37 - Be Quiet

Part Four

“I love you as who you are.”

37 - Be Quiet

Mia

I dabbed my cheeks with a tissue for the last time and took a deep breath when James unlocked the door. He had calmed me down and demanded me to drink water from the bottle he offered. I thought I had creeped him out after sobbing like that, but he seemed closer to me than before, clutching my hand in his palm as we both stepped out of the room.

He had promised that the cleaning crew would clean them and there was nothing to worry about. I trusted him.

“Mia,” Emma whispered, her face pale as she looked between me and James. “I… wait—are you crying?”

James didn’t let go of my hand when I tried to pull away. My heart thundered in my ribs, heat creeping up my neck. I didn’t know what to say. She must have already figured everything out.

“No, I-I…” I looked closer at her face, her glistening eyes. “Are you crying?”

She sniffed and looked away. Emma never cried. She was the type of person who’d say ‘Oh, well’ if she got into a ca