A Mialotte Story: Good in a crisis

Unconditional

As morning broke, Mia woke up to find that she was in bed by herself. Instant panic and worry coursed through her, not knowing Charlotte's state of mind. Thankfully, she heard a flush from the en-suite and Charlotte walked out. Mia stared at her sympathetically and curiously, waiting to see if Char would suddenly climb on top of her and smother her with kisses. But no. Instead, Charlotte met Mia's gaze and approached the bed solemnly, kissing Mia on the forehead before walking around to climb back in. There it was again, that cold and obligatory kiss. Charlotte didn't say a word as she laid right beside Mia with her back turned, but she may as well have not been there at all.

"Charlotte, please talk to me" Mia pleaded, her voice thick with desperation. Charlotte was distracted yet again by her phone, as she realised that the unsettling notifications had continued through the night. She had made sure to kiss Mia on her way back from the bathroom, not wanting her girlfriend to feel unseen or unloved. It wasn't Mia that had upset her after all, but she couldn't muster up any will to talk just yet.

Mia was concerned about what had Charlotte glued so intensely to her phone, and she was saddened once again after not getting a response out of her girlfriend. "I'm gonna go make us some breakfast, okay?" Mia said hopefully.
"I'm not hungry" Charlotte replied simply, voice barely above a whisper with her eyes still fixated on her phone. Mia's eyes were now glassy as she looked at Char with sorrow, her heart breaking for her sweetheart.
"Baby, you didn't have any dinner last night, you have to eat something"
"Mia, I love you, but please leave me alone" Charlotte said sternly. Mia never imagine that those words could hurt, "I love you," but as they left Charlotte's mouth she suddenly felt so small and insignificant.
"Okay" Mia replied quietly, her voice cracking as her lip quivered.

She had managed to hold back the tears just long enough to make it out of the bedroom, shutting the door behind her as she collapsed into it. Mia was now crouched against the bedroom door as the tears streamed from her eyes, her hand pressed to her mouth in attempt to deafen her sobs. She couldn't stand the sight of Charlotte being so hurt, and she couldn't understand why either. Mia was truly stumped, how could she help her sweetheart if she didn't know what was wrong?

Mia pulled herself together after her emotional outburst, and went to sit in the garden with a coffee. She hoped that the peaceful sounds of nature accompanied by a warm breeze would clear her head, and enlighten her on how to proceed. Momentarily, Mia had a thought. If Charlotte was so insistent on being left in silence to stare at her phone, then perhaps a message from her girlfriend may give her a little push.

"Charlotte, I'm worried! Will you please tell me what all this is about? x"

Charlotte saw the message from Mia as soon as it came through. She briefly debated replying as she opened it to begin typing, but she couldn't find the words. Her courage failing her, as she immediately drew her attention back to what was previously consuming her. Mia could see the "typing" icon on her screen, relief washing over her as she anxiously awaited for Charlotte's response to come through. But then it stopped, and there was no message from Charlotte.

Mia threw her phone to the ground in frustration and stormed back inside and up the stairs. Upon arrival at the bedroom door she came to a standstill. Charlotte never responded to anger, Mia thought to herself. So she took a minute to calm herself down, putting Charlotte's feelings before her own, and walked away. She didn't want to leave the house in case Charlotte decided she was ready to talk. Mia would hate to not be at her disposal if or when that time came, so she tried to keep herself busy around the house.

Hours went by and it was now midday. Mia's priority had now become getting Charlotte to eat something as she still hadn't left their bed since she got home the night before. It was evident to Mia that Charlotte didn't have much of an appetite right now, but for her sweetheart to even consume a crumb at this point, would be a small win.

The redhead nervously approached the bedroom, and took a deep breath before entering. She walked around to Charlotte's side of the bed to find that she'd fallen asleep with her phone in her hand. It had fleetingly occurred to Mia to take the phone, so that she could find out what had sent Charlotte into this state. However, Mia knew better than to break that trust. Charlotte would tell her everything she needed to, in her own time. She hoped.

Leaving Charlotte to sleep yet again, Mia left a sandwich, a banana and a bottle of water on her bedside table. Hoping that once she woke up, Charlotte would feel partial to some sustenance. Mia settled herself on the sofa, feeling defeated and on edge in her own home. She was beginning to miss the sound of Charlotte's ethereal voice, and was feeling deprived of her tender touch. But what could she do?

With nothing more to do, Mia allowed herself to fall asleep on the sofa whilst binge watching some trashy reality tv show. At the very least, perhaps the redhead would get to make up for the restless night she had, worrying about Char. But, Mia found herself tossing and turning on the sofa as she became lost in a bad dream. Until eventually, she trashed around so much that she woke up on the floor.

The vivid vision and plot that Mia felt she was living, started to fade quickly as she came around. She was thankful for that, but she couldn't shake the lingering feeling of loss and heartbreak. All she remembered of the bad dream, is that Charlotte had slipped away from her grasp. The redhead searched frantically for her lover, but she was nowhere to be seen without as much as an explanation, leaving Mia all alone in a growing pit of darkness.

Mia was desperate to not let that nightmare become a reality, and she now craved Charlotte's company more than ever. To feel her warmth, to hear her laugh, to see her dainty smile. So, she decided to head upstairs and check on her sweetheart, noticing on her way out of the living room that it was now dark outside. The pair had unintentionally spent their whole Saturday apart and isolated, which neither Mia or Char had anticipated. They had both vowed to make the most of their weekends together. Even if they needed recharge in peace, they would always do so together so they'd never feel alone.

The redhead was ever so drained, despite having slept for hours. She crept into bed next to Charlotte, leaving the lights off as though not to disturb her, and as she lay on her back staring into space, she heard a sweet and soft voice. Oh how Mia missed that blissful sound.

"Mia, I'm sorry I pushed you away" Charlotte whispered apologetically as she turned to face her girlfriend in bed.
"Oh sweetheart, I'm just so happy to hear your voice" Mia confessed lovingly, mirroring Charlotte's position and gazing into her eyes.
"I never meant for you to feel ignored, and I feel awful for wasting our Saturday. I just needed some space" Charlotte confessed, her voice now laced with guilt.
"Char, I'm a big girl. If you need space then I will always give it to you. I just wish you would tell me what's got you so down, hm?" Mia expressed, slowly moving some hair out of her sweetheart's face.
Charlotte hesitated to respond to Mia, she wanted to tell Mia what was on her mind eventually, but right now she only wanted one thing.
"I'm not ready to talk about it yet, maybe in the morning?" Mia nodded sympathetically before Charlotte continued. "But for now, can you please just hold me?"

Mia held out her arms warmly welcoming Charlotte into her embrace, basking in their reunion as she was reminded of Charlotte's familiar scent. Mia exhaled deeply in contentment as she found solace in the movement of Char's breathing against her own chest.
"Thank you" Mia whispered, kissing the top of Charlotte's head.
"What for?" Charlotte looked up her girlfriend puzzled.
"For still loving me even though you're going through something."
"Mia, I should be thanking you. You didn't give up on me."

The love that Mia and Charlotte had for one another was unconditional, and they both realised it in that moment as they drifted off to sleep. Charlotte had turned on the 'do not disturb' feature on her phone, aware that in the morning she would awake to many more unpleasant notifications. However, she had already let them take away too much precious time from her loved one. Charlotte realised that the problem wasn't going to just disappear therefore, it would make next to no difference if she ignored it for one evening so that she could face it head on with Mia's support in the morning.