Page 103 of Prove Me Wrong
My eyes sparkle with mirth. “It's Tatum, isn't it?”
“Shut it,” he murmurs.
“Interesting.”
“How so?”
I tilt my head back on the headrest, my heart beating slowly but powerfully through my veins as I answer, “You like her.”
His face tightens, hands gripping the wheel. My brother doesn’t deny anything.
I gasp and slap him on the leg, earning me another glare. “I knew it.”
He scratches his jaw. “Mia…”
Even in the dim lighting of the car, the light blush staining his cheeks can't be hidden. I laugh because I've never seen my brother this flustered over a girl before. Ever. Sinnett digs his fingers through his hair, avoiding my stare. “Wow. You do love her.”
He just grunts in response.
A small smile forms on my lips as I touch his arm. “I’m sure it’ll work out, Sin.”
“Oh yeah? And how is it between you and Noah?”
My face falters as I pull my hand away, turning my attention back to the road ahead. “I haven’t spoken with him yet.”
“What are you waiting for, Mia?”
I sigh loudly, my pulse picking up again when I tell him the truth. “Tomorrow I’m telling Mum everything. About Ryan, my therapy, my job with Noah. Everything.”
“Okay,” he breathes out, not entirely sure what I’m getting at. “I want to know Mum’s opinion before?—”
“No, Mia.”
My eyes snap to his dull ones. “What?”
“Stop waiting for their approval. I hate to break it to you, but Mum and Dad won’t ever be entirely happy with what you decide. It’s how they are. Look at me. I’m the star halfback at the Wolves, a top NRL team, and Dad is still pushing me. I made it, and he’s still breathing downmy neck over every little thing. Don’t wait for them to tell you they’re satisfied, because they won’t be, not truly anyway.”
His words sink into the pit of my stomach, burning like acid. He’s right. I don’t think they’ll ever be completely happy with either of us. Maybe we are both failures?
“I’m proud of you, Sin.”
His face flicks to mine, a brief smile covering it, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “I know, and I’ll be proud of whatever you decide is bestfor you, not anyone else.”
I blow out another breath, resting my head against the window.
I know I'm just buying time before I try contacting Noah again for the truth, knowing that he is either waiting for me or has moved on. The thought of him waiting makes the guilt burn my insides again, but I push it aside. I have to get through my talk with Mum, and then I can focus on if I'm ready to put my heart on the line again, knowing that it might be destroyed. But it could also be made whole again after years of feeling broken.
Chapter Forty
MIA
Isip on my iced latte, ignoring my buzzing anxiety. My gaze flickers to the large bay window beside us overlooking the river below, avoiding Mum's unblinking stare. Hazy sunlight streams down, mirroring on water ripples, brightening the skyscrapers on the other side of the bridge.
From afar, this city doesn’t look all that bad, almost like I could be happy living here if I moved back. I know that it won’t always be blue skies and sunny, though. The storm clouds will come back, darkening my world, suffocating me, haunting me.
The café is busy this morning, filled with customers and waiters scurrying around like mice on a mission. My plate is only half eaten. Honestly, I wasn’t all that hungry, and now that I’ve shared everything I wanted to with her, my appetite has plummeted. In fact, I think I feel more queasy than hungry.
Polished concrete flooring, white painted walls with fake ivy vines pinned, metal pendant lights hanging from the exposed pipe ceiling, and metal display cabinets show various cakes, sandwiches and quiches. The burnt smell of espresso hangs thickly in the air, which also makes my stomach twist from the bitterness. Screeching sounds of milk being whisked, dishes being stacked and customers murmuringsurround me, but I try blocking them out, focusing on the reason I'm sitting here, my hands trembling uncontrollably.
