Micah Johnson Goes West (Get Out, #2)(59)
“No, just tipsy. And soppy.”
“Aren’t I just a surrogate little brother?”
“No, you dipshit. You’re my friend too. Man, you and Dane are alike in so many ways.”
“We’re both devastatingly handsome and charming?”
“You know, it’s usually the little sisters that have to be warned away from the teammates, not the little brothers.”
Micah almost spat out his beer. “We’re not together!”
“But how long will that last?” Sam asked.
“You know, just because two gay guys are in the vicinity of each other, it doesn’t mean they’re fated to get it on.”
“I’ll add that to my notes. But you think my brother’s hot, right? I mean, after all, he’s a Mitchell. We’re even prettier than the Hemsworths.”
“No!” Micah said quickly. “Nobody’s prettier than the Hemsworths.”
“Thanks!”
“I mean, Dane’s not horrendously ugly, just like you’re not horrendously ugly….”
“Go on!”
“It’s not like either of you would cause children to scream in terror if they saw you on the street. But I think Dane would be insulted being compared to me.”
“Maybe not now. You two seem to have turned a corner.”
“To be honest, I think it also had a lot to do with the two of you spending more time together as well. He worships you, you know.”
“As well he should!” Sam puffed his chest out.
“He has a poster of you on his wall.”
“No way! Seriously?”
“Seriously. You didn’t know?”
“He never lets me in his room.”
“You have to learn to break the door down, like I did.”
Sam looked across the pool, to where his brother was sitting with Maia. “Do you think we did it all the right way?”
Micah was touched by his plaintive tone. “I don’t think there is any right way to handle it. Either you freak somebody out when they’re not ready, or you screw with their heads by waiting for them to come out to you.”
“So you’re damned if you do, and you’re damned if you don’t?”
“I just like to think of it as you’re fucked no matter what.”
Sam shook his head. “I hope you’re going to be a little more polite on your date.”
Micah didn’t think his foul mouth would be the issue when they had already seen each other naked. “You’re so prim and proper, Miss Manners.”
“Yeah, right. Anyway, I hope it goes well.”
Micah reached for the remains of his beer and clinked the bottle against Sam’s. “Yep. Me too.”
Chapter 18
PIKACHU95 WAS already waiting for him when Micah got to the café. He had chosen Soda on the West Coast Highway, close to home, in case he had to escape. Plus, the views of the beach would be distracting enough if conversation lulled.
How was he going to greet him? He couldn’t even remember his real name. A simple “Hey, you!” wouldn’t suffice—at least if he wanted their rendezvous to last longer than the salutation. And he couldn’t call him “Pikachu”—it just reminded him of the little yellow rodent jumping up and down screaming “Pika Pika Pika!” He suppressed a smile as he wondered whether anybody had ever yelled it out in bed with him.
Pikachu95 seemed just as nervous as he stood to welcome Micah. They hovered for a moment, unsure whether to hug, shake hands, or just wave at each other. For fuck’s sake, Micah thought. I’ve been naked with this guy. Why is it so awkward?
He had just answered his own question there.
In the end they settled for an overenthusiastic handshake, and sat down.
“Wow. I’m surprised to see you,” Pikachu said.
“You are?” Micah asked.
“I was hoping to hear from you, but then I never did. I thought I was… well, I can’t say dumped.”
Micah shrugged, hoping it didn’t seem dismissive. “Close enough, yeah?”
Pikachu frowned, then laughed. “You don’t remember my name, do you?”
Ugh. Might as well be honest. “Sorry.”
“It’s Dick,” said Pikachu, er, Dick.
“Really?” Micah tried not to laugh. Wait until he told Kyle. Which reminded him, he had promised to keep in contact with him. He should really let him know things were finally looking up.
Dick grinned. “No, not really. It’s Todd,” said Dick, er, Todd.
“For real, this time?” Micah thought he better make sure.
“Yeah.”
“I’m—”
“I know.”
“No, really. I don’t think I gave you my real name.”
“You didn’t. But you’re Micah Johnson. The third most famous gay footy player in Australia.”
For fuck’s sake. Even Todd was putting Greg Heyward above him. “Fourth, if you include rugby,” Micah reminded him. Ian Roberts had come out in the nineties, and nobody had followed him out of the closet in that sport since.
“Fourth,” Todd agreed.
“Did you know? I mean, that night?”