

"Hey. Um, this is my boyfriend, Julian," Mia said. "Julian, this is Leila. We knew each other as kids."

"Nice to meet you," Julian said, straining his neck to look at Leila from behind the box he was carrying. "I'd shake your hand, but..."

"No worries. Come inside," Leila said, stepping away from the doorway.

Mia carefully stepped into Leila's apartment and set the box down on the kitchen countertop. Leila's apartment was more spacious than the one she and Abby had been living in. The floors were all hardwood, the furniture looked new, and the countertops weren't old and stained. The sun filtered in through the large, opaque windows, allowing an abundance of natural sunlight in the living room. Though there was no ocean view from the patio, the view was nicer than the street view Mia had in her old apartment. Mia had to guess the apartment complex had been recently built. It made her feel even more guilty for intruding on Leila's space after she had worked so hard to earn this place.

"I realize you've never been here before," Leila admitted, noticing Mia's awe. "Let me show you your room," she said.

As Mia and Julian navigated down the hall, a large gray tabby cat suddenly caught sight of them. The cat let out a hiss and immediately ran into what Mia could only presume was Leila's room.

"Fuji!" Leila exclaimed, chasing after the cat. Mia and Julian peered into Leila's room, where she was trying to coax the cat out from under the bed. Finally, Leila let out a sigh and stood back up. "Sorry. He doesn't like guests so much, but he'll warm up to you in no time, Mia. I'm sure."

Leila glanced ahead at the door frame across from hers. "This room is yours," she said, leading Mia into bedroom slightly smaller than Leila's. The carpet fibers were soft, and like the window in the main living area, the large window in Mia's bedroom allowed more sunlight to stream in.

"Though I'm sure you could've guessed it's yours since it's empty," Leila added. "I can help you guys bring boxes in—"

"That's all right. We've got it," Julian interrupted.

"Oh! Okay," Leila said, seeming surprised.

"It's really not much, just some boxes and a little bit of furniture," Mia assured her.

"Okay, cool. Well, if you do need help, let me know," Leila stated. "Otherwise, I, uh, guess I'll try to Fuji out from under the bed."

Mia nodded, suddenly feeling guilty for not allowing Leila to help. Once she was at work bringing boxes up and down the steps to Leila's apartment, the thought quickly left her mind. Rather, Mia thought that it was nice having a boyfriend to help this time. Mia had never sweated so much in her life when she had first moved in to Abby's apartment in the spring. Her arms had been sore for days afterwards from carrying so much. Trying to put all her furniture together had been a battle as well. Her first night at Abby's had been spent on the floor as she hadn't managed to make her bedframe before her usual bedtime.