Her Story

Mia was dumbfounded for a few seconds after Yuzuru's question.

The way he asked allowed for many interpretations and many answers.

She knew what he wanted to know, it must have been on his head for a while after arriving at their house and if she was honest, for one of the first times ever, she wasn't sure it was necessarily a bad idea to speak about it.

"He isn't in the picture." She said with all the resolution she could muster, the topic was still sensitive after so many years.

Yuzuru must have sensed it by now, it was too obvious that Alex was using Yuzuru as a father figure in mere hours and that wasn't normal for most kids.

"Why?"

"He didn't want to have a kid but I couldn't go with the abortion."

"So, it wasn't planned?"

Strangely enough, Mia felt like telling him the whole story, even the parts that not even her mother didn't know about.

"I got pregnant in my first year of college after dating with this guy for a year. We had always been careful, but sometimes things go wrong and shit happens."

"You loved him?"

Yuzuru had this way of always diving in and asking the hard questions without stuttering.

It had been the first time someone asked it to her in such a straightforward way.

"No, not really. I know that now"

Mia found herself telling him the whole story, from how they started dating just a few weeks after meeting to the awkward, embarrassing details of her virginity and Nyck's will to force her into sex.

It was far from a comfortable conversation, but this was something she had never trusted anyone and this man, as famous as he was in his world, would probably disappear from her life in a few days and even if he didn't, there was this weird feeling that she could trust him.

Speaking about it was the therapy that she never had and probably should have gotten back then.

The whole story was so utterly ridiculous that she wouldn't blame him if he thought half of it was on her head.

Yuzuru barely knew what to think. Besides realizing that her story was far deeper than he expected, the only thing left on his mind was how stupid the other man had been.

He could understand that with all the shock at the time that there would be some distance, but Alex was still this guy's son after all.

"And you've never seen him again?"

"No. After he told me that everything between us was a bet that lasted longer than a year, I wouldn't allow him to be in Alex's life after what he did and what he said."

"Did he ever try?"

Mia groaned and chuckled at the question.

"What do you think?"

Yuzuru seemed to take this opportunity to get closer and place a hand on her leg as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

The touch was casual enough, but it still made her gasp slightly at the heat it brought.

"You deserved better."

"It's in the past now."

"Is it?"

This sly man...

"I will always think about it, but I have to move on. I know I won't always be what Alex needs and that he could probably use a man figure in his life to guide him through certain things, but I do my best with what I can."

"And you're doing an excellent job."

"That's debatable..."

"It isn't. Alex is a great kid, polite, respectful, disciplined at his sport... There are always things that maybe could be better, but he is what most mothers would love their kid to be."

Mia had to look at Yuzuru after that to make sure he wasn't messing with her. On his face, she found a serious, honest look as he gently smiled at her.

"Thank you."

"I didn't do a thing"

"You did more than what you think."

Her head found his shoulder and they stayed like that for what looked like an eternity, both almost asleep on the uncomfortable couch.

His hand was still on her leg, respectfully next to her knee and not doing any effort to move it up or lower, just staying in the same place rubbing small, soothing circles that both made her relax and bring her body on fire at the same time.

Mia wished they could stay like this, and judging by the lack of movement from the person beside her, he didn't seem to want to move too much either.

The moment was only broken by the almost silent noise of her mother entering the house with bags in her hands, only to stop still at the view of her precious daughter cuddling with a man she had never seen before.

"Mia?"

The mere sound of her name made the young woman open her eyes wide and snap her head in the direction of the sound.

"Mom? What are you doing here?"

"Bringing you food... You're usually asleep at this hour."

"In secret again?"

Having her mom stop by uninvited to bring food at night wasn't the reason why Mia had given her a key, but her mom did that every once in a while when she got worried about her and Alex.

The older woman shrugged her shoulders but her eyes were still fixed on the man still sitting on the couch of her daughter.

Mia noticed her nervous eyes and knew she had to clarify things before her mother worried too much.

"Mom, this is Yuzuru. He's a skater that Alex likes a lot."

"Hi"

It was cold, not even a nice to meet you in reply, but Yuzu was quick to stand and bow slightly in a way that was common for Japanese people, but always strange for Westerners.

"It's nice to meet you."

"Let's take this to the kitchen before the food is ruined."

Mia said, breaking the staring contest that her mom seemed to be having with the Japanese man.

Yuzuru looked at her as if questioning if he should help, but Mia knew that her mother would have questions and a simple motion of her head was enough for him to understand that it was better if he stayed there.

She wasn't wrong either because as soon as both women entered the kitchen, her mom was questioning the elephant in the room.

"Who is that man?"