the restaurant were tender enough to cut with a butter knife.
`Annie laughed when Julia called to explain her dilemma and ask for Micah's phone number. "You do realize you're going to give someone emotional whiplash soon, right?" She rattled off the phone number from memory and told Julia to keep her posted on the night's events. It was true. In the past 24 hours, the swing of Julia's feelings towards Micah were off the charts.
Fashion wasn't Julia's strong suit. Twenty minutes before Micah was due back at Julia's door, she stood in front of a heap of discarded wardrobe options. She was trying, and failing, to find an outfit that showed effortless comfort and class. If Annie didn't have plans with one of the cowboys from last night, Julia would have insisted that she come over and help with what felt like the impossible task of finding an outfit. Running out of time, she picked an emerald green off-the-shoulder shirt paired with white jeans and brown leather sandals.
Right on time, there was a rap on the front door. She put the finishing touches on her makeup, tousled the waves that fell to the middle of her back and opened the door. Julia wished that, just once, Micah wouldn't take her breath away. The stubble on his cheeks had been cleanly shaven to give a delicious contrast between his tanned skin and the closely trimmed goatee. The leather jacket typically accompanied by a crew neck t-shirt was replaced by a tight, white v-neck tee under a black vest. The work boots from earlier in the day were once again replaced by perfectly broken in black cowboy boots. In a word, he looked stunning.
An uncomfortable silence filled the truck as Micah drove into Madison. Unable to take the quiet any longer, she leaned forward to turn on the stereo. "Is this okay with you?" she asked, before turning up the volume. She had to remember that whatever they were was different from what they'd been the last time she rode in a vehicle with him. She needed to respect the boundaries of their friendship and that included not messing with his stereo.
He glanced at her quizzically, "Why wouldn't it be?" He grabbed her hand. They drove the rest of the way to the restaurant with their fingers interlocked on the console. She thought of pulling back, knowing the lines were blurring dangerously but she didn't. For a little while, she was going to stay calm and do what felt natural.
The restaurant lobby was packed when they arrived. Towering over most of the patrons waiting for a table, Micah was able to quickly find Austin and Lizzie sitting at the bar waiting for their table to be ready. Even though they appeared deep in conversation, Lizzie's mouth fell open when she turned to see Julia and Micah walking towards them.
Julia laughed at her friend's reaction. She had a feeling that if things kept going the way it felt like they were, there were going to be a lot of jaws dragging on the floor in the coming weeks. In less than forty-eight hours, her defenses towards her ex were shattering.
"You two look... amazing," Lizzie whispered as she wrapped her arms around Julia. "Seriously, I didn't think we were going to see you out here tonight."
"I wasn't sure I was coming until this afternoon," Julia admitted, the corner of her mouth turning up slightly as scenes of the day played through her mind. Micah's hand splayed across her back brought Julia back to the present. He guided her to the stool Austin had occupied as Lizzie reclaimed her seat. As they waited, Austin and Micah talked college football while Julia and Lizzie caught up on everything that had happened in the years since they'd seen each other. A few times, Lizzie started to say something about Micah but stopped short.
She tried to not be upset that all of the friends who'd been supportive of Julia after the break-up were now protective over him. There was definitely something that everyone kept dancing around when it came to Micah in the time Julia had been out of state and she was
`Annie laughed when Julia called to explain her dilemma and ask for Micah's phone number. "You do realize you're going to give someone emotional whiplash soon, right?" She rattled off the phone number from memory and told Julia to keep her posted on the night's events. It was true. In the past 24 hours, the swing of Julia's feelings towards Micah were off the charts.
Fashion wasn't Julia's strong suit. Twenty minutes before Micah was due back at Julia's door, she stood in front of a heap of discarded wardrobe options. She was trying, and failing, to find an outfit that showed effortless comfort and class. If Annie didn't have plans with one of the cowboys from last night, Julia would have insisted that she come over and help with what felt like the impossible task of finding an outfit. Running out of time, she picked an emerald green off-the-shoulder shirt paired with white jeans and brown leather sandals.
Right on time, there was a rap on the front door. She put the finishing touches on her makeup, tousled the waves that fell to the middle of her back and opened the door. Julia wished that, just once, Micah wouldn't take her breath away. The stubble on his cheeks had been cleanly shaven to give a delicious contrast between his tanned skin and the closely trimmed goatee. The leather jacket typically accompanied by a crew neck t-shirt was replaced by a tight, white v-neck tee under a black vest. The work boots from earlier in the day were once again replaced by perfectly broken in black cowboy boots. In a word, he looked stunning.
An uncomfortable silence filled the truck as Micah drove into Madison. Unable to take the quiet any longer, she leaned forward to turn on the stereo. "Is this okay with you?" she asked, before turning up the volume. She had to remember that whatever they were was different from what they'd been the last time she rode in a vehicle with him. She needed to respect the boundaries of their friendship and that included not messing with his stereo.
He glanced at her quizzically, "Why wouldn't it be?" He grabbed her hand. They drove the rest of the way to the restaurant with their fingers interlocked on the console. She thought of pulling back, knowing the lines were blurring dangerously but she didn't. For a little while, she was going to stay calm and do what felt natural.
The restaurant lobby was packed when they arrived. Towering over most of the patrons waiting for a table, Micah was able to quickly find Austin and Lizzie sitting at the bar waiting for their table to be ready. Even though they appeared deep in conversation, Lizzie's mouth fell open when she turned to see Julia and Micah walking towards them.
Julia laughed at her friend's reaction. She had a feeling that if things kept going the way it felt like they were, there were going to be a lot of jaws dragging on the floor in the coming weeks. In less than forty-eight hours, her defenses towards her ex were shattering.
"You two look... amazing," Lizzie whispered as she wrapped her arms around Julia. "Seriously, I didn't think we were going to see you out here tonight."
"I wasn't sure I was coming until this afternoon," Julia admitted, the corner of her mouth turning up slightly as scenes of the day played through her mind. Micah's hand splayed across her back brought Julia back to the present. He guided her to the stool Austin had occupied as Lizzie reclaimed her seat. As they waited, Austin and Micah talked college football while Julia and Lizzie caught up on everything that had happened in the years since they'd seen each other. A few times, Lizzie started to say something about Micah but stopped short.
She tried to not be upset that all of the friends who'd been supportive of Julia after the break-up were now protective over him. There was definitely something that everyone kept dancing around when it came to Micah in the time Julia had been out of state and she was
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