Intertwined

Chapter 65: Pressure and Release

A/N: This is a shorter chapter than my last few. It was difficult to get out in an appropriate way but have the emotion that it needed to. 

Thank you for continuing to read my little story. I really am enjoying it all coming together.

Love always,

Naomi 

Twenty-two years earlier (the day after prom):

Niko could hear the anxiety of Reece's voice before he had finished the first sentence, 'and now Aut won't speak to me or Mia. I know he had something to do with this Niko, but I can't get Mia to talk to me either. She just, well, she just got really angry, slammed the door and ran off. Neither of them are at the lookout,' the blonde didn't take a breath as he spoke.

'Reece,' Niko's voice stayed steady and calm, not that he felt that way. Collectively their friend group had been playing adults for many years now and, Niko supposed that's why they were friends. The dark-haired teenager heard his friend take a deep breath, 'Reece, how can I help?' Niko heard the blonde stop and hold his breath.

'Can you go find her,' he knew who Reece meant, 'She listens to you,' Niko heard the blonde roll his eyes.

'Yeah, I'm not sure why either mate. I'll go look for her,' Niko paused wondering whether he should say anything else. 'We'll figure this out Reece,' it was as much to reassure himself as it was his friend.

'Thanks Niko,' the blonde didn't sound convinced, too many things in life seemed beyond their control, no matter how hard they tried.

The dark-haired boy knew where Mia would be. The only other place besides the lookout she would go, would be the boxing gym that Niko's older brother owned. Lorenzo wasn't home at the moment, he was working in Italy, but Mia started going a few years ago and asked Niko to teach her how to fight. She wouldn't tell him why, wouldn't tell him why her cheek was bruised and she kept clutching her ribs on the left, but Niko agreed to helped her. He always would. Often, Mia would turn up at the gym, eyes red from tears, jaw set, refuse to talk and just train until she almost passed out.

Niko opened the front door and the manager, Robbie, pointed towards the circuit room knowing why the teenager had arrived. The young man could hear the speedball going. Niko walked in the space, Mia was the only one there. Punching the speedball with her bare fists as hard as she could, her knuckles were already starting to blister and bleed, sweat was visible through her shirt and Niko could hear painful grunts she made as though her heart was breaking. He rushed over, to stop her doing more damage to her hands, but also just to hold her, to help her feel safe.

Mia didn't pull away. She sank her face into his chest and punched Niko's back a few times, howling her heartache into his shoulder, before allowing herself to be lowered to the floor. They stayed there until the afternoon sun changed to dusk. She felt so small in his arms that day and when she finally spoke her voice sounded so defeated.

'I'm awful Niko. He's right. I'm really a terrible person,' she looked at him with eyes that seemed completely different from a few days before. They had lost their hope, the mischievous sparkle he knew he needed as much as she did. It didn't just hurt him to see her like that; it scared him that he was losing his best friend.

Present Day

He stood at the corner of the building, watching Mia with her head down, siting on a small patch of grass at the back of the buildings. She was trying to take deep breaths in between shuddering sobs. He wanted to go over to her but wasn't sure whether the redhead would reject him. Part of him wanted to scoop her up and do anything to help her, but a whole other part of him thought it would be better just to walk away.