Chapter 19 - Asher
Worry gnawed at me for the rest of the evening, wondering if Phillip would return to antagonize Micah some more, and wondering whether Micah was truly safe with his ex in town.
The worry consumed me so thoroughly that I could barely sleep, stressing about how Micah must be doing, about what had happened between them in the past, and about what Phillip had really wanted when he dropped by the job site.
I approached Micah the following day during our lunch break, hoping to check in with him on the whole thing, to get his perspective and see how I could help, if at all.
He was eating with the production team when I found him, and when our gazes met, he put his sandwich down and stood. “Be right back.” We walked a little ways away from the rest of the team before he spoke. “I’m sorry about last night.”
I shook my head and waved away his apology. “Don’t worry about it. I just want to know if you’re okay.”
He shrugged and sighed softly. “I will be once he leaves town. I agreed to meet him this afternoon to get a copy of this document he wants me to sign. I’m going to have an attorney look over it before I sign anything, which will take a few days, but I’m hoping he’ll be gone by the end of next week at the latest.”
I ached to reach for his hand and squeeze it, to reassure him that he’d be okay, but I knew that wouldn’t be appropriate, not at work, not when nobody knew about what was going on between us.
Was anything going on between us? Or was it just a short-lived, caregiver thing?
I shoved away the thought and nodded at Micah.
“Do you want me to go with you this afternoon?”
Micah’s brow furrowed. “You’d do that?”
“Yeah, of course.”
“I’d like that,” he murmured.
“Done.”
Micah closed his eyes briefly before looking at me again. “Thank you.”
The second half of the day seemed to last an eternity, but eventually, Brooks and Max called cut and Jake sent everyone home for the day. I followed Micah to his car and slid into the passenger seat, buckling in before he pulled away from the job site.
“I really appreciate you coming along,” he said quietly. “It’s not that I’m scared of him exactly, but…”
I nodded. “It’s okay. You’re allowed to feel however you feel.”
He let out a soft exhale. “Thanks.”
Micah drove us into downtown Port Grandlin and parked near Main Street, where the attorney he’d secured had an office. He’d arranged to meet Phillip in the Radiance parking lot so he could take the paperwork directly to the lawyer before heading home.
The tiny theater parking lot was almost full when we pulled in, except for a few spots in the back, where a sleek red sporty coupe was parked.
“That’s him,” Micah said, parking next to the red car.
I craned my neck to see inside, where I spotted Phillip sitting in the car alone, scrolling on his phone.
He glanced up and when he saw it was us, he gave us a grin that looked more slimy than sincere.
Micah let out a shaky little breath as he put the car into park. “Here we go.”
A few moments later, I stood by Micah’s side, and we watched Phillip take his time getting out of his car and coming around to speak to us. In his hand was a thick manila envelope, and he pulled a sheet of paper from it as he approached.
“You brought a friend,” he said, handing the paper to Micah.
Micah looked at the paper, ignoring Phillip’s comment. His gaze scanned the document before he looked back up. “This isn’t everything.”
Phillip shrugged. “It’s the only part you need to sign. Everything else is taken care of.”
Micah’s brow dipped as he frowned. “No.” His tone was firm as he handed the paper back to Phillip.
“What do you mean, ‘no’?”
Shaking his head, Micah cleared his throat and straightened himself up a little. “I mean, I want to see everything. All of the paperwork. And I’ll need a few days to look it over with my attorney.”
Phillip recoiled a little, his eyebrows shooting up. “There’s no need to get lawyers involved. You can trust me, you know that, don’t you?” His tone softened on the last words and he reached a hand toward Micah.
Micah stepped back out of his reach. “You want my signature, that’s the only way you’re getting it.”
Exhaling sharply through his nose, Phillip shoved the envelope in Micah’s direction. “Here then. Take all of it. You’ll see there’s nothing underhanded about what it says. I just want to do what I promised I’d do and buy you out of the condo.”
“Perfect, then there won't be any problem.”
Phillip huffed and walked away, getting back into his car. Before I had a chance to say anything, he threw his car in reverse and whipped out of his spot before tearing away.
Micah leaned back against his car with an exhale. “Well… it’s a start.”
I put a steady hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently before shoving my hands back into my pockets. “It’s going to be okay.”
He rubbed the back of his neck and nodded.
“Thanks. I just wish I knew what his endgame was. Money? To antagonize me? Or something worse?” Micah locked his car and we walked the few blocks to the lawyer’s office in silence, Micah’s face stormy.
I didn’t want to interrupt his thoughts to ask any questions that might come across as dumb, so I stayed silent, and when we arrived at the office building, he turned to me.
“I’ll be right back. I’m just going to drop these with the receptionist.”
“Sure thing.” I waited outside the building, pacing back and forth while he was gone.
When he returned, I cleared my throat. “So… I don’t mean to pry, and feel free to tell me to shut the fuck up, but…
” When Micah raised his eyebrows, I took it as a sign to continue, and I kept talking as we started walking back to the car.
“What happened between you two? What’s the story there? ”
“Well…”
“You don’t have to tell me, if it’s too upsetting or something.”
He shook his head and waved one hand at me to dismiss my words.
“No, it’s fine. Phillip and I started dating a few years ago.
It was very intense. An on-again-off-again kind of relationship.
We spent most of our time fucking or fighting.
He didn’t like that I’m pan, that I’d date women occasionally, between our on-again times.
I don’t know. Either way, it wasn’t a very mature relationship, if you know what I mean.
But then… he changed.” Micah shook his head again, brow dipping as he remembered.
“Things seemed to be going well for a while, so we bought a condo together. We were renovating it when our relationship started to sour. He started getting more possessive over my time, controlling who I could see and where I could go. Putting his fist through walls when he didn’t get what he wanted.
I had to walk away, for my own safety. I had to. ”
We’d arrived at the car and I reached for him again, putting my hand on his bicep. “I get it. I’m sorry you had to go through that. You deserve better.”
He looked at me, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed. “Thanks,” he said, voice soft.
“How long has it been? Since you left, I mean.”
“Six months or so, I guess. I’d hoped he’d moved on. When I left, he told me he was keeping the condo. That he’d buy me out.”
“Maybe that’s what this is all about, then,” I said with hope in my voice.
He shook his head, his tone bitter. “Not a chance.” A moment passed before he sighed again. “We should get going. Let me take you back to your car.”
“Yeah,” I murmured. “Sounds like a plan.” I climbed into the passenger seat and drummed my fingertips on my legs as he drove, but as we approached the job site, it occurred to me that we hadn’t been alone together since he’d moved back in with Kieran.
Maybe it would distract him, spending time with me.
And if it didn’t, well, it was at least worth a try.
“Hey, do you want to maybe… hang out tonight?”
Micah looked at me with a smile tugging at his lips. “Hang out?” He raised his eyebrows.
“You can come by my place. We can have dinner. No Kieran there to… interrupt.” My cheeks burned as I asked, hoping he was picking up what I was implying.
He gave me a little smirk and I suspected he knew exactly what I was suggesting. “I think I can manage that. Let me go home and change. Shower this day off me. I’ll be there in under an hour.”
My stomach swooped and fluttered at his promise, and I nodded, swallowing the nerves that were zinging through me. “Perfect,” I murmured.
Back in my car, I headed home, anxiety and excitement dueling inside me.