Page 41 of Rescuing Mia
Her expression turns from a pout into bright eyes and a face full of wonder. “Just when I was about to give up hope, I stumbled upon this secluded beach, and there was a full-on rave happening.”
Her arms sway, mimicking the ocean waves, then rise and fall like the pulsing beats of the rave’s music.
“And boom!” She claps suddenly. “I go from lost tourist to rave queen in under sixty seconds. There were glow sticks, fire dancers, an orgy, the whole nine yards.”
Jessica’s hands are now aloft, twirling as if she’s still holding glow sticks, her body swaying in her seat with the memory of the dance, each gesture an exclamation mark to her vibrant narrative.
“Orgy?” Mia chokes on her drink.
“What did you do?” Pete asks.
Jessica might be a bit too pushy for my taste, but the woman isn’t afraid of adventure. Her gaze flickers at me repeatedly, seeking a reaction, any sign of interest.
I offer a polite smile. My attention is courteous but reserved.
While Jessica is a vivacious beauty, Mia, with her enigmatic presence, has captured my interest.
Jessica leans forward, her movements fluid like the dancers she describes, hands swirling in the air, mimicking the glow sticks’ neon arcs against the night sky.
“I mean, when in Cabo…” She grins, a hint of pride in her voice. “Of course, I joined in. I danced the night away under the stars, made some new friends, and followed everyone back to the city in the morning. It was a total blast.”
Her laughter is bold and infectious, but my response is tempered, a chuckle of appreciation rather than complicity.
“That’s our Jess.” Samantha shakes her head, admiration and amusement filling her face. “Always up for an adventure, even if it means getting a little lost along the way.”
I can’t help but laugh at her animated recounting. Jessica’s eyebrows waggle comically, and she leans in closer, lowering her voice as if sharing a secret just for me. “And the stars, Rigel,” she says, her fingers twinkling above her head, “were just as wild as the party on the ground.”
The conversation flows from there, with Samantha sharing stories of her own adventures as a yoga instructor in Miami.
Her eyes twinkle with the retelling, her hands painting the scene in the air between us. “And there we were, in the middle of a perfect Warrior Two, when suddenly this huge manatee popped up right next to us. Nearly gave us all a heart attack, but you should’ve seen the looks on my students’ faces—it was priceless.”
“That’s wild. What did you do?” Jessica laughs, leaning in.
“Oh, we just went with it!” Samantha exclaims. “It’s not every day you get a guest like that. I swear, it was like the gentle giant was trying to join in on the flow.” She laughs, her eyes bright with thememory. “So, we ended up turning the class into a ‘Manatee Meditation’ session right there on the water. It was definitely one for the books and made for an unforgettable savasana.”
Through it all, I can’t help but notice that Mia remains quiet, content to listen and observe rather than share her own stories. Every time the conversation turns to her, she deftly steers it back to someone else, a master of deflection.
At one point, Pete tries to engage her in conversation, but Mia deflects with a tight smile and guarded eyes.
Jessica might be as bright and clear as the day with her animated gestures, but Mia is the night itself—full of secrets and a narrative yet to unfold. I find myself growing increasingly interested in my quiet companion.
My heart aches to know what burdens she carries, what demons she’s running from, but now is not the time to push, not here in the middle of dinner with virtual strangers. So, I let it go, content to bask in her presence and the easy camaraderie of the group.
As the evening wears on and the wine flows freely, the conversation grows more animated and more personal. Jessica shares her dreams of starting her own marketing firm, while Samantha confesses her desire to open a yoga retreat in the mountains.
Pete, his eyes misty with memory, tells us about his late wife, a fellow diver who shared his passion for the ocean.
“She was my soulmate, my partner in every sense of the word,” he says, his voice rough with emotion. “Losing her was the hardest thing I’ve ever gone through. But being out here, surrounded by the beauty of the sea… It makes me feel closer to her somehow.”
There’s a moment of silence as we all absorb the weight of his words, the depth of his love and loss. I reach out, clasping his shoulder in a gesture of comfort and understanding.
And through it all, Mia remains an enigma.
She listens intently, her eyes filled with empathy and compassion, but she never lets her guard down, never reveals anything about who she is or what she’s running from.
After spending more time with her, I’m certain she is running from something, although I can’t for the life of me figure it out.
It’s a mystery that both intrigues and frustrates me, a challenge I can’t help but want to take on. Because beneath the walls she’s built, beneath the secrets she keeps, I sense a soul that calls to my own in a way I can’t quite explain.