Broken Promises

47 | noah

A few minutes later, Thorne and I have located a screw that seems to be the size of the one I'm missing, plus a screwdriver that will work to replace the missing piece.

The moment I go to replace the missing screw, Thorne's phone rings. He takes a step away from the hood of the Ford, reaching into his pocket for his phone. He glances at the screen before answering the call, smiling as he mouths to me: It's Mia.

"Hey, Sunshine," Thorne says into his phone, pulling it away from his ear to press a button on the scree, which I assume to be the speaker. "What's up?"

"Where did you run off to this time?" Mia's chiding tone fills the silent space around us. "My afternoon class ended a few minutes ago, so I'm free for the weekend. Are we still on for that road trip with Charlie and Violet?"

"I'm not sure yet," Thorne replies. "I drove down to Magnolia Heights and I'm still there."

"You did?" Mia asks curiously. "What for?"

"Wells told me Noah was in town, so I decided to see if it was true."

It's quiet for a moment on the other line. Then Mia questions, "Well? Is it?" She sounds excited, which has me grinning.

"Yeah." Laughing, Thorne adds, "You're on speaker right now, Sunshine."

"Hi, Mia," I speak up, chuckling to myself when she squeals.

"Noah!" Mia exclaims. "I can't believe I'm talking to you! Where the hell have you been? How are you? Are you okay?"

"I'm doing better than okay, actually," I assure her. "Mom and I were living a few hours away, but I'm staying with my dad for the rest of the year."

"In Magnolia Heights?" Mia asks.

"Yeah. I've been down for a few months now."

"A few months?" Suddenly, Mia doesn't sound so excited. Thorne shoots me a look that seems to say you're in for it. "You've been in town for a few months and didn't even bother to call? I've been worried sick about you since you disappeared, and you mean to tell me that you've been in town for months and—"

"I'm sorry!" I cut Mia off, trying hard not to laugh. I don't think she'd appreciate that so much right now. "I should have called. It just slipped my mind, I guess. I'm okay, though. Really."

"I'm still mad at you," Mia says. "And why didn't you say anything, Thorne? I mean, were you just going to keep me in the dark?"

I return Thorne's you're in for it grin. He simply shakes his head, knowing all too well that Mia can't stay mad at him for long.

"Of course I was going to tell you, Sunshine. I just didn't want to say anything until I was sure. Didn't wanna get your hopes up."

Mia is quiet for a moment. Sighing, she murmurs, "As long as you didn't skip class to ride that motorcycle, I guess it's okay."

"Please," Thorne snorts. "You know you love that motorcycle. I'm starting to get jealous."

"Only because it's more fun to ride than you," Mia retorts. I'm unable to hold back my laughter, which results in Thorne shooting me a glare. This only makes me laugh harder.

"Ouch, Sunshine. You don't mean that."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night," Mia bites back.

Thorne, never missing an opportunity to be the smooth boyfriend he thinks he is, is quick to say, "You know that's only you."

I can practically feel Mia rolling her eyes as she says, "That's one of your cheesier lines."

"You think my lines are cheesy, Sunshine?" Thorne questions, making Mia laugh.

"What if I just drove down to Magnolia Heights for the day?" Mia suggests. "Instead of the road trip, I mean. We could make a weekend out of it."

Thorne's face lights up as he grins, and I know that this is the sort of smile reserved specifically for those moments before Thorne is about to see Mia. It's interesting to see how much he cares for her; the kind of effect she has on him. I wonder if she knows how hopelessly Thorne loves her; I wonder if she can see when she looks at him that he would do anything she asked, the way I can see.

"That sounds great," Thorne admits, glancing over at me in question. "I'd love that."

"It'd be nice to see you," I agree with Mia, meaning the words.

"I want to see you, too," Mia tells me. "Mostly so I can yell at you for disappearing the way you did, but still."

"I'll be looking forward to it!" I exclaim.

"You better," Mia teases. "Okay, so I'm just going to pack a few things before I get in the car. I'll bring some of your stuff too, Thorne."

"Thank you," Thorne tells Mia softly. "Drive safely, okay?"

"I will," Mia promises. "You be safe, too. I love you."

"I love you, Sunshine. I'll see you soon. Bye."

Thorne hangs up a few minutes later, slipping his phone back into his pocket before turning to me with a rueful grin. "So are we going to get this truck running, or what?"

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a/n: i really missed writing about Mia and Thorne