Not a Love Story

Twenty-Seven // Not Like That

Oliver Greene

The next morning the sound of Mia's car horn snapped me out of my daze. I ate the last bite of my cereal before putting the bowl in the sink and heading for the door.

"Have a good day, sweetie." my mom said, sitting at the table with her computer.

"Thanks, mom. You too." I responded.

"And don't forget to bring the car back tonight." she smiled. I nodded as I put the keys in my backpack before heading outside.

"Morning." Mia greeted, handing me a coffee cup.

"Did you leave early to get this?" I asked. She nodded.

"I figured you might need it." she said, offering me a soft smile.

"Thank you." I said, taking a sip.

"How's Hen doing?" Mia asked, pulling out of the driveway.

"He's okay. He can't go to school for at least the next week, so I'm sure he'll be bouncing off the walls by the end of the week." I said, making Mia laugh.

"Oh boy. I hope your mom's ready for that." she added, making me laugh too. "Was he at the hospital alone? Wasn't your mom at a conference last week?" she asked.

"Yeah, she was. Ben left the game and picked me up. My mom was able to make it back before we were allowed to see him though, so it worked out."

"Wait, Ben left the game?" Mia asked, looking over at me with her mouth gaping.

"Yeah." I confirmed.

"Whoa. Are you guys better friends than you're letting on?" Mia asked, poking my arm. I felt my cheeks heat up.

"What? No, what makes you think that?" I trailed off, looking out the window to try and hide the blush creeping up on my cheeks as Mia parked the car near the back of the lot.

"Oliver. Ol, look at me." Mia said, turning the car off. I slowly met her gaze.

"Are you guys more than friends?" she softly asked. I dropped her gaze, looking down at my hands in my lap.

"No, of course not. He-he's straight. It's not like that." I replied, feeling my throat tighten as I said those words. Mia reached over and laid her hand on top of mine.

"Do you want to be more than friends?" she asked. I shook my head.

"It doesn't matter what I want. It wouldn't ever happen, even if I did." I said, a sinking feeling in my chest.

"Ol, it's okay to feel what you do. You know that, right?" Mia asked, concern in her face. I nodded, feeling tears prickle my eyes.

"It just can't happen." I choked out. Mia reached over and hugged me, tears starting to roll down my cheeks. I hugged her back, taking a deep breath. "It's been a long weekend." I said, letting out a low laugh. Mia nodded and laughed with me.

"I'm sure it was. And we're not done talking about this, just so you know. You aren't off the hook with me just yet." Mia joked. I nodded, wiping the few remaining tears away.

"I figured." I laughed.

"Do you want to hang out after school today? Maybe talk some things out?" she asked. I nodded.

"Yeah. I'd like that." I said.

"Great. Do you want to just meet at mine? I know you need to get your car." she said. I nodded.

"Sounds good. Thank you, Mia." I said. She nodded and smiled at me.

"Of course, Ol. You're my best friend, you know I'm there for you no matter what." she said, giving me another hug. "Okay, ready?" she asked. I nodded and took a deep breath.

"Yeah."

- - - -

I followed Mia to her house, parking in her driveway. I trailed behind her as we headed inside and right for the kitchen.

"Do you want any snacks?" she asked, opening the pantry.

"Sure. I'll just have whatever you are." I said. She nodded and grabbed two bags of chips and two pops before we headed to her room. She dropped her backpack down next to her desk and sat down on the bed, patting the spot next to her.

"C'mon, Ol. Let's talk." she said. I chuckled and shook my head, sitting next to her. "It's been a while since we talked, hasn't it?" she said.

"Yeah. I've missed you." I said, smiling at her. She smiled back.

"Okay, okay, I want to hear about you. And a specific other person." she said, wiggling her eyebrows at me.

"I don't really know what you want me to say." I replied, nervously laughing.

"When did you start liking him?" she asked. I shrugged.

"I'm not sure. I don't think I realized until this morning. When you asked in the car." I confessed.

"Are you serious?" Mia asked, her jaw dropping open.

"Yeah, I guess." I responded. Mia nodded, encouraging me to continue. "I think maybe it's been a while, after I got to know him better." Mia nodded again. "It's just - he's not what I expected at all. He's kind and gentle and sweet. And so thoughtful and caring. Everything with the game and Henry over the weekend, he dropped everything to help us. He's amazing, Mia." I finished, looking up to see her softly smiling at me.

"You really like him, huh?" I nodded.

"Yeah, I think I do." I smiled.

"Does Henry or your mom know?" Mia asked.

"No. Well, I haven't told them anything but they might think something is going on. They've been acting weird ever since Ben first came over to study." I said, my voice dropping at the end.

"Hey, it's okay. You don't need to tell anyone until you're ready." she said. I nodded.

"I don't think they'll care, you know? It's just-it's scary. Especially since he doesn't feel the same way. I feel like there isn't a point in saying anything when it can't happen." I finished. Mia reached out and placed her hand on mine, comforting me. I took a deep breath and ran a hand through my hair. "Enough about me, what's going on with you?" I asked.

"Oh not much. College apps, working, homework, the usual." Mia sighed, flopping down onto her back on her bed.

"I can't believe we're almost done with high school." I said, flopping down next to her.

"I know. It's crazy how fast the year is going." Mia agreed.

"Do you know where you want to go?" I asked her. She shrugged.

"I'm not sure. I'm hoping to go out of state, maybe I'll go to Minnesota with Margie." she shrugged, mentioning her older sister who was a freshman at the University of Minnesota. I nodded.

"I'm going to miss you, Mia." I said, looking over at her.

"Don't start with that! You're going to make me cry, and we've had enough of that today this morning!" she teased me. I laughed along with her, feeling free for the first time in a while.