Side Story 13: Mia’s love – part 1

A few days went by, with Jack Cross doing his best to get used to the changes in his routine. When he was Craydon Crawler in Crosslot, he never liked changes, but still, there he was, living a brand-new life as a Human, with so many changes in his life that sometimes he felt his head spinning.

Every morning, he would go by subway to Mia Mills Mansion and meet with her father's driver. From there, he would escort Mia to her father's business, and as soon as she entered, the driver would take him to the firing range for two hours of shooting practice, where he would use not only his gun but other guns and rifles.

Next, two hours in the same gym that Mia went to. She made him join. He kept complaining he needed to do some sort of exercise daily because lately, he wasn't running home with his daughter.

Jack would usually do some muscle training with the several machines there, and after two hours, he would go to an empty room to do what he called phantom fighting. Meaning, fighting unarmed against an invisible foe.

On one of those mornings, a blond young man with blue eyes entered the room and leaned against a wall with his arms crossed over his chest, smirking. He was fit and more muscular than most of the users of that gym. He had a way of looking down on people, which resembled a lot with how Mia Mills used to look at people.

Jack pretended not to see him and focused on his movements. He had seen that guy glancing at him in the gym whenever Jack entered and used one machine as if he was evaluating prey.

Then, when Jack stopped his pretend-to-be-fighting routine and was cleaning the sweat from his forehead with a towel, the young man said in a mocking tone, "Fighting air is very easy. Everyone who looked at you doing all those jumps and punches might think you are an outstanding fighter when it is visibly not the case. Against someone who could actually put up a fight, you would be down on the floor in seconds!"

Without even a word, Jack left the room because it was almost time for lunch and he had to go see how Mia was doing and if she needed to go somewhere.

Thinking that he was leaving because of fear of confrontation made the young man smile and shout, "I guess you chickened out! Here I was, trying to see if we could fight for a while, but it seems you are not even worthy of my time!"

After a quick bath at the gym showers, Jack returned to the company, just in time to find Mia Mills putting a massive pile of papers on top of the reception desk.

She smiled when she saw him, with a tired look on her face. "Here you are! This day has been terrible! I have been running all over the place, and I barely had time to grab a sandwich! It is lunchtime, right? Tell me it is lunchtime, and you are going to eat with me! I am starving!"

"If you have finished your work and you can have a break, sure."

"I have almost fifteen minutes left in my lunch break! It took me forever to finish all those copies, plus all the other stuff I had to deliver, so I had to use nearly all my lunchtime to finish! Let's go before someone calls me!"

She grabbed his right arm and pulled him to the cafeteria, not even remembering that she shouldn't show others that she had such intimacy with her bodyguard.

Before Jack had time to warn her that everyone they were passing by was looking at them and whispering, a clear indication they saw them like a couple, and it was more likely for a few rumours to spread, they arrived at the company's cafeteria.

Mia quickly chose what to eat, and waited nervously for Jack to choose while continuously checking her wrist clock, and when he had his food, she quickly went in search of a table.

While she was gulping down her cheese, lettuce, and egg sandwich, she asked, "So, what did you do all morning? Same as usual?"

"Almost. Shooting range, then gym. After warming up in the machines there, I went to the empty room I normally use to practice my fighting routine, and a weirdo went there and kept staring and smirking at me. The same guy that is usually at the gym glancing at me. I have no idea if he practise me or if he is just plain stupid."

"He was just staring and smirking? That's weird!"

Jack shrugged while cutting a slice of the meat on his plate. "When I was about to leave, he mocked me by saying fighting against the air was easy. He even told me he went there to challenge me for a fight. I have no idea what is inside the heads of some kids these days!"

"He was a kid? I thought the gym only had grownup members!"

"He looked like your age, but sounded like a stupid kid instead of a man."

Mia took a sip of her juice and asked, "Who is he? Maybe I have seen him there."

"Blond, tall, with a bit of muscle, blue eyes, and a proud pose. The same one you used to have when you looked at people as if they were dirt."

"Oh… that guy… Yeah, I know who you are talking about. A spoiled rich guy. Don't waste your time with him; he just wants to call for attention. So, all set for tonight? You didn't forget, did you?"

"Of course not!" Jack answered with a slight frown. "How could I? You keep remembering me every single day! Sophia is going to sleep at Emma's house, so I can escort you to that… What was it called… fundraising?"

With a nod, Mia explained, "Yes, to collect money from rich people to deliver to a foundation that helps homeless people. It is the newest trend in high society to help the homeless. It is my father's foundation, by the way; that is why I have to attend." With a glance at her wrist, Mia got up and said, "I have to go! Can you take my tray? I can't be late, or they are going to make me work even more! I have to go home, take a shower, put on makeup, and get dressed! I have a suit at home for you, so you must get to my home early! We should probably go straight to my house after my shift."

Jack grabbed Mia's hand, stopping her from escaping, and asked, "A suit for me? What for? I already have a suit!"

"It is a black-tie event! You have to wear new shoes, a dark suit, and a white shirt! You can't go with that blue suit of yours! Let me go already, or my supervisor is going to scold me!"

"You know, it is refreshing to see you so worried about a scolding. I am tempted to drag you to the inside garden so that you will be late for work!"

Mia suddenly pulled her hand and ran away while waving goodbye. "Too slow, Jack Cross, too slow! See you later! Don't you forget about the time!"

…

The moment Mia's limousine parked in front of her mansion, she dashed out of the car without waiting for anyone to open the door for her.

She was absurdly late because there were too many meetings for the next day that she had to prepare in her father's company.

Jack entered the mansion right after her and, as usual, blinked at the opulent mansion with the huge crystal chandelier on the ceiling in that large, empty entrance where his entire apartment could fit and still leave space for another.

A maid graciously pointed with her open hand to the long marble staircase that led to the top floor and said, "Hello, Mister Jack. Please follow me. Your outfit is ready."

Jack sighed and complained, "New outfit, new shoes… Why do I have the tiny impression that this night will be tiresome?"

"It will probably be, but you must endure it to the best of your abilities. Tonight, you won't only be Miss Mia's bodyguard; you will also be her escort, so I hope you don't forget your lessons."

"How could I? You and all the other maids annoyed me incessantly to make sure I knew how to pick up a glass and a plate of appetisers and eat while accompanying her. I hope we can sit at a table to eat because eating while standing and holding a glass and a plate with tiny food is very tricky!"

The maid made a slight smile and said, "I am sure you will be alright. For your sake."

"Why is that? For my sake?"

"Because if you mess up, Miss Mia will be the talk of that gathering, and if that happens, I am going to split your skull open when you come back." The maid answered with a plain face. "I don't like to waste my time with fools who don't care about other people's reputation."

Jack made a slight frown and said, "You are way too frisky for my taste, lady! If I mess up, it will be an accident, but I will try my best to avoid any mishaps!"

"You better do just that, because Miss Mia is well-known for having impeccable taste, both in clothes and in companies. Her friends and most probably everyone in that gathering won't see with good eyes the fact that she decided to attend with…" She looked at him from top to bottom and said, "Well, with you. An employee and a mere security guard, nonetheless."

"Bodyguard. I got upgraded, remember?"

"You are still an employee, and if you make a blunder around those people, it will put Miss Mia in a tight spot. And you don't want that, do you?" The maid asked while opening the door of a guest's room.

"I couldn't care less, actually. She used to make a drama for the pettiest thing, so if the rich people there talk about her, it won't be the first time, I am sure."

Before closing the door and leaving, the maid said in a serious tone, "She is trying to be better, you know? She even went to visit a few of her former classmates, mostly the ones that she bullied, to apologise and try to make amends. At least you could take that as her trying to change."

"She only did that because my daughter scolded her and she got ashamed. I was there when she visited all of them, and I know for a fact that in the beginning, she did it to make herself feel better. It was only when she found out that one of those former classmates killed herself because of depression during their school years that she found out how her actions affected other people's lives. Or, in that particular case, deaths. After that, she did everything she could to help every single one of them, and she even took care of their money problems and found jobs for a few. As you can see, you don't need to tell me that she is better, but she still has a long way to go, because sometimes I see her biting her lower lip, holding herself from scolding someone for the stupidest reasons."

The maid stopped at the edge of the almost closed door and asked, "You don't like her that much, do you? Why did you accept to become her bodyguard?"

"Money. And because my daughter likes her. I know Miss Mia also likes my daughter, even though she pretends not to. I don't hate her, but it is not as if I love her. We get along, and that is all there is."

The maid left, and Jack looked at the bed where his new suit was. He sighed, and when he was untying his tie to change into his new clothes, the noise of a door opening called for his attention. There was a door on the left wall, and Mia was there, looking at him with a blank face.

It came as a surprise to find out both rooms were connected.