Page 52 of She’ll Steal Your Heart
“It’s not sketchy,” Lauren insisted.
Mia still didn’t like it, but Lauren couldn’t stay on her couch forever, no matter how much Mia was enjoying having her here. And shereallyliked having her here, which was a red flag in itself. Mia was painfully aware that her feelings for Lauren weren’t platonic anymore.
She should be encouraging Lauren to move out, because surely it was harder for Mia to experience a connection with the women she’d dated when she was distractingly infatuated with the off-limits woman sharing her apartment. The truth was, Mia would always rather be with Lauren, and she was starting to wonder why she kept fighting it.
Was there a rule that said all rebound relationships ended in disaster? And did Lauren like her the same way? Mia thought she did, but what if that was wishful thinking on her part? The stakes were too high. She had to be sure before she even considered starting anything with Lauren.
“Tell me more about this closet-sized bedroom.” She kept her tone light as she dished up two bowls of soup.
“It’s got a twin-sized bed and a little window that faces the building next door, but I think it might have a cool view at night when you can see the lights of the city gleaming. I’ve always loved to see that. It’s not much bigger than the bed, but honestly, that’s fine. It would be one of the only times in my life I’ve actually had my own room.” Lauren sounded so hopeful about this room that Mia felt herself warming to the idea.
“Just make sure you sign something, okay?”
“I will.”
“Wine?” Mia asked, lifting a bottle she’d picked up when she went shopping earlier.
“Sure,” Lauren agreed. “Between my apartment news and Darius deciding to adopt Gilbert, today was a good one.”
Mia smiled as she opened the bottle and poured two glasses. “I’m glad. And I meant to tell you, Wendy confirmed that Darius’s application went through, so that’s official.”
Lauren’s whole face seemed to light up. “Oh my God, I’m so happy. Can you try to make sure I’m working when he goes home? I want to be there.”
“I’ll make sure.” Mia would make sure she was there too, so she could watch Lauren send Gilbert on his way. It was going to be beautiful. She cut the garlic bread, and Lauren helped her carry everything to the table.
Lauren sat across from her with a blissed-out smile on her face. “An apartment, Gilbert getting adopted,andyou cooked for me. Oh, and let’s not forget, you asked Beth out.”
“I did.” Mia sipped her wine. “Hopefully, she’ll help me break my streak of bad dates.”
“I have a good feeling about it,” Lauren said. “You two have been flirting for a while, so you know there’s a spark.”
“Mm.” But she wasn’t as excited about this date as she should be, and while she’d been attracted to Beth in the beginning, the only spark she felt at the moment was for the woman sitting in front from her. Mia didn’t even want to think about Beth, not while Lauren was here, looking so pretty and happy and generally lovely that it was all Mia could do not to lean across the table and kiss her right in the middle of dinner.
“The soup is delicious,” Lauren said.
“My dad’s recipe,” Mia told her. “Although don’t tell him I used pasta from a box. Oh, you know what? I should send him a picture. He loves to tease me that I don’t cook.”
“You totally should,” Lauren agreed. “He’ll be thrilled.”
Mia reached for her phone and snapped a picture of the bowl in front of her, which she texted to her dad.
“He loves to cook, huh?” Lauren said.
“Yes. I was spoiled with homecooked meals every night growing up.”
“Did he do all the cooking for your family?”
Mia nodded. “Pretty much. My mom cooked sometimes, but she didn’t enjoy it, not like he does.”
Lauren looked up. “That’s the first time I’ve heard you mention your mom,” she said quietly.
“I don’t talk about her often,” Mia admitted.
Lauren’s expression was sympathetic. “I’m sorry for whatever happened. You don’t have tell me.”
Mia rarely shared this story. It made her feel awful, even now, but she knew so many painful things about Lauren’s past, and she was surprised to realize she wanted Lauren to know some of hers too. “I came out to my parents when I was twenty-one, the summer before my senior year of college. My mom told me to pack my bags and not come back until I’d straightened myself out…pun intended.”
“Oh, Mia. I’m so sorry.” Lauren reached out to cover Mia’s hand with hers.
