Page 12 of Hard Rock Temptation
“I didn’t realize how long it had been since…” He trailed off again, seemingly unable to finish a single sentence with prevaricating.
“Since what?” I asked. “Since you started avoiding me?”
“I didn’t mean to avoid you!” he said, sounding frustrated. “Why would you think I would do that on purpose?”
I raised an eyebrow. “You’re really asking that question?”
Now he did look exasperated, running a hand through his hair as he shrugged listlessly, letting out a heavy breath through his nose.
Time for the nuclear option.
I grabbed at my duffle bag and pulled out a pair of yoga pants and a tight band t-shirt with strategically placed rips. I turned back to Micah, met his eyes, and held them up. He looked confused.
I tugged off my purple crop top, leaving me in my ripped jeans and bra. That look of confusion popped like a bubble as Micah’s eyes went wide.
I gathered up my sweat-sticky hair and tied it into a high ponytail, letting the ends of my now-limp curls bounce down my bare neck and shoulders. Micah swallowed hard.
I stripped out of my jeans and shimmied into the pair of yoga pants, taking my time to pull them up over my ass. A little strangled noise left his throat.
I shrugged on the ripped band t-shirt and let the hem fall, covering my stomach.
Micah had kept his eyes on me the entire time, his fingers flexing, as if fighting the urge to reach out.
“We’ve changed in front of each other so many times I’ve lost count,” I said as I gathered my discarded clothes from the floor. “But now I’ve grown up. And you’re noticing that I’ve grown up, and it’s freaking you out.”
Micah’s chest expanded as he took in a sharp breath of air.
“You know, I can understand that,” I told him, throwing my sweaty clothes into the duffle. “I get that it might be confusing for you. I get that it would change things.” I closed the zipper roughly, almost ripping the bag. “But you know what the worst part is?”
I turned to look at him, the sting of tears threatening to fill my eyes. “You didn’t even have the guts to tell me to my face.”
A bit of the hurt that I was feeling rippled across Micah’s expression. He walked toward me, and I backed away, step by step, until I reached the door.
“I just wanted to do the right thing,” Micah said, his voice ever so slightly wavering. “I didn’t mean to start avoiding you.”
“Let’s count, shall we?” I said. “You stopped writing songs with me.” I began ticking one finger off after another. “You stopped chatting with me after practice. You answer my texts with one word sentences. You’ve been avoiding even being alone in the same room as me. Youmoved outto get away from me.” My voice threatened to falter, a lump forming at the base of my throat. “Well, message received.”
“Kay…” A heartbroken look spread across his face. “I never meant to hurt you.”
I twisted the door handle behind me with a tight fist and threw myself out into the hallway, letting the door swing shut behind me as I shot back my parting words.
“Too late.”
SIX
MICAH
It was my worst nightmare come to life.
Too late.
Kaylee’s voice, rough with unshed tears, had echoed in my mind the rest of the night.
The band had all planned on getting together the day after the late-night show performance, to debrief and go over our plans for the second album. I’d been the one to insist on it, but now I was regretting my decision.
The thought of seeing Kay again so soon after she’d walked out on me made my stomach twist. I couldn’t get her words out of my head, or her expression. She’d been angry, yes, but she also hadn’t been able to keep the heartbreak from her face.
The whole reason I’d taken a step back was because I didn’t want to hurt her. I didn’t want to ruin what we had. I didn’t want our relationship to change.
