They both looked disgusted by his answer, and Micah tuned them out as the conversation turned towards the many strange cravings Tessa had suffered since falling pregnant, Jasper giving her shit about the time she’d apparently insisted on topping her ice cream with Brussels sprouts.

(“I was trying to be healthy!”)

As someone who had seen the woman dip baby carrots into the jar of peanut butter she kept stashed at her work desk more than once, Micah didn’t need to know more.

Still, he couldn’t help the twinge of envy as he observed the two of them together. A bark of laughter escaped Tessa at something Jasper said, and a moment later he was tucking a piece of wayward hair behind her ear, gazing at her like she was the most precious thing in the world despite the unladylike chortle and the bit of tomato juice she’d just snorted out of her nose. She playfully bit his finger, sucking on the tip for a moment before letting it go, and feeling like a voyeur, Micah turned to stare at his empty-except-for-the-ice drink, poking at the cubes with his straw.

They were so in love with each other it was borderline sickening.

“Hey, Micah, want to dance with us?”

Micah didn’t realize he had zoned out until Tessa addressed him. She and Jasper had both stood from the booth they’d snatched, apparently intent on joining the dozens of other people shimmying on the dance floor of Club Trinity.

It was embarrassing enough third wheeling with the couple without having to picture himself gyrating between the two of them. “Uh, I’ll pass.”

A bit of the melancholy he was feeling must have slipped into his voice because Tessa frowned at him. “You sure?”

“Yup,” Micah insisted, making sure to insert more pep into his voice. “Jasper can figure out how to grind against that giant belly all by himself.”

Tessa laughed as she flipped him off, promptly dragging Jasper out onto the dance floor. Micah didn’t recognize the music playing, but the bass was loud and fast-paced, with some rap flung in here and there – perfect for rubbing yourself up against the nearest warm body.

Except Micah didn’t feel like dancing.

As soon as Tessa and Jasper disappeared into the crowd, Micah sighed, resting his face against the table. It was pleasantly cool against his flushed cheek, so he was willing to overlook the fact it was a bit sticky – a sign that he’d perhaps consumed too much alcohol.

He couldn’t help but long for a relationship like the one Tessa and Jasper had – someone to share his shitty apartment with and snuggle up with on the cold mornings, putting up with the fact he regularly snoozed his alarm three times before dragging himself out of bed.

Just domestic shit like that.

Micah’s mind dredged up handsome features – thick eyebrows, a stubbled jaw, dark hair – paired with a commanding baritone and a sharp sense of humor.