It's difficult to find the way everything fits into place once it's broken, even if a surgeon gives you a pretty significant first push. Alexia's recovery is progressing with hope. Her knee is responding well to rehabilitation, but she doesn't feel...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
My mother had taken care of bringing food for everyone in several containers that still held the heat. Although, as it was obvious, they hadn't counted on Mia's presence, she usually went overboard with the quantity.
"Mia, tell us a bit about yourself, won't you? It's not very common for me to find strangers in my daughter's bed," my mother attacked as soon as she placed a portion of potatoes on the brunette's plate. "How did you meet Alexia?"
"Well..." she began, her voice trembling, "I used to work as a waitress in a bar here in Barcelona and..."
"She's the team's psychologist," I interjected summarily as I took a bite of roasted meat.
If I let my family start with her, they'd never stop.
"So, you're into impossible love, huh?" Alba teased with a mischievous smile, nudging Mia and causing her to blush again.
"Alba, come on..."
"We knew each other before," Mia continued the story, "we talked many times before I started working there. In fact, Alexia doesn't usually talk much in our sessions," she laughed half-heartedly.
"I'm sure those were deep conversations," my sister raised both eyebrows.
"Alba!" I scolded, wanting to prevent her from making this even more uncomfortable than it already was.
"They were," Mia continued the joke, not holding back, "all we did was argue."
"Alexia has never been good at flirting," my mother shrugged.
I widened my eyes. Mia burst into laughter.
"She's terrible," Alba added.
"Let's change the subject," I complained.
"I remember one time we had argued, and she was being forced to come to a session. She wasn't saying anything, so I told her that if she was just going to sit in silence, she should do something else, not waste her time."
"No way!" my mother exclaimed, interrupting the psychologist. "She started exercising."
"Yes, she did!"
"She did the same to me when she was sixteen. She'll never change."
All the women at the table burst into laughter, except one.
"And does your family know about the two of you? Or are you as reserved as my daughter, where we have to pry everything out of her?"
"Mom, it's just that..." I began to speak before Mia could.
"Oh my God..." My mother watched as her other daughter covered her face with her hand. "I think you messed up, Mom."
"What?" My mother looked back and forth between us. Her face turned red with embarrassment. "I'm so sorry, Mia. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, it's just that my daughter never..."
"Mom," I warned before she could continue.
"Sorry, sorry, I'll be quiet now."
The meal turned out infinitely better than I could have imagined. Mia truly had a knack for making people like her, for getting them to open up. She was at ease. She joked with my mother, enlisted my sister's help to tease me. She stayed for dessert, coffee, and after-dinner conversation. Nala had taken a little nap by her feet, and my mother hadn't hesitated to promise her that they would see each other again without fail. She was delighted, knowing her well enough to know that my mother would be praising her for weeks.
She decided to leave at seven-thirty in the evening, as she still had some errands to run before getting back to her apartment. I would have liked to kiss her. I didn't know if I should. She couldn't be here; she shouldn't have slept with me. That kiss wasn't supposed to happen, especially not after having dinner with my family. We remained silent for a moment, looking at each other, just like the other two times when neither of us dared to say goodbye with a small kiss on the lips.
"Oh, for God's sake," Alba complained from her chair, taking a sip of her second coffee. "Just kiss her already."
Mia didn't hide her laughter when she saw my face turn dark red. She caressed my cheek with her right hand and left a small kiss on the same spot. My heart was racing uncontrollably. It wasn't something that had never happened before; it had happened much more than that. But this time was very different, the situation was, I felt it differently.
"Next time, alright?"
I could only nod, overwhelmed by her audacity, and in the same way, by finding that middle ground between the desire to touch her that burned in my hands and the new, ruleless situation we had found ourselves in that day.
I returned to the table under my family's watchful gaze and accusing silence. I wished I could disappear.
"So, having a one-night stand, huh?" Alba mocked. "Now you've really surprised Mom."
Before I could respond, mom did.
"It's not," she said confidently. "Right, dear?"
I remained silent for a few seconds as Alba looked at me curiously.
"I don't know," I grimaced. "It's not just sex, but it's not anything more either."
My mother nodded calmly. Alba was enjoying the situation, seeing me having to talk about my sex life with Mom.
"She's charming, Ale... And the way you look at her... You've found someone very special."
