The Songs in Our Hearts: A Young Adult Romance(32)

“You leave me with no choice,” I relented with a feigned exasperated sigh.

“There we go.”

Micah pulled out his phone and took pictures of his sketches. “I’ll get these to Paul and see how soon he can start building.” While Micah was distracted sending the photos, I stood up and decided to check my own phone. There were two text messages from Jennifer.





JENNIFER: Charlie!!! Are you meeting up with him tonight?



JENNIFER: GURL. TELL ME!





I put my phone face down on the nightstand. I didn’t want to chance Micah seeing.

He finished up and put his notebook back into his backpack. “We could go grab dinner or something…if you wanted to.”

“I don’t know about you, but my allowance doesn’t grow on trees,” I teased him.

Micah feigned shock. “Seriously? And here I was thinking I was consorting with Ms. Money-Bags!”

“Hate to be a disappointment,” I chuckled.

“Well, maybe we could watch a movie?” He indicated the TV on top of my dresser, in the corner of the room. Other than the occasional sleepover with Jennifer or Rachel, when we’d watch A Knight’s Tale or Harry Potter, the TV didn’t see much action. Netflix on my laptop was my go-to.

“What sort of movies do you like?” I asked as I stood and walked to my small shelf of DVDs. I didn’t have many, but hoped that someday, when I was a grown adult, I’d be able to buy all of my favorite movies, music, and books.

“I like action movies. Horror…”

“Do you have a favorite?”

“I have several,” he said as he took a look at the limited movies I owned. “By the looks of it, I’d say you’re a romance fan.”

“I like classics, too. Older films, eighties stuff and a handful of love stories.”

“More than that,” Micah responded as he pulled The Breakfast Club off the shelf. “I’d pick this one.”

“We could always look up a movie online,” I suggested.

“Nah, this’ll do,” he replied and took a seat on my bed. As I turned on the TV and adjusted the sound, my skin tingled. Micah was there just to hang out with me. We were going to sit together on my bed and watch one of my favorite movies. I glanced at the clock beside the TV, where I quickly figured out how much time I would have alone with him until my parents came home.

The movie started and Micah settled against my pillows. As I leaned back, my elbow brushed against him. I readjusted. Micah watched me with curious amusement as I tried to get comfortable.

We were about halfway through the movie when I heard the front door open and close, and the jingle of my mom’s keys echo throughout the house.

“Josh? Charlie?” she called up. I could see her in my mind, standing at the dinner table, sorting the pile of mail: bill—junk mail—bill—junk mail.

“In my room,” I called back. Micah pushed himself off my bed and stood abruptly. “I guess I should get going,” he said, grabbing his bag. He made for my door. I turned off the TV and followed him downstairs.

“It’s okay, you can stay.”

He paused in the doorway between the dining room and kitchen, where my mom looked up at us.

“I’m afraid we haven’t met,” she said with a welcoming smile.

“This is Micah,” I introduced him. “My English partner. We were just doing some homework and watching a movie.”

“How’s the project coming along?” Mom wanted to know.

“Almost done,” I replied. “We just have to film it.”

“Wow! Great!” My mom was enthusiastic. I caught a whiff of pizza coming from the boxes she’d brought to the table. “If you don’t have dinner plans, Micah, you’re more than welcome to stay and have pizza with us. I got a few boxes from a seminar at work this afternoon. I think it’s either cheese or pepperoni…but there’s plenty.”

Almost as if on cue, my stomach grumbled.

“Sure, who can turn down pizza?” He set his backpack down. Micah caught my gaze as his lips quirked into a smile. By the teasing look in his eye, I could only guess he was remembering Samantha’s project hangout…and the pizza.

“Dad should be home soon,” Mom told me, “but we’ll keep it warm in the oven until then.”

“I guess we could finish the movie if you wanted to?” I suggested to Micah. He nodded in agreement and we returned to my room.

“Too bad you don’t have a good horror flick to watch,” Micah sighed as I flipped the TV back on.

“We don’t do horror films here,” I explained tentatively. “Long story, but…we just don’t. Besides, are you complaining? You’re the one who picked the movie.”

“Do you get too scared?” Micah taunted me, wiggling his fingers. “Afraid the boogie man is going to come after you?”

“Hey, if your brother dressed up as Michael Myers and stood in a dark corner to scare the bejesus out of you, you’d have nightmares, too.”

“No way,” he laughed. “Josh scared you with the oldest trick in the book?”

“It was terrifying! I had just watched those movies and....”