"Have a good day at work," Mia said from the kitchen table. Leila gave a brief wave and closed the door behind her. As soon as Mia heard her retreating footsteps, she glanced down at her empty cereal bowl and let a few tears run down her cheeks. Their interactions these days felt as awkward as when they'd first reconnected, and despite Mia's efforts to make sure she wasn't avoiding Leila, the distance had become inevitable anyway.

For many nights now Mia had lain awake, wondering what her next course of action should be. Julian had not come over once since their fight, though he constantly begged Mia to. She had thought that keeping him away would save her friendship with Leila, but clearly it had not been enough. Leila was possibly moving away and taking a new job, a sure sign that she did not care what happened to Mia anymore.

"It's all my fault," Mia murmured.

Those few blissful weeks earlier in the autumn had been some of the most enjoyable of Mia's life. Despite the pain Julian had inflicted on her and Mia's own self-sabotaging thoughts about staying in Maine, she and Leila had never been closer. Leila had been there to comfort her and take away her pain. Leila had shown her unconditional love. And Mia had thrown it all away because she was scared.

A meow came at her feet.

"Sorry. You were already fed," Mia told Fuji. "Leila will be back later."

Fuji turned and walked away. He had at least broken her from her train of thought, but Mia still wasn't satisfied. She hated being locked away in the apartment on her days off. It reminded her of the few weeks Leila went home, and ever since then, Mia had tried to find ways to escape the apartment.

She supposed she could call Julian and plan something, but she wasn't tempted to spend much time with Julian these days. She thought about her drawing classes, but there was nothing being offered today. She supposed she could bring her sketchbook to a café, but she figured the scent of coffee would make her think of work.

"To the cemetery it is," Mia murmured, unsure of where else to go. At a time like this, when her thoughts were swarming and she could barely think straight, a trip to her mother's grave usually helped.

After a short stop at the florist shop, Mia arrived to the cemetery late morning. A fine mist hung over the ground coating the graves in a wet dew. The leaves were looking as vibrant as ever, their autumn colors sticking out against the gray sky. Mia moved slowly through the gravesite until she stumbled upon her mother's grave.

After cleaning up the withered roses that she had brought last time, she set some daisies down on the grave and let out a sigh.

"Hey, Mom. I promise one day I'll come here with something good to share," she murmured. She took a seat on the ground, knowing it would probably be a longer visit. Silently, she wished Leila was with her. Now that Leila wouldn't accompany her to the gravesite, Mia felt more lonely than ever visiting her mother, and the tears flowed more easily without Leila's companionship.

"I ruined everything, Mom," Mia murmured. It hurt Mia to admit it, but she knew deep down it was true. "Leila and I were growing close again. I felt heard and understood and appreciated. It's been a long time since I had a friend like her. But I...I got nervous. I thought I didn't want to stay here. I was afraid of getting tied to this place again after losing you and...and I tried pushing Leila away. Unfortunately, it worked, and now...I regret everything."

Mia reached for a few tissues in her pocket and wiped her teary eyes.

"This is stupid," she muttered to herself. "I don't know why I come here and talk to a gravestone."

She was tempted to get up and leave, but something compelled her to stay. She supposed there was no way her mother to communicate to her, but coming here often, sharing her sorrows, was one of the few ways Mia was able to release her pent-up emotions. Perhaps her mother could not respond, but venting to the grave allowed Mia to think.

She went quiet and instead focused on her thoughts. As the mist swirled around her, she felt surprisingly at peace. Here she could focus deeply on her feelings without trying to distract herself with something else. Taking a deep breath, Mia stared at her mother's grave. She wasn't sure how long she sat there, staring, but an epiphany hit Mia suddenly.

"Thanks, Mom," she said to the silent headstone. For weeks Mia had been avoiding it, but deep down, she knew it was what she really wanted. "I've decided I'm going to stay here for a while," Mia said. "All this time, I was trying to run away, to not get too attached, but I think...I think for the time being, this is where I belong."

Mia stood up and brushed dirt off her pants. Reaching for her phone, she called Julian.

"Hey, what's up?" he asked.

"Are you free right now?" Mia wondered.

"Yeah."

"Can we meet somewhere?"

"Okay," Julian responded. "Let's get lunch."

Mia's fingers shook as she drove her car to the hamburger joint down the road. Julian had sounded so joyful on the phone. She was afraid of how that tone would shift after he heard what she had to say to him. Slowly, she took deep breaths and parked her car.

When Mia entered the restaurant, Julian was already inside, waiting at a table. He smiled and gave her a wave. Mia froze, tempted to back out. Perhaps she should just enjoy lunch with him today and talk to him tomorrow. However, deep down, Mia knew if she backed out now, she'd never have the courage to talk to him again, and she'd forever be trapped in this cycle. This had to happen now, or it never would.

"Hey," Mia said, taking the seat across from him.

"I already ordered us some drinks," Julian said.

"You didn't have to do that—"

"Nah, I did. I'm the boyfriend, after all," he said.

Mia twisted her fingers together uneasily. She opened her mouth, about to speak, but the waiter had brought their drinks and was asking what they wanted to order. Julian ordered a burger. Mia hesitated, but at Julian's insistence she eat, she asked for some appetizers.

Julian took a sip of his beer and leaned back in his seat.

"So, what'd you want to talk about?" he asked.

Mia stiffened. "I really wish you hadn't taken me out to lunch," she murmured.

"Huh?" Julian asked, confused.

"I've been thinking for a few weeks. Maybe longer than that. Maybe a few months. Julian, I've really appreciated getting to know you since coming back to Maine, and we've made such good memories together, but...I want to break up."

Julian immediately slammed his glass down, just as Mia feared. "What?! What the hell are you talking about? You act fine earlier this week and now you want to break up—"

"No. Listen," Mia demanded. She wasn't expecting it, but Julian shut up. "I don't think this relationship is good for us. We're too emotionally codependent. We always have been. I turned to you because I was lost. I thought being in a relationship would help me figure everything out, but it didn't."

"That's it? I'm just not good for you?" Julian asked, his anger clearly spiking.

"It's not just that. I don't..." She paused but decided to say it anyway. "You don't treat the people I care about well—"

"Oh, Leila? Come on."

"Yes, Leila!" Mia exclaimed, her anger beginning to rise. She noticed that heads were beginning to turn in the restaurant, but she no longer cared. "She offered me a place to stay when I had nowhere to go, she encouraged me to get out of my shell, to love this town again, she..." She saved me.

"She's a bitch, that's what—"

"Don't ever talk about her like that again," Mia growled.

Julian stood up and knocked his glass over. "So that's it? We're done? After all of that?! Fuck your friend, and fuck you—" He raised his hand, and Mia flinched. Before his hand could come down, however, two waiters had appeared on either side of Julian. One grasped his wrist.

"Sir, as the manager of this establishment, I need to ask you to leave," the waiter said.

"Oh yeah?" Julian asked.

"We'll call the police if you don't," the waiter added, his tone growing more serious.

Mia locked eyes with Julian one last time. She saw the hatred, anger, and resentment reflected in them. Perhaps it had been there all along and she had never quite noticed before. Suddenly, the Julian she felt she had known for months felt like a stranger to her. He looked at her, seemingly expecting a response, but Mia said nothing. She watched as he shoved the manager and waiter aside and marched angrily toward the doors. Only when she heard the door shut behind him did she begin to feel safe.

In her chair, Mia began to shake.

"Are you all right, miss?" the manager asked. "Bring her some water," he relayed to the waiter.

After Mia had sipped some water and received some comforting words from some customers and employees, she felt comfortable leaving. The restaurant offered to compensate her meal, but Mia wasn't hungry. Breaking up with Julian felt like a weight lifted off her shoulders, but the stress of it all had made her unbearably tired. She wanted to be back home, in her apartment, away from the outside world.

A very kind waitress escorted Mia to her car, and finally, she was back on the road. A part of her feared running into Julian again, but in their months of dating, she knew he had a fiercer bark than bite. 

As Mia unlocked the door to her apartment, her fingers trembled. She'd have to tell Leila. In fact, she wanted to. There was no one she wanted to tell more. However, when she opened the door, she was greeted with an empty apartment.

Mia glanced at the clock on the microwave. 2:00pm.

"Oh," Mia said. Leila wouldn't be home for a few more hours.

For several hours, Mia lounged on the couch, flipping through television channels but finding nothing worth watching. As the clock ticked closer to five, Fuji was hungry for food. Mia was able to briefly pass by the time feeding the tabby cat, but by the time she had sat back down again, it felt like barely a few minutes had passed.

As Mia resumed staring bored at the television, she twisted her head, seeing Fuji approaching her.

"You already got food," she argued.

He didn't meow at her for food, however. Instead, he leapt up on the couch next to her and settled down beside her thigh. 

Mia froze. Leila's cat had never gotten this close to her before. She was afraid any movement she made would cause him to hiss and swat.

However, Fuji was sitting quite comfortably. His legs and tail were tucked beneath him, and his eyes were half-lidded. With trembling hands, Mia reached out and stroked the top of his head. Surprisingly, he didn't react. Rather, he nuzzled against her hand and began to purr.

Is this really happening right now? Mia asked.

She continued stroking the cat, feeling at ease. Perhaps Fuji had known what she'd gone through, or perhaps not. Either way, she was thankful for the company. Petting Fuji eased her pain some.

Mia heard the lock click on the door. For a moment, she stiffened, fearing it was Julian, but glancing at the clock, she realized it was only Leila returning home. As Mia continued stroking Fuji, the door opened.