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I’d rather die than have Michael see where I live, but he rehts in my mind

All the ‘what ifs’ that I haven’t dwelled on so far start to bubble up, especially once we cruise past a half dozen turn-offs I knoould lead us straight to my place

My old place, I remind myself

“I’ over for Michael’s hand

“I know,” he replies, lifting ers

“I a ata face that seesinstantly

“I could use a hot shower and a life-sized bed,” he exclai hold of my hand as he pops his neck

“How do youlike that I mean,” I ask

“I don’t,” he says bluntly, butmy eyes with his once we slow to a halt behind so as he’s with me

“I think we can travel in anything except a train from now on,” he says and I can’t help but feel a ripple of anxiety across my belly

“Or planes,” I add quickly,look with a raised brow

“Or planes,” he agrees without even asking why, h with relief but also with admiration

I love how Michael just acceptsto tellelse

He takes ure out the best way for us to get around

So tells

Even though we just go there, I sense that Michael has a dozen things on hisandme

It’s not that I expect that, I can just tell that’s the kind of oes after it And when he has it, he treats it with the respect it deserves

The ‘it’ in this case isused to if my hunch about how full on Michael is turns out to be true

“What exactly did you do back there for Suze?” I eventually ask, steering the conversation back to her because I really thought Michael didn’t like her

Shrugging innocently again, Michael explains that all he did was give Patrick, the steward, a little nudge in the right direction

“But how did you knoas interested in Suze? She never said anything to me,” I wonder aloud

Michael chuckles “You teren’t exactly best buds for a while there… All I did was tell Patrick to speak up and tell her how he felt He’d kinda noticed hoe’d hit it off, but wasn’t sure how to approach his own feelings”