Chapter 2 - Micah
The bartender handed me my drink, a gin and tonic.
The glass was cool and slick, condensation gathering already, and somehow, I fumbled and it slid out of my hand, clattering to the bar and splashing the person standing next to me.
I didn’t look at him before grabbing a handful of cocktail napkins from the caddy. “Oh my God, I am so sorry.”
“It’s—wait, Micah Pollard?”
My gaze snapped up then, and fell on a tall, muscular man who I immediately recognized as my childhood best friend.
A grin crept onto my face, heat rushing through me.
“Asher Morris?” He looked the same, except grown up…
and hot. I’d always been a sucker for strength, and by the looks of his thick arms, he was definitely strong.
I had a sudden vision of him tossing me onto a bed and my cheeks heated, my stomach doing a somersault.
I shook my head at myself. What was I thinking?
I’d only just seen the guy for the first time in maybe twenty years.
Why did my brain always default to the sexiest situation possible?
“I am so sorry,” I repeated, trying to refocus my mind on the situation at hand.
He chuckled and took the cocktail napkins from me. “It’s fine. God, I’m going to smell like pine needles all night, aren’t I?”
“Juniper, actually,” the bartender said with a little grin. He handed us two clean hand-towel-sized bar rags before sweeping the ice cubes into the well.
“Right,” Asher muttered. “Juniper.” As he mopped the mess off his shirt with beautiful, broad hands and the bar rag, he looked at me. “What are you doing here? I thought you moved to… Vermont?”
I nodded. “And then New York. I’m down here for work.”
“Yeah? What are you up to these days?”
The bartender handed me a fresh drink, and I took it in both hands, carefully setting it in front of me. “I’m a set designer on TV shows. I’m here with Heartland Overhaul. We’re working on the old post office right now.”
Asher took two beers from the bartender and tipped his head to the side curiously. “Really? What a coincidence.”
“You’ve heard of it?”
“It’s a small town. I’ve heard of it. As a matter of fact, the foreman, Jake, just hired me to be the carpenter for the current project. I was at the site earlier today.”
Of course he was a carpenter. That explained the arms. He’d always been good at building things, even as a kid. I lightly pounded a fist on the bar top and laughed. “Small world.”
He chuckled. “Small town.” Before I could speak again, Asher glanced over his shoulder and nodded at someone standing by the pool tables.
I cleared my throat. “Oh, shit. Sorry. Are you here with someone?”
“Oh, no. I mean, yes, but not like that. That’s Jackson, my best friend. You want to come say hi?”
“Yeah, of course.” I slid off the bar stool and grabbed my drink—firmly in hand—before following Asher across the room.
He handed Jackson the second beer and gestured toward me. “This is Micah. We were friends when we were kids. Micah, this is Jackson.”
I offered my hand to shake and nodded. “Great to meet you, man.”
Jackson grinned at me and leaned in. “Well, aren’t you adorable?”
With a laugh, I winked at him. “Some people say that.”
Asher put a hand on Jackson’s shoulder and tugged him back, away from me. “Alright, alright. He’s straight. Leave him alone.”
“Actually…” I said with a laugh. “I’m pansexual.”
Jackson leaned forward again. “Oh really?” He drew out the vowels on “really” a bit longer than necessary. “Cute and queer? I never get this lucky.”
“Jack,” Asher said sharply, a warning growl in his tone.
Jackson blinked at him innocently. “What? Just trying to offer the newcomer a warm welcome.” He smirked.
I smiled and shook my head. “I appreciate the offer. Really, I do. But I just got out of a relationship, actually. It ended kind of messy. I’m not sure I’m ready for anything, not even a rebound.
” Messy was an understatement. My ex had been toxic and controlling and the breakup had been explosive and dramatic. I was glad to be away from him.
Jackson sighed and shrugged. “Just my luck. Maybe another time, then.” He meandered away to the other side of the pool table and began racking the balls.
Asher looked at me curiously. “Pansexual, huh? I didn’t realize.”
“It’s okay. I didn’t come out until I moved to New York.
Didn’t actually date anyone until then, either.
Kind of a late bloomer, I guess. After that, there were lots of people—men, women, non-binary, all along the spectrum.
” He shifted, looking uncomfortable, so I pivoted.
“How about you? Seeing anyone these days?”
With a chuckle, he shook his head. “Definitely not. I mean, I date. But it seems like none of the dates get past the first try.”
“He’s very picky,” Jackson called as he leaned over the table to break.
I shrugged. “Nothing wrong with being picky. It’s your body, your life. Do what you want with it.”
The crack of the balls careening into one another interrupted us. We both looked toward Jackson, who’d made a stellar break. “Don’t tell him that. He needs to get laid. Less picky is good sometimes.”
I rolled my eyes. “Who are you into? Maybe I can link you up with one of the guys on the crew.”
“I, uh, I’m straight.”
“Tragically,” Jackson interjected. “He’s so cute and he could easily get any guy he wanted.”
I nodded and laughed. “Understood. I know a few of those in New York, too.”
“Although…” Jackson continued. “I bet you could turn him around.” He leaned over and checked out my ass, whistling appreciatively. “I mean, that ass could convince anyone.”
The laugh that burst out of me was loud and I shook my head. “Thanks for the compliment.”
Asher’s face went bright red and he buried his face in his hands. “Oh my God, I am so sorry about him.”
“It’s not a big deal. Really. I’m used to having overzealous friends try to hook me up with just about anyone they find attractive.”
“Yeah?”
I shrugged. “I’m not quite as picky as you, I guess.” I picked up a cue stick and took my turn at the pool table. “Anyway, there aren’t many women on the crew this go-around, but I’ll keep an eye out for you.”
“Uh, thanks… So, how was Vermont? And how did you end up in New York?” Asher asked as I straightened up and let Jackson take his turn.
“It was fine, I guess. I lived with my grandparents. I'm not sure if you knew this part, but my folks weren’t thrilled with the schools here—well, to be honest, they weren’t thrilled with how I was doing in school.
So they shipped me off to Maplewood, Vermont to shape up.
When I graduated high school, by the skin of my teeth, I decided to go to school for design.
After I finished, I started looking for jobs in New York.
Did some stage set design work and then someone I knew suggested I meet with this producer for TV.
I got a job and the rest is history. How about you?
What have you been up to since high school? ”
“I bounced around for a while, doing warehouse work and fast food, that kind of thing. Then I started working with a carpenter I met. He took me under his wing as an apprentice and here I am.”
I nodded appreciatively. “That’s awesome, man. Really it is.”
“Yeah, I actually really love it. Once the day’s over, it’s really rewarding to take a step back and look at what you’ve accomplished, you know?”
“I get that. I feel the same way about seeing my finished work, too.”
Asher glanced at me briefly, and heat crawled across my skin. “Do your parents still live in town?”
I shook my head. “They moved to Vermont to be near my grandparents, but that was a few years after I moved to New York.”
We played pool and chatted aimlessly for a while before the night began to wind down.
After Jackson kicked my ass on the pool table and the drinks were gone, it was time to wrap it up and head home—well, back to my rental, anyway.
We paid our tabs and lingered at the pool table.
It felt like neither of us wanted the night to end.
“Listen,” I said. “Let’s get together again sometime. What do you say?”
Asher nodded and gave me a warm, genuine smile. “I’d like that a lot.”
Jackson interjected himself into the conversation with a smirk. “Can I come?”
Playfully, Asher shoved his shoulder. “Go away.”
“Fine, but don’t come crying to me if you two end up going on a date or something.” He winked. “I’m headed out. Good luck, you two.”
Asher rolled his eyes. “That guy is relentless. I’m so sorry about him.”
“Don’t even worry about it. Like I said, it’s fine. I’ve known plenty of people like him. In fact, some of my best friends in the city are pretty similar. It’s cool.”
We lingered for a few moments. I searched for something to say. “I guess I’d better get going.”
Asher nodded again. “Yeah, me too. I’ll see you around.”
“Sure thing.”
“It was good seeing you again.”
“Same.”
We were quiet for a long few moments before Jackson reappeared.
“Come on.” He tugged on Asher’s arm and pulled him away.
We each waved, my face heating as I did.
It was weird, but I felt a sense of loss as Asher disappeared through the doors and out into the night.
My chest ached. I pulled out my phone to text him and realized we hadn’t exchanged numbers.
With a sigh, I headed out to the parking lot, but I didn't manage to catch up with him.
All I had to look forward to was seeing him on the job site.
I mentally crossed my fingers and hoped that that would be sooner rather than later, then climbed into my car and headed home.