My Mother, The Counselor

Chapter Seventeen

'Ok ok I think I have it, just one more question.' James laughed as he tried to read my mind. 'Are they bald?'

'Used to be.' I replied cheekily.

'It's Brittany Spears!' James jumped in his seat.

'Well done, my friend. Only took you all twenty questions.' I said sarcastically, flicking through my phone connected to the stereo in James' immaculate BMW, in the hopes of finding the perfect car tune.

'Hey I'm also driving, guys can't multitask.' He smirked.

'So what's your story then?' I asked bluntly. 'How did my mum wind up engaged to your dad?'

'Well,' he sighed. 'my mum and dad were married when I was born, but when I was twelve they divorced.'

'Oh?'

'Yeah. I mean, it sorta came out of nowhere until my mum came home pregnant with twins one day. My dad wasn't the father.' James told me.

'Oh my god.' I breathed. 'So you have twin siblings?'

'I do indeed.' James nodded. 'Hailey and Annie. They're six now. I only see them about twice a year with my mum. I don't really want anything to do with her if I'm honest.'

'That's awful.' I mumbled. 'I'm sorry, James. Maybe we're not so different after all.'

James chuckled and nodded his head. We sat in comfortable silence for the majority of the car ride after that. James drove smoothly past the Californian sea and I stared at the beautiful scenery. The sea glistened in the sunlight and the palm trees blew in the gentle breeze as we arrived in Santa Barbara.

'Where did you say he lived again?' James asked after a while of following the GPS in James' car aimlessly around Santa Barbara.

'Beside the aquarium down this road here.' I laughed.

We pulled up outside Blake's apartment building. James opened his door straight away, and I was frozen in my car seat. I felt like bricks were attached to my feet, and refused to let me move. We were in Santa Barbara, so it was hot all around me, but I was shaking.

'What's up, Mia?' James asked, settling back into his seat. 'We're finally here. You can finally fix things.'

'What if they're not fixed? What if he just tells me to piss off? What if he's completely over me and I'm some idiot who just drove all the way to Santa Barbara to try win him back?' I stammered over my words, while my bottom lip quivered. 

'Mia, Mia, Mia' James echoed, putting his hands on my cheeks. 'Everything is going to be fine, okay? He's not going to be a dick, we both know that's not like him.'

'You don't even know him.' I muttered. 'He can be a dick when he wants to be.'

'I know I don't know him as well as you, Mia. But I know enough to know that he would never intentionally hurt you, or anyone else he cares about.' James reached over me and opened the passenger door of the car. 'Now get out of my car and tell him you love him!'

I laughed softly, and climbed out of the car. I closed the door behind me and James stayed put in the car. I slowly walked to the door of the apartment block and pressed the buzzer for apartment 5b. There was no answer for a while, and I felt myself trembling even more than before.

'Hello?' An unfamiliar female voice was heard through the intercom.

'Hi, is this the Woods residence?'

'Yes it is. Who is this?' She sounded like she was about our age, maybe a little older.

'This is Mia. Mia Moore. I'm Blake's friend from L.A.' I replied.