Page 138 of Shut Up and Score
Micah waits until they’re out of earshot before he murmurs, “Well…that was anticlimactic.”
I squeeze his hand and push open the dining hall door. “Good. I’ve had enough drama for one season.”
We step inside, and the hum of the dining hall swallows us up—clinking silverware, low conversation, the smell of bacon and coffee. Normally, I’d be scanning for an empty table or keeping my head down to avoid being cornered, but today?
Today I walk in with Micah’s hand still in mine.
A few heads turn—some curious, some clearly trying to connect dots—but no one says anything. And I don’t care if they do. The weight that used to sit in my chest in places like this is gone, replaced by something lighter.
Micah doesn’t make a show of it, but he doesn’t let go, either. He grabs two mugs, hands me one without even asking how I take my coffee, because he knows. We move through the line and it feels as if we’ve done it a hundred times, leaning into each other’s space, sharing quiet jokes under our breath.
When we finally slide into a booth by the window, the late-morning sun catches on his hair, still damp from his shower. He steals the corner of my toast without asking, and I just grin, shaking my head.
“This is nice,” I say, and it’s not just about breakfast.
Micah’s eyes lift to mine, warm and sure. “Yeah,” he says softly. “It is.”
He steals another bite of my toast, this time dragging it through my jam like he owns the plate.
“Bold move,” I say, narrowing my eyes. “You know there’s a whole basket of bread right there.”
He smirks, licking a bit of jam from his thumb. “Yours tastes better.”
I snort. “You’re ridiculous.”
“And you’re grinning,” he points out, as if he’s scored some kind of victory.
I lean back, shaking my head. “You’re lucky you’re cute.”
“Cute?” he scoffs. “You wake up next to this every morning, and all I get is ‘cute’?”
I’m about to fire back when a familiar voice cuts in.
“Jesus, finally.”
Luke drops into the seat next to me acting as if he’s been waiting for this moment all season. He nods at our still-linked hands on the table. “You two trying to set a record for slowest reveal in history?”
Micah grins. “We like to build suspense.”
Luke grabs a piece of bacon off my plate without hesitation. “Yeah, well, suspense is over. About damn time, Taylor.”
I roll my eyes, but I can’t stop the smile pulling at my mouth. “You’re just mad you didn’t get to start a betting pool.”
Luke smirks. “Oh, there was a pool. You owe me twenty bucks, by the way.”
Micah laughs, low and warm, and I swear I’d let the whole world place bets on us if it meant getting to hear that sound every day.
Luke points his slice of bacon at me. “You’ll be coming to playMario Karttonight. Ty, Will, Micah, me, and you. No excuses.”
I blink at him. “We’ve got dinner at my mom’s tonight.”
Luke waves a hand. “Fine, after that. I’ll even save you a spot. Team bonding, Taylor. Don’t make me pull rank as unofficial social captain.”
Micah leans his elbow on the table, smirking at Luke as if he’s already won something. “We’ll be there. And we’re gonna wipe the floor with you.”
Ty, from two tables over, calls, “Bold talk for someone who got smoked last time.”
Micah’s grin sharpens. “That was strategy. I was lulling you into a false sense of security.”
