Page 34 of Spark

Mia threw her stuff over her shoulder, keys in hand, and ran down the stairs. Passing the cafe, she spotted a familiar head of blonde locks. Not wanting nor having the time for another confrontation, she ducked out the side door, moving swiftly across the street to the garage. She got in her car and tried to rush putting the key in; of course, it gave her trouble. She took a breath and did it slowly.

“Thanks,” Mia sighed as the car started. Her phone chimed, but she didn't have time to respond to anyone. If it was Aurelio, he would understand.

The ride to the diner was tense. She had to stop to make sure Flory could, or would, vouch for her. She saw David in the kitchen through the front window; his face was already red, indicating that he was mad about something. Flory was serving coffee to the regulars at the counter. She raised her brow when she spotted Mia, eyes darting to the hallway and the back-of-house section.

“Girl, what are you doing here? Get to class,” the thin woman said, giving Mia a slap on the arm.

“I'm on my way, but I have a huge favor to ask you.” Mia gave a cheeky smile.

“I can't switch shifts, love. I already told Mac I would cover today and tomorrow for him.” Flory shook her grey curls, moving down the counter to place the coffee pot back on the burner.

“No, it’s not that,” Mia insisted, pressing her palms into the counter between them. “The cops may come by, asking if I was in last night.”

Flory spun on her heels, shocked.

“Excuse me?”

“The cops, or at least a detective, may call.” Mia looked down, the shame of it hitting her. Flory had been like a mother to her since she arrived in California. [SS5]They met at the apartment building. Flory had lived on the second floor before moving into her son's house, which was closer to the diner.

“Mia, what’s goin’ on? Tell me, darling.”

“The guy I met, the one who ghosted?” Flory nodded. “We, reconnected, and there was some trouble,” Mia hesitated. She couldn't lie to Flory, never had. “He is… well, he's amazing.”

“Then why are the police involved? What kind of trouble?” Flory lifted a wrinkled brow.

“He isn't in trouble.” It wasn’t a lie. As far as she knew, Aurelio was not in trouble. “But last night, when we were on our date, the cops busted up some kind of car theft thing, and we were there.” Mia shrugged. “We didn't want any trouble, so we snuck off as the cops arrived. One of the detectives on the case lives in the loft next to me.”

“Girl, this story is all over the place. Forget that I asked.” Flory spun to grab food as the bell dinged. “Did you do anything illegal?”

“No. Not at all.” Mia followed her coworker as she walked down the counter, dropping plates as she went.

“What do you need then, hun?”

“If anyone calls, can you just confirm that me and my… boyfriend were here eating when the cops went by?” Mia waited, hands perched on the seat of an empty chair.

“Sure, what's the guy's name again?”

“Aurelio.”

“Okay,” Flory agreed.

Mia squealed. “Thanks! You are the best!”

The older woman nodded. “But my price is full details tonight.”

“Done.”

Mia reached her classroom with only moments to spare; the detour to the diner cost more time than she thought. Still, she had managed to escape before David saw her. The door to the class slammed closed, and the professor gave her a look as she went to her seat. The class was technically above her, but she had fast-tracked her degree as much as possible. The lecture began with a slideshow that Mia knew would quickly lose her attention. Her mind began to wander as she sat, the dull droneof the professor's voice doing nothing to keep her engaged. Mia thought of Aurelio and the several texts she needed to send to him because she basically ignored him that morning after the phone call from Detective Daniels.

Trying to focus, she rubbed her eyes behind her glasses, accidentally smudging them. With a sigh, she reached into her bag for a cleaning cloth. As she felt for it, her fingers brushed her silently vibrating phone. Cautiously, she pulled it onto her lap.

Aurelio's number lit up the screen. Of course, she couldn't answer it, but she could text him back. She declined the call and quickly clicked her messages. She had three missed calls and four texts from Aurelio. The first two messages were from their previous conversation.

Aurelio:What are your thoughts about dinner and a drive-in date?

After an extended period of time without a response, his follow-up messages increased in urgency.

Aurelio:Mia, everything okay? Answer your phone.Another message came in.Please, I don't know if something's wrong.

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