The Songs in Our Hearts: A Young Adult Romance(69)

“Your CD…” Micah gave a small smile. “I haven’t listened to it yet. I don’t need to listen, because your notes on the track listings told me everything. And I don’t need to figure out how I feel about you, because I already know. You beat me to the punch. I was going to tell you the truth myself.”

I was shaking as he took another step toward me.

“I want us to listen to these songs together.” He held out the CD. “I got to share the parts of me that only music could show, and I want you to be able to do the same with me. Openly. Freely. Face to face. It’s only fair.”

“So…” I breathed, “what does this mean for us?”

“It means that we are more than friends. It means I want us to be happy, together.” His hands cupped my cheeks gently. “This doesn’t have to be complicated. You don’t have to worry about what other people think. What matters is what we think of each other.”

“I do want that,” I admitted.

“Me too,” he grinned.

The fear of rejection fell away as Micah’s fingers tipped my chin up, and his lips brushed against mine. My hands drifted to the tops of his shoulders.

Micah’s lips explored mine, his kiss deepening as my mouth parted for him, soft but all-consuming. His hands slid away from my face, and drifted down my spine. As he pulled me closer, the warmth of his fingers rested on the small of my back. I was breathless as Micah lifted his mouth away from mine. I licked my bottom lip as my eyes caught his dark, warm gaze.

“Come on, let’s get out of here.” Micah cocked his head toward the staircase and took my hand.

“Where are we going?” I asked, feeling as though I were floating. We grabbed my things from the table and started down the steps.

As we escaped into the evening, Micah smiled at me. “Wherever you want. Name it, and we’ll go, C.”





“Heaven”

OneRepublic





HOMECOMING WAS THE FOLLOWING FRIDAY, and most of the classes that day were treated like study halls. Some of the teachers gave us light reading to do. Too many of us were excited for the big football game. Josh and his friends were all pumped to defeat the Green Guards (the neighboring school), while I was more excited for the dance afterwards. The day buzzed by and before long, I was getting off the bus with Micah’s promise to pick me up at seven. Josh was already home with his friends, dressed in their football gear. As I walked in, J and Ben were high-fiving my brother.

“Jackie O is a go! Man! About time!”

I winked at Josh. “She finally said yes?”

“Brent Pierce broke his leg, so I stepped in,” Josh said with a self-gratifying grin. I giggled and rolled my eyes.

“Congratulations are in order, I guess?”

“Are you going to get ready for your date with Micah?” Josh asked, grabbing his sport’s drink.

“I am, actually,” I said with a nod and gestured to the hallway. “I going to go do that right now.” I walked to my room and wasted no time getting into the dress that Jennifer, Rachel and I had all picked out at the mall just a few days before. Rachel had chosen a beautiful ruby dress, with a soft, tan sweater, while Jennifer bought a black rocker dress that had little lace sleeves. As I looked at myself in the mirror, I was glad to have chosen a deep blue dress with a flowing short skirt. I noticed my phone light up, and I strode to the side of the bed to check it.





MICAH: R U excited?





I grinned and quickly replied back.





CHARLIE: Of course. I got a really nice dress.



MICAH: ;) Oh man. I’m going 2 have a hot date 2night.



CHARLIE: LOL! Sure.



MICAH: C U in a few, babe.





Babe. Now, every time he pressed a soft kiss to my temple or cheek, he’d always say “babe” and it made me melt.

I received my mom and dad’s approval when I came out of my room later, grabbing a few bites of dinner before Micah was due to arrive. My parents had plans to go to the football game to cheer on Josh. When the doorbell rang, I was quick to jump up and grab my jacket.

As soon as I had my black flats on, I opened the front door to find Micah standing on the other side. His hair was slicked back. He wore a dark blue shirt to match my dress, and black slacks. His hands were in his pockets as he looked at me with a broad smile.

“You look beautiful, Charlie.” He pressed a kiss against my cheek and I felt myself begin to blush.

“Don’t be out too late,” Dad called after me.

“No worries, Dad.”

Dad winked at me. His expression turned stern as he directed his attention to Micah, staring him down. The old retired sergeant was still in him. Micah gave my dad a respectful nod and held out his hand to me. I waved at my parents and shut the door behind me, following Micah out to his car. He walked ahead to open the door for me and waited until I was situated inside to close it. As he climbed in, and started the engine, he studied me with a smile.

“I padded my feet this time.” He winked at me.

“You think you’re funny, don’t you?” I laughed and poked his arm. He chuckled and began to dig through his stack of CDs.

“What are you going to play this time?” I asked, peeking at all of the blank CDs in his hand.