Page 53 of Spark

“Only if I can come as I please.” Mia replied, his lips crashing into hers.

“I can’t wait to make you come.” He whispered in her ear as he pulled back, sending a warm shiver through her.

“I have a proposition for you,” Aurelio announced as they reached the car. “Would you let me take the old girl today and give her a tune-up? I can come pick you up from the school andtake you to the diner.” Mia thought about it. The Bug hadn't seen a mechanic in over a year. She nodded, placing the keys in his hand.

“I'm only letting you drive her now so you can get a feel for her.” Mia stepped back, watching as Aurelio slowly put the key in the door, giving a small rap to the same spot she did, and turned the key.

“Thanks, girl.”

Mia smiled as she walked to the passenger side door. Aurelio followed her, pulling open the door and shutting it gently behind her. He walked back to the driver's side and slid in, rubbing the steering wheel, eyes roaming the interior.

“You did all this with your dad?” he asked, in awe of the workmanship and how it held up over the years.

“Yup, worked on it for years. He taught me a lot of lessons with this old girl.” Mia loved watching him take it in, knowing he understood what it was like to build a car from nothing. He knew what it was like to take pieces and put them together like a puzzle and understood the patience required. They clicked their seatbelts on, and Aurelio pulled onto the road, placing his hand on her thigh. Mia placed her hand on his, curling her fingers.

Driving in silence, Aurelio occasionally lifted his hand to shift gears but always placed it right back in hers after. The radio had died years ago, so Mia opted to just play music on her phone most days. But the comfortable silence between them was peaceful. He pushed the car a little to test her out, moving between lanes, opting to get off an exit early, and taking some side streets. Mia, enthralled, closed her eyes. She let the wind coming through the window blow her hair around, enjoying the feel of his warm hand in hers; it was all so much.

“Aurelio?” [HF11]Mia asked, keeping her eyes closed, realizing how juvenile her next the question seemed, but she needed it answered.

“Are we boyfriend and girlfriend?” She bit her lip and eyed him from the passenger seat. Before he had disappeared, she had considered him her boyfriend. But now, she wasn’t sure.

“Oof,” Aurelio breathed, turning his head to look for incoming cars at the intersection before the college's main entrance. “I guess that depends.” He took a moment to look in her direction. Mia could feel his eyes on her, but she closed hers, afraid to catch his eye and lose her nerve to have this conversation.

“Oof, what?” she said quietly.

“If you still want to be my girlfriend,” Aurelio commented casually. “Do you need me to officially ask?” There was amusement in his voice. “Do you need the reassurance I want you, all of you, in every aspect again?” His comment did the job. Her eyes snapped open, remembering their little confrontation in the loft. She glared at him. His eyes were back on the road, knowing his grin was intended to provoke.

“If you don't want to…” She refused to beg for anything.

“Oh, if I want to? Well, I'll think about it then.” He chuckled and pulled over.

Mia released his hand, not giving him the chance to hold her there, opened the door, and practically ran to her class to get away before she exploded with frustration. She made it a few feet before his hands landed on her waist, stopping her. She spun around quickly.

“Mia, would you do me the honor of being my girlfriend?” His smile, that damn grin she loved and hated, melted theice around her heart. She scowled for a moment before finally relenting as he stared at her with eyes alight with amusement.

“Yes.” She smiled back at him as he placed a kiss on her lips, letting his tongue gently caress her. She pulled away, pushing his chest. “I have to go.” With another quick kiss on his lips, she turned to run to class.

“Bye, girlfriend!” he shouted after her; people milling around gave them weird looks.

“Bye!” Embarrassment flared in her cheeks. She heard him laugh as the Bug’s doors were shut.

Chapter Twenty

Class was interesting. She was grateful for the distraction; her mind needed a break from all the craziness of her new reality. She paid attention, answered questions, and after most of the class had emptied out, she approached the teacher.

“Professor Brown, I emailed you the next part of my dissertation last night. I wanted to be sure you got it.” Despite having him as a teacher for two years, Mia was always nervous talking to him. He was very stern and made it clear that the field she was entering required a sharp mind and control over one's emotions.

“Yes, Mia, I did.” He turned to look at her, his bag half-packed. “I have to ask, has something in your life drastically shifted?”

“What, why?” she asked, nerves building.

“Well, to be blunt, these are the best pages you've written,” he remarked, catching her eye. “We are almost there. You are what? Sixty-five pages in?”

Mia nodded. Her dissertation was almost done; she was ready to submit the damn thing and have it finished.

“Well, the new pages were impassioned, to say the least. You seemed to dive into an unfamiliar territory, as if your mind has recently been cracked open, and innovative ideas poured out.” He flipped to the pages she submitted. “Truly, I have notenjoyed reading a paper of this magnitude in a long time. So, I must know, what changed?” Mia bit her lip, unsure how to answer the question, knowing he would pull at her till she gave him enough to satisfy his need for the revelation.

“I met someone,” she admitted, picturing Aurelio and how she felt about everything while working last night. “And we had a fight.”

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