“Look, let’s just put it behind us, okay? No big deal. Things happen. No worries at all. We can forget it ever happened.” He bustled over to my closet and pulled out a fresh shirt for me before bringing it to the bed. I waited silently, heart in my throat, as he rummaged through my dresser, pulling out a pair of boxers and athletic shorts. When he’d placed them at the foot of my bed, he looked at me again. “Shower today, or no?”
I swallowed the lump in my throat and took a slow breath. “I’m sorry.”
Micah froze, his brow furrowed. “What?”
“For kissing you without permission. I’m sorry. I should’ve asked, instead of just doing it. Consent is important and I’m sorry.”
“Um…”
“Listen. I… I’m attracted to you. And it seems like you’re attracted to me, too. I liked it, kissing you. And I think you did too. And I want to do it again, if that’s okay.”
Chapter 12 - Micah
Istood there, frozen to the spot and without a clue how to respond. “I… don’t know what to say.” My mind raced and my heart pounded in my chest. I liked Asher. I did. As a friend, yes, but I was also undeniably attracted to Asher, and he’d noticed if he was saying things like that. But Asher was straight… right? He’d informed me of that from the beginning. Everyone had made that abundantly clear. I didn’t want to get in the habit of messing around with straight guys, not again. And I didn’t know if I was ready to get into a new relationship so soon after… But besides all that, I was there to help Asher. To be his caretaker while he was injured. There was no reason to complicate things and kissing him again would definitely complicate things. It would do nothingbutcomplicate things.
My stomach twisted as I thought it over, my breathing tight. I was speechless, and Asher was waiting for a response. I opened my mouth to speak but closed it again, still unsure of what I wanted to say.
Asher frowned and shifted in his bed as if he were going to get up on his own, his gaze firm. “It’s okay if you’re not interested. I just… needed to put it out there.” There was no anger in his voice, just determination.
“It’s not that I don’t want to. It’s just… I don’t want to fuck things up here, you know? We’re friends. I don’t want to lose that. Not again, not so soon after we reunited. You know what I mean? I’m sorry.”
His face fell and he looked away, gazing at the carpet. “Yeah. I get it.”
I held out my hand. “Let’s just put it behind us and get the day started.” I tried to sound chipper, hoping he’d accept the pivot, but I could hear the false cheerfulness in my tone. I wasn’t fooling anyone.
He reached out and took my assistance, leaning on my body to get out of bed. He’d healed enough that he was becoming more mobile, but getting up and down still hurt, especially when he pushed himself. Plus, his shoulder was still incapacitated. It had only been a few days since the accident, after all. Once he was steady on his feet, he looked at me again.
“If you change your mind, the offer stands. I won’t push you or cross any lines, but I’m not going anywhere anytime soon, either.” He nodded as he said it, as if he was reassuring himself, standing there watching me for a reaction.
I took a deep breath. “Don’t say that. I don’t…” I don’twhat? Don’t want to kiss you? Don’t want to touch you, to feel your body pressed against mine, don’t want it more than I’ve ever wanted anyone? Don’t want it so bad it haunts my dreams? Anything I said other than an enthusiastic yes would be a lie, so I bit the words back. “I should get going. Work. It’s getting late.” I didn’t want to hurt his feelings, but I was terrified. Scared that we’d rekindled our friendship, just for it to come crashing down around us if we tried to push it any further. I’d been fullyprepared to ignore the desire burning inside of me, and I needed to clutch onto that feeling and accept it sooner rather than later.
“Sure,” he murmured, his throat bobbing as he swallowed.
Don’t stare at his throat. Do not stare at his throat. “You good here?”
He nodded silently.
“Okay, then. I’ll see you after work.”
“Yep.”
I let that be my dismissal cue and left. “Bye.” I hurried back to my room to grab my keys before heading out the door and driving myself to the job site.
The entire drive to work, my gut churned and my mind turned over the events of the previous twelve hours or so. Over and over, I remembered what had happened, my brain unable to focus on anything else. Every time I remembered the kiss, my body flushed with heat and my stomach fluttered with desire. Once I’d arrived at the site of the old post office, I busied myself with work in an attempt to stay distracted. By lunch, though, I’d replayed the kiss in my head at least a hundred more times, and made little progress on the set design I’d been sketching out for the finale episode. I sighed in frustration and slammed the sketchbook shut just as Kieran entered the trailer.
“Okay, Mopey. Time for lunch.”
I looked at him, eyebrows raised. “Mopey?”
“You’ve clearly got something heavy on your mind. You’ve been moping around here all day like a pitiful eighth dwarf. Mopey.”
I rolled my eyes and smirked at him. “Are you the princess in this scenario?”
He snorted and settled into a chair across from me. “Pillow princess, maybe.”
It caught me by surprise and I laughed out loud. “Okay,” I said, knowing he was anything but. I’d heardwaytoo muchabout his sex life to think he was in any way not a giver in the bedroom.
“It’s fine, we all know I’m royalty either way,” he said dramatically, affecting a posh accent. “I’m not letting you get away without telling me what’s going on though.”
