Page 35 of She Likes It, Hey Micah
He, on the other hand, crouches down in front of my chair and takes both my hands. “You deserve better,” he says, searching my eyes for something. I have no idea if he finds what he’s looking for; a moment later, he’s gone again, making his way deeper into the office to grab the two Ember planners who are coming with us.
Chapter Eleven
Fischer
Never in my life haveI been a person who sacrificed sleep for something as superficial as a TV show. Not until Micah. Technically, it isn’t even her fault at this point, and when she went most of the week without sending me a single non-work text, I may have dived too deep into her favorite show. A part of me hoped she would ask about it, but the more logical side of me knows I watched because I wanted to.
It’s because I see myself in the character Ben Wyatt and want to know if he and Leslie are going to get a happily ever after. Maybe it’s stupid. No, Iknowit’s stupid to compare my life to a scripted sitcom. But when Micah is my own Leslie Knope, my heart has latched onto the idea that maybe we have a shot.
As it turns out, going a few days without texting Micah feels like going a few days without water. I’m addicted, and it’s not going to end well.
Anyway, as much as I would like to blame her for my bad mood today, I can’t. My sleepless frustration is entirely due to my own lack of self-control, fueled by Micah’s boss. I don’t hate a lot of things, but I hate her. I hate that she doused Micah’s light with a single comment this morning. I hate that Micah wouldn’t let me say anything about it.
Even now, Lila has barely acknowledged the fact that Micah has organized this entire field trip, down to snacks for each car and printed maps in case we lose service on the way. Lila has been too busy flirting with Grant—a terrible idea—to notice that her usually bubbly assistant is practically silent as she directs the two planners on how to get to the lodge.
Dani and Ava look far too nervous for two grown women planning to drive just a couple of hours. If I were a betting man, I would put money on neither of them being good with directions. But they insisted on driving themselves, and Micah doesn’t seem ready to argue. When she comes back to where my car is parked a few stalls away, she looks like she might burst into tears. It might just be the contrast to her regular smiles, but she’s not happy.
I don’t blame her.
“Everything good?” I ask as she joins me in leaning against the trunk.
She shrugs. “Lila had me hire a driver to take her and Grant up to the lodge, and Ava is convinced they can make it on their own. I offered to let them come with us.”
Dani glances over and makes eye contact with me, but she immediately turns red and slips into Ava’s car. Either she doesn’t want to ride with lowly assistants, or I scare her. Chances are high that I’m glaring at her right now, so I’m going with the latter.
“This way we can discuss our plans for the reopening,” I say, though I hope we don’t spend the whole two hours talking about work. While I watchedParks and Reclast night, I made a list of questions I want to ask Micah. Things I want to know about her.
After hearing the way Lila speaks about Micah when she isn’t around, I want to learn even more. If she’s been dealing with that kind of negativity for the last two years, she’s a stronger person than me. I want to know how. I want to know all the little things that make up this woman who is unlike anyone I’ve ever met.
Micah nudges my arm, smiling for the first time since Lila’s insult. “Are you sure you’re awake enough to drive?”
I have yet to see her with a car, so unless we want to try to convince Dani and Ava to let us squish into their backseat—not an easy option for me—I’m probably our only option. “I’ll be fine.” But, just in case… “It’ll be your job to keep me awake if I’m not.”
Her smile grows. “I’m really good at that.”
“I’m sure you are.”
We wait until Grant and Lila’s car arrives and they’re well on their way, the two planners right behind them, and then we slip into my car. I hand Micah my phone, my music app already pulled up, and she takes it with skepticism.
“I thought the driver picks the music,” she says.
“I defer.”
“You may come to regret that.”
“Try me.” Somehow, I can’t imagine she listens to anything that I wouldn’t like. My taste is eclectic enough that she’s bound to choose something I’m good with. Besides, what she listens to can say a lot about her, and I am determined to learn as much as I can on this trip.
As I pull out of the parking garage, Taylor Swift starts playing through the speakers. It’s from an older album, and I’m pretty sure Micah chose it to test me. Based on the way she’s biting her lip and watching me carefully, she’s waiting for a reaction.
Without taking my eyes off the road, I start to hum along, even mouthing a few of the lyrics.
“Okay,” Micah says, typing on my phone to search up something else.
When the iconic piano notes of “Welcome to the Black Parade” follow the Taylor song, I scoff, shaking my head even though Micah seems surprised when I start muttering the words along with the song.
“At least make it difficult,” I say, raising an eyebrow at her.
We play that game for the next twenty minutes, Micah choosing everything from Elton John to Meghan Trainor. The only song that stumps me is a song from an indie band I haven’t heard of, but I like it enough that I tell her to add it to my playlist.
