LIVING THE DREAM ✅

Twenty One: The new roomie, the interview and the plan

"I am moving in."

Mitchell didn't get a warning or a message beforehand before Hannah came rushing into her house, a backpack on her back and an umbrella on her head to shield her from the rain outside.

Mitchell wasn't complaining because Hannah was moving in. No, of course not. It was her idea in the first place, so, it didn't matter when Hannah moved in. What she was complaining about was the fact that she was literally in the middle of an interview with Marvelous Studios - oh, yes; you read that right - when Hannah stumbled into the house.

"Hi, roomie," Hannah beamed at her. "Why are you sitting on the couch wearing a formal shirt and pyjamas?"

Hannah didn't notice Mitchell's signals at her to keep quiet. She made a few more comments and then decided to make herself feel at home in the kitchen as she started looking through the fridge.
Mitchell then found her making herself noddles and eggs after her interview.

"I was telling you to be quiet," she told Hannah. "I was in an interview and thanks to you, they know that I was wearing pyjamas. I probably made a fool of myself and won't be getting a call back."

Hannah threw the egg shells in the dust bin and turned to Mitchell.
"Interview? Which one?"

"With Marvelous Studios."

"No way," Hannah gasped. "You are taking the job?"

"Well, they wouldn't stop messaging me till I accepted. I decided to do it anyway because there's no harm, right?"

"There's no harm, of course," Hannah shrugged. "But if you're taking the job, why aren't you and Austin talking again?"

"Are you kidding me?" Mitchell scoffed. "He invaded my privacy! What if there was something confidential in there that he saw? Or, who knows what he's going to invade next time?"

"Well, maybe that was wrong of him. But on a positive note, he got you a job at a movie studio. That is great."

"It still doesn't make what he did less intrusive though."

"Yes, it doesn't," Hannah agreed. "But I'm sure that he won't do it again. Or think about it for that matter."

"Huh?"

"Have you seen the guy?" Hannah exclaimed, her hands thrown in the air. "He basically goes around moping like a kicked puppy. He doesn't leave his room and whenever he's in, he turns on Celine Dion on full volume. He is grieving."

Mitchell didn't believe that for a second. She didn't mean that much to him, right? She was just someone he'd gladly spent time with because she was always around, right?
The only reason why he was in the bad mood could be the words Mitchell was happy to blurt out at the time of the fight. Other than that, there was no way Austin was feeling just as bad as she was. No way.
"Stop this Hannah. Giving me false hope won't help."

"What do you mean by false hope? Everything I said is the truth. I'm not lying."

"But, why?"

"Why what?"

"Why would he be so sad? We've only met for two months, I said the meanest words to him, called him a stalker and ghosted him. I was mad obviously, I still am, but that doesn't excuse the words I said. He doesn't have to be sad because I don't mean that much to him."

"I am going to explain this to you like you are eight. And don't fucking interrupt me, got it?" Hannah said, her finger pointing directly at Mitchell's eye. "You are very stupid if you think you don't mean something to Austin. For Christ's sake, both of you are parents to that annoyingly clingy cat, Fitzgerald. You two sit in the same sofa at Claire's every night, share the same blanket, jackets and scarves. You spend almost all your days at his workplace doing God-knows-what. You have been out to movies like what? Ten times? He walks you home every night. He tried to form a relationship with Hayley even if he didn't have to. What the fuck do you mean by 'I don't mean that much to him?' Are you really that dense?"

Every word Hannah said made so much more sense then. When Austin proposed to talk to Hayley when she broke their dish, he was doing it because he wanted to form a relationship with Hayley. Mitchell's world. When he argued with Claire about him rejecting the job at the printery, he came running to Mitchell. When Mitchell advised him to take the job, he literally ran out of the house and did just that. How about those many times he took her out to movies and food? Sure, they might not have been dates but he cared enough. That was for sure.
"He must think that I hate him," she muttered. Why wouldn't he think so anyway? She'd yelled at him. She'd made no effort to talk to him for days now. "I just was mad, I swear. I don't hate him."

"You shouldn't be telling that to me, Mitch."

Mitchell sighed. "Do you think he would want to see me? I wouldn't blame him if he doesn't want to but it'll still hurt. I can take it."

"Luckily, there's only one way to find out."

Looking at Hannah's eyes that flashed with mischief, Mitchell could already tell that the other girl had a plan.
"What do you have in mind?"

Hannah brought out her phone from her jumper's pocket, clicked a few times and showed the screen.
"I have reservations to my hotel, tonight."

"Wha-"

"The hotel gifts them to all it's employees every Valentine's day and since I don't have a partner, I might as well use them for something useful."

"But-"

"No, buts. All you have to do is dress up and show up at the hotel. I promise you that Austin will get there by all means. Then, you'll make up and kiss. Best Valentine's day ever, right?"

"Hayley-"

"Oh, don't worry about Hayley," Hannah waved her off. "I'll pick her up from Vine. Just worry about getting laid tonight, alright?"