Cian
I hadn’t sleptin two nights. Ok… so I’d slept, of course I had. Between training camp and the start of the preseason, I needed the rest, but I hadn’t slept well. My first attempt at being Blair’s friend had been a bust, and I had no idea why.
So, I was going to speak to an expert.
I let myself into Mia and Oscar’s house, praying she was home and could put that fancy psychology degree to use and help me.
“Mia.”
“In here.” The reply came from the living room. I dragged myself through the house and found her curled up on the sofa. She smiled in welcome and put aside her book. “What’s up?”
I groaned. Crossing the room, I flopped beside her, dropping my head in her lap. Her arms floated above me, wavering slightly as though unsure where to rest.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“I feel bad. I need comfort. And your brain.”
“My brother is literally touch averse. Oscar’s the cuddly one. Can’t you find someone else to do this?”
I probably could, but the fact that Mia was not only trained as a psychologist, but also hadn’t had a great upbringing gave me hope she’d be able to help me figure this out. She settled her hand lightly on my shoulder, resigning herself to the contact.
“Where is Oscar, by the way?” I decided to push my luck, taking her other hand and encouraging her to scratch my head. It felt nice, and when she continued to do it after I took my hand away, I let out a shuddering breath. I’d always been a touchy kind of person; it was another reason Oscar and I always got on so well. A bro hug could heal all manner of ills. Human contact was critical to wellbeing.
“He’s helping his mom for the weekend.” Oscar’s mom was awesome, even if his sisters were a little scary. Tia wasn’t too bad, she’d been a soccer queen before her injury, but Elle was downright terrifying when she was in a mood. Usually, Mia wouldn’t miss the opportunity to hang out with all of them.
“Why didn’t you go with him?”
“I have to work.”
I smirked, unable to help myself. “Oh yeah, how is it being a madam?” The first time Oscar and I had met Mia, she was dancing in a burlesque revue. There was nothing seedy about the venues Mia performed in, but it was still fun to tease her about it.
“I’m managing a burlesque show, not a brothel.”
“Same difference.”
“Get out.” Neither of us moved.
“Don’t be like that. Oscar would love me in my time of need.”
Mia huffed and started running her nails through my hair. Hell yes, this was nice.
“He’ll be home next week.”
“But I need comfort now! Why is she like this?”
“Okay, let’s start with a name.”
Oh yeah. As briefly as possible, I ran over the details of the night before, and Blair’s general dislike of me. I’d thought things were going really well until they just… weren’t.
“You can’t make everyone like you. You may just have to accept she’s one of the ones who you can’t win over.”
Something turned in my gut, and I scowled at the idea of not seeing Blair smile again.
“There has to be something. Like, how did I mess up last night? I thought it was going well.”
Mia mulled it over for a moment. The gentle scrape of her nails over my scalp soothed me, and I thought back to when I picked Blair up the night before. That dress had been killer, hugging her curves in a way that bordered on obscene. I hadn’t lied when I said she looked good.
“Okay, I have to ask something before we keep talking about this.”
