One of Those Nights

Ever since Mila could recall, she disliked the wind from the drivers side of the car whipping at her face of an evening. She disliked how it tangled her hair and left her skin feeling icy.

"Can you please wind your window up?" she asked kindly, breaking the eerie silence bridged between herself and Mike.

Mike had been silent on the drive back from his Abuela's birthday lunch and it was starting to become a concern.

But when he didn't bother acknowledging Mila, she questioned him in an instant.

"Is everything okay, Mike? We didn't have to leave if you didn't want to."

Mike just tapped his index finger against the steering wheel to no beat in particular but still did not reply.

"Mike, don't pretend you can't hear me."

Mike looked over at Mila briefly before focusing his eyes towards the road. "You heard, didn't you?"

"Heard what?"

"Whatever," Mike mumbled.

Mila didn't speak, afraid of what Mike would say next. Instead, she fixated her eyes to her right and out of the window of Mike's car. Cars passing by suddenly became objects of interest as they zoomed on by.

"I heard you, Mila! I heard you walk in. I knew you could hear," He spoke, slamming his palm against the steering wheel out of frustration.

"Why are you yelling at me?" A very startled Mila questioned.

"Why am I yelling at you? Mila, why are you doing this? If you don't ever want to marry me, why are you here? Why are we doing this?"

"Mike I didn't mean to-"

"I'm sick of your excuses. It's just one after the other with you and I'm over it. You know Mila, I don't expect you to marry me today, or tomorrow, or even next year. But I also don't expect you to be completely horrified by the idea of spending your life with me, the father of your child."

Mike was scanning his eyes between Mila and the road — something that was beginning to scare her.

"Just look at the road, Mike!"

Immediately, Mila felt the car jerk to the side of the road and slow to a halt. Mike unbuckled his seatbelt and vacated the car in a hurry. Once outside, he pulled a cigarette from out of his back pocket and started pacing whilst igniting the stick and taking a long, hard drag from it.

Mila shook her head as she watched him pace back and forth in front of the car. She then took a deep breath and followed suite, vacating the car.

"Mike," she spoke, placing her hand on her forehead.

She was pregnant and she was tired. This was the last thing she wanted to happen.

"I needed to let off some steam," he said taking another long drag from the cigarette and releasing the cloud of smoke into the late afternoon air. “Doesn’t mean I’m not still angry at you though,” he confirmed shooting her a quick glare.

"I'm not horrified by the idea, Mike," she murmured trying to assure him.

He stopped pacing and leaned against the front of the car, toying the cigarette between his fingers, occasionally flicking the ash to the ground.

Mike chuckled to himself and Mila was sure it was one of sarcasm.

"Could've fooled me," he shrugged, tossing the remains of the cigarette to the floor, extinguishing it with the sole of his sneaker. He hadn’t even finished it.

Mila cleared her throat. "What if," she started. "What if I interrupted you and Bella because I was scared your answer would be no?"

Mike looked at her incredulously, almost at a loss for words before shaking his head.

"I don't believe you."

"What do you mean you don't believe me?”

It hurt more than Mila imagined it would.

Mike broke eye contact with her, looking into the distance. The sun was starting to disappear from the day sky, hues of orange and pink danced on the horizon. For a moment Mike wish he could disappear amongst the sea of clouds. He wouldn't have to answer to anyone then.

"Mike," Mila stammered, interrupting his thoughts with her shaky voice.

Mike knew he had hit a nerve when he said he didn't believe her. But it was the truth.

His gaze met with hers but only for a moment. She looked hurt and Mike started to feel sorry.

"I'm," he started. "I'm leaving for the UK next Friday. For two weeks."

He took a deep breath before gaining enough confidence to deliver his next sentence with conviction. He had a point to get across.

"And if you're serious about this relationship, and this child, and you want me to believe you then you'll be moved in by the time I get back. And you will tell your parents."

With that, Mike broke his gaze with Mila as he turned on his heel and walked the few steps back into the drivers seat of his car.

Mila stood shocked, at a loss for words as she too, made her way back into the car silently.

The only sound that could be heard once Mila accommodated the passenger seat was a short sigh by Mike as he ran his palm over his face in frustration.

"Look, I'm sorry Mils."

But Mila couldn't care less about an apology, and so she averted her attention towards the passenger window and watched cars pass on by as she had previously done.

Mike turned on the ignition figuring he wasn't going to get a word out of her and indicated his way back into the flow of traffic.

"It's not that I don't trust you, Mila. It's that... It's that I just want you to prove to me you do, kinda thing. If that makes sense."

There was a long pause before Mike spoke again.

"I just want to come home from tour knowing that your parents know about this and I want to come home from tour and you be there, in my place. I want us to start something. This won’t feel real until that happens."

Mila wanted so badly for Mike to stop talking. She had had a great day up until now and it was only taking a turn for worse with every sentence Mike was constructing. Therefore, it was a relief when fifteen minutes later they pulled into the all too familiar street Mila grew up on and stationed in front of Mila's parents home.

"Mils, don't go just yet," Mike urged as Mila attempted to reach for the door handle, releasing her from the tension inside of Mike's car.

Mila swallowed. "I think you've said enough, Mike."

"I just-"

"Save it," Mila interjected. "Have a good time in the UK."

"So that's it?"

"I'm not sure what else you want me to say-"

"I just don't think this means as much to you as it does to me."

Mila held out her hand and sighed. “Fine. You want me to prove it to you? Give me the keys?"

Mike looked down at her palm incredulously and then his eyes met hers. "What?"

"Keys," she stated. "To your apartment.”