“Brody?” He took a step forward and put his hand on my shoulder. “Wait, are you two involved or something? I told him I was going to ask you out…”
“No, we’re not involved.” I lifted my head slowly. “But that’s his doing, not mine.”
“Oh wow.” He exhaled sharply and his hand fell away from my shoulder. “Is that why you didn’t want to go out with me? You’re in love with him?”
“I used to believe I was, but mostly because he was my first crush. I didn’t fully understand those feelings. Things are definitely different between us now, and he knows how I feel. What I need to talk to you both about is bigger than that—it’s a secret I’ve been carrying for a while. It’s haunted me more than I’d like to admit.” I reached into my purse and pulled out my cell phone. “Let me call Brody and see if he can meet us at my house.”
“Not exactly how I envisioned this date ending…” Micah shrugged and I saw disappointment on his face.
“Things may end up better than you think.” I reached out and squeezed his hand as I waited for Brody to answer the phone.
I always thought I would carry my secret to the grave, but it didn’t seem like that was going to be possible. It was easy to keep it from Brody because he didn’t reciprocate my affection or show interest. I couldn’t do that with Micah. He had to know why I fought against his advances, and I needed to feel that weight lifted off my soul. If things went further and I continued to keep the secret from him, it could potentially damage what we had. I couldn’t risk that. Micah wasn’t the man I thought he was—not entirely, at least. If I was going to give him a real shot, which I was seriously thinking about after our kiss, I had to be open and honest.
This might work out better than I hoped.
Brody wasn’t totally uninterested in me. I saw that in his eyes. The complications were what held him back, and while I was willing to take risks, I could see that he wasn’t. I wasn’t ready to give up on Brody, even if the date with Micah was going great. It was going so well that something else started to creep into my thoughts—something that could be the answer to our problems. If I waited until things were a little more serious with Micah, it would be impossible to suggest it. I couldn’t believe I was considering it myself. I arranged the meeting with Brody, and held Micah’s hand as we walked back towards his car.
Brody
I felt bad about the way things ended with Wendy. I wished she would at least let me stop by to help her with the house. I really enjoyed spending time with her, even if we couldn’t have the kind of relationship she wanted. Truthfully, I k
ind of missed having her as my friend. I didn’t mind the work, and it was nice to just share a meal with someone. I hadn’t really had that on a consistent basis after Beth went away to college, and the house got lonelier every day. I had no idea how to repair things with Wendy. If she was struggling with feelings for me, then it was better to just stay away than complicate things or lead her on. Giving in to what she wanted would have been easy, and walking away was harder than I realized. The devil on my shoulder told me to give in to lust, but the angel on the other one kept reminding me how fucked up things would be if I fell for her.
When Micah told me that Wendy had finally agreed to go on a date with him, I felt relief, but it came with an ache. The devil and angel could argue all they wanted, but once she was with him, the door would be closed. I believed Micah was serious about his interest in Wendy after he told me what he had been doing. A rose on her car every single day with a sweet message? That was next level shit. It was way too far for a quick fuck. I shook his hand, reminded him how many broken bones he would have if he hurt her, and wished him the best. It was all I could do. The devil scolded me and the angel told me I might get into heaven after all. I wasn’t sure about all that, but I tried to let peace reside where the turmoil continued to twist.
Hmm. Wendy’s number? She should be out with Micah—oh god, did something go wrong?
“Hello?” I pressed the phone to my ear.
“Hey, Brody? Could you meet me at my house?” Her voice had a worried tone.
“Is everything okay?” I stood and reached for my jacket.
“Yeah, I’m still with Micah. I need to talk to you—actually I need to talk to the both of you.” I heard a sigh that echoed into the phone.
“Okay, I’ll be right there.” I slid my finger across the screen and quickly put on my jacket.
My head was spinning when I ran out to my truck and climbed into the cab. I had no idea why she would want to talk to me—or talk to the both of us. She didn’t sound like she was upset, but something was definitely bothering her. I put the pedal down and barely stopped at the red light when I got to the end of my street. All the worst case scenarios flashed in my head, but none of them made sense. Even if she told Micah that she had a crush on me, that wouldn’t lead to a conversation that involved the three of us—not yet, at least. They were on their first date, so all of the other worrisome scenarios didn’t seem plausible. I had no idea what I was walking into when I saw Micah’s car in the driveway, but I knew I would have to see it through.
Whatever this is, it must be important. What in the world could be going on?
I knocked on the door and Wendy opened it. My eyes immediately scanned the house as I walked inside, looking for Micah. He walked out of the dining room and the look on his face suggested that he was confused as well. Wendy thanked me for coming and brought me into the dining room where we all sat down around the table. Micah immediately reached out and took Wendy’s hand. She didn’t pull away—I wasn’t sure if that was a good sign or a bad sign. If they were holding hands, the date must have went all right. Wendy was silent for several minutes, and I could see that something was seriously bothering her, but I didn’t try to force the issue. If it was causing that much internal conflict, I would just have to wait until she was ready.
“What I’m going to tell you—I need you both to swear that you will listen until I’m done.” She looked at me and then to Micah.
“Okay.” I nodded quickly.
“I’m not going anywhere.” Micah nodded as well.
“I have a secret that I’ve been keeping since I was eighteen years old.” She sighed and stared at the table.
“You don’t have to talk about that if you don’t want to.” I tilted my head to the side.
“I already know about her crush, Brody. I don’t think that’s what this is about.” Micah squeezed her hand.
“No, this is bigger than my teenage crush—and that really wasn’t that much of a secret since you already knew.” Wendy lifted her head and looked at me.
“Right.” I nodded and pressed my lips together.