Page 5 of Like First Love, Again

“Stop.” Tori’s command was a low murmur against Mia’s temple. “You never have to apologize. Not to me.”

The soft words brought on another wave of pitiful tears. Tori’s reassurance was tearing her apart just to bring her back together. After too long of holding herself together with nothing but sheer will, it was too much.

Mia pulled back and wiped her undoubtedly flushed face.

“I only have six weeks of leave from the hospital and I don’t know how I’m going to get her house sold in time?—”

“Dr. Falcon, is it?” Tori’s fingertips were warm where they brushed her forehead to move hair out of her face.

“Not quite,” Mia replied under a metric ton of regret. “I’m an MRI tech.”

Head tipped to the side, Tori obviously wanted to ask what happened to her med school dreams, but mercifully she didn’t. Mia could only admit so much failure in one day.

“Would you help me? With my mom’s house?” Mia looked up at Tori and the warmest brown eyes she’d ever seen. The ones that had known her so well once, known her better than she’d known herself.

Tori’s sculpted brows furrowed. “I don’t do that kind of real estate. I’m a commercial broker.”

It wasn’t exactly a no, Mia told herself before she pushed. Tori had always needed a little encouragement. She was so stubborn.

“I’ll adjust my expectations accordingly,” Mia joked and wished she could blow her nose.

“Mia, it’s not that I don’t want to help?—”

“So help,” Mia insisted. “Come over tomorrow? I’ll be there all day packing up lifetimes of memories,” she added, knowing that she was leaning on guilt. She wasn’t proud of it, but desperation had taken the wheel.

Tori’s lips, fuller than Mia remembered, eased into a tiny smirk that filled Mia with unbearable light. A single dimple was a first step to getting her back.

“Is that how you’re going to play this?” Tori’s smile was a fire catching in her eyes, her teeth, her skin.

“Can you blame me for using the cards in my deck?” Mia’s heart lifted. “I’m kind of desperate here.”

Tori searched her like she was peeling back her layers. Like she was reading her very essence and deciding whether she liked what she saw.

“So you’re only here because you need something from me?” Tori’s voice was soft and lacked conviction. It wasn’t an accusation.

“I looked for you before, you know. So many times,” Mia confessed without revealing all the social media searches. All the emails she’d drafted and deleted. “Even eighty-year-olds have social media, but not you.”

Tori opened her mouth, and Mia knew exactly what she was going to say. She didn’t let her.

“Apersonalsocial media account where you post about your life. Share pictures of your pets and delicious brunch items. Maybe even vague-book sometimes,” Mia added. “You don’t even post your face on your Instagram. Just big ass buildings.”

Amusement danced across Tori’s face like she was delighted to know Mia had social-stalked her a little over the years. Okay, a lot.

“Come over tomorrow?” Mia repeated, without hiding how badly she wanted Tori to accept. “Please?”

A pause. A deep breath. Dark eyes fixed on hers. “Okay.”

Okay. Mia’s body vibrated with warm relief.

Mia floated to her mother’s Volvo. Sitting in the driver’s seat of the twenty-year-old station wagon, she was back to beach trips and picking Tori up from basketball practice. To the two ofthem driving around in circles because they’d run out of things to do while talking nonstop. How had they had so much to say?

Sitting in the parking garage, she closed her eyes and dropped against the headrest. She could hear the echo of their laughter from the back of the station wagon like it was yesterday. Listening to “Airplane” on repeat because all they had ahead of them were wishes. It was all endless opportunity and thousands of choices left to make. Everything felt so possible then. So within reach.

A chime from inside her bag broke her trance. She ignored it and threw the car into reverse.

Mia was on her way to her childhood home when her phone chimed again. And again. She turned up the radio and focused on the drive. The enormous oak trees lining both sides of the street and meeting in the middle to form a canopy had always been one of her favorite things about living in the Gables. It’s what made her first winter in Philly so sad. Before she found the beauty in seasons, she’d missed the relief of driving under the canopies with the sun filtering in through the scattered gaps. It had always felt like a little bit of magic.

As soon as Mia parked in front of the garage too full of stuff to use for the car, another ding assaulted her flimsy peace. Irritated, she reached inside her purse and tore out the stupid phone. So many missed calls and voicemails from an unknown number. Only one text.

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