Love Starved (28 page)

Daphne was just getting into her car when they came back to the cabin, and with a made-up excuse and an apologetic squeeze of Aiden’s hand, Micah offered to follow her to town to show her where everything was. She frowned at him as if he’d lost his senses, and Aiden looked like a deer in the headlights, being left alone with his family, but Micah didn’t falter. He needed to talk to Daphne, alone. Aiden would do fine—Brad had already arrived. Besides, he really needed to get used to being in Micah’s parents’ company if they were in it for the long haul.

“Daph, I need one of your reality checks,” Micah said as soon as they sat down in his favorite coffee shop.

Daphne grinned at him over her skinny macchiato. “Ooh, great. I love giving those. Tell me what’s wrong and I’ll be happy to criticize it for you.”

“I want to ask Aiden to move in with me.”

“Okay?” Daphne nodded and motioned for him to go on. Micah frowned.

“This is the moment where you’re supposed to say, ‘You’re crazy, it’s too soon’.”

“It’s not too soon.”

“What?”

Daphne waved her hand dismissively. “Please, I’ve seen you together enough times to know you’re the real deal. You’re giving my relationship meter nothing but happy tingles, and you know I’m practically psychic like that. You should totally move in together.”

“But… it hasn’t even been six months yet since we got together.” Micah picked up a sugar packet and started playing with it, just to occupy his nervous fingers with something solid. Daphne shrugged.

“So? You can pop the question at the half-anniversary, when is that?”

“In ten days.”

“See? Perfectly fitting. Do you even sleep at your own places at this point?”

“Sure, all the time.”

She arched an eyebrow. “Separately?”

“Oh. Yeah, sometimes.”

“So buy a place with a guest bedroom, just in case one of you needs to be alone
sometimes
, but what’s the point of keeping two apartments?”

The packet tore in Micah’s fingers, sugar spilling all over the table. “Whoa, who’s saying anything about buying?”

Daphne sighed and swept the sugar onto a napkin. “Okay, then rent for now, whatever,” she said once the table was clean again. “Just take my advice and find a new place together. Don’t make him move into your oversized bachelor pad, no matter how awesome it is. That would just make him feel like a kept man. I’m sure he’s had enough of that.”

Micah hadn’t even thought of that.

“Daphne? You’re a genius.”

She rolled her eyes and sipped her coffee. “Of course I am; haven’t I told you for years? Aren’t you happy you took my advice a year ago and contacted him?”

“I definitely owe you for that one.” Micah picked up his own cup to hide his suddenly stinging eyes. If she hadn’t forced Angel’s card on him…

“Hey now, don’t get all teary on me,” Daphne protested, but her voice was soft. “Just make sure to let me know the minute you two cupcakes get engaged. I will need time to make this wedding properly epic.”

Micah laughed wetly. “Deal. Though, you know, somehow it feels like we’re in a honeymoon phase ever since we got together. Isn’t it supposed to crash at some point?”

Daphne dismissed that with a crinkle of her nose. “Nah. You’ve been though the turbulent times already. You know how to deal with trouble together. You’ve been tested in battle. You’re good. Stop waiting for the other shoe to drop. Just love him and be happy.”

Love Aiden and be happy. Yes. Micah could do that.

The night was cold, but
the stars above them shone so brightly they took Micah’s breath away. It was almost midnight, and he’d only gone out for a moment, to get some more wood for the fireplace, but then he looked up and he had to—
had to—
get back in to collect Aiden and a couple of old quilts, and take them all out onto the deck.

The wedding had gone without a hitch. The weather turned out to be perfect, the backyard looked like a magical wonderland, and Claudia was a vision, glowing with happiness in her simple white gown. Aiden had disappeared somewhere with Micah’s mom halfway through the evening, and when he came back half an hour later, his eyes were a little red, but his smile could light up a room. “No, I’m good,” he answered Micah’s concerned question. “I’m great, actually. Your mom is… wonderful, you know?”

And now all the guests had gone home, Daphne’s team had returned the place to its usual state, and the newlyweds had left for their Brazilian honeymoon. Micah’s parents were staying for a few more days, but they were already asleep upstairs, so Micah and Aiden had the place to themselves.

They had planned to sleep outside at least one night during their stay here—Micah’s parents brought the air mattress from their attic for precisely this reason—but tonight was not that night. It was too cold. But the sky above was perfect, without a cloud in sight, and the stars brought Micah right back to last July, when they first watched them here together. Not staying outside, even if just for a moment, was not an option.

The silence was broken only by the croaking of frogs and the occasional lapping of water. They lay in silence, bodies pressed together under the quilt and fingers intertwined, with the stars peaceful above them.

“You know,” Aiden whispered after a long while. “That night—the first night under these stars with you, there was a moment when I let myself forget who I was and what I was doing here, and allowed myself to just be. Myself, with you. And for a second, just a flash, I wished—that it could be like this forever.”

“Did you see a falling star right then?” Micah whispered back.

“No, but there had to be one, don’t you think? I mean, look at us now.”

Micah hummed. “It feels like a lifetime ago.”

“It’s a year tomorrow since we first met.”

Micah turned to him, his eyes wide. “It is?”

Aiden smiled. “Yes. A year from our first date, first kiss… technically, at least. That’s when it all started.”

“Wow. A year already. And yet, barely a year? I can hardly remember who I was before I loved you,” Micah admitted, cuddling closer and putting his head on Aiden’s shoulder. “So… if you saw a falling star now, what would you wish for?”

Aiden kissed him, slow and sweet. “For this to last forever.”

The End

Acknowledgments

This book wouldn’t have happened
without the support of a whole lot of people.

I owe a huge thank you to the Interlude Press team—Annie, Becky, Candy and Lex—for their belief in me and my story, and for working hard to make this novel better every step of the way.

Thank you to Valerie for her gorgeous cover art.

Thank you to Claire, who has put massive amounts of time and energy into reading this story at different levels of completion, annotating it with epic, insightful comments and discussing solutions with me for hours on end. Darling, I couldn’t have done it without your friendship and support.

Thank you to Hachiko, who is the best brainstorming partner I could dream of. We will make that collaboration happen one day, you just wait.

Thank you to Jenni, my dearest friend, personal editor and support system in one. You make everything better.

Thank you to Lili and Carrie for their help with research, and to Jude for giving me a safe place to rant when things weren’t going the way I needed them to go.

Most of all, thank you to all my friends and readers in fandom. I wouldn’t be here without your steady support, your encouragement and your love. Thank you for helping me make my dream come true.

About the Author

Kate Fierro spent ten years
translating, editing and reviewing other people’s words before making an impulse decision to write down some of her own. She hasn’t been able to stop since. Kate lives in Europe and is bilingual, with more love for her adopted language than her native one.

With nearly a million words under her belt,
Love Starved
is Kate’s debut novel.

Questions for Discussion

1. Do Micah and Angel prioritize lies over love? How or how not?

2. How do Angel’s and Micah’s jobs contribute to them being emotionally distant?

3. In what ways does
Love Starved
defy conventions of romantic storytelling?

4. How do Micah’s expectations of love change after he learns of Angel’s secret?

5. Angel is Micah’s fantasy, but in which way does Micah fulfill Angel’s dreams?

6. In what ways did Micah’s family help or hinder his relationship with Aiden?

7. How does the persona of “Angel” differ from Aiden in real life?

8. What role does technology play in
Love Starved
?

9. Would Micah have ever found love if he had never received Angel’s business card?

10. If someone asked you to create the perfect romantic experience, what would it be?