8 Brand-New Romance Authors. Avril Tremayne

for me, but I know it was for a reason. It all came to a peak, and I was forced to face reality. I needed that. I needed to deal with the past and finally put it all behind me.”

      “Good. It is so nice to hear you talk like that.” Sabina stood and smoothed out her pant legs. “You ready for this?”

      “As ready as I will ever be.” Micah had been dreading this for a few days now. They were all meeting at Hanna’s to help her move.

      The girls would arrive first so they could help pack the boxes. Then the guys would show up later with the truck and load it up. That helped a little. She wouldn’t know how to act if Josh arrived there first and she showed up later. It would put pressure on her to say something, do something. If she was there first, then she could be busy doing things by the time he arrived. Seemed like a good enough plan.

      She grabbed her coat and followed Sabina out the door. Here goes nothing.

      * * *

      Micah was in the bedroom packing up all of Hanna’s personal items when she heard the guys arrive. Her heart began to pound. Her hands began to shake. She kept folding and packing, doing her best to concentrate on the clothing and not on what was happening downstairs.

      It didn’t work. She could hear his voice as he laughed. He sounded good. Did he miss her? Did her absence affect him in any way? Or had he just gone on the way he always did when women came in and out of his life? She had always thought she was different. Was she now just another one of them?

      Furniture banged against something. “Hey, watch the furniture! You are going to pay for anything you damage, boys!”

      Micah laughed as she imagined the scene. Two guys with their muscles, sweating, lifting heavy objects...

      Whoa!

      Her mind was going places it should not. Hanna was probably standing on the staircase watching their every move, directing them and being her overcautious self, making sure her furniture was moved unscathed.

      Footsteps sounded on the stairs, then down the hallway. She knew whom they belonged to without even seeing him. He turned the corner into the room.

      A simple gray T-shirt had never looked so good. Long, muscular legs encased in old, worn-out jeans. His hair messed up just so. Gawd, he looked good.

      She felt her heart breaking all over again. They were supposed to do this run-in with others around. It would have been easier that way. Why couldn’t it have worked out that way?

      “Hi.”

      All he had to do was say one word and it was her undoing. She had no idea how she did not collapse into a mess of tears, but she was able to manage a smile. She could do this. She knew she could.

      “Hanna wanted me to start grabbing some boxes to shove up on top in the moving truck. Do you have any that are ready?”

      “Those are.” Two words. Good enough. She pointed to the boxes near the door, but he just continued to look at her. She could see his heart in his eyes and it looked just as broken as hers. Please leave so I can cry in peace.

      She really should have come up with an excuse for not being able to help today. She hadn’t told Hanna about her recent developments because she had her own problems to work through. She didn’t need Micah’s drama, too. Hanna needed her help. She could get past her own issues in order to help her friend. She could and she would.

      He finally made his way to the boxes, stacking one on top of the other and lifting them both at the same time. It would make this go a lot faster if he could manage carrying multiples. He quickly glanced back one more time before disappearing through the doorway.

      Micah hurried to finish her duties. Just get the boxes packed and she could get out of there, away from the reminders of all she had lost and all she would never have. With her back to the door, she worked hard and kept the tears at bay. She didn’t want to see Josh each time he retrieved more boxes. Thankfully, that was only two more times. Both times she made herself busy.

      She could sense him standing there, watching her. Slowly, she turned. He stood in the doorway with his hands in his pockets.

      “I’m sorry, Mike.”

      “Don’t.”

      “I never meant—”

      “Please stop.” She took a deep breath and stared at the shirt she had been in the process of folding. “I didn’t think... I mean, I never thought this would happen. I never expected it to. I always assumed you would be there. I took you for granted, took our friendship for granted. I’m sorry.”

      “You didn’t—”

      “No. Stop. I know we can never go back to how it used to be, but I’m hoping we can at least be somewhat normal around one another. Do you think that’s possible?”

      He stared down at his feet, avoiding eye contact. Silence stretched between them before he finally spoke. “Yeah. We can do that.”

      His shoulders dropped slightly as he turned to leave. Micah stared at the empty doorway, unable to fathom how this relationship had crumbled so quickly. It hadn’t been as indestructible as they’d assumed it was.

      “How’s it going up here?”

      Micah turned to see Hanna enter. Her eyes must have given her away, because Hanna’s filled with concern as she came closer. Hanna rested her hand on Micah’s, hindering her progress. “What’s going on, Micah? Is something wrong?”

      “No. I’m fine. I’m almost finished.”

      “Forget the stuff, Micah. Stop. Sit down. Tell me. What’s the matter? And don’t bother denying it. I can read you like a book.”

      “It’s not...” Hanna’s eyebrow lifted up, halting her ensuing denial. “Fine. I did something stupid and now things are really messed up with Josh, and I just want to go home.”

      “What did you do? Oh, please tell me one of you finally confessed your true feelings!”

      “What?”

      “I have been waiting for years for one of you to come to your senses.”

      “Why haven’t you said anything?”

      “Neither of you was ready to hear it. But stop avoiding the question. What did you do?”

      “I realized...”

      “Yes?”

      “...that...I’ve fallen in love with Josh.”

      “It’s about time.”

      “I don’t know what you are talking about.”

      “So what did you do?”

      “I accidentally told him.”

      “What do you mean, accidentally?”

      “Well, I meant to text Sabina about it, but I had an oops moment and sent it to Josh instead.”

      “Classic.”

      “How can you be so casual about this?”

      “Because you guys are meant to be together. Everyone knows that.”

      “No. No one knows that.”

      “So, what happened?” Hanna was relentless.

      “He doesn’t feel the same.”

      “That’s what he said?”

      “His exact words were I can’t.”

      “Aw, Micah. I’m sorry it went down like that. Give it time. I know you two are meant to be together, and it will all work out eventually.”

      Micah stood, dragged her hands across her face and wiped the leftover tears on her jeans. She looked down at the things that still needed to be packed. “Let’s stop worrying about me and keep working on getting you