True Love

Mia bit at her bottom lip, a loud sniff escaping her runny nose as a big tear rolled down her cheek.

Mia would never forget the look in his blue eyes as long as she lived, because while she saw a lot of things -loss, love, disappointment, heartbreak- she couldn't manage to find any anger.

And after everything she had done, she could hardly believe it.

"I'm so sorry-" Mia stammered, her bottom lip quivering.

He just shook his head, his shaggy hair swinging back and forth as he too choked back the tears. "Hey now-" Mia let out a slow sob as she felt his calloused hand glide over her cheek, pulling her face ever-so-gently, making their eyes meet. "Listen to me- are you listening?" she nodded, "Don't you cry- I will always love you, bright eyes. Do you hear me?"

"I know that-" Mia stumbled over her words, "things didn't turn out like we thought. But...I owe you so much. You were my best friend for close to ten years and I couldn't have asked for someone more amazing for Emma and Kenzie- you were our everything. You still-" she sniffled, "you still mean the world to me and I will always be here if you need me. You hold a place so special in my heart..."

"You know," he spoke, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, "I always had this feeling-"

Chance had shown up on Mia's doorstep late last night with nothing but the clothes on his back. His eyes were bloodshot and he smelled like a liquor store as he drunkenly rambled incoherent nothings and had Zack been home, things would have been drastically different, but he hadn't yet returned from the radio tour.

It was a miracle they had let Chance fly that way- he was belligerent and emotional, but the fact that he had taken a taxi all the way from LAX to Mia's place was astonishing- especially considering she couldn't even remember her own middle name when she was drunk.

It was against Mia's better judgment, but she sent the girls to her dad's place, making up the guest bed for Chance. She found him early that next morning sitting on the bathroom floor, his head between his knees, his fingers rubbing at his temples in between bouts of vomiting.

He didn't remember how he ended up in California.

He simply remembered meeting some of his buddies the night before for his brother's bachelor party.

But that was all he remembered.

Mia had pumped him full of aspirin and Pedialyte to clear up his hangover before fixing him his old go-to hangover feast- bacon, eggs, and french toast.

It was then that he had confessed that, the thought of his brother getting married left him pining for Mia and the "what-could-have-been", which, she assumed was what lead to his drunken trek to California.

"What feeling?" Mia asked, placing the syrupy plate into the dishwasher as Chance poured himself another cup of coffee.

He spoke over his coffee cup, his voice quiet, "That you'd end up back with Zack..."

Mia let out a low chuckle as she closed the dishwasher.

"I wish I could honestly tell you I thought different-"

In the deepest part of her heart, she had always believed it. Zack was, in a sense, the only real love she had ever known and as much as she hated him some days, but she would very quickly find herself missing him.

"I hope you know-" Mia spoke, her hands grasped tightly at the edge of the granite countertop. "I never meant to mislead you."

"I know you didn't- I also know you didn't mislead me." Chance sat his coffee down before taking Mia into his strong arms, pulling her in close, "I know that you never intended for this to happen. As far as we know, we had forever in our hands..."

Mia let out a sigh as she felt his warm lips press to the top of her head. "Mia Winters, you will always be the one that got away-"

It was then that someone cleared their throat.

Before Mia could turn around she caught a glimpse of Chance's face, which had drained of every single ounce of color. His lips parted and gulping like a fish out of water.

Zack stood with his hands tucked into the pockets of his True Religion jeans, his shoulders slumped. His eyes were clouded as he bit at his bottom lip.

"I should go-" Chance quickly dropped his coffee cup into the sink before placing a kiss on Mia's cheek. "Thank you Mia, for everything."

Mia wanted to leave it at that. To not say anything at all, to let him leave, but after dedicating nearly ten years to him, she couldn't.

"How will you get to the airport?"

"Cab." She nodded, her arms folding under her breasts.

"You'll be okay?" He let out a chuckle, scratching at his beard.

"I always am. Hey Mia-"

"Yeah, Chance?"

"More than the stars, right?" She couldn't help but smile.

"More than every single star in the universe..."

And without another word, Mia watched as Chance walked out, for what she could only assume would be the last time. Zack watched her for a moment, more hesitant that he could have imagined.

He wanted to be angry.
He wanted to scream.

But something deep within him told him that it wasn't an exchange of love, at least not an exchange of two people who were in love, so to speak.

"That-" Mia summoned the words as she took a deep breath, "what you just saw, that was-"

"Closure?" Zack asked, one eyebrow arched high as she nodded.

"It probably wasn't his original intention..." she let out a soft hum as last nights event played through her mind like a distorted film reel, the tears, the hopelessness in his voice, his pleading, "but...in the end, it was just closure. I guess, he knew that before either of us could move on and have a life without each other...we had to say goodbye."

Zack just nodded. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah..." Mia smiled as he finally wrapped her in his tattooed arms, she looked up, catching a glimpse of Zack's emerald eyes before he pressed a tiny kiss to her pink lips, "best I've been in awhile."