Page 15 of That Next Moment

“That was a quick dinner,” he mumbled.

“I didn’t stay.” I slid the pizza box over and saw a few slices left. “Can I?”

Milo nodded. “Yeah, it’s not thin crust.” Milo paused, and I met his eyes. His eyebrows were pinched, and he was following my every move. I knew exactly what he was thinking about, but before I could say anything, he spoke. “Everything okay?”

“Nope,” I mumbled, shoving the slice into my mouth, looking away from him.

“Do you wanna talk about it?”

“Nope.” I shook my head. Short and sweet.

“You sure?”

“Will you stop? I already had my parents asking me questions. I don’t need it from you either.” I shot him a look, snapping on him and instantly regretting it. I dropped the pizza slice and placed my hands on the counter. Milo’s hands went up as if to surrender.

“Okay, I’m sorry. I just didn't expect you back until late, and you hate thick crusts on pizza.” He leaned back into the chair and crossed his arms over his chest.

I shot him a glare.

His eyebrows raised, and he shuffled in his seat. “Let me guess, they asked about finding a job or an apartment?”

I took another bite of pizza and looked at him through my eyelashes. “To them I’m just a failure. They offered for me to move in with them.”

“You know you can stay here as long as you need—”

“But what happens when you move?” I interrupted him. “They’re right in the grand scheme of things. I can’t be here forever, and I doubt you and Madeline want me living with you.”

Milo didn’t answer that last bit. He just looked at me, his eyebrows raised and pinched in the middle, his eyes where heavy.

“I just need to figure my shit out. How? No clue.”

Milo sighed and stood from the chair, grabbing his book and closing it. “Madeline and I wouldn’t mind you staying with us. Again, you can be here as long as you need. I even thought about talking to my landlord to see if you could take over the lease when I move out.” He made his way back to his bookshelf, putting the book back in its place before taking a seat on the couch.

“Yeah, but how would I pay for rent?” I grabbed another slice of pizza and went to join him on the couch.

“Well, I would keep paying for you. My expenses aren't going to change just because I’m married.”

Shocked, I looked over at him. “I can’t let you do that.”

“It wouldn’t be forever, and it would at least keep you out of your parents’ house. Madeline and I have talked about it, actually. We want to help you as best we can.”

I heaved a sigh. “I couldn’t accept that.”

Well, I could, but I wouldn’t.

Home Depot didn’t sound too bad now.

“Anyway.” Milo sighed, telling me he was changing the subject. “Ophelia got into town last night.”

My heart skipped a beat, and I did my best to hide it. “Oh, yeah?” I asked, trying to remind myself to sound as normal as possible. “She’s staying with Maddy, right?”

Milo nodded. “And there’s something else.”

“What?” I glared at him.

“Well, she is the maid of honor—”

“I'm aware.”

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