Get a grip—this isn’t what it seems! It isn’t…that.NotNow!
Yet the moment consumed Micah, becoming overwhelmed by the enchantment andpowerbehind that emerald gaze. He literally felt himself falling, tumbling down, as this stranger who felt like no stranger at all, ignited something inside him that eradicated all he had convinced himself of back in the city.
“Is everything all right?” Anewvoice.Male.
Micah flinched and blinked, his heart shuddering against his chest wall. The young man seemed to materialize out of thin air and rested his hand on the other man’s back. He was about Mark’s age and his cobalt blue eyes settled on Micah—warning him off? Micah couldn’t be sure as the airport swayed around him and he thought he might pass out as nausea struck without warning. Then suddenly, his head cleared, and reality slapped him in the face—again.Except this time—the sting burned to the depths of his soul.
“Yeah,” Micah mumbled. “I apologize for…” he spoke to the man with the emerald-green eyes, his words barely holding together.
“It’s all right.” There was a quickness to the man’s breath and an unevenness to his voice. “You…have a Merry Christmas.”
“And you.” Micah couldn’t move as the two men walked away, feeling caught in a moment of déjà vu—times a thousand.His throat hurt as it knotted tighter and tighter, his eyes burning with the sting of tears.Are you serious?!He hurled at God as he came apart at the seams. He swallowed hard and turned away from the retreating men, his entire body shaking.
This wasn’t supposed to happen.
It wasn’t supposed to be real.
He’d convinced himself that the “thunderbolt” didn’t affect a person as rumors suggested.
It wasn’t the thunderbolt. It wasn’t. Some random stranger in the airport is NOT your soulmate!
Micah felt empty. Depleted and deflated. Against his will, his eyes turned back to the two men. They were standing close—very close—talking quietly among themselves, then the younger man hugged the green-eyed stranger. Anguish strained Micah’s eyes and he wished to banish it. But it bubbled up from his stricken heart that now trembled in his chest…dazed and confused.
A hand touched his shoulder and he jumped. Mark stood beside him, a pinch in his brow. “Micah? Are you all right?”
Micah swallowed and struggled to compose himself—then suddenly wrapped his arms around the man and hugged him hard—clinging to him. Over Mark’s shoulder, soft green eyes crept his way, holding Micah’s stare just long enough to empty out his heart completely. He held Mark a little tighter—and wanted to cry…feeling like he was somehow being unfaithful to Mark in his heart, even though they were just “friends with benefits.” Or so they told themselves.
Yet just last night, he’d been ready and willing to bet his heart on Mark and take the chance that maybe they were meant for one another.
And in the blink of an emerald eye—everything was blown to smithereens.
∞∞∞
Micah dismissed his emotional embrace as a moment of affection and quickly directed Mark’s focus elsewhere. “Who was on the phone?” he asked as they retrieved their luggage and headed for the exit. He needed to get outside into the cool, crisp air and clear his head. Surely, he had blown the encounter all out of proportion. He would forget about the man by the time he and Mark arrived at Nick’s place. He was sure of it.
Tell that to your traumatized heart.
“My sister. Janine,” Mark said. “If it was up to me, she would be my only family member I ever spoke to.”
“She’s okay with you being gay?”
Mark nodded.
“Why did she call? Is everything all right back home?”
“Yeah.”
They grabbed a shuttle that carried them out to the parking lot where their rental car awaited. Mark stared out the side window of the shuttle, uncharacteristically quiet.
“Is something wrong?” Micah asked.
“Huh?” Mark glanced at him then smiled. It seemed a bit forced. “No. She was just hoping I’d come home for Christmas. She has about as much fun at our family gatherings as I do.”
There was something else he wasn’t mentioning, Micah was sure of it. But he didn’t press Mark for details. He had his own troubles at the moment. Deep inside, Micah was seething with anger toward God as his heart managed only crippled beats. How could a fleeting encounter with a total stranger wreck him this completely? It made no sense—nodamnsense at all.
Doesn’t it?
“Are you sure you’re all right?” Mark asked quietly with concern. “Did something happen with that guy? Was he being an asshole?”
