Frozen in the red

POV

Millie

"I'm surprised it took you this long to grill me," I say looking over to Mia as we walk to her car.

"Yeah well you looked a little distressed so I figured I'd hold off," Mia says lightly pushing at my shoulder.

"It's been a lot lately.." I say running my fingers through my hair, only making it like four inches through before hitting a tangle halting my motion.

We make it to her car and get it. It's so overheated in here I instantly sweat. The heat of June is overwhelming but at the same time, I love it.

I love the warmth of summer but at the same time, I absolutely hate the month of June.

June 22nd.

June 22nd is less than two weeks ago.

It's a Wednesday this year.

12 days away.

It'll be four years since I lost my role model, my guiding light, my best friend, and my one and only hand-picked by god, mother.

I pray this year I don't go into my week-long, stay in bed, don't eat, cry myself to sleep depressive state.

"Millie, you with me?" Mia asks glancing over and we reverse out of the parking space.

"Oh..gosh, I'm sorry, what did you say?" I ask full of guilt.

She chuckles, "Are you going to tell me about you and X now?"

"Oh yeah, sorry," I say.

I fill Mia in about the past couple of weeks, mainly just summarizing all of the bigger events that led up to my forgiveness.

She's hesitant about our relationship continuing and I understand that, I expected this from people but at the end of the day it is my life and choice.

"I just want you to be happy Millie, and if that happiness lies with X, then you have my full support," she says and reaches over the middle console of the car to squeeze my hand before we exit the car.

"Thank you, Mia," I say meaning it.

She gives me a small genuine smile, that looks so pretty against her lightly freckled face and gets out of the car.

She walks over to the front of the car giving me a tight hug, "I'll text you all the other details of the party as soon as I get the ball rolling, oh, and just remember this, if that man hurts you again, I will castrate him."

"Okay, thank you, for both I guess," I say laughing, I love that she has my back.

She walks away to the front door of the lavish house.

I feel my phone buzz in my purse.

X

Keys are in the car unless you want to come up?

How'd he know we just arrived? Ugh, who am I kidding? It's X, he always knows everything..

I so badly want to go up there to X's place and spend the rest of the night with him.

Baby steps Millie, baby steps.

I text him back

Me: I'm sorry I have some stuff for the apartment I need to get, maybe tomorrow?

X: okay baby, I love you

Me: love you too

It feels so good to say that.

It feels so good to be loved, by him.

I get in my car and drive away, heading to Target for some much-needed decor for my new apartment. I'm a little embarrassed by it because of the way X not so subtly commented on it and Mia, at least she was subtle enough and didn't say anything, yet her face expressed it all.

Rich fuckers… they'll never know what it's like.

I park in a spot closest to the entrance, which is a mile away. This parking lot is always filled up, even at 8 pm it's crowded.

I get inside pulling out the red cart.

Where to begin?

I go over to the home decor section, I pick out a slate gray couch cover, plants, landscape pictures, lamps, some cute throw pillows, and a new white bed comforter to lighten up the bedroom a bit. The landlord luckily bought a brand new bed, wrapping still on and all so luckily I don't need to worry about that part.

This is going to cost an actual fortune…

I leave the home decor section to grab some groceries, as I exit the aisle I'm frozen by the site in the too-near distance of crimson locks of hair.