Eigengrau

A beginning

Chapter 2:

Mia opened the door from her side and got off the car, her legs aching like crazy and her had a little dizzy from all the traveling. She took a deep breath of fresh air, and the saltiness of it made her smile.

Even though she wished it, she couldn't hear the waves breaking at the shore, for the street was filled with screaming children and running moms, while fathers carried bags and parasols.

She looked over at the house, a beautiful yet simple two-story cabin, painted a pastel blue. The roof tiles were dark grey and the steps that led up to the porch, as well as the floor and the railing, were white.

There was an American flag mockingly waving at her, from one of the top windows, and Mia couldn't help but to think "Proud little fellas these Americans, huh?". Mia had never felt more out of place. The culture that filled her eyes, just the everyday feel of it, was overwhelming. Mia had been to America several times, but never for such an extended period of time. She just had to get used to it.

It was actually hotter inside the car than it was outside, she decided, as she flung her bagpack over her shoulder, and took off her big headphones. She brushed her hair from her face with a hand and in that moment, Riley got a good look at her, from the window of his bedroom.

Maybe it was the distance from where he was looking at her, or the fact that Fitz said "She's not that hot," so his mindset ran towards that thought immediately, but Riley didn't find her stunning. She was cute, some would say, but not cute enough to be of any interest.

There was something, though, about her that convinced Riley not to be a dick, and he went downstairs, to go say hi to them.

Fitz followed him closely, out of sheer curiosity.

As they were coming down, Brett popped the trunk open and started unloading the bags. Mia stood there, awkwardly looking around, not knowing what to do. Did Brett expect her to help unload the car? Because Casey had already asked for the keys and got inside the house, probably getting ready for the beach. Did that mean Mia could do the same?

The answer was soon delivered by an impatient Brett "You know, Mia, bags don't have legs, darling," he said extending his arms to point out all the bags that were on the ground.

"Brett!" someone shouted from afar, as Mia was bending over to grab the closest suitcase.

Her eyes searched for the source of the sound, and soon found it in a bearded man, leaning on the fence between Brett's house and the neighbor's. He had a cocky grin on his face, and his eyebrows moving up and down, in an expression that appeared to mean 'Are you happy to see me?'.

Casey's father smiled widely and dropped Mia's bag on the ground -of fucking course, it had to be my suitcase, she thought. He walked toward the stranger.

"You look good," Brett said "Sober yet?" He added, in what Mia thought was Brett's mocking tone.

"And you!" exclaimed the other man, "Married yet?"

Little did the man know...

"Actually, Theodore," Brett said, emphasizing the man's name, which somehow suited him "Clara!" He shouted for her mom.

Clara's head popped up from inside the house, as stunning as ever, and asked "What happened, Brett?" clueless to Brett's intentions of waving her like a prize in front of Theodore's face.

Mia didn't know wether her mom didn't want to see or she just didn't care, but she'd warned her a million times over: Clara was a trophy wife. And Mia hated that, for some reason.

"Come over here for a sec, darling" when talking to her mom, Mia felt like Brett's tone when he said 'darling' was much less mocking, if at all, than when he spoke to her.

Clara walked down the steps of the porch, in all her long-legged glory, and straight into Brett's open arms. She hugged Brett's waist and looked at the man on the fence.

"Sweetheart, you remember Teddy, right?" Brett said, in introduction.

Clara looked at Theodore and smiled "Of course! You have two lovely sons, is that right?" She asked, and Mia felt the look her mom gave her.

"Yeah, I told them to come say hi, but..." He looked at the door, just as Riley and his friend were coming out of the house "Oh! There they are! Come over here Riley, let me introduce you to Brett's wife, Clara. You've met her last year, remember?" He added, ignoring Fitz completely.

As Riley walked toward the group, his eyes scanned the place in search of the new girl. Fitz did the same, not even hiding the fact that he was doing so. And after them came Don Allen, Riley's little brother, hiding behind the two teens.

"This is my oldest, Riley," introduced Theodore, as he grabbed his son's shoulders, squeezing, and presented him to Clara.

Mia, curious, poked her head from behind the car.

"Hey," he said awkwardly, as he waved a hand and smiled shyly.

Riley's eyes met Mia's in that moment, and she had nowhere to hide, so she stepped beside her mother.

"This is my daughter, Mia," Clara said, looking sweetly at her daughter, as the latter smiled at the strangers.

"Hi," she said, in an awkward manner similar to Riley's. She was still looking into his eyes; his big, brown eyes.

Mia scanned his face quickly: he was surely handsome, to say the least. He had brown eyes, a tanned complexion and a dashing smile, no matter how shy. His hair was the color of dark chocolate, the bitter kind that Mia despised.

Fitz leaned in to whisper something into Riley's ear, when Clara and Theodore started talking and Mia's attention turned to the conversation, rather than to the both of them.

"She's prettier up close," Fitz admitted, as he looked at Mia's bust, rather than her face.

Riley shrugged the comment off, trying to ignore his little brother's pulling of his shorts.

"What, Don?" Riley said, looking at the five-year-old that suddenly stopped the tugging of his brother's swimsuit.

"I want to see the pretty girl!" Don said in the cutest of tones, as he extended his arms for his brother to hold him up.

"Oh, for f--," Riley bit his lip so he wouldn't curse in front of his brother. When he had him up in his arms, he introduced him to the only person that was looking at him: Mia.

"This is Don," he said, as he made his brother bounce in his arms.

The little dark-haired boy hid his face in Riley's body, shy as little kids always are.

Mia, who adored children, smiled widely and came toward the fence. She squinted her eyes and pouted at Riley, in an attempt to communicate how cute she thought Don was, as she tapped the little kid on the shoulder.

"Hi there," she said in a soothing voice "Do-on?" she sang the question, and Riley couldn't help but to smile at the girl. Fitz was right, she was prettier up close.

She took her bag off her shoulder and dug deep in it, taking out a lollypop from its depths.

"Then, I guess I'll just have this lolly myself," Mia taunted, tickling Don's cheek with the wrapping of the candy.

The little boy's head snapped around with the biggest smile Mia'd ever seen. He looked an awful lot like his older brother: the same bright brown eyes, their eyebrows equally bushy. And, of course, their smile equally charming.

"I'm Mia," she said to Don, when she gave him the lollypop.

"What do you say, huh?" Encouraged Riley to Don, whose tongue was already licking the candy.

"Thank you!" The boy exclaimed, his cheeks slowly losing the blush of embarrassment.

"You're welcome," Mia smiled to both brothers, her gaze hanging onto Riley's a second too long.