Kiki grins at me, her eyes bright with approval. “That’s great, Cricket. I think you’ll be a great author.”
Micah takes a step toward me, closing the distance between us until I can see the flecks of green in his gray eyes. “She’s almost finished with her novel too. Only one chapter left.”
Pride radiates from him, genuine and warm, and for a moment, I let myself bask in it. He believes in me. He’s proud of me. That has to mean something, right? I don’t have the guts to let him know it’s just the first draft and that there’s still a whole lot of work left.
“We should probably get going,” Tobias says, checking his watch. “You want to get settled in before dark.”
Micah nods. “Cricket, you want to ride with me? Help me unpack?”
“Of course.”
Ten minutes later, we’re pulling up to Micah’s new apartment complex. It’s a modest two-story building just a few blocks from the marina. It’s nothing fancy, but it’s clean and safe and close enough to my parents’ house that I can still see him whenever I want.
His apartment is on the second floor, number 2B, and as we climb the stairs with our arms full of boxes, I can hear music coming from one of the other units. The hallwaysmells like someone’s cooking dinner. It’s something with garlic and tomatoes that makes my stomach rumble.
Micah unlocks the door and pushes it open with his foot. “I guess this is it. This is officially my place now.”
The apartment is small but cozy. The living room flows into a tiny kitchen. There’s a hallway to a bedroom and a bathroom. The walls are white and bare, the carpet is that generic beige that all rental properties seem to have, but the windows let in good light, and there’s a small balcony overlooking the street.
“I’m sure you’ll love it here,” I say, and I mean it. It’s so completely Micah—unpretentious, comfortable, and full of possibility.
We make several trips up and down the stairs, bringing in boxes and bags until the living room is filled with Micah’s entire life in cardboard form. Tobias and Kiki bring in Micah’s bed and mattress then put it together while Micah and I unpack the new set of pots and pans he bought.
We order pizza and eat it while standing in the kitchen. Micah looks pleased as Tobias nods his head in approval. By the time Tobias and Kiki leave, my arms ache, and I’m sweating, but I’m happy for him.
Micah collapses onto the floor and leans back against the wall. “I can’t believe I actually did it. I have my own place.”
I sink down beside him, our shoulders touching. “You’re officially an adult now.”
“Terrifying.” He laughs then turns to look at me. “Thank you for being here. For everything. I couldn’t have done any of this without you.”
There’s that warmth again, spreading through my chest like sunshine. “That’s what we do for each other.”
He looks at me, his gaze penetrating through me. Almost like he has something special to say. “Because we’re good friends.”
My tongue tastes like ash, but I force a smile anyway. “Yeah.”
Micah reaches over and takes my hand, threading his fingers through mine. He presses a kiss to my forehead like he’s done several times in the past few weeks, which makes my heart thump despite the F word he just said. “I’m really proud of you, you know. For standing up to your dad. For choosing your own path.”
“I haven’t stood up to him yet,” I admit quietly. “I just made the decision.”
“You’ll do great. And I’ll be right there with you if you need backup.” He squeezes my hand as if our friendship is the best thing in the world.
But it’s like a knife twisting in my chest.
“Hey, I have an idea,” Micah says, his eyes lighting up. “Why don’t you bring over your laptop tomorrow? You can work on your novel here while I’m unpacking and setting up. It’ll be like old times, but in a new place.”
My heart lifts despite itself. “Really? You want me here while you’re getting settled?”
“Of course. Having you around always helps me feel more grounded. Plus I want to read the last chapter as soon as you finish it.” He grins at me, that dimpled smile that makes my knees weak. “I need to know if Alexa can put her fears aside and just tell Zane that she loves him.”
“Yeah,” I manage to say, my voice sounding hollow even to my own ears. “And I hope he returns her feelings.”
Micah leans his head back against the wall, his eyes closing as he smiles contentedly. “Your writing is so good, Cricket. You really capture what it feels like to be in love with someone and not know how to tell them. It’s so realistic. Like you really understand that kind of pain.”
I understand it because I’m living it!I want to scream. I understand it because every word I wrote was bleedingdirectly from my heart onto the page. I understand it because I am that woman, hopelessly and desperately in love with someone who will never see me the way I need him to.
But instead, I just nod and squeeze his hand back, blinking away the tears that are threatening to spill over once again.
