Rumor Has It Box Set: The Complete Series, Books 1-5

by RH Tucker

  “Bobby, the door guy, is Taylor’s cousin,” he whispers. As soon as his lips graze my ear, I forget why he’s telling me this. “He hooks Taylor and me up so we can order drinks if we want.”

  “Oh.” I smile, trying to regain composure.

  “What do you want?”

  I know he’s asking me about drinks. That’s why we walked over to the bar. But he’s still so close, and I can’t help staring at his lips, thinking those are what I want.

  “What can we get you, Micah?” the bartender speaks up, breaking my train of thought.

  “Let me get a Sprite and …” Micah looks over at me with questioning eyes.

  “Oh, just water please?”

  “Really? Okay, a Sprite and two waters.”

  “You got it.”

  “You don’t have to do that,” I say.

  “It’s cool.” He shrugs, leaning against the bar as we wait. “We get the stamp, but I hardly ever order drinks anyways.”

  I’m not sure if he’s just saying it to make me feel better or not, but it comes across as sincere. He leans closer to me, sliding an arm behind me. “You look really nice by the way.” He tugs on a piece of my hair.

  “Thank you,” I answer, unable to help how bashful it comes out.

  I’m not sure if he leans closer, or I do, but I’m staring at his lips again, remembering what they felt like the other night. We’ve already made out, but this still feels like the awkward stage of a date, where you’re not sure whether you should lean in and kiss the other person or not.

  He’s wearing a gray shirt that fits him snuggly, reminding me of how strong he felt when I was laying next to him. His hair sticks up a little in the front, and he smells like the woods. I’ve been camping a few times with my brothers, and there’s a fresh, crisp, forest smell you get right when you wake up, making you want to snuggle deeper in your blankets. That’s what it reminds me off, and now I want his arms around me.

  “Here you go.” The bartender’s words break my thoughts again.

  Micah hands me the water bottle with a smile. “So, you want to hang out in the back? We can play a game of pool or—”

  “Micah!” Taylor’s voice rings out, echoing through the entire place. “Where’s Micah?”

  “Oh no,” Micah whispers.

  “There you are!” Taylor calls out, standing on the karaoke stage. “Micah, I made sure they had this song specifically for you tonight, bro.”

  “What is he doing?” I ask, giggling.

  “Being an idiot.”

  “Hit it, Brody,” Taylor says, and looks over at a DJ. Guitar strings play through the speakers. “Now, I’m not a Beibs fan, but this is the Halsey version. Everyone cover your ears if you don’t like the F word. I can’t get enough of it.” He wiggles his eyebrows to Stacey, who laughs along with most of everyone else around. “Micah, don’t dick out on me. You’re singing this song.”

  “How much has he had to drink?” I ask, now laughing.

  “That’s the worst part. He’s completely sober.”

  “And, please, ladies and gentleman,” Taylor continues, “if you know the words, you sing along, too. It’ll help Micah forget that bitch.”

  “What’s going on?” Cindy walks over to us.

  “Taylor thinks he’s being funny,” Micah answers.

  The music hits. “For all the times that you rained on my parade.” He snaps his fingers, beginning to sing “Love Yourself” by Justin Bieber. People around the place are nodding, starting to clap along.

  “Wow, he sings pretty good.”

  “Micah, you listening?” Taylor yells before he picks up the lyrics again.

  “Why’s he singing this for you?” I ask.

  As soon as I ask the question, Taylor sings the lyric about breaking his heart and I know. It’s about Lana. Micah’s blushing but scowling, shaking his head. I want to ask him about her to see if he wants to talk about it, but at the same time, if he wanted to talk about it wouldn’t he have already? The only information I know is from overhearing his one phone call in the café, so it sounded like she cheated on him. Maybe we could commiserate together, but I don’t want to commiserate with Micah or anyone else for that matter. I want new memories. Better memories. Maybe Micah does, too.

  “Micah, it’s coming up,” Taylor calls out. “Here it comes!” He yells out the main line of the chorus. Cindy yells out in excitement, singing along and laughing.

  Micah still looks like he wants to kill him, but there’s a hint of amusement on his face. It makes any tension I might’ve felt when Taylor started evaporate.

  “You should sing it,” I tell him.

  “What?”

  “It might be therapeutic.” I raise my shoulders and Micah smiles.

  “Micah!” Taylor yells again. “Sing, you ass. It’s a release!” More people start to sing along.

  Going through the next stanza of lyrics, it’s starting to come to the hook again. I decide to start singing, smiling at Micah.

  “Fine!” Micah yells at the ceiling just as the main line starts again.

  Everyone in the place continues to sing along to the end and then applauds as Taylor takes a bow, walking over to us.

  “Feel better now?” Taylor asks with a smirk.

  “I was feeling fine, dumbass,” Micah answers.

  “Of course you were.” Taylor looks over at me with a smirk. “Anyways, I think I’m gonna head out. Stacey needs a ride.”

  “I’m sure she does.” Micah rolls his eyes, making me laugh.

  Cindy leans over to us. “Oh, and I had plans tonight with my boyfriend.”

  “What?” I look at her with bloody murder. She smirks and waves her phone at me. The same phone I saw her arguing through text with Jackson earlier, who she’s also, never once, called her boyfriend.

  “Yeah, so, um, Micah, could you take Veronica home later?”

  “No problem,” Micah answers, looking at me. “If you’re cool with that.”

  “Uh, sure.”

  “Great,” Cindy says, leaning in and giving me a hug. “Take advantage of him tonight,” she whispers. “I want all the deets.”

  She whips around and heads toward the exit, while my jaw clenches and I stare daggers at her.

  “So …” I bite my lip, nervously looking around.

  “So.”

  “Sorry. I totally didn’t plan for Cindy to dump me in your lap and just leave.”

  It seems to break the awkwardness and Micah chuckles. “It’s cool. Want to just hang out for a bit?”

  “Yeah, if you want to.”

  “Oh, you know what? The street fair’s open. It’s right up the road.”

  “Okay.”

  We leave Chevy’s and head up the street. He asks if I want to drive over there, but it’s not far, so we start walking and Micah takes my hand. It’s such a little thing, holding my hand, but it feels like it’s a big moment. Maybe it’s because I haven’t been on a date with someone that I’ve really liked in a long time.

  The street fair is a few blocks long with different vendors, selling snacks or novelties. Walking around, we start talking about our classes, or if we’ve got any plans for the summer. I tell him about a trip coming up that my family always takes to visit grandmother in Mexico, and he tells me about the season tickets his father gets to see the Angels play. After all of my freaking out on Cindy, concerned whether this is technically a date and the jitters that would come with it, everything we talk about comes out seamlessly. It’s the same comfortableness I felt with him at the party.

  No sooner am I feeling completely calm around him, do I see Tim ahead of us, walking with some girl. I’ve seen him during the semester, but I try to avoid him at all costs. Micah must notice my change in mood.

  “Something wrong?”

  “Oh, no.” I give him a weak smile, turning around to act like I’m looking at a vendor’s stand of miniature snow globes. Slowly, I peer over my shoulder and see Tim laugh, then give the girl a hug, pulling her
closer.

  Gazing back down at the table, I mentally scold myself. I shouldn’t be bothered by this. That scumbag cheated on me and said it was because I was too big for him. I shouldn’t care about him or that he’s with someone else. But I do.

  “Who is that?” Micah asks.

  I take a deep breath, then lift my gaze to meet his. “My ex. It’s so stupid, I shouldn’t be like this. I shouldn’t care about him.”

  “It’s okay. I know a thing or two about exes.”

  “It’s not though.” I stare back down at the globes. “He cheated on me.”

  “Again,” he lets out a chuckle, “I know a little about that.”

  “It’s just …” I let out a sigh.

  Do I really want to tell Micah why he cheated on me? I guess it doesn’t matter now since it seems I’m still hung up on it.

  “When I caught him … it was over a year ago. We were still in high school. And when it happened, he basically said it was because he’d never been with a heavy girl.”

  Micah cringes, wrinkling his nose. “What an asshole.” I giggle, and he puts a finger under my chin, his eyes meeting mine. “I’m serious. He’s a complete ass. I wasn’t lying to you the other night, Vero.” Using my nickname makes me smile. “You’re beautiful.”

  Before I can say anything back, his lips are on mine. His hand falls away from my face, wrapping around me, and I tie mine around his neck, pulling him down closer to me. His lips produce a current that zips through me, and I feel the tiny tingles spreading everywhere. We’re in the middle of a street with vendors and other people walking by, but I don’t register any of them. It’s just his hands and his lips, spreading the warmth through my body as I press my mouth feverishly against his.

  He stops but only backs away a few inches, his dark mocha eyes peering into me. I lick my lips then stare at his, desperately wanting them back on mine.

  “We better stop before someone cites us for public indecency,” he whispers.

  “Do we have to?”

  He lets out a laugh, keeping his arms around me. “Silly girl.”

  Chapter 9

  Micah

  I want to reassure Veronica I know precisely what she’s felt with her jackass of an ex-boyfriend, but at the same time, I don’t want to her to dwell on it.

  We head back to where I parked, and I take her home. Making out again before she heads inside her house, I can still taste her when I get back home and hear the moaning coming from Taylor’s room.

  “Seriously?” I grumble.

  The erotic noises coming from his room, combined with thinking of Veronica and remembering her lips just a little bit ago, cause me to jump in the shower. There’s a knock at the door before Taylor swings it open without waiting.

  “What the hell?” I yell.

  “Dude, we have extra condoms, right?” He starts rummaging through a cabinet.

  “Get the hell out!”

  He shakes his head, laughing. “Calm down, why are you freaking out?” He turns and eyes me suspiciously. “Holy shit, were you just jacking off?”

  “Get out, Taylor!”

  He turns around, still laughing, grabbing the extra box before leaving.

  “Asshole,” I mutter.

  Throwing on my headphones after the shower to muffle out any noise coming from Taylor’s room, I decide to send a text message to Veronica before going to sleep.

  Me: Hey, I had a really good time tonight. How about we do something tomorrow?

  Veronica: Me too. I’d like that

  Me: Ok. Cool.

  Me: You should send me a pic

  The bubbles on my phone pop up before disappearing. I wait nervously, wondering if I shouldn’t have asked for one. She seems concerned with her weight, so maybe she doesn’t like to take pictures of herself. I’m not lying to her when I tell her she’s sexy. She is. She might not think of herself that way, maybe because of how sexy is supposed to look based off magazines and TV shows. Or perhaps it has to do with her dickhead of an ex-boyfriend. Probably a combination of those things. But I do like her. I do think she’s beautiful. Now I really want her to send me a picture.

  My phone vibrates.

  Veronica: Here you go …

  It’s a dark picture that looks like she’s on her bed with a lamp next to her. She’s giving me a timid smile, nibbling on her lip, and I can see the straps of her bra and the top of her cleavage, leaving me wanting to see the rest of it.

  Me: Tease :)

  Veronica: Lol. I have to leave something for the imagination

  Me: Believe me, I’m imagining it right now

  She sends me a shocked emoji followed by a sly smile emoji.

  Veronica: Don’t I get one?

  I stare down at my sheets that are now stiffer than usual. No, Micah. Do not send her a dick pic. You’re not Taylor. “Idiot,” I mumble and then take a picture of myself from the chest up, giving her a smirk.

  I get three drooling face emojis in reply.

  Me: Calm down lol

  Veronica: Too late. I think I need to take another shower lol

  Me: Now I’m picturing you in the shower. This night is about to get really sticky really fast

  Veronica: Ew LOL!

  I let out a laugh, thankful that she either thinks I’m joking or is taking it a jokingly way. Because I’m being completely honest.

  Veronica: Did you fall asleep or are you really picturing that?

  Me: Hmm, do you want me to lie to you or tell you the truth lol?

  Veronica: …

  Veronica: Truth…?

  Me: Okay, hold on, it takes longer to text with just one hand

  Veronica: LOL! Goodnight Micah. Sweet dreams

  Me: I don’t know how sweet they’ll be. Might be R rated. Some may even be X rated

  Veronica: You’re bad

  Me: You know you like it. Goodnight

  Veronica: Nite

  The next day we decide to hit up Venice Beach, strolling the boardwalk, and end up stopping by one of the street performers who’s performing magic. A small crowd around him pays attention as he pulls out a gold coin from his pocket, waving his hand around as if he’s going to make the coin disappear. Seeming to get distracted, the coin falls to the ground.

  “Oops,” he laughs, and picks it up. The crowd laughs along as he tries the trick again and again the coin falls. “Okay, I just learned this trick last night. So, let me try this one more time.”

  He walks over to us and looks at me. “Sir, mind if I borrow your girlfriend?” Veronica looks up at me and starts to blush.

  “I don’t know,” I answer, giving her a smile. “I kind of like her.”

  “I just need her hand,” he says and picks it up. “Abracadabra!” he shouts. Again, the coin falls to the ground. “Okay, something’s wrong.” More people laugh as he scratches his head. “Hmm, maybe …” He rubs his chin and stares at me. “Yes, yes, this is what I’m doing wrong. Here,” he says, handing me Veronica’s hand. “Now, do exactly as I say, and this trick should finally work.”

  Pulling out a magic wand from his pocket, he waves it in the air. Putting the coin in her hand, he shakes the wand again. “Okay, now you, sir, put your hand over hers.” I do as his instructs. “Yes, yes. Very good. Okay, now, abracadabra! Bippity, boppity, toil and trouble! Let the magic power, turn this coin into a flower! Shazam!”

  A hush falls over everyone. I raise an eyebrow at Veronica who’s giggling.

  “I said, shazam!” he yells again, wiggling his fingers at our hands, which are still placed on top of one another. “Ahem!” he coughs loudly, making us both look at him. “Shazam means to move your hands, lovebirds.” More laughs from the crowd.

  I take my hand away from hers, and the gold coin is gone, replaced with a red, origami paper rose. Everyone around us applauds.

  “Thank you! Thank you!” He takes a bow for everyone as the crowd starts to disperse. Pulling out a few bills, I put them in his top hat he has placed out in front.

&n
bsp; Taking the paper rose from her, he puts a small green wire through the middle of it and then hands it back to her. “For you, my dear.” She smiles, but before she can take it, I grab it from his hand.

  “Whoa there, buddy, don’t try to move in on my girl.” He raises his hands in apology and backs away.

  Veronica looks up at me. “Your girl, huh?”

  I shrug with a smirk, tucking the flower through her hair. “Absolutely. If you want.”

  Adjusting the flower, she takes my hands, giving me a smile. “I want.”

  We spend a little more time walking around and then head back to the apartment, where I turn on New Girl, and we watch a few episodes before we start making out again.

  Things are escalating and I know I want this girl, and from how she’s reacting I know she feels the same. Just as I’m pulling my shirt off, our front door opens and closes. I figure, or at least I hope, Taylor won’t bother to say anything, but of course, he does.

  “Yo, Micah, I’m gonna order some pizza, you want anything?”

  “Uh, no,” I shout out from my room. I’m leaning over Veronica, who’s holding a giggle back.

  “Okay.” I’m just about to start kissing her again when he says, “Hey, just a heads up, Lana came into the gym looking for you.”

  Veronica’s smile fades. She stares up at me, and I let out a sigh, closing my eyes and shaking my head.

  “I tried telling her it’s over for you, but she just begged me to give her your schedule,” he continues. “Don’t worry, I didn’t. And I said you were out again with that Cynthia girl you hooked up with when you guys broke up the first time. She didn’t seem to like that and left.”

  “Great. Thanks,” I reply somberly, now sitting next to Veronica.

  “Shit, I left my wallet at work. I’ll be back.”

  We hear the door open and close again. I let out another sigh. “Sorry about that.”

  “It’s … it’s fine.” She adjusts her shirt and grabs her phone. “You know, I should probably go. I’ll just text Cindy.”