Page 151 of Colliding with Ten

I shook my head. “And you deserve someone who sees it.”

He held my gaze for a beat. The briefest flash of what might’ve been moved across his face in a lost smile. Then it was gone, replaced by the Micah I knew, who covered everything with a joke and the unshakable certainty that everything would work itself out.

He leaned back and crossed his arms. “Well, the good news is, I’m an elite wide receiver with a great smile and an excellent personality. I’ll be fine.”

I laughed, despite it hurting.

“The bad news,” he added, “is that you’ve set the bar high by dating a guy with a bigger contract than mine. So now I have to find someone who’s impressed by a mid-tier condo and a lightly used Range Rover.”

“It’s not lightly used. You’ve had it for four years.”

He chuckled. I played along because the humor let him protect what he wasn’t willing to show. He’d earned the right to shield himself from whatever hurt he was feeling.

“Anyone who chooses you shouldn’t be choosing you based on stuff you own. She’d better be doing it for all the right reasons, or I will have something to say about it.” I smiled, then paused as I plucked up the courage to ask. “You’ll still be my friend, won’t you?”

Micah smiled back. “Of course, Ayla.”

“And as my friend, what do you think I should do?”

Micah leaned back and looked at me with a tender expression. “Right now? You show up to practice when they clear you. You don’t hide. You let people think what they want, and you keep your head up. The truth has a way of outlasting the noise.” He paused. “And you stop running from conversations that scare you, because that’s how you got here.”

I thought about what he said. “When did you get this wise?”

He smiled. “I’ve always been wise. Nobody listens because I’m too good-looking. It’s distracting.”

I cackled. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me, just do right by AJ.”

I wiped the tears from my eyes as I nodded. “Call him. He thinks you’ve abandoned him.”

“I haven’t. He was pissed earlier, so I was giving him a day to cool off. I’ll drop by and see him tomorrow.”

“I won’t be there.”

He nodded. “Right.”

He walked me to the door, or limped, rather, though he’d never admit it. At the threshold, he stopped and looked at me with an expression that would be considered serious on Micah’s face.

“I don’t think you’re a bad person. I think you’re a scared one.”

I nodded.

“You need somewhere to stay tonight? You can take the bed, and I’ll sleep on the couch.”

“Oh no, I can’t put you out.”

“It’s fine. Or I can pay for a hotel room if you don’t want to stay here.”

“No, I’ll figure it out.”

“You sure?”

I nodded.

“I’ve got someone coming over. I thought I was gonna have to change my plans.”

I quirked a brow. “Oh, you move on so quickly.”