Page 14 of Rough Love

“Yes, ma'am," he replied as he walked over to the kettle and switched it on before grabbing two mugs and the coffee jar.

Mia turned back to the task at hand as she started to fry some bacon. Sage didn't bother her as she cooked. Instead, he left her to do it by herself which she was grateful for. She put all her focus on making breakfast as she pushed her dream from her mind.

Once she was done she plated everything up and they both sat at the table to eat. It was easy for her to let go of her dream as she and Sage talked over breakfast. Just being around him made everything feel alright in the world. She was grateful he didn't ask her if she had heard him when he had told her he loved her. She was still processing it and wanted everything to settle first before she told him that she, of course, loved him too.

"What are your plans for the day?" Sage asked as he shoveled eggs and bacon into his mouth.

"I think I'm going to go to the club, just to check in and see how things are," she replied. Deep down she just wanted to know if Laura or Lorraine or whatever her name was had been around recently but of course she wouldn't tell Sage that. There was also a part of her that just wanted to get out of the house. As much as she had enjoyed her time with Sage recently, she longed for a little time alone so she could process her feelings. It wasn’t just about the woman coming unexpectedly into their lives anymore, it was also about Sage expressing himself. It was all too much for Mia.

"That sounds like a good idea," he said. Mia thought so too. She finished her breakfast before Sage and watched him as he reached for seconds.

"Would you mind cleaning up while I go shower?" she asked.

“Oh, yes. Of course,” Sage replied.

“Thank you,” she said as she got up and left.

Mia had a quick shower and washed off all the bad energy that hung around her. She knew her mind was playing tricks on her and she had to stop herself before it got any worse. Sage was still with her and she had to remind herself of that.

She got ready and said goodbye to Sage as she left the house. She was grateful for the car that Sage had gotten for them. She had started hating riding the bike or calling for a cab to fetch her. As she drove, she thought about what she would do if she saw Lorriane at the club. She thought that maybe she would hit her and curse her for ruining her perfect life but she knew she wouldn’t do that. She wouldn’t want to do anything that might cause Sage to hate her.

Mia sat in the car for a while once she arrived at the club. She tried to convince herself that no matter what happened once she walked through the doors, everything would still be okay. After a few moments, she stepped out of the car and walked over to the doors. She took a deep breath and proceeded to walk in. After scanning the room she was relieved to notice that Lorraine wasn’t there so she made her way over to the Hell Kats who stood at the bar.

“Hey ladies, how’s it going?” she asked. They were all happy to see her as they took their turns to hug her. At that moment, Mia was grateful for their support and friendship. If all else failed, she knew she could always count on them.

“Mia, it’s so good to see you. Nothing exciting has happened recently,” one said in answer to her question. She wasn’t sure if they would know that she wanted to know specifically about Lorraine without having to ask but she knew that if she wanted answers she would have to ask the one question she was dying to have answered.

“Oh, that’s great. Has...um...has Lorraine or Laura or whatever name she goes by been around recently?” she asked. She was nervous to ask but there was no point in beating around the bush either.

They all shook their heads at the same time.

“No, she hasn’t. It’s been rather quiet without her drunk ramblings,” one of the girls said.

Although it was music to Mia’s ears, she had a bad feeling. It didn’t make sense that she had practically forced her presence on everyone and then disappeared. Warning bells went off in her head as the thought crossed her mind. She didn’t want to alarm the girls though so she made out as if it was good news.

“That’s great news. I really hope our last interaction with her was the last one we’ll ever have,” she replied.

She wasn’t 100 percent sure if it would be the last time they saw her but a girl could dream, right?

She sat down with the girls and chatted about a few things, trying to distract herself as much as she could. She wanted to really enjoy the time she had away from the house even though Sage’s words were still on repeat in the back of her mind. It was a dream come true that Sage felt that way about her. She had longed for it for so long but she felt that it had happened at the wrong time. Everything was extremely messed up and she needed that to be sorted first. She thought that maybe Sage had only said it because he felt like he had to reassure her instead of actually meaning it. The thought of him saying it just to put her mind at ease scared her because he could easily take it back, although she believed Sage wasn’t the type of person to say something he didn’t mean. Mia hated herself for overthinking it so much when she should, in fact, be happy about it.

Mia’s phone went off mid-thought and when she looked at the screen, she saw Sage’s name flashing.

“Hey, Sage,” she said. She wasn’t sure why he would be calling her and her mind went crazy at the possible reasons.

“Hey, Mia. I’m sorry to bother you but you need to come back to the house,” he replied. His voice was filled with concern and worry.

“What’s happened?” Mia asked as the worst thoughts came to mind.

“Nothing has actually happened but I’ve got some news and to be honest, it doesn’t sound good,” he said. She knew he wouldn’t tell her anything over the phone. It sounded serious.

“Okay, I’m leaving now,” she said as she wordlessly waved goodbye to the Hell Kats and walked out of the doors.

Whatever had happened since she left was more important than staying at the club.