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“Levi, her pills. They’d be in her purse.”
Levi? What the hell is Levi doing here?
My fingers dig into the chair again.
“It’s okay, baby. We were at a nearby café, and I asked them to put your interview on. No one is judging. We might rip this studio apart, though.”
He rubs the back of my neck, putting his forehead on mine.
“There were two,” Levi states. “I brought both.”
One would be Tab’s. Micah knows which is mine. Unsurprisingly. The pill bottle shakes, and then I feel him press a capsule into my palm. “I have water.”
I take the pill and drink right after to get it down.
“Good girl,” Micah says, returning his forehead to mine. “Breathe with me, and I’ll get you out of here as soon as I can.”
I match him breath for breath, Athena squeezed between us. I don’t know how long it takes, but eventually, she rests her head on my knees, and Micah sighs. “Thank God. Keep your eyes closed, okay? I’m going to get you out of here.”
He scoops me up, and I do as he says. I wrap my arms around his neck, burying my face while he carries me.
“You smell good.”
“Now I know you’re delusional. I’m sweaty and gross.”
I take a deep breath in. Nope. He’s all rain in the jungle and woods. “You smell like you always do.”
Micah pushes a door open, and the sun shines down on me. “I’m going to put you in the back of my car, and then I’m going to get Tab and make sure we have everything. Athena will bewith you the whole time, and I won’t be longer than a couple of minutes.”
His car door creaks open, and he somehow maneuvers me gently into the back seat. Athena climbs in, and once more, her feet make it onto my chest.
I stop myself from thinking about how embarrassed I am because it will only send me into a spiral again. I stop myself from thinking about most things, and instead, pet Athena, focusing on how much I love her. How her fur feels in my hands. The way her tongue curls along the edges.
After some time, the driver’s side door opens and Micah gets in. “Tab’s going to take the guys back to get their cars, and I’m going to get you home.”
“Okay,” I croak out, then clear my throat. “I haven’t had one like that in a long time.”
He drives wordlessly, shoulders stiff, and I have to remind myself that he’s not mad at me.
Before long, he’s parked outside the shop. He helps me out of the car, and we walk up the flight of stairs to mine and Tab’s apartment. He leads me right to my bed and gets me situated in it.
“I tried to call you,” he says, sitting on the edge of the mattress.
“I couldn’t answer because we were about to go on.” I hold in a breath, stealing myself for his answer. “Are you getting traded, Micah? What’s happening?”
It seems so improbable. Not because he is one of the best running backs in the country, but because he’s such an integral part of the community here. He’s one of the standout players on and off the field.
“I don’t know anything yet. I have a meeting with the team later. We think the organization is putting the rumor out thereon their own because of what I did last week. Today’s trade deadline day, so it could be retaliatory.”
My heart sinks. “But you’re going to find out?”
“As soon as Tab gets back, I’m going to that meeting, and we’ll figure this whole thing out.”
“Micah, what if you have to move? I can’t move. I have the shop here.”
He cups my face. “I don’t want to entertain any talk about this until we understand what’s happening. It might be nothing.” I open my mouth to argue, but he says, “Honestly. Let’s not worry about something we don’t know is true yet, okay? Bottom line, I won’t leave you. Period. We will figure it out.”
“But—”