Page 24 of Night and Day
“I’m not sure about his business or ... us. That’s why I left.”
“But you haven’t told him yes or no, have you?”
“No, not yet.”
Izzy’s expression hardened as he sped down the curving road. How far was this shop? After a moment, he came up a ramp again, navigated two roundabouts and parked in front of a big supermarket, its green signage glowing in the night. “Here we are.”
Izzy fished his wallet out of his back pocket, pulled out a Visa card and handed it to her. “If you keep it under 180 dollars, you won’t need a pin code; just tap the card on the reader.”
Mia stared at the card but made no attempt to touch it. “You don’t have any cash?”
“No, sorry. But there’s an ATM outside the shop, if you want me to get cash out.” He looked out the window. “Can you also pick up some drinks? And maybe some antacid. I got heartburn from those jalapeños. There’s a pharmacy there at the other end—”
“Maybe it’s better if you come with me?” Mia smiled.
Izzy straightened in his seat, a small muscle on his neck twitching. The way he stared at the shop gave Mia pause. He’d told her he didn’t enjoy shopping. Was he so uncomfortable he’d rather stay in the car?
Mia cleared her throat. “I didn’t mean you have to come with me. I just thought it might be—”
Izzy unfastened his seatbelt in one swift motion and burst out of the car so fast she couldn’t finish her sentence. Mia ran after him towards the halogen-lit interior glowing behind the sliding doors, an uneasy feeling in her chest.
The supermarket was nearly empty of people but stocked with all the necessities. As they reached the doors, Izzy slowed down, gesturing for Mia to go ahead of him, his face stony.
Sensing his growing distress, Mia rushed through the aisles, gathering her necessities as fast as possible. To her relief, she found a packet of cotton underwear and socks.
Seeing the shampoos, breakfast cereal and underwear stacked in the cart, she felt an odd mix of gratitude and thrilling terror. A man she didn’t know was buying her things, looking after her. Was this how mail-order brides felt? She should have been relieved he expected nothing in return, but some dirty part of her brain rebelled, wishing to submit to him. Watching the muscles in his forearms twitch as he reached for a packet of antacids, she imagined him pinning her against the wall in his basement, taking what was his. Yep. She really needed a new pair of undies right about now.
She also needed a less dirty imagination, one that could handle those smouldering looks without jumping his bones and forcing him to reject her. Because he would, no doubt. He had ‘restrained gentleman’ written all over him, and as long as she was technically with Mikko... that’s right. Her boyfriend and potential business partner waited in Finland, and had possibly discovered her SOS message in his spam folder. He would send her money, effectively removing any need for Izzy’s help.
Mia observed Izzy’s expression as she placed a bottle of liquid foundation in the cart. It was the most expensive of all the items, a name brand one in roughly the right shade with high sun protection. “I will pay you back.”
Izzy nodded.
“Can I use your internet to check something later?” Mia asked as they pushed the cart to the nearest checkout.
“Sure. You can use my phone in the car. Are you done? Anything else?”
“No, this is good. Thank you so much.” Mia’s chest vibrated with warmth and she grabbed the side of the cart for support. Why did she feel like this? What was this wobbly messiness that had taken hold of her since she’d lost her possessions? Or, more accurately, since she’d met him. It was like her heart was trying to split at the seams, cracking every time she breathed, every time he looked at her. The choked up sensation in her throat reminded her of pending tears, a feeling she’d almost forgotten, one that had since been replaced by that hollow chest ache. But this one hovered higher, squeezing her windpipe, stinging somewhere closer to her eyes.
They returned to the car with Izzy carrying her new belongings, everything she currently had. The thought hit her as she opened the car door, taking the bag off him. She’d had a nice laptop and a fairly new phone, lacy underwear, beautiful tops and the most comfortable but stylish leather sandals. Had she appreciated them? She couldn’t remember ever feeling like this, fingers stroking the rough texture of the brown paper bag, heart full of gratitude for the necessities it contained.
“Do you want to go home, or...?” Izzy eyed her from behind the wheel, chewing an antacid. He looked out the window, more relaxed now that they were out of the supermarket. “The sky is still clear. If we drive to Till’s Landing—”
“Let’s!” Mia hugged herself. She wanted to hold on to this feeling. If it was possible she may rediscover tears... She hadn’t even realised how much she wanted that, but now that she felt them stirring somewhere deep inside, she felt like moments from striking gold. Tiredness had seeped into her muscles again, dragging her towards sleep, but she wasn’t ready to give in. “Take me anywhere you want.”
