I'll See You Soon [COMPLETED]

The Trip to California

*Warning* Mia and Jay are not together yet in this story. I am putting this here because I caused my sister great distress when she started reading this and thought they might have broken up. So. Just so you guys know, they are not yet together in this story. *End of Warning*

Mia could see her packed suitcase sitting on the ground out of the bottom corner of her eye. She could hear movement coming up through the floor from downstairs. Music had been put on and the general volume of chatter was slowly rising with each slamming of the front door as more and more guests arrived.

Mia felt her good manners try and pull her away from the comfort of her room, trying to get her to join the party. But she willed herself to stay.

It didn't help that her feet felt frozen to the carpet underfoot. It was the sound of that one voice, that certain laugh, that she didn't think she could bear to hear that somehow dragged her downstairs, out of her neatly tidied room and away from the pile of luggage waiting for her to return, her plane ticket home sitting right on top.

The wave of butterflies she had been fighting off reared up in a swarm as soon as her feet hit the bottom step. It had been the same infestation that had punched her in the gut as soon as her sister had dropped her off at the airport six days before and a million miles away.

She had steeled herself enough as she had boarded the plane, endured the six-hour flight with minimum loss of calm but was not prepared for the wave that hit her as she slowly descended the escalator towards the LAX airport entrance.

There he was, standing, waiting for her, backlit by the soft Californian sun that refused to ever dim. He was smiling and she thought she saw his smile widen when he caught sight of her. She felt a warm rush of blood invade her cheeks and she glanced down to make sure she had all she needed to hide her face.

He was tanner. And prettier, somehow, she noticed immediately. The time spent on the west coast had treated him well.

She remembered when she had maintained that same warm glowing skin. But she kicked that memory out as soon as it popped up as it only brought to mind memories and relatives that didn't live too far away and they were the last thing Mia wanted to think about as she walked across the terminal towards Jay.

She let herself believe his face was bright because he was seeing her and accepted his welcoming hug. It started stiff, as Mia felt her shoulders jump up to her ears but his familiar scent helped break the tension and she allowed herself to sink into the embrace. But she didn't dare let it last too long.

She was the first to break away and made sure her smile was the appropriate width as she smiled up at him, praying to the heavens above that it didn't betray just how nervous she really was.

"It's so good to see you!"

His words were genuine and voiced the look he was sending down to her. Her smile shifted more towards a realm of genuine and she felt her shoulders drop another half an inch.

"It's good to see you too."

She couldn't feel it, her nerves and her determination to keep it together occupying the full force of her attention, but the past four months were slowly fading from her memory. The feeling of awkward tension was naturally dissolving itself as they stood together in the middle of the busy terminal and exchanged the traditional greetings two friends usually exchange after having spent an extended period of time apart.

Mia didn't have much to catch him up on since the last time they had talked, as it had been just before she had boarded the plane but he was just as interested to know how her flight had gone.

When he reached forward and grabbed a hold of her bag, Mia's smile melted completely and she left any trace of something resembling insincere or false behind in that terminal as she followed him out to where he had parked the car.