Page 63 of Safe Place

The drive home does nothing to quiet my thoughts. Once I'm parked, I stay in the car and open Carter's thread again. My thumb hovers. My heart pounds.

Me

Fuck you. We’re done. I’m dropping you as a student.

I hit send. Then I block his number.

My hands are shaking. I rest the phone on my lap and breathe in slowly, like I can hold all the panic in my lungs and crush it.

What if he shows up? What if he tries something?

Cross the bridge when you get there, Sophie.

I stay parked for a long moment, fingers locked tight around the steering wheel, forcing myself to breathe. In through my nose, out through my mouth. I count each exhale until the tightness in my chest finally loosens.

Thankfully, I found a parking spot just two blocks from my apartment. I check my surroundings before leaving the car. I’ve been doing it more lately—I don’t know if it’s because of Carter, or the other thing sitting in the back of my mind—or both.

The evening air is cool against my face as I walk, trying to keep my thoughts quiet, but they won’t stop circling.

In the distance I see a comforting, familiar silhouette under the streetlight: broad shoulders, hands tucked into his pockets. His head tilts slightly when he spots me. He already knows something’s wrong.

The moment I see Micah clearly, everything I've been holding together all night starts to slip. All the emotions I’ve been holding down surge to the surface, and before I know it, I’m running. Tears sting my eyes, blurring the edges of his figure, but I can see his arms open as soon as he spots me.

The closer I get, the deeper the frown forms on his face. By the time I reach him, I can barely hold it in. I throw myself into his arms, burying my face against his chest.

“Baby, what’s wrong?” His voice is low, serious, full of concern. “What happened?”

“I just…missed you. Especially today.” I force the words out, trying to keep my voice steady, trying to pretend he can’t feel how I’m shaking.

He doesn’t respond right away. He just watches me like he knows I’m not being honest.

“Sophie, you know you don’t have to do everything yourself, right?” He says. “I’m here for you.”

I force a small smile. “I know.”

He rests his chin gently on top of my head, and immediately his warmth grounds me. “And for the record, I missed you too,” he murmurs. “I wanted to catch you at the cafe, but the timing didn’t work. I thought I’d have a better chance finding you here.”

“You must be exhausted from the drive,” I say, blinking away the last of my tears, hoping to change the subject. “Did you eat?”

“I didn’t,” he admits, pulling back just enough to look at me. His hand slides to my waist, steady and sure. “And I know you didn’t either. Come on—let’s go grab a bite.”

We skim through the menus for a few minutes, tossing ideas back and forth until we each settle on something. We decided on a local Thai restaurant that has amazing reviews, plus this was one of the only places open at this time. Micah orders a green curry and sticky rice for us to share, and I pick a pad thai, which is always a safe choice. Now we’re just waiting, the quiet between us stretching a little too long.

I keep taking small sips of my lemon water, pretending to study the wood grain on the table, because for some reason the atmosphere between us is awkward. Not bad awkward, but like he’s trying to say something but can’t get himself to.

Micah leans back in his chair, watching me a little too closely. “So,” he says finally, voice casual—too casual.

I narrow my eyes. “What?”

“Since we were…close to doing more last time,” he says, his tone maddeningly even, “I figured I should bring it up.”

I blink at him. “Bring what up?”

“Sex,” he says plainly.

I almost choke on my water. “Oh my God, Mom. Is this the talk? Should I be taking notes?”

Micah laughs, which only makes my face hotter. “I’m serious, Soph. I just don’t want you worrying about anything, okay? I’m not in a rush, and I don’t want you feeling pressured.”