Micah moves a hand to the middle of my back in a silent gesture. I’m not sure why he’s doing it, but it’s comforting. Supportive.
It makes me feel like I’m not entirely alone.
Lilah misses not a single small detail of what passes between me and Micah, but she doesn’t comment on it.She turns to look at the street behind us, somehow instinctively recognizing that Deck is now in sight.
He was standing and looking around, and his expression comes alive when he finds the object of his search. Lilah. He moves quickly for such a big man, and his smile widens when he sees Micah.
That man has a good heart. He might be with Logan, but he’s nothing like him. I know it for sure. Without question.
Lilah stretches out her hand, and he takes it when he reaches her. He waves a silent greeting at me and then at Micah, pets Molly who comes to him with eager wagging, and then signs something that’s obviously a question.
“He’s asking why you weren’t in Cleverly yesterday,” Lilah says for my and Micah’s benefit. “We thought Thursdays were your day to trade for food.”
“It’s not the same day every week,” Micah explains. “Kat used to come every other week, but I eat too much to make that work, so we just come when we run out of staples.”
I huff in amusement at his choice of words and take his arm casually, wondering where this instinct to stay physically connected to him has even come from. “Were you here yesterday looking for us?”
Deck nods with his head and his hand as Lilah says, “We were. We didn’t want you to disappear on us again.”
“Did Logan ask you to look for me?” Micah asks, his voice as light as ever but his arm tensing slightly.
“No,” Lilah says quickly. “He was happy to know you’re okay, but there’s no pressure from him to join up again.” When Deck makes a few more signs, she interprets. “Deck says Logan has been worried about you. He really has.”
Micah mumbles, “Okay. I believe you.”
Deck signs again, and Lilah says, “Deck wants to know if y’all want to hang out with us sometime. To catch up and so we can get to know Kat.” She turns to meet my eyes. “Not as a ruse to pull you into Logan’s circle. Just because we love Micah, and we’ve really missed him.”
I believe her, and I’m not nearly as defensive about the invitation as I would have expected to be.
When I glance up at Micah, he’s looking at me. Waiting to see what I’ll say. Leaving the response to me.
“Uh, yeah, that would be okay, I think.” I sound and feel kind of hesitant, but I’m rewarded by Micah’s warm smile.
“You can come to our place if you want,” Lilah says, clearly thrilled by my agreement. “Or, if it’s too long a trek, we can meet somewhere in the middle? We’d come to your place, but I understand you’d rather keep that private.”
Deck signs something, and Lilah says, “Oh, yeah, we can come pick you up so you don’t have to walk all the way to our place.”
“We’ve got a motorcycle now,” Micah says. He looks at me. “It will be a couple of hours to drive there. So if you’d rather we just meet them somewhere?—”
“No, that sounds fine. I don’t mind. What day?”
“We’ve got jobs today and tomorrow, but Sunday we’re off, if that works okay with you. You can come anytime and then leave in time to get back before dark.”
Even Logan’s people, as secure and respected as they are around here, know better than to travel at night.
“That sounds fine with me,” I say, glancing up at Micah again.
“Yep. That should work. We’ll leave in time to get there by around noon, so you can expect us then.” Micah looks happy.
He’s missed his friends.
I hope he hasn’t believed that I’ve wanted to keep him from them.
Maybe I have. But I don’t want to be that kind of person.
“No ambush,” he adds. “She doesn’t want to meet Logan.”
“It will just be me and Deck. Promise.”
