Page 19 of Pretty Heartache

His blue-gray eyes slowly slide up the length of my bare legs to my favorite faded Nirvana sleep shirt. Although I’m wearing an unlined bra underneath, I’m sure my nipples are peaked, poking against my shirt. This house doesn’t seem to stay warm.

My cheeks bloom with heat, and my arms shoot to cover my chest and hardened nipples.

Micah’s gaze finds mine again.

I blow out an exasperated breath and look around the kitchen. “What are you doing here, Micah? You scared the shit out of me.”

“Sorry.” He sighs. “I figured you heard me come in.”

“No.” I shift on my feet, the cold air clinging to my legs. “I was upstairs taking a nap. Besides, you told me you weren’t coming back.”

“I wasn’t.” He runs his hand through his hair.

His jacket is laid out on one of the barstools, which he moves and places on the counter before sliding to sit on the stool while I move to the other side of the island, using it as a shield.

Resting his elbows on the counter, Micah brings his hands together and rests his chin on them.

I arch my eyebrows. “Everything okay?”

He blinks. “Yeah.” He nods. “My trip to Barcelona was canceled, so I figured I’d come here and check on you.” He stares at me with half-saddened eyes.

“Check on me?” I point to my chest.

He simply nods, but a small smile plays on his lips.

I find myself smiling, too. This is the most we’ve ever talked.

I gesture at the room. “Didn’t exactly sound like you were coming to check on me.”

“Oh, right.” He nods, twisting to look around the kitchen. Nearly all the cabinets are left open, and some of the drawers are sticking out. “I was looking for something to eat but realized I don’t know where anything is.”

“You didn’t think to check the refrigerator?” I chuckle. “I went grocery shopping earlier.”

“You said you were buying your own food. I figured it wouldn’t be polite to eat yours.” He shrugs. “I remember sticking a jar of peanut butter and fluff in one of the cabinets after I bought the house, but I couldn’t remember which one.”

“I’m not exactly an expert on expiration dates, but I doubt a year old jar of marshmallow fluff isn’t breeding mold by now.”

He nervously scratches the back of his head. “I guess it was a gamble I was willing to take.”

I grin. It’s silly to me that a man with all the money in the world would resort to searching for an old jar of fluff.

I lean forward and rest my arms on the counter. My eyes are now in line with his, but there’s still a good two feet of distance between us. Although he scared the shit out of me only minutes ago, I now feel comfortable enough to relax. I also realize this is the first time I’ve held a normal conversation with someone outside of Maddox and Ruby. The longer I was in my relationship with Maddox, the more I began to walk on eggshells any time I was with him. And even though I absolutely love Ruby, she’s been more like a mother than a friend. Ember has been my best friend for as long as I can remember, but distance and life has made it difficult to stay as close as we were as kids. I didn’t realize how small my circle had become in Los Angeles.

“You’re allowing me to stay here, Micah. You can eat the food I bought. Besides, I was feeling hungry myself. Well, at least I was before you scared the shit out of me.”

I stand and straighten my back, waiting for his response. As though it’s suddenly awake, my stomach grumbles in response.

Micah winces and tilts his head to the side, shaking it with a small, playful smile on his lips. “I don’t know. I was really craving some peanut butter and fluff.”

“Wait.” I eye him suspiciously. “If you were looking for the peanut butter and fluff, what about the bread? It’s not exactly a sandwich without the bread.”

He scrunches his nose and scratches at the stubble lining his jaw. “This plan wasn’t well thought out, was it?”

“Not really.” I laugh—this time a genuine, full laugh, causing me to smile.

“It’s okay.” Micah digs his phone from the jacket of his suit. “I can order a pizza or something.”

He opens an app, diverting his gaze. I bite my bottom lip, deciding what to do.

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