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mia gets into the shotgun seat of sean's rental, and sean starts to drive to somewhere he would feel more comfortable telling his story.
mia offered to drive, more so because her day in toronto outbeat sean's mere hour. mia lived her entire life in new york, while sean lived a majority of his in california, so neither of the two were experts in the toronto tourist spots.
they spend the ride in silence, with the only sound being the car radio playing "9" by willow smith.
after a while of driving, sean parks the car in front of polson pier. the two step out, and the silence persists until sean takes a seat on a random bench that is placed in front of the skyline view.
it stays silent for ten minutes, and the only sound is the water flowing across the pier.
after a while, sean clears his throat and looks down then back up at mia.
he takes a deep breath and quietly mutters, "october eleven."
she furrows her eyebrows but doesn't say anything, waiting for him to explain.
"four years ago, on october eleven, there was a car crash on woodcrest way and brookline drive. the police said it was one of the worst he'd ever seen in his entire career," he says, playing with his hands nervously.
mia's expression softens as she listens to his story.
"it was a drunk driver, they said," his voice and hands shake. "t-the impact of the accident killed her within seconds. they said she probably didn't feel it. it was quick and painless death."
mia takes sean's hands and intertwines them with hers in attempts of trying to get him to calm down.
"but how can a death be painless?" he chokes.
"sean-"
he lets go of mia's hands and wipes his eyes. he shakes his head, "my mom was the most important person in my life and some dumbass decided a few drinks was more important than her life."
mia's heart drops at the mention of his mother, and in an instant she forgives every single thing he's ever done to her.
"i know what you're thinking," he says. "why would i start drinking if that's the reason my mom died? i'm not really sure either...at first it was to forget everything that was going on."
"do you want to know what the last text my mom sent me was?" his voice cracks. "it was 'i'll be home soon.'"
"sean you don't have to do this,"
"my mom was my dad's soulmate," he ignores her comment, avoiding mia's eyes and looking straight at the skyline. "when she died, he completely broke down. so did i, but not as much as it ruined him. he shut us all out. he stopped eating, sleeping, and talking."
"i'm so sorry, sean," mia places her hand on top of his.
"i haven't heard my dad speak in three years," he chokes. "three fucking years. i'm starting to forget what his voice sounds like."
"my sisters and i placed him in a rehabilitation center," he stammers. "i was against it...but we didn't really have a choice. he didn't have a will to live anymore."
he turns to mia again and looks her in the eye, "do you know what it feels like to see your dad try to kill himself?"
he looks back at the skyline and frowns, "i couldn't take it...seeing him like that everyday. maybe i'm selfish for leaving, knowing that my dad couldn't just leave his trauma behind, but that's the real reason why i moved to new york. as soon as high school ended, i left california despite that scholarship i got."
"that's why you said you wanted a new beginning?" mia frowns.
he nods. "i needed to get out. i passed by that intersection nearly everyday. i'd pass by my school and i'd remember by mom dropping me off every morning during freshman year. i'd pass by the supermarket and i'd remember how my mom could spend hours nitpicking which apples she wanted to buy. i'd walk through my own living room and see family pictures on the wall."
"the night of my panic attack was my mom's death anniversary," he admits. "at midnight every year, i'd visit her grave. but i missed it this year, and i guess i couldn't forgive myself for that...i kind of blamed you for a bit, but that was really my fault."
"i-i'm sorry sean," a tear rolls down her cheek. "i had no idea-"
"it's okay," he interrupts. "i did something else this year. i visited my dad. he's not doing any better, but i'm not quite sure what i expected anyways."
he stands up and starts walking closer to the edge of the water, and sits down on the concrete. he stares at the view and sighs. mia follows him and sits besides him.
"that's kind of why i call you camila," he says. "don't get me wrong mia is a beautiful name, but miya was my mom's name."
"oh," she realizes, feeling guilty for the multiple times she's tried correcting him.
"but i'll have to get over it at some point," he sighs. "so from now on, i'll try my hardest to say 'mia'".
"you really don't have to, sean,"
"i want to," he insists. "i don't believe in destiny or any of that bullshit, but for whatever reason, i just know that you sharing a name with her wasn't a coincidence."
"so i guess you understand why i hate the whole soulmate thing now," he lets out a small laugh, wiping the tears off of his face. "i just don't think it's fair that once your soulmate leaves, that's it. your little 'fairytale' is over."
"i never thought of that..." mia's voice drifts off.
"it's kind of funny how people wait their entire lives, knowing exactly when they'll meet their soulmate, but not how long that person will stay in it." he shakes his head. he gets up and starts walking back to his car, with mia trailing behind him.
he stuffs his hands in his pockets, shivering from the cold air. it was probably eleven at night by now, and he still had no clue where he was going to spend the night.
mia watches sean walk further away, much farther away from her. she keeps a slow pace as she follows behind.
she quietly whispers to herself, "if you think i'm going to leave, i'm not."
a/n BOOM! i thought the miya/mia thing was pretty clever and the biggest clue lol
