Page 32 of Inevitable

I rounded on her, all traces of patience gone from my voice. “That's not fucking true and you know it! What the fuck is wrong with you?”

“I don't fucking care if it's true! If you don't start treating me better, then I'll tell your dad whatever the fuck I want about your precious Micah! You know your dad is capable of some shit, so use your imagination if you need to,” she snapped.

The blood left my body in a wave leaving me feeling weak and unsteady on my feet. Ainsley and her poison were seeping into my veins, her coercion backing me into a corner that I couldn't get out of.

Her eyes narrowed coldly at me. “I want you to prove to me that Micah won't come between us, and that you and I are on the same page.”

A bone-deep exhaustion settled over me and I had no more strength left to argue with her. “How the fuck am I supposed to do that? I'm not getting rid of Micah. Not for you, not for anyone.”

She gave me a tiny, patronizing smile. “I'm sure you'll find a way.”

*****

After Ainsley left, I laid on my couch for God knows how long staring at my ceiling and contemplating my poor choices that had landed me in this clusterfuck. I wanted Micah. I wasn't mentally or emotionally fortified enough to hear about his date, but I needed him near me like a dying plant needed the sun. He always made everything better, and that fact wouldn't change no matter how unstable things seemed between us lately.

As if he sensed where my mind was, my phone lit up with a message from him, and my heart flipped in my chest just seeing his name.Seriously, how did I go such a long time without realizing how strong my feelings were for him? I had been so deep in denial that I should have just canceled my subscription toreality.

M&M: Hey BB, what are you up to today?

ME: Nothing important. What's up, M&M?

The gray bubbles to indicate he was typing kept popping up and disappearing, repeating the cycle for almost five minutes. I was getting antsy wondering why he seemed to be nervous responding to me. Finally his text came through.

M&M:Would you want to have a movie night sleepover? Rhys is out of the apartment tonight & you do owe me a raincheck…

My stomach dropped in relief, grateful that he seemed to be missing me like I missed him. I rushed to reply, excitement coursing through me.

ME:That sounds perfect, M&M. You're right, I owe you big time. What time you want me?

M&M: Does 7 work?

ME:That works for me. See you tonight, M.

I knew that eventually I'd have to deal with Ainsley and the bomb that she dropped on me earlier today, but tonight was just for me and Micah. In the chaos of the last couple of months, I forgot just why Micah was here in the first place. I had gone two years yearning to be closer to my best friend, my other half. I would jump out of my skin for weeks until the next trip I had planned to UNT, and then grapple with melancholy when I'd have to leave him again.

Yet he had come here because of me, for me, and I had been acting like that wasn't one of the biggest fucking sacrifices he could have made for me. He left behind a college he loved, friends he had fun with, the town he grew up in, and a family he was incredibly close to both in distance and love. He had put me first. Despite all that, I had been wrapped up in my own shit, throwing a never-ending pity party for myself because I was being pushed around by my father and Ainsley and unable to choose Micah like I so desperately wanted. I didn't deserve him, not in any sense of the word.

I needed to get my shit together and be the man he needed me to be. I may not have been able to be his boyfriend, but he still deserved my very fucking best in whatever role I could fill in his life.

I'd be better for him. I'd do anything for him, except love him. No matter how badly I wanted to.

*****

Movie night with Micah turned out to be everything I needed and more.I had brought his favorite Chinese food and a case of some fruity, boozy drink he loved. The smile on his face when I showed up at his door had me wanting to crash my lips to his and spend all night reacquainting myself with his body, but since I had some self-control, I managed to keep my hands to myself.

It was a lot harder than I anticipated because Micah had answered the door in tight, gray sweatpants that showed the faintest outline of his dick that I remembered so well, and an oversized UT Austin shirt that I recognized.My shirt. He's wearing my shirt. Fuck, why does that make me hard?

Luckily, Micah had hurried to take the food to the kitchen, leaving me a minute to adjust myself quickly before returning to him.

“I see you've stolen my clothes, M&M. What, did you break into my apartment or something? I thought I taught you better than to turn to a life of crime,” I teased. Micah raised an eyebrow at me, his lips quirking to one side.

“I didn't have to steal shit. You're the dumbass that left it at my place on one of your trips to Dallas. I merely gave the poor, abandoned thing a loving home,” he sassed me, pulling at the shoulders of the shirt to emphasize that it was now his. I narrowed my gaze playfully at him.

“Alright smart ass, but you better take excellent care of it and be sure to show it a picture of me at Christmas. I don't want it to forget its daddy,” I joked, drawing a snort from Micah.

“You're an idiot,” Micah chuckled, shoving me with his hip. That one little touch had my hair standing on end and my dick twitching.

“Yeah, but I'm your idiot, M. Don't forget that!” I told him, smirking and nudging him back.

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