11. Robin #2
“What was that about?” he asked as he walked over to me, leaving a sea of happy children behind.
“Oh… just Mel being Mel,” I said. I shoved my hands into my jacket pockets.
Micah slipped an arm around my shoulders. I leaned into his and breathed in his scent as he kissed the top of my head. He did it so casually, like he hadn’t just rearranged my heart with a simple gesture.
“What do you say we give the corn maze a go?”
I nodded. “Let’s do it.”
His hand traced down my arm until his hand wrapped around mine, and just like that I headed into a corn maze, holding the hand of a boy entirely too good for me. Now this was not on my bingo card for the year.
We entered the maze corn high above our heads, and we made our first couple turns before we hit a dead end.
“I knew we should have turned the other way,” I said, getting ready to turn around.
“Or maybe I brought you to the dead end on purpose,” he said, snaking his hands around my waist and pulling me in for a kiss.
Who even was I, making out in a corn maze?
“Micah?” a feminine voice said.
He pulled back and turned only to reveal Jessica Mooney. What the fuck?!
“I thought that was you.”
He cleared his throat and looked awkwardly between us.
“Jess, hi, how are you?”
Jess? They were on a fucking nickname basis.
“Good, just enjoying the atmosphere I didn’t see you at—-”
“At work,” Micah interrupted her. “Ms. Mooney and I work together,” he quickly filled in. “This is Robin.”
“Oh, we’ve met,” I said, doing nothing to hide my displeasure.
“We go way back. Isn’t that right?”
“You could say that.”
Yeah, we go way back. Jess used to be my best friend. We were inseparable in middle school through high school. When I eventually started dating Lila, the three of us were inseparable, that was until she told Lila’s parents about us. We haven’t spoken since.
Micah’s eyes darted between us. I wanted her gone.
“Well, I’ll see you Monday at work. Good luck in the maze,” Micah said before taking me by the hand and pulling me out of there.
We walked away and I was half expecting him to turn and ask me what that was about and why it had gotten so weird. Instead about five minutes and a few dead ends later he turned to me. Our eyes met and for a moment he didn’t say anything. He brushed the hair off my forehead.
“Is everything okay?”
“Of course,” I said, pulling back from him.
He didn’t let go of me though, which I actually kind of liked.
I closed the distance and claimed his mouth in a kiss. In about thirty minutes and fifteen make out sessions we made our way out as the sun disappeared completely. The temperature had dropped enough that everyone had migrated toward the giant bonfire near the center of the farm.
It crackled and popped beneath the darkening sky, sending sparks swirling upward while people gathered around scattered benches and hay bales. Somewhere nearby, someone was playing acoustic guitar. The smell of woodsmoke mixed with cider and kettle corn drifted through the cool autumn air.
Micah and I claimed a spot on one of the benches near the fire. At some point his arm found its way around my shoulders again and my head ended up resting against him.
A burst of movement caught my attention near the fire.
Ariel. Of course, the girl practically bounced everywhere she went.
She hurried toward us carrying a giant cup of cider that looked almost as large as her head.
Her bright red curls escaped from beneath a knit hat while excitement practically radiated from every step.
"Robin!"
I smiled.
"Hey, squirt."
Ariel beamed.
Micah leaned toward me slightly. "Do you give everyone you know strange nicknames?"
"Only the strange ones."
Ariel dropped onto a nearby hay bale. "That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me."
"It wasn't meant as a compliment."
"I choose to receive it as one."
The conversation drifted naturally for a few minutes before something occurred to me.
"How's Lantern House?"
The question had been sitting in the back of my mind ever since I'd started redirecting Ascension's money. In a weird way I wanted to know the money was actually helping.
Ariel tucked her legs beneath herself on the hay bale. "It's good." Something warm flickered in her expression. "Actually... better than good."
I tried to keep my face neutral. "Yeah?"
She nodded. "Maggie was freaking out for a while because funding was getting really tight. A couple of people thought they might have to start lowering the number of beds."
My stomach tightened. I hadn't realized it had gotten that bad.
Then Ariel smiled. "But some donation came through recently."
I took a careful sip of cider. "Oh?"
"Yeah." She shrugged. "Nobody’s sure where it came from."
If only you knew.
"It was enough that they could keep some people longer." Her smile grew wider. "Me included."
For a second, the noise of the bonfire faded.
"Really?" I asked.
Ariel nodded. "I was supposed to start looking for somewhere else soon, but now they're letting me stay another month while I get things figured out."
The relief in her voice was unmistakable. It was a relief that came from finally being able to breathe. This all made it worth it. It was worth every risk.
Ariel took another drink of cider. "I don't know who donated it," she continued, "but honestly? Whoever they are, they're kind of amazing."
I looked toward the fire quickly before anyone could see the smile threatening at the corners of my mouth.
Beside me, Micah shifted slightly closer. The movement pulled me back into the moment. And for one perfect second, everything felt exactly the way it should.