Chapter 3 #2
“Dude, Ivy told me about the pantry the second you left. I’ve been sitting here waiting for you to call.” There’s a grin in his voice—I can hear it. “Actually, I told her you’d call within twenty minutes. She said thirty. I win.”
“You were betting on when I’d call you?”
“We’re married. We bet on everything.”
I lean back in the chair, rubbing a hand over my face. “How much did Ivy tell you?”
“Enough to know something happened.” His tone shifts, more serious now. “But I saw the way you two were looking at each other when you came back out. And the way Harper was definitely not paying attention to the actual Bible study portion because she kept staring at you across the fire.”
My pulse quickens. “She was not.”
“She absolutely was. Ivy noticed too. We had a whole silent conversation about it.” He laughs. “So, are you going to tell me what she wanted, or do I have to guess?”
I blow out a breath. “She asked me to go to the gala with her.”
“The gala? Her school thing?”
“Yeah.”
“As her date?”
“Fake date,” I clarify quickly. “To make her ex jealous.”
Gray lets out a low whistle. “Oh man.”
“I know.”
“No, I don’t think you do.” He’s definitely grinning now. “Micah, this is the best thing that’s ever happened to you.”
“How is this the best thing?” I stand up, pacing across my room. Biscuit chitters from the bed, annoyed that I’ve disturbed his nest. “She wants me to pretend to be her boyfriend to make her ex jealous. That’s a disaster waiting to happen.”
“Or,” Gray counters, “it’s an opportunity.”
“An opportunity for what? Heartbreak?”
“An opportunity to show her what she’s been missing.”
I pause. “That’s not what this is about.”
“Isn’t it, though?”
“Gray.”
“Micah.” His voice is steady now, the teasing gone. “Come on. You’ve been into this girl for how long now?”
I don’t answer.
“Exactly,” he continues. “And yeah, she’s asking you to fake it. But dude, she asked you. Not some random guy from our friend group. Not one of her teacher friends. You.”
“Because I’m convenient,” I mutter, sinking back into the chair.
“Or because she trusts you.”
I pause, letting that sink in.
“She’s trying to win back Collin,” I say finally, quieter now.
“And you’re going to show her why Collin isn’t worth winning back.”
“That’s manipulative.”
“No, that’s being a good friend. There’s a difference.” He pauses. “Look, I’m not saying go in there trying to sabotage her plan. I’m saying show up. Be yourself. Let her see what it’s like to be with someone who actually values her. Who shows up.”
“She doesn’t want that from me.”
“She doesn’t know she wants it yet,” Gray corrects. “But trust me, once she sees the difference between you and Collin? She’s going to notice.”
I lean forward, elbows on my knees. “Or she’s going to go back to him the second he shows interest again, and I’m going to be the idiot who agreed to help her do it.”
Gray’s quiet for a moment. When he speaks again, his tone is softer. “You know what Ivy said to me after you left?”
“What?”
“She said it was the first time she’s seen Harper relaxed since the breakup. And you were the reason.”
My throat feels constricted. “Ivy’s a romantic. She sees what she wants to see.”
“Maybe. Or maybe she’s right.” He pauses. “Micah, I bet you’ve been praying about this girl for months. That you’ve been asking God for clarity, for direction, for some kind of sign that you’re not crazy for feeling what you feel?”
“Am I that easy to read?”
“And now she’s literally walked up to you and asked you to spend an entire evening with her. As her date. Fake or not, that’s still a date.”
“It’s not a proper date—”
“Maybe this is your answer,” Gray cuts in. “Maybe God’s opening a door you didn’t expect. And yeah, it’s messy. It’s complicated. But some of the best things God does in our lives are messy. Look at me and Ivy. That was a disaster at first.”
“You two are married now. That’s different.”
“It’s different because we didn’t give up when it got hard. We leaned into it. We trusted God with the outcome.” His voice steadies.
I close my eyes, his words sinking deeper than I want them to.
“So you think I should say yes.”
“I think you’re going to say yes whether I tell you to or not.”
A laugh escapes before I can stop it. “You’re not wrong.”
“But yeah,” Gray continues. “I think you should say yes. Not because it’s going to be easy. Not because you’re going to walk away from this unscathed. But because maybe God’s putting you in her life for a reason.”
I sit there for a moment, letting the weight of his words settle.
“Also, Ivy says to tell you she’s already planning double dates in her head, so you better not mess this up.”
“We’re fake dating. There will be no double dates.”
“Sure, Micah. Keep telling yourself that.”
I shake my head, smiling despite everything. “I don’t like you.”
“Love you too, man.” His tone shifts again, becoming serious. “But, real talk? Go tell Harper yes before she asks someone else.”
My stomach drops. “You think she’d actually ask someone else?”
“If you take too long? Absolutely. Harper doesn’t sit still. You know this,” he pauses. “And Micah?”
“Yeah?”
“Pray about it. But also trust that maybe God’s already been answering your prayers. You just didn’t expect the answer to come in a pantry.”
I huff out a quiet laugh. “Yeah. Maybe.”
“Call me tomorrow. Let me know how it goes.”
“Thanks, man.”
“Anytime.”
The line clicks off, and I sit there in the quiet for a moment, phone still in my hand.
Gray’s right.
I’ve been praying for clarity. For direction. For some kind of sign that I’m not completely off-base with these feelings.
And Harper literally walked up to me tonight and asked me to spend an entire evening with her.
Maybe that is my answer.