by Julia Day
“Why are you in such a hurry?”
“I’m going for a walk.”
“If I practice some more, will you watch again?”
“Of course.”
She shrugged, tapped replay on the tablet, and started to dance again.
I walked sedately from her room, raced down the stairs, and hurried from the house.
Micah was reclining against his car and straightened as I approached. “Hey.”
“Sorry it took so long. Natalie needed me.”
“No problem. So, what’s next?”
“I thought we’d have our first official date at my neighborhood park. It’s not far.” I pointed at a pine forest near the end of the lane. “We can cut through the trees.”
It didn’t take long to reach the woods. They were dim. Hushed. No sounds other than birds, insects, and our feet on the trail. I hated to break our lovely silence, but there was too much that had to be discussed. “How will this work, Micah? We can’t waste a single second.”
“I’ve been thinking about that. You can be my shadow at the theater.”
“I already am.”
“Everywhere. We’ll spend breaks together…”
“When it makes sense.”
“… and dates every night we’re both free.”
As we emerged from the trees, I scanned the park. The playground and jogging trail were deserted. A couple sat on the top of a picnic table, making out. Otherwise, we had the whole place to ourselves.
I smiled up at him. “For the most efficient use of our time together, we should have rules. Mutually-agreed-upon relationship rules.”
“I like efficiency. And rules.”
“Which is why we’re having them.” I took off across the lawn, heading for the mulched path that wound through the park. “I’ll go first. We’re skipping the insecure stage.”
“Which is?”
“Those first few weeks of the relationship when neither of you will give it your all because you’re worried it won’t work out.”
He laced his fingers through mine and pulled me to a stop, his expression growing serious. “I’m ready to give this my all.”
Wow. I just fell a little harder. “I’m ready, too.”
We held hands and stared into each other’s eyes, aware that we stood at the edge of something strong and sweet.
A jogger flew past us, breaking the spell.
“Second rule,” Micah said. “Plenty of touching.”
Yes, please. Could he tell how much I wanted that, too? I’d never thought of myself as starving for touch. Mom was a hugger, and so were many of my friends. But I eagerly approved of Micah’s rule. “That works for me.”
We started down the mulched path again. Ahead of us, the other couple hopped off the picnic table and left the park, disappearing down a lane.
“We should talk,” I said.
“Can we get good at the touching first?” His smile was hopeful.
“Honest conversation is an essential relationship rule. You must trust me on this.”
“But we had talking on the friendly plan, too.”
I laughed. This was going to be so good.
Night had fallen, with only the faintest golden band visible on the horizon. We strolled along the path as it curved gently up a hill through alternating pools of shadows and streetlights. I moved in closer to him, until we were bumping hips as we walked. “Is theater what you want to do with your life?”
He shook his head. “I couldn’t do it for a full-time job. It’s not enough. That’s why I’m taking the intensive in August. I can use sound design outside the theater.”
“Are you tired of it?”
He pursed his lips as he thought.
“Micah, if you can’t answer an immediate no, then it’s yes.”
“The answer is sometimes. I love the energy of a show, and I like being around talented people. But I’d also like to focus more on my schoolwork, hang out with friends, and do nothing on the weekends but watch mindless TV. Those things don’t happen much.”
“Have you told Lisa?”
“Dad knows but thinks it’s my story to tell, and I haven’t found the right time yet. It makes her happy to have one of her sons involved in the theater.” He tightened his fingers around mine. “What about you?”
“I want to take care of people.”
“Like medicine?”
“No, blood is gross. I’d like to do the kinds of things that I’m handling for the show. Managing the little details so that other people can focus on the big stuff. Anticipating their needs. I could be a personal assistant. Or an office manager.”
“You’d be great. It takes a lot of self-confidence to watch others get the credit for what you helped to create.”
“I guess you know about that, too.” I loved this about him—his easy way with compliments. “So, you said today that you’ve ‘never done this before.’ Done what?”
He stopped and looked down at me, a streetlamp creating a halo of light around his head. “Dating.”
“What?” I was his first girlfriend? That was unexpected—and wonderful. “You’ve never been on a date?”
“It’s complicated. I asked a girl out once, but she, um, didn’t realize it was a date. She thought we were just meeting for coffee.”
“Did you make it clear?”
“Sort of, but she wasn’t interested in me. She was too busy pumping me for information about … another guy.”
Since his face was in the shadows, I couldn’t see his expression, but his tone had a bite. I wanted to say sorry, but it somehow didn’t seem like the right word. “Have you ever been kissed?”
“Only by you.”
I blinked in disbelief. “What is wrong with the girls in Elon?”
He shrugged and looked away.
Admitting this had made him uncomfortable. I couldn’t let that slide, because Micah was amazing. He wasn’t the reason. “I wish I’d known.”
“That I don’t know how to kiss? I’m sure you could tell.”
“I couldn’t. Really. I assumed anything less than perfection was nerves.”
“Nerves were involved.”
“Well, then.” We’d both committed to not wasting a second, to diving right into the secure stage. He lacked confidence, and it was time for that to change. “Come on,” I said, tugging him over to the recently vacated picnic table. “Help me up.”
He put his hands at my waist and lifted me onto the tabletop, as if I hardly weighed anything, which was far from the truth—jiggly thighs and big butt and all.
“Whoa,” I said, bracing my hands against his arms. “You’re stronger than you look.”
“Is that a problem for you?”
“Not. At. All.” This was even more evidence that my first impression of Micah had underestimated him. He was fast becoming the hottest guy I’d ever known. “So, let’s get back to the dating thing. Since I’m the one with experience, whatever I tell you, you have to believe.”
His lips twitched. “True.”
I eyed him up and down, as if considering a new recruit. “The most important thing to remember is that it’s best if the girl always gets her way.”
“Is it, now.”
“Yeah, and that’ll go smoother if you learn to read my mind.”
“I’ll try.”
“I like your attitude. And, naturally, physical contact is required.”
“I believe I’ve already mentioned the touching. Since I’m new to this, a demo might be useful.”
This was a huge responsibility—teaching someone how to become a couple, how to do the right things in the right ways. Sliding my hands up his arms, I linked them behind his neck. “We should start with holding each other. It’s simple and, if done well, highly effective. And not dramatically different from hugging.”
“I’m seriously hoping you’re wrong about that.” He moved even closer, his arms wrapping carefully around my waist. “This feels vaguely familiar and yet, it doesn’t rem
ind me of hugging.”
I didn’t respond, too focused on how it felt to be in his arms. Could we stay this way forever?
“Brooke?” His smiled faded. “How much touching is too much?”
“If you’re paying attention, you won’t get it wrong.”
“I’m paying attention.”
I’d known before that he was perfect, but this evening had proven that my definition of perfect had been too small. Micah was so much more. “Holding hands is also lovely. However, if I had to vote for a personal favorite, it would be kissing.”
“Feel free to win me over.”
I pressed my lips to his in a slow, gentle kiss. He held himself very still, as if he was afraid to breathe. When I leaned back to smile at him, he was gazing at me with longing and uncertainty.
My heart melted. He was still worried about his inexperience. Didn’t he know there was no way he could get this wrong? Just knowing that he wanted me was all the expertise I needed. “Okay, it’s your turn.” I relaxed my hands and closed my eyes, offering him the lead.
He kissed my cheek. My jaw. His mouth brushed mine tentatively. Drew away. He kissed me again, softly, sweetly, his lips clinging as delight replaced caution. Then he buried his face in my neck and sighed.
“I think that’s a good start for our first date,” I murmured.
“It gets better than that?”
I laughed. “We’ll save more advanced techniques for another day.”
He straightened and smiled. “Which other day?”
“Tomorrow.”
23
Inevitable Questions
After Thursday’s production meeting broke up, Micah waited until the staff lounge had cleared before taking me into his arms. “I have an idea.”
I slid my hands around his neck. “I’m listening.”
“Come with me to Elon.”
Okay, brain focused now. “For the weekend?”
“Yes. We have a guest suite.”
A trip home to meet the family? After we’d been dating three days?
No, wait. We agreed to go directly to the secure stage. He’d met my whole family. I’d known his mother almost as long as him. But still … “A whole weekend?”
“Okay, then. How about a day?”
I wanted to. We had less than eighteen days left. Missing two of them would be awful, but losing only one cut awful in half. And I didn’t have anything planned this weekend except …
Boom. Reality check.
My mother was umping a two-night series in Greensboro, and my stepfather would be at the construction site. “Mom and Jeff will be gone on Saturday. I can’t leave Natalie alone that long.”
“Bring her with us.”
Spending the day with Micah and Natalie wouldn’t be fun for anyone. If only she had somewhere she could go instead.
And … she did. “Her mom lives in Durham. Could we drop her off?”
“Sure.”
“My mom could get me and Natalie on her way home from the game in Greensboro. It’ll be over by ten.”
“Sounds great.”
“Okay, don’t say anything until I’ve cleared it with Mom and Jeff. And Natalie’s mother.” I glanced out into the hall. Nobody was there. “So we’re on for tonight. Right?”
“Yeah, I have a surprise. Can I pick you up at seven?”
“That’s fine, but I have to be home by nine. I have a project due for Jeff.”
Micah’s smile dimmed. “We can skip tonight, if you prefer.”
“We can’t skip a single moment available to us.”
“Good—”
“Brooke,” Natalie shouted, her footsteps slapping closer to the lounge.
I jumped away from Micah as she appeared in the doorway.
“Hi, Micah.” She gestured for me to come. “Dad’s here.” She ran away before I could respond.
Wow. Close call. “See you at seven.” I hurried to the office to get my backpack.
Micah had followed me. “Do you mind if she knows?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“She’ll freak. We have to be careful.” I tried to step around him. He filled the doorway so completely that I couldn’t.
“Keeping us a secret is a bad idea.”
“The alternative is worse.”
“Brooke…”
I ducked under his arm and took off down the hall at a jog. Once I reached Jeff’s truck, I hopped in and spent the whole way home trying to figure out a reasonable way to tell Natalie, and coming up with nothing.
* * *
I headed downstairs a few minutes before seven and looked out the front window. Micah hadn’t arrived early. Good. That would give me a minute to talk with Jeff and Mom. It was one of her rare nights off, so I found them in the den, cuddling together on the couch, a thick paperback on his lap and the cat on hers.
“I have a question, guys.”
They looked up, at each other, and then at me.
“Okay, shoot,” Mom said.
“A friend is driving to Elon on Saturday, and he offered to take me and Natalie with him.”
Jeff’s brow creased. “Why?”
“He could drop Natalie off in Durham for the day.”
“Which friend?”
“Micah Dalton.”
“The boy from the theater?”
“Yes, sir.” I shrugged casually. “He’s a nice guy.”
Mom patted Jeff’s hand. “I chatted with him at the game on Monday. He does seem nice.”
My stepfather’s only response was a noncommittal grunt.
Mom gave me a pointed look. “What exactly would you be doing?”
“I’d hang out with Micah.”
“Uh-huh.” Her arched eyebrow said that she knew things had progressed past hanging out, and her smile said she approved. “I suppose you know that I’m umping Saturday night in Greensboro.”
“Yes, and I’m counting on you to pick me and Natalie up on your way home.”
Jeff was nodding. “I like the sound of this. It might be a low-key way for Natalie to spend time with her mother and Luke. I’ll call Mei and see if she’s up to it.”
* * *
Micah parked in front of my house at precisely nine o’clock.
“Tonight was wonderful. I’ve never spent a date baking before.” I clutched the plate of warm chocolate-chip cookies to my chest. Who would’ve thought that baking cookies with a guy could be so much fun? We’d laughed and kissed and argued about whether it was okay to eat cookie dough. I was Team Eat Already. He was Team Food Poisoning. “It’s a great idea.”
“I didn’t think of it. Teen Vogue did.”
“You read Teen Vogue?”
“For you, yes.” He cut the engine and reached for his seat belt latch.
No. Micah had these effortless, old-school manners. I loved it when he held doors for me or helped me into the car, but it was about to spoil our wonderful evening, because I could not let him walk me to the door. Natalie might see, and I didn’t have answers for her inevitable questions. I put a hand on his arm. “You don’t have to get out.”
“But…” His expression changed from puzzled to hard. “Oh. Right.”
“Micah, I know you disagree, but it’s not time yet.”
“When will it be?”
“I don’t know.”
He didn’t respond. Just sat there staring straight ahead.
We couldn’t end our date in silence, without touching or the assurance that we’d be better tomorrow. I kissed his cheek. He turned his head until our lips met. It was a sweet kiss, and a little sad. We drew apart and studied each other. He wanted honesty. I wanted to stay together. He thought we could have both. I hadn’t figured out how to make it possible. While I hated that this had come between us, I wouldn’t back down.
“Bye,” I said.
“Yeah.”
I slipped from the car. But instead of going inside, I headed to the workshop. It shouldn’t take me long to finish Jeff’s proje
ct, now that his new employee had forwarded the necessary information.
Thirty minutes later, I’d rechecked the document one last time and clicked the submit button. The final form was on its way into the North Carolina state bureaucracy. I had everything done.
This summer had gone nothing like I’d expected. I’d lost one job and found one I liked even more. I’d gained a full-time stepsister and a temporary boyfriend. I’d never been happier. Although it wasn’t a perfect happiness. Not yet.
The creak of the workshop door yanked me from my thoughts.
Jeff stepped in, closing the door behind him. “I’ve called Mei, and Saturday is fine for a few hours.”
“Great. Have you told Natalie?”
“I think it ought to come from you.” He circled around behind me and looked over my shoulder. “What are you doing?”
“I’ve finished setting up for your new employee.” There was something else I’d been working on. I hadn’t planned on telling him tonight, but he’d given me the opening. “If you don’t mind hearing a suggestion, I have an idea for you. You have lots of photos from your job sites. We should pick a few of the best and make a gallery.”
“Tell me more.”
“It would showcase the quality of your work and possibly draw traffic to the site. Make it more visually appealing.”
“Could they be before-and-after photos? We could show how a piece of land looked before we started—and how well we conserved it afterward.”
“Even better.” My mind was already sorting through how that might look.
“I’ll select a few images and let you know.” He whipped out a chair and sat. “Next item of business. Tomorrow, I’ll write your first paycheck. How many hours?”
I hadn’t been keeping track, but it had been a lot. I would stick with my original estimate. “Ten.”
“It’s been more than that. I’ll round up to an even one hundred dollars.” He smiled. “Fair?”
“Very.” I held out my hand, and we shook on the deal.
“Time for bed. You coming in?”
“Soon.”
“Good night, then.” He left, shutting the door with a soft click.
Three weeks ago, I’d feared that having Natalie around all the time might stall my relationship with him, but that hadn’t happened. In fact, we seemed to be making even more progress. Being his “employee” had been good for us.