Chapter 127: A World of Two
When the awkward dinner finally ended, Micah jumped up as if the cushion had suddenly caught fire beneath him. He grabbed the empty bowls and spoons too quickly, nearly dropping one on the floor. He mumbled a soft ’Oops’ under his breath and walked out of the room. Finding the public kitchen, Micah quickly rinsed everything in a sink. Fortunately, the kitchen was not crowded. He wasn’t in the mood to fight for an empty spot.
Darcy stayed seated on the floor, watching Micah’s rushed retreat. His face didn’t show much, but his fingers tapped softly against his knee, lost in thought. During dinner, the silence in the room was heavy. Neither of them seemed eager to speak after that awkward conversation.
Micah returned after a few minutes and peeked at Darcy from the corner of his eye while drying the bowls and spoons. His hands fumbled a bit with the dishtowel. He couldn’t look Darcy in the eye for more than a second.
After blurting out that ridiculous question during dinner and then panicking like a moron, he didn’t know how to fix it. Should he bring it up again and explain? Or pretend it never happened? Both options sounded terrible.
Micah pressed his lips together. He felt nervous just thinking about talking to Darcy again. What if he said the wrong thing? What if Darcy asked him why he assumed he liked guys?
Micah wanted to be mute for the rest of the night. Then another thought filled his mind.
What if Darcy thought he was distancing himself by not talking to him?
Micah bit the inside of his cheek. What if Darcy really was upset? What if he thought Micah was judging him or making weird assumptions?
He screamed inwardly from frustration. His tongue really deserved a beating.
Then he looked at the silent Darcy again, hesitantly. He scratched his nose, then adjusted the glasses on his face. But not a word came out.
Darcy’s reaction had thrown him off. Not angry exactly, but... guarded. It made Micah think from another angle. Had he trusted the novel too much? Maybe things were already changing.