Bent

by HB Heinzer

  "Julia, grab your man and grab your meat, time to get up out your seat." Everyone froze in place at Austin's statement. "Uh... sorry, habit I guess."

  For the second time in less than a minute, Austin felt a hand across the back of his head. This time, it was Micah making contact. "Smooth, man." He shook his head, laced his fingers in Julia's and led her to the grills.

  There are some people who don't understand why anyone would go to a restaurant and pay to prepare their own food. To Julia, it was a brilliant marketing plan. Get a group of people talking around the open flames, send servers to check on them and refill their drinks and there would be a healthy spike in the bar tab. This plan obviously worked well for the steakhouse given the fact that every grill was circled with guests who had no problem moving their steaks to a cooler part of the grill if it meant more time to socialize.

  Micah asked Julia to grab a steak for him from the meat cooler while he scouted a grill with room for their group. Steaks in hand, Julia made her way through the crowd trying to find Micah. Right as she was getting frustrated, she heard a sharp whistle. His whistle. Women around him glared in disgust that he would whistle after a woman in a busy restaurant but Julia knew there was no condescension meant by the gesture. He might not be the most polished man on the face of the earth but he did have manners.

  When Julia returned with a Lucite tray containing a Ribeye for herself and a T-bone for him, Micah took the tray from her and asked her to start grilling some garlic toast. She wanted to protest, to tell him she was more than capable of cooking her own dinner. Seeing the glint in his eyes as he looked over to her, she decided to let him take the lead on this. Once she had enough garlic toast to feed a small army, or two hungry men and their dinner companions, Julia motioned towards the table.

  As she placed the plate stacked high with bread in the center of the table, she heard her phone chime. Since she was alone at the table, she reached into her purse to see who was sending her a message.

  You're not bailing on these steaks, are you? ;D

  Shaking her head, she sat at the table. The evening was going well, almost too well. She needed to keep control of the game. The phone chimed again.

  I'm waiting...

  She laughed. She turned to the grills and saw Micah watching her reaction. He shrugged and then went back to grilling. As she stood, the phone went off again.

  Well done??

  They both knew that Julia couldn't stand anything over medium and preferred medium rare. Micah was trying to get a rise out of her and his last message did the trick. It wasn't a chance Julia was ready to take and she darted back to the grill. "Micah, so help me, if you turned that steak into shoe leather, I'm eating the T-bone tonight."

  He whipped around with a shocked look on his face. "What? That's not how you like your steak?" Micah was barely able to contain his satisfaction with her reaction. He grabbed Julia by her upper arms and turned her to look at the grill. Both of their steaks were sitting at the edge, away from the heat.

  "You didn't start them?" She should have known better. If she wasn't trying so hard to forget the last time they were here, she would have remembered that she got upset with him for inferring that she wasn't capable of grilling a simple steak. She had informed him in no uncertain terms that she was perfectly capable of grilling a steak and probably knew how to handle her meat better than he did. It turned into a legendary moment with the group of high school seniors.

  Micah pulled her between him and the grill. "Nah, I like watching you do it too much. You should remember that."

  Grabbing the opportunity, Julia moved both steaks to the center of the grill letting them sear. She could feel the heat radiating off Micah's body behind her as he moved in closer and placed one hand to either side of her on the railing.

  "Is this okay?" he whispered into her ear. She gave a faint nod with no other acknowledgment of his presence. It should be anything but okay but it felt like being home. The thought concerned Julia.

  They stood in silence, neither wanting to do anything to break the calm they felt in that moment. When she'd moved the steaks away from the hottest part of the grill, she turned around and looked up into Micah's eyes. "What are we doing?" she whispered through shallow breaths.

  "I think it's called enjoying a night out, but I could be wrong," he answered with a smirk. He flicked her on the nose and turned her back to the grill. "If you turn my T-bone into shoe leather, I'm eating Ribeye tonight."

  She checked both steaks and assured him they were cooking beautifully. It felt right to be here with Micah, like it was something they did on a regular basis. Julia felt another brick dislodge around her heart as she leaned back into Micah's strong chest. Following her lead, he wrapped both of his arms around her and pulled her closer. Julia was certain she'd never felt such a strong embrace and doubted there would be anyone else who could make her feel the way she was feeling at that moment.

  The tension of the evening melted away in front of the grill. Julia and Micah returned to the table ignoring the inquisitive looks from their friends. Something had changed while they were preparing their meals but no one was willing to mention the relaxed atmosphere or the failed attempts at subtle flirting between the two.

  When it came time to leave, Austin suggested a rematch. As Julia followed Lizzie to the restrooms, she overheard Austin giving Micah a hard time for throwing the pool game the night before and following it up with an over-priced dinner. Before she could hear Micah's response, the door closed and the women were alone.

  Instead of heading into one of the stalls, Lizzie leaned against the counter, folding her arms over her chest. "Do I want to know?" The look on her face was the closest to a glare Julia had ever seen from Lizzie. "What was going on out there?"

  Even if Julia had answers to the questions Lizzie wasn't asking, she wasn't sure they'd ever been close enough that she would open up to her. "I don't even know, so I'm not sure what I'm supposed to tell you." She pulled the tinted gloss out of her purse and moved towards the counter, suddenly uncomfortable with everything about the evening.

  "Just be careful with him, okay?" Lizzie begged. "He's been through hell and back since you've been gone. I'm not saying you haven't been, but that bitch made his life a living hell every day before she left and more so once she was gone. Just be careful." Julia's breath caught at hearing the profanities coming out of Lizzie's mouth. Things had definitely changed... Lizzie left Julia alone to consider what she'd said.

  Whatever had happened with Caleb's mom no longer seemed like karmic payback. This was the second time in one day Julia had been warned about the changes in Micah's life while she was gone. Everyone seemed to share the opinion that the woman he'd cheated on Julia with was a vile creature who had put Micah and his son through hard times. As much as she wanted to ask Micah about his ex on the drive home, she couldn't. Instead, they rode in silence.

  "So, are we going to The Oasis?" she asked when the truck slowed at the city limits. She didn't want the night to end.

  Micah shook his head without looking at her.

  "Are you okay?"

  He placed his arm on the console, offering his hand to her. "I have no clue." His voice was too quiet, his face showed a hint of sadness.

  Julia wondered what he was thinking and how a night that seemed so right when they left Madison now felt like a mistake. She knew she wasn't imagining the playfulness they shared and hated herself for thinking she could somehow be in Micah's presence without letting herself feel something for him.

  There was little reassurance in the squeeze she felt from Micah's hand around her own. In some ways, they were still damaged adolescents recovering from a broken relationship. "Hey, Jules... it'll be okay." For the first time since leaving the restaurant, there was a trace of a smile on Micah's lips.

  Julia wasn't ready to say goodnight as Micah pulled into the driveway. When he rounded the front of the truck to open her door, she grabbed his fingers to pull him towards the house. His s
trong legs held him in place. "I don't think this is a good idea," he said softly. "Jules, we're not kids anymore. Hell, I have a kid who's not much older than I was when I met you." He paused for a moment before lowering his lips on the top of her head. "I don't think you have any clue how much I want to go inside with you. I want it bad enough that I'm telling you no."

  Julia looked up at him, perplexed. "But I'm not ready for goodnight," she whispered. "I don't care if we sit on opposite sides of the kitchen table, I just want some more time. I want to spend time with my friend. That's it."

  Wrapped in each other's arms, Micah and Julia walked to the front porch. "I don't know if I can sit across the table from you," he whispered in her ear, trailing her neck with kisses.

  "Try," she breathed into his ear. "Otherwise we can stay outside. Just don't leave me yet." As the words came out of her mouth, she realized it was probably the best idea she'd had all night. If they sat on the porch, there was no temptation to go further than either would be willing to if they were thinking clearly. At the top of the steps, she turned to the left and led him to the hanging swing at the end of the porch.

  Once he settled into one side of the swing, Julia nestled into Micah's chest. They sat in silence, hypnotized by the gentle sway of the swing. Micah's soft caress on Julia's arm started lulling her to sleep. "Are we going to talk?" She asked, straining her head back to see his face.

  "Do we have to?" He softly kissed the top of her head and brought his hand to her face. "I'd prefer to sit here and enjoy the night with my best friend."

  Best friend. The words carried so much weight and truth it took away Julia's breath. Even through all of the hurt and pain, she agreed with him. He was her best friend as much as she was his. There was nothing else to say that couldn't wait.

  Chapter Six

  Julia was startled to life by the smell of coffee wafting through the house and sun streaking the gray walls of her bedroom. The last thing she remembered was lying her head on Micah's lap in the early morning hours. Now, she was laying in bed dressed in sweatpants and a t-shirt. Reassuring herself that she hadn't drunk enough last night to do something as stupid as sleep with someone and not remember it, she raced downstairs.

  "Morning, sleepy," Micah called out as her foot hit the bottom stair.

  She turned into the kitchen, annoyed by his cheerful mood as much as by his presence in her kitchen. "What in the hell are you doing?" she barked.

  Micah turned to the refrigerator. "You know, for a smart woman, you ask some really dumb questions," he laughed.

  Julia narrowed her eyes at the playful comment, "I'm serious. What are you doing in my house at a ridiculous hour?" It really wasn't that big of a deal and he was trying to do something nice for her but that didn't change the fact that he was messing with her mind before caffeine.

  "First of all, it's almost nine, hardly a ridiculous hour," he stated, fighting back a smile, "And second, I thought I'd make you coffee before I got to work. I'm going to be working on the other half of the porch and I knew how much you enjoyed yesterday's wakeup." He handed her a mug of steaming coffee. She noticed that he'd pulled out the largest mug, her favorite, and he'd put cream and sugar in it. She wondered if it was a fluke or if he remembered how she liked her coffee.

  "Thank you," she grumbled.

  Once Julia had a chance to take the first drink of the morning, Micah grabbed her hand, leading her to the front porch. Sitting on the small table to the side of the swing was a bag from the cafe. "I brought you a cinnamon roll too. You used to like them."

  She patted the swing as she sat down, inviting Micah to join her. "I don't get you, you know that?" she said before taking a bite of the roll.

  "Back at ya." Micah bumped into Julia's shoulder, causing coffee to slosh over the edge of the mug. "Sorry."

  "You should be." Julia offered Micah a bite of the roll as a peace offering. "And I'm sorry for being bitchy this morning."

  Jumping off the swing, Micah told her that it wasn't a new thing for him to experience her less-than-pleasant attitude in the morning. Before she think of a suitable comeback, Micah ducked around the corner to get to work.

  She could get used to sitting on the swing with coffee every morning if she could find a gorgeous man to hand-deliver a roll to go with it. Julia grabbed her iPad and returned to the swing to get some work done. Most of the emails waiting for her were junk, but one email caught her off-guard.

  Hey stranger!

  Want to explain to me why it is that I found out from Turner that my big sister is back in town? You said you were coming back to Wisconsin, but didn't mention you were coming back to Brooklyn. Kinda rude. And what about you hanging out with Micah Friday night. You're going to start hearing a lot about him around town. If you're trying to figure out what's true and what's bullshit, let me know. I know you aren't going to like it, but he and I talked a fair bit while you were away.

  Call me.

  Love you.

  AS

  Julia wondered how it was that everyone in her life seemed to have stayed close to Micah while she was gone and no one slipped up and said anything to her about him. Never. It might go down in history as the one secret that was kept in this forsaken town.

  It irritated her that they felt the need to hide the truth. Yes, it would have been hard at first, but she felt like it would have been easier to deal with if they'd been forthcoming with her about it. It felt like they didn't trust her to be able to handle the gravity of the situation. Hell, maybe she and Micah could have resolved their issues if anyone had bothered to explain things to her.

  She walked up the driveway to where Micah was finishing making cuts. "Hey, can we talk at lunchtime? I'll buy today."

  "Yeah, sounds good," he said as he kept moving boards and marking them. "Hey, Jules, you wanna come out and keep me company in a bit?"

  Julia shook her head and smiled, "We'll see. I might have to take a nap. Some hot guy took me out last night and I didn't get to bed until late."

  Micah played along, feigning anger. "Need me to take care of him for ya?"

  A smile broke out on Julia's face, "Nah, I think I might like him," she teased while retreating to the house.

  The smile didn't leave Julia's face as she sat down to check in with her clients. Once she'd sent emails to everyone to let them know she'd gotten moved and would be back to work on Monday, she decided to email her brother back.

  Hey jackass.

  Sorry I didn't tell you I was coming back to Brooklyn. I figured you'd try to talk me out of it. I'm renting a house Annie's parents just bought. Yes, I hung out with Micah Friday night. And Saturday night. And you'll never believe who Mrs. Stevens hired to do the renovations on the house. Honestly, I'll be shocked if he can turn this place into something livable. It's pretty crappy but it's cheap. So, now that we got all of that out of the way, when are you going to come and see me? And when did you talk to Carly?

  JW

  She picked up her keys to run for lunch and remembered that they still hadn't taken care of the dead battery on her car. Micah hesitated for a moment when she asked to borrow his truck again. Looking at his watch, he told her he would run her into town. "Sorry, have to pick up Caleb in thirty."

  "You want me to just give you the money then?" Julia asked, uncomfortable at the thought of meeting his son. She was still trying to get past the fact that he had a son and the key role Caleb's existence played in their past.

  Micah opened the passenger door and ushered her in, "Nah, it'll be okay. It's not like you're the only female friend I have."

  The words stung in a way Julia wasn't expecting. She didn't know what she expected but there was something unsettling about being in the friends zone with someone who was so important in her life.

  Micah's mind was racing as he drove into town. He kicked himself for the comment he made as they got into the truck. Yes, it was a true and valid statement but he hated the pain he saw in Julia's eyes. It was meant to ease her mind so she wouldn't
worry about what Caleb would think seeing a woman in the truck. Instead, it made him sound like new women were a frequent occurrence in their lives.

  "Jules?"

  She opened her eyes, "Yeah?"

  "About what I said..." he hesitated. Why was he suddenly worried about crafting every word that came out of his mouth when he was around her? "I didn't mean it the way it sounded."

  Julia stared at the building in front of them as he parked. "I know," she said dismissively. She might claim she understood what he meant but her eyes told a different story.

  "I just--," he was desperate to explain, not wanting to erase any progress he'd made in making things right.

  As he opened her door, she grabbed his arm, "I mean it. It's okay."

  Neither of them spoke as they ate lunch. Micah wished Joel Bryant would call to let him know they were back from camping. He needed to get back to work. He needed to put his feelings for Julia into a box tucked deep in the back of his mind. He knew he'd crossed a line last night, and again this morning.

  Julia was the first to break the silence, "We really do need to talk about yesterday." Her voice was hesitant.

  Micah folded his hands on the table. "I can't say I regret much of it. You?" Fearing he would see that exact emotion in her eyes, he focused on the napkin dispenser between them. It was the best day he'd had in over a decade. Even if she walked away today, he couldn't call it a mistake.

  "No, but..." she trailed off. Micah wished she'd give him any sort of clue about what she wanted. He still had no right to ask for anything but the energy between them didn't feel like friendship. It felt like the piece of him that was missing had been found.

  Taking a chance, Micah reached for her hands, caressing them with his thumbs. "You were the one who said we need to be honest. I don't think that applies only to our past."