𝐬𝐮𝐠𝐚𝐫. [𝐥𝐫𝐡]

chapter twenty seven: "rest well, sugar."

[luke hemmings]

carmen's eyes flick to me, nervousness clear in her movements. she's obviously confused. so am i, to be honest.

i have no idea what to do.

part of me wants to tell mia to fuck off and never come back. but there's a smaller part of me that wants her to stay so i can talk to her. no matter what she's done to me and my family... she'll always be the girl i fell in love with all those years ago.

of course, i don't feel the same anymore. my feelings for her are dampened by years of hurt and betrayal. and i have carmen now. but it'd still be nice to talk to her. to catch up with her, maybe.

"carmen... i think we should go." her friend places a hand on her arm, gently guiding carmen away from the picnic blanket.

her eyes don't leave mine, and i can see the unspoken questions behind them.

as much as i want to, i just can't find it within myself to comfort her. my muscles are frozen in place.

the woman i never thought i'd have to see again is standing right in front of me, with that familiar smile on her face. not once has she acknowledged the small child on my lap, it's almost as if she's purposefully ignoring him.

"i'll see you soon, luke." carmen spoke softly, waving to louis before turning to walk away with her friends.

internally, i beg her to turn around and save me from the impending awkward conversation. but instead of speaking up and voicing my thoughts, i let her walk away. it's not like she'd want to stay anyway.

louis pouts at her retreating form. "daddy, why is mommy leaving? i thought she was gonna eat with us..."

in the corner of my vision, i see mia raise an eyebrow. "mommy?"

"that's my mommy." louis glares, "and she loves me and my daddy. but you scared her away, stupid head."

her eyes narrow into a harsh glare at his juvenile insult.

this is a proud moment.

"why are you still here, mia?" i ask, trying to keep my voice plain and emotionless. "do you need something?"

"i- uh, just wanted to see an old friend."

for some reason, i get the feeling that isn't the whole truth. if she just 'wanted to see an old friend', then surely she would've left by now. besides, i wouldn't exactly class us as friends.

"didn't you miss me?" her voice rises a pitch in an attempt to sound friendly, "i missed you... i thought about you every day, luke. what we had was irreplaceable. trust me, i tried to find someone like you, but i never could. maybe we could g-"

"he has a girlfriend, dummy." louis cuts her off sharply.

he has an obvious dislike for the dark-haired female. i don't blame him, she doesn't have a nice personality at all. it's a shame it took me so long to see that.

"that girl was your... girlfriend?" she gives a slight sneer, before smoothing her expression over with a lighthearted smile, "i see you're just dating anyone nowadays, huh?"

i open my mouth to speak, but find louis coming to my defence once again. "mommy isn't just anyone! s-she's the kindest, most nicest, specialest girl i know! a-and she's gonna move in with us and marry daddy and uncle callie is going to sing at the wedding and i'm going to carry the rings and mikey is going to make the cake and you're not invited!"

his voice raises towards the end of his angry statement, followed by an annoyed huff.

"mia, i'd like it if you left us alone." i make up my mind. she's doing more harm than good, to be honest.