Chapter 6

SIX

The musty smell emanating from the sheets invades my senses. I really should have given them a wash before deciding to climb under them for a nap.

Exhaustion hit me as soon as I unloaded the last grocery bag, and my eyelids grew heavy. All I wanted was sleep. It feels as if I haven't slept in years. I want to believe it's due to the time change, but I think it's a combination of my world crashing down around me.

Leaving Maddox.

Being back here in Cambridge.

Seeing Micah.

All of it has been overwhelming.

With the curtains shut, I've pulled myself into darkness. Drifting in and out, I turn on my side and hope to fall asleep again, but my mind wanders again. This time, to Micah. I've spent part of the day replaying this morning in my mind. Seeing him again after all these years. I don't know when he plans on returning to the house. I didn't want to ask. I haven't been able to stop thinking about the pain I saw in his eyes.

Ten years have passed between us, and he's no longer the same man who saved me from the water.

My heart twists and aches. I need to shut my brain off. Frustrated, I toss the sheets aside and place my bare feet on the hardwood floor, and a shiver ripples up the length of my legs. The cold air fills the room, and for a moment, I consider scrambling back under the musty sheets just to stay warm but decide against it. I grab my phone from my nightstand. There's a missed call from Ember and a message from Ruby asking if I made it to Boston safely. I quickly respond to her and decide to call Ember later. I'm thrilled at the prospect of seeing my best friend, but something buried deep in the back of my mind keeps me from responding right away.

Dropping my phone back on the table, I spin around and strip the sheets from the bed. I leave them in a pile on the floor, debating whether it might be best to just toss them or if I should search the house for the laundry room to wash them. I decide to leave them there and start exploring the room.

Along with a dresser on the far wall, a small, round table sits in the corner beside a large, overstuffed, green velvet chair. Crossing the room, I run my finger along the bookshelf lined with dozens of old books, weathered spines, and faded covers. Every single one looks like it wasn't printed this century or even the last.

I open the closet to find it filled with undisturbed clothes. Above the row of hanging clothes is a long wooden shelf at the top lined with old cardboard boxes. Standing on my toes, I attempt to pull one down, but I can't reach. I stretch as far as possible, using the tips of my fingers to scrape the lip of the box. My entire body tenses as I look down and lift one foot to rest on a wooden shoe rack pushed against the side wall. It wobbles under my weight, but I'm able to grab the edge of the box and begin to slide it back off the shelf, but then my hand freezes when I hear a loud noise come from another part of the house. I hold my breath as goosebumps crawl their way down the back of my neck.

I quickly step down, abandoning the box. My heart races, picking up with every shallow breath I take in.

Crash.

Another loud bang.

Pressing my hand to my chest, I tiptoe across the room to grab my phone from the nightstand, and with a shaking hand, press my thumb to the screen to unlock it. Slowly, I walk to the door, praying my steps don't give me away. My chest squeezes, hoping another board doesn't creak under my weight.

Crash.

My breath shoots to the back of my throat and I start panicking. Every possible scenario plays in my mind.

Maybe there's a broken window or hole in the side of the house that's allowed an animal to come inside. Maybe someone else has broken in. Micah said he wasn't coming back, so it shouldn't be him.

Did Maddox follow me once he'd discovered I left? Did he press Ruby to find out where I am?

I quickly try to rationalize the answer to these questions. Although I told Ruby I was coming back home, I never gave her the address to Micah's house, so even if Maddox somehow figured out where I was, I don't think he would find me this quickly.

I don't think .

Keeping my thumb hovered over the emergency call button, I step into the hallway. When I reach the top of the stairs, I peer over the railing and see the entryway is empty. I take the first step at the top of the stairs, and the floorboard whines underfoot. I wince, pausing and holding my breath.

I wonder if I should call out to whoever is making the sound in the kitchen, but I don't. That doesn't sound smart.

When the noise continues, I continue to make my way down the stairs until I reach the entryway. I reach for an umbrella hanging by the front door and hold it up. I'm not exactly sure how much damage it will do to the intruder—probably not much, but it's the best I've got.

Making my way down the hall, with my umbrella ready for attack, I follow the continued slamming and rustling sounds of kitchen drawers and cabinets. I round the corner and jump at the sight of the man standing in front of the refrigerator.

"Holy shit!" I yelp, jumping back. My eyes widen in shock. The umbrella falls from my hand, bouncing and crashing at my feet. I bring my hand to my chest, certain I'm having a heart attack, and my phone slips from my hand, dropping on my toe before landing on the old tile floor. I bring my hand to my mouth to stifle another scream.

Micah shuts the cabinet door and spins around. His wide eyes land on me before moving to the umbrella beside my feet.

My entire body bursts into flames and I'm suddenly aware of what I'm wearing. Rather… the lack of what I'm wearing.

I pick up my phone to see the screen is cracked, but otherwise, it still works, so I drop it on the counter, catching Micah's hardened stare.

His blue-gray eyes slowly slide up the length of my bare legs to my favorite faded Nirvana sleep shirt. Although I'm wearing an unlined bra underneath, I'm sure my nipples are peaked, poking against my shirt. This house doesn't seem to stay warm.

My cheeks bloom with heat, and my arms shoot to cover my chest and hardened nipples.

Micah's gaze finds mine again.

I blow out an exasperated breath and look around the kitchen. "What are you doing here, Micah? You scared the shit out of me."

"Sorry." He sighs. "I figured you heard me come in."

"No." I shift on my feet, the cold air clinging to my legs. "I was upstairs taking a nap. Besides, you told me you weren't coming back."

"I wasn't." He runs his hand through his hair.

His jacket is laid out on one of the barstools, which he moves and places on the counter before sliding to sit on the stool while I move to the other side of the island, using it as a shield.

Resting his elbows on the counter, Micah brings his hands together and rests his chin on them.

I arch my eyebrows. "Everything okay?"

He blinks. "Yeah." He nods. "My trip to Barcelona was canceled, so I figured I'd come here and check on you." He stares at me with half-saddened eyes.

"Check on me?" I point to my chest.

He simply nods, but a small smile plays on his lips.

I find myself smiling, too. This is the most we've ever talked.

I gesture at the room. "Didn't exactly sound like you were coming to check on me."

"Oh, right." He nods, twisting to look around the kitchen. Nearly all the cabinets are left open, and some of the drawers are sticking out. "I was looking for something to eat but realized I don't know where anything is."

"You didn't think to check the refrigerator?" I chuckle. "I went grocery shopping earlier."

"You said you were buying your own food. I figured it wouldn't be polite to eat yours." He shrugs. "I remember sticking a jar of peanut butter and fluff in one of the cabinets after I bought the house, but I couldn't remember which one."

"I'm not exactly an expert on expiration dates, but I doubt a year old jar of marshmallow fluff isn't breeding mold by now."

He nervously scratches the back of his head. "I guess it was a gamble I was willing to take."

I grin. It's silly to me that a man with all the money in the world would resort to searching for an old jar of fluff.

I lean forward and rest my arms on the counter. My eyes are now in line with his, but there's still a good two feet of distance between us. Although he scared the shit out of me only minutes ago, I now feel comfortable enough to relax. I also realize this is the first time I've held a normal conversation with someone outside of Maddox and Ruby. The longer I was in my relationship with Maddox, the more I began to walk on eggshells any time I was with him. And even though I absolutely love Ruby, she's been more like a mother than a friend. Ember has been my best friend for as long as I can remember, but distance and life has made it difficult to stay as close as we were as kids. I didn't realize how small my circle had become in Los Angeles.

"You're allowing me to stay here, Micah. You can eat the food I bought. Besides, I was feeling hungry myself. Well, at least I was before you scared the shit out of me."

I stand and straighten my back, waiting for his response. As though it's suddenly awake, my stomach grumbles in response.

Micah winces and tilts his head to the side, shaking it with a small, playful smile on his lips. "I don't know. I was really craving some peanut butter and fluff."

"Wait." I eye him suspiciously. "If you were looking for the peanut butter and fluff, what about the bread? It's not exactly a sandwich without the bread."

He scrunches his nose and scratches at the stubble lining his jaw. "This plan wasn't well thought out, was it?"

"Not really." I laugh—this time a genuine, full laugh, causing me to smile.

"It's okay." Micah digs his phone from the jacket of his suit. "I can order a pizza or something."

He opens an app, diverting his gaze. I bite my bottom lip, deciding what to do.

"No!" I blurt out. He looks up from his phone. "Let me make you dinner." I pause, swallowing as heat spreads across my half-naked body. I've never been more thankful for the cover of the counter I'm standing behind. "As a thank you."

He falls back into his seat and eyes me. "Did you buy bread?"