At this, Duncan groaned. “Like fifteen? Twenty? Which is solidly ten to twelve people too many.”
“Well, if there’s one thing about Destiny, it’s that she is a bit much when it comes to things like this.” For a second, I felt sorry for Duncan, but then Destiny started playing the cheesiest boy band music, and all that went out the window.
“Fuck, I should’ve just taken Chance’s offer to go to Hot Springs,” Duncan said, rubbing his hand over his face.
It felt good to laugh. And while it may have not been Destiny’s intention, this party was a good distraction for the both of us. Ada wouldn’t be able to contact anyone while she was in detox, and honestly, the last thing she’d be thinking about was phoning a friend. Detox was the fucking worst.
But anytime I thought about Ada, I thought about Micah and how much I missed him. It was a constant ache, a bruise that wouldn’t go away. He hadn’t texted or called, and I wanted to give him as much time as he needed. So I did the only thing I could do right now, which was try to have a good time.
As more people arrived, Duncan loosened up and started enjoying the party more. Destiny really put in a lot of work, and overall, it was a good time. After a while, my exhaustion from the week got the best of me, and I sneaked away to the front porch. Chance had made a porch swing that was comfortable as hell, and I had half a mind to sneak in a small nap before someone came looking for me. Spending nights on gritty sidewalks and rocky soil meant I could fall asleep anywhere.
I was just about dozing when someone said, “Is this seat taken?”
I jolted awake, believing that my lonely mind had played a fucked-up trick on me. But there was Micah, right in front of me, flesh and blood. He’d trimmed his hair and had a freshly done undercut.
I waved a hand next to me and said, “All yours, man.”
Micah sat down next to me, his thigh pressing against mine. My fingers wanted to touch him, and my lips wanted to kiss him. He looked even better than he did the night I’d met him a month and a half ago.
Being in love did that to people, I guess.
“How’re you?” I asked, trying to control the rapid kicking of my heart against my rib cage.
Micah folded his hands on his lip and stared at them, like he was taking serious thought into such a simple question. “Better. Ada got out of detox today. She’s going to rehab. Didn’t even need to be asked if she wanted to go. I spoke with my parents, and they agreed to help pay.”
I was weak with relief. I felt blessed to be sitting down. “I’m glad.”
The evening had reached my favorite time, where everything was colored in blue, like we’d been placed under a filter. It made Micah’s eyes stand out more, his raven hair even shinier. Even the fireflies of his tattoo looked like they were glowing.
Fuck, he was beautiful.
“For a long time, I chased the past instead of looking to the future. It put all my relationships into this horrific stasis, and I was running myself into the ground.” He gave me a sidelong look and smirked. “Then I met you, and as much as I tried to fight it, you held on to your convictions. And you were right. Ada will never be the person she used to be, and clinging to an idealized version of her isn’t going to stop her from hurting.”
I looked at Micah, breathless. What could I possibly say that could describe how he made me feel? I wasn’t good with words like Micah was, who made everything sound like poetry.
So, I did the next best thing I knew I could do. I kissed him.
Micah stiffened with surprise at first, but then he sighed and melted into it, resting his hand on my hip. I cupped his face and ran my fingers down the back of his neck. Micah tilted his head to the side and brushed his tongue along my bottom lip, and there was no way I wasn’t going to let him in, hungry for a taste of him.
I broke the kiss because I needed to say something to him, and if I didn’t get it out, I was certain I would suffocate. Pressing my forehead against his, I screwed my eyes shut and let my heart take the wheel. “Whatever happens, I want to be there with you, okay? And whatever happens to Ada, I’ll be with you. I love you too much to let you do this alone.”
Micah laughed and leaned back, his gaze dancing over my face. “Fuck you saying it first. But I love you too.”
We kissed again, letting it get a little further. It was sheer bliss having him here right now. Duncan’s birthday party could take a back seat.
“Wait,” I said, shaking my head to free my head of all the places I wanted to mark on Micah’s body with my mouth. “How the hell did you find out about Duncan’s birthday party?”
Micah let out a full belly laugh. “He called me and said you were going to be here. Basically, told me that we were too good for each other to let things go sideways. He was right.”
“Of course he was,” I said, looking over my shoulder toward the backyard. I’d chat with Duncan tomorrow about this. I turned back to Micah and leaned closer, dropping my voice to a murmur. “So, you can tell me I’m reading this all wrong, but I feel like we got something going on here, and I have nothing else to do. Wanna get out of here?”
Micah’s breath caught, his eyes growing heated. “Yeah, I’d like that.”
“My house isn’t far from here,” I said, running my finger down his chest, stopping right above the button of his shorts. “We could meet there.”
“Good deal,” Micah said, taking my hand as he stood and pulled me up with him. “I’ll see you, soon.”
MICAH
As I pulled into Nik’s driveway, I saw him waiting with the front door open, soft light wrapping a golden hue around his profile. He looked ethereal, as if he’d been spun of stars from the night. My pulse quickened as I got out of the car and drew closer to him, anticipation buzzing under my skin.
Nik stepped backward to let me inside the house. I didn’t turn around right away, listening for the door to snick shut. A shiver ran down my spine when Nik’s fingers brushed down my arm, hooking around my fingers.
For several beats we didn’t move. I waited until our breaths synchronized before I dared to reach up and touch him, running the pad of my finger along his temple, over his cheekbone, and down along his jaw. His heartbeat thumped against my hand as I cupped it around his neck and pulled him toward me.
Our chests pressed against each other, but our lips barely touched, our exhales twisting around each other, turning into one. I tucked my face into Nik’s neck as he gently laced his arms around my hips, taking in the familiar scent that stuck around my sheets for days, lulling me to sleep.
“I’ve missed you,” he whispered, the palm of his hand running up my spine. “I never want to miss you like that ever again.”
His voice shook when he spoke. When he confessed his love for me his words held confidence and surety. Here, with no space between us, he trembled in my arms. I pressed my lips on his neck to feel his pulse, pulling a bit of skin between my teeth.
Nik’s breath hitched, his nails digging into my back while I nipped a trail up his neck. When I took a chance to deepen my bite, he groaned, and tipped back, trying to catch my lips. I pulled away before he could find them, sliding my hands to cup his face.
“When I left after Ada went to detox, I hadn’t realized that I’d been looking for you for a long time. I just hadn’t found you yet. And now that I have, I don’t want to miss you like that, ever again.”
Nik wrapped his hands around my wrists. “Lucky you for, I ain’t gonna let that happen.”
