Page 56 of She Likes It, Hey Micah
We settle side by side, backs against the wall and our shoulders pressed together. Though Fischer looks as exhausted as I feel, maybe more so, I’m not ready to let the day end. Since the moment we got into his car this morning, he’s been so different, like he’s finally willing to let his personality show in more than just texts, and I have a feeling that’s really good for him.
“You were incredible tonight, Micah,” he says, his eyes on my hand where it rests on my leg. He seems to be debating whether or not to take it.
I’m curious which he’ll end up doing. “You said that already.”
“No, I said you were amazing.”
“You were great too.”
He huffs a laugh. “You mean when I shouted at that ten-year-old when he asked for a place to charge his Nintendo?”
“In your defense, his mom already told him that there was nowhere to charge it,” I say with a grin. He hasn’t taken my hand yet, so I reach over and grab his, relaxing when he slips his fingers between mine. “Thank you. I know this isn’t your favorite thing.” I squeeze his hand to tell him what I’m talking about.
He gives me that little half smile that I’ve come to love. “I don’t mind when you touch me,” he says with something that almost sounds like reverence. “Your touch is calming more than anything.”
Well that makes me melt. “Good.”
When I can’t stifle a yawn, Fischer chuckles and grabs a pillow, placing it on his lap. “Here.”
I stare at him. “What about you?”
“Just until you fall asleep. You did so much today, and I know it wasn’t easy for you.”
If he’s talking about my little panic attack, then yeah, it was a bit rough there for a second. For most of my life, I’ve always had someone telling me what to do, and being completely in charge was overwhelming. With so many people relying on me, I felt so alone. At least until Fischer held me and thought to call my brother. I hadn’t thought to call Chad at all tonight, which is stupid. I should have called him as soon as it started snowing.
Resting my head on Fischer’s lap, I let him tuck a blanket over me as I settle into a comfortable position. It’s still a hard floor, but I’m so exhausted that I don’t even care. “I’m glad you were here with me. I like to think I could have handled it if you weren’t, but I still appreciate having someone in my corner.”
“I’ll be in your corner as long as circumstances let me,” he says.
Does that mean he sees an expiration date to our friendship? When the reopening is over, is that the last I’ll see of him? I don’t like that. I’ve had more fun over the last couple of weeks with him than I ever could have expected, and I’ve been watching him slowly come back to life. I mean, I got the man tosmiletoday! Four times! He clearly needs me.
“What are you giggling about?” Fischer asks right before his hand slides into my hair to play with my curls.
Oh. Oh, I really like that, and the gentle strokes are so distracting that I almost forget what got me laughing. “I’m just thinking about how you would be lost without me,” I say. Then I shiver when his other hand rests on my arm, warm and comforting.
“You’re probably right,” he admits. “It’s nice to know you’re an incredibly humble person.”
I snort a laugh. “It’s definitely something I could work on.”
“No, you’re as close to perfect as they come.”
“That’s concerning. I thought humanity was better than that.”
He chuckles, and I can’t help but wonder what his laugh would sound like. Is he always quiet and subtle? Or does he have a secret, belting guffaw that he’s embarrassed by? Maybe he doesn’t know how to really laugh, or he forgot. “I don’t know how you see the good in everything,” he says quietly. “It’s inspiring. And maybe a little foolish.”
I poke his leg, which is just as strong as the rest of him. Tempted to make him tell me his workout routine, I reluctantly stay on topic. “It’s not foolish. Seeing the best of things keeps me happy.”
“What about when you’re disappointed? Doesn’t your optimism make those moments worse?”
“I’ve never really thought about it,” I say honestly. “There’s always good to find in everything.”
“Even this? Being snowed in at a lodge with a bunch of frazzled strangers?”
I think about it for a second, determined to beat him at this strange game we’ve started playing. If he wants to fixate on the bad stuff, I’ll just have to counter it all with good. “We still got the event finalized, didn’t we?”
“It’s going to take a cleaning crew to get everything ready,” he points out.
“And we got to befriend Kenny.”
