Summary: A Monday in the life of Drake and Mika. An expansion on Days Go By. A fight and a make up because I can’t write pure angst, I just need them to be happy.
Sunday (NSFW)
Monday mornings are her least favorite time of the week. Mika likes her job in advertising, loves it even, but she doesn’t like having to get up early or dealing with the commute. Her boss is always stressed after projects and requests for changes have poured in over the weekend, and it makes everyone else anxious and irritable.
This Monday is no different from the rest, except that the weather was horrible over the weekend, frigid and snowing nonstop, and it puts everyone in an even worse mood than normal. Mika is grateful to get home, unwinding her scarf and hanging her damp coat up on the hook by the door. Drake isn’t home yet, so she showers and changes into her favorite sweatpants and one of his old t-shirts.
When she gets out of the shower, there’s a bottle of her favorite wine on the table, alone with a bag of the popcorn flavored jelly beans that she could eat by the pound. Drake is standing at the sink, a glass of water in hand. Mika smiles as she walks into the kitchen, wrapping her arms around his chest.
“Hi,” she says into his back.
“Hi.” He loosens her arms and turns her around, kissing her and then pulling her into a quick hug.
“How was your day?” he asks.
Mika makes a face. “It’s Monday. Take a guess. How was yours?”
“It was good,” he answers vaguely, opening the fridge and surveying it.
“Leftover enchiladas?” he asks her.
She hums in confirmation as he turns the oven on. They curl up on the couch as they wait for the food, talking about their day. She drinks a glass of wine and Drake sips at his whiskey and runs his hands through her hair while she grumbles about her grumpy coworkers and the impossible deadlines at work.
Mika smiles apologetically as they head into the kitchen to eat. “I’m sorry. You know me and Monday’s. Please tell me you have a funny work story.”
“Nothing today,” he answers, pulling out two plates. Mika frowns at him.
“Okay, what is going on? You’re being really…weird. You always have a good work story.”
Drake sighs, running a hand over his hair as they sit down to eat. “My boss is opening another stable. He wants me to help get it running, do some hiring and training. Possibly manage it, if I want.”
“Drake! That’s amazing! Why wouldn’t you tell me that?”
“It’s not…here,” he explains slowly. “The city, I mean.”
“Okay…so where is it?”
Drake doesn’t answer right away, toying with the food on his plate. “Boston.”
“Boston?” she chokes out. She sets her fork down harder than she intended and it clangs against her plate loudly. She stares at him. “That’s almost five hours away!”
“I know,” he says.
“When did he ask you? What did you say?” Mika tries to control the frustration as she questions him, but her voice is tight, her hands clenched on the table.
Drake looks up, resting his hands on top of hers and squeezing, but she can’t get her fingers to relax.
“I haven’t answered,” Drake finally says.
“When did he ask you?” she repeats, eyes locked on his face, watching him.
“A couple weeks ago.”
“What? And you didn’t think to, I don’t know, mention this to me?!”
Mika shoves back from the table angrily, storming into the living room. She pours more wine into her glass, hands shaking, and swallows it quickly.
Drake follows her, reaching for her again, but she steps away from him. “When do you have to let him know by?” she asks.
“Tomorrow.”
Tomorrow.
She closes her eyes, shaking her head. “Jesus, Drake. Were you just going to come home tomorrow and say, hey, I’m leaving?”
Drake looks reasonably hurt at that. “Of course not, Mika.”
“I just don’t understand why you didn’t tell me,” she says tensely, sinking into the couch.
He sits beside her, keeping a few inches between them. “I don’t know,” he answers honestly.
They sit in uncomfortable silence for a few moments.
“Would you move to Boston?” Drake asks.
She looks at him in dismay. “My whole life is here, Drake. My friends. My job. My family is nearby. I don’t want to just…leave all that. I thought you were happy here.”
Drake’s brow furrows. “I’m not unhappy, I just-”
“Just what?” she interrupts. She can’t stop the words from coming out of her mouth, she’s so flustered and frustrated and can’t believe he’s thinking about <i>leaving</i>.
“If you weren’t happy, why didn’t you say something?” she continues, standing and pacing the room.
“I didn’t say I wasn’t happy-”
“You’re thinking about moving! Five hours away!” she exclaims.
“For a job opportunity! And I’d want you to come with me!” His voice rises in frustration as he stands from the couch.
“I don’t want to move to Boston! But apparently you don’t care about me!” she says angrily.
Drake stares at her, his eyes blazing, hands clenched. She has never seen him this angry.
“I don’t care about you? I left my friends, my home, my entire life, for you!” he shouts.
“You came here! I didn’t ask you to do any of that!” she yells. She regrets the ugly words the instant they’re out of her mouth, can see the anguish and the pain on Drake’s face, and then the anger flooding back in. Oh, how she wishes she could rewind time and take them back.
She didn’t mean it. Why, why, did she say that?. The room is silent as they stare at each other.
“I didn’t-” she begins.
“No. You’re right,” Drake interrupts her, his voice strangely calm. “You didn’t ask me to do anything.”
He slips his shoes on, grabs his coat, and steps out the door.
“Drake!” she calls, her voice cracking as she starts sobbing. But he keeps going, the door slamming behind him.
Mika drops onto the couch, tears streaming down her face. What just happened?
~~~~~~~~~~
She doesn’t realize how much time has passed until she hears the click of the door as it’s unlocked. The green glow of the clock from the microwave says 11:30. He’s been gone for almost four hours.
Drake closes and locks the door quietly behind him, jumping a little when he turns and sees her still sitting on the couch.
“I thought you’d be in bed,” he says stiffly. He shuffles out of his coat and shoes and hesitates by the kitchen table.
Mika stands, fidgeting with the drawstring on her sweats. “I didn’t want to go to bed fighting,” she whispers.
Drake moves into the living room, and she steps into him automatically, standing on her tiptoes to bury her face into his neck and thread her hands into his hair. He feels so good against her, his familiar scent comforting.
“I’m sorry,” she whispers. “God, Drake, I’m so sorry.”
His arms come around her back, squeezing her tightly. “I’m sorry too,” he murmurs.
“I love you,” she says, a hitch in her voice.
“I love you, too.” He leads her over to the couch, running his hands up and down her thighs as she settles over him, her legs on either side of his.
“I know you care about me,” she begins, resting her forehead against his. “I just…I thought about you leaving and I…I don’t want you to leave,” she says, the tears evident in her voice.
Threading a hand into her hair, Drake kisses her gently. “I shouldn’t have kept this from you,” he says quietly, his eyes wet. “It surprised me. I wanted to tell you at the right time, and there just never was one.”
“I’m not leaving,” he whispers in her ear. “It’s a good job. But there will be other jobs. I’m happy here, Mika. I am. I love our life. And I don’t want to lose you.”
A sob escapes from her mouth. “You won’t lose me.”
Mika tangles her hands in his dark hair, pressing her lips to his, sighing into his mouth as he runs his hands up and down her back.
“I’m so happy you’re here, Drake. I know you left your entire life behind for me. And that means…” she laughs quietly through her tears, shaking her head, trying to find the right words.
Drake pulls her back to wipe the tears from her face, his fingers gentle against her skin. She kisses him again, can’t stop touching him, reassuring herself he’s still here.
“That means everything to me,” she continues, taking a deep breath. “But I don’t want you to feel like you’re stuck here, just because my life is here.”
“Our life,” he corrects her gently. “Our life is here. And I don’t feel stuck.”
She drags her eyes up to his. “I’ll go to Boston,” she murmurs. “If you ask me.”
Drake shakes his head, smiling at her. “That means a lot to me, Mika. But I want to stay here. I want us to be here.”
He nudges her side lightly. “Besides, we finally found a bar that carries the whiskey I like. We can’t leave now.”
Mika stares at him, then starts laughing. “Well, when you put it that way, I guess we have to stay.”
He chuckles, kissing her again.
“I love you,” Mika says again, nuzzling against him. “So, so much.”
“I love you too, Mika. I’m not going anywhere. Okay?”
“Okay,” she whispers.
He stands, lifting her up against him, and she locks her legs around him, grinning as he carries them to the bedroom.
“You think you’re getting lucky tonight, mister?” she asks, nipping at his earlobe.
His voice is low in her ear. “I think I’m gonna make love to you.”
“Mmm,” she whimpers as he sets her down next to the bed and runs his lips and his teeth over her neck. “I won’t argue with that.”