Lo

“ARE YOU SURE IT’S COOL I’m here?” Kiera twirled the bracelets lining her wrist again, and I nudged her shoulder with mine.

“Stop worrying. Maverick invited us. All of us.”

“It’s a shame Summer and Nick couldn’t make it,” Laurie said from up front. “It would have been nice for us all to hang.”

“There’s always next time.” Kyle kept his eyes on the road. We were almost at SU, and I couldn’t wait to see Maverick. Sure, it had only been three days, but they had seemed like forever. God only knew what I was going to do once he was too busy with classes and basketball to fit in regular visits. Don’t go there, Lo. 

“Here we are,” Kyle announced as he took the turn for campus. “On your left you have some strange looking art and up ahead is where the magic happens.”

“Kyle, I think that’s the library.” Laurie glanced back at us and rolled her eyes.

“Library. Department of Arts and Sciences. It all looks the same. But the point is, babe...” he trailed off. “What was my point again?”

“Is he always like this?” Kiera asked, to which Laurie and I replied in unison, “Yes.”

“That’s Maverick’s building over there.” I pointed to the cluster of two-storey buildings, anticipation rippling through me.

“Fancy,” Kiera replied, her dark eyes taking it all in. She was so much like Kyle and yet, at the same time, they were different. She was all dark and brooding where he was light and goofy. And she was snark and sarcasm, to Kyle’s humour and wit. 

“Isn’t that Ma—”

But I’d already seen him... and the purple bruise covering half his face. I was out of the car and running towards him before the others had a chance to follow. “What the hell, Maverick?” I reached out for his face, but he snagged my hand. 

“It’s worse than it looks.”

“What happened?” The question flew out even though my mind knew the answer. 

“Not here, okay?” His eyes pleaded with me. “I’ll tell you later.”

When I’d asked about Thursday night’s initiation he’d played it down, saying it was nothing more than a silly prank. But this didn’t look like a silly prank to me. He was hurt.

“Prince, up to your usual tricks I see.” Kyle joined us, motioning at the bruise but when Maverick met his stepbrother’s playful gaze, something passed between them and Kyle said no more on the matter.

“Kiera, it’s good to see you,” Maverick said, ending the conversation.

“Thanks for inviting me.” She frowned at the sight of him but didn’t say anything. “I’ve never been to a college campus before.” 

“Let me give you guys the tour and then we can head down to the beach, yeah?”

“Sounds good.” 

Maverick pulled me into his side as we walked back to his dorm. “I’m okay,” he whispered against my hair. “I promise.”

But words meant nothing when he was sporting a huge shiner that could only have been made by someone else’s fist. 

“Wait until you see his room,” Kyle said to Kiera as we neared Maverick’s building.

They filed in one-by-one, but Maverick caught me as I went to go inside, pulling me back into his arms. “I missed you.” He leaned down, capturing my lips and I gave in.

To the questions whirling around my head.

The pit in my stomach.

I pushed it all away, losing myself to every stroke of his tongue against mine.

“Whoa, Prince. I know you’re happy to see your girl, but let’s keep it PG-13,” a voice said, and I sighed against Maverick’s mouth before burying my face into the crook of his neck.

“Jamie,” Maverick’s voice was curt, but I recognised the name and left the comfort of my boyfriend’s embrace to face our unwelcomed guest.

“Hi, I’m Lo.”

“I know who you are.” He grinned. “Jamie.”

“I know who you are too,” I replied, and he winked at Maverick.

“I like her already.”

“Can we do something for you, J?”

“Nah, just passing through.” He flicked his head to the dorm building where I spied Kyle, Kiera, and Laurie, watching us from inside. “Do you guys have any special plans?”

Maverick wrapped me into his side and shrugged. “I’m going to give them the tour and then we’re heading down to the beach.”

Awkward silence descended over us and I elbowed Maverick in the ribs. He spluttered out, “You can come with, if you want?”

“Nah, it’s cool. I need to get ahead with some reading and I think Darnell said something about hitting the gym. I’ll catch you later though?” There was something in the way he asked the question that had me on edge.

“It was nice to meet you Lo. Don’t be a stranger.”

I gave him a little wave, watching as he went inside, then I turned to Maverick. “What was all that about?”

“I didn’t want to have to share you with anyone else. It’s bad enough I have to share you with them.” He motioned to where our friends stood.

“I’m not talking about that, Maverick. What did he mean, ‘he’ll catch you later’? What’s later?”

“Nothing for you to worry about. Come on, we should probably go keep Kyle out of trouble.” He went to move, but I grabbed his arm.

“Maverick, no secrets.”

He raked a brisk hand over his head and let out a long sigh. “There’s another initiation thing tonight.”

“You’re kidding, right?”

His brows shot up, and I mumbled something under my breath.

“It’s nothing, I promise. Come on, Lo.” He looped his arms around me, drawing me close. “I don’t want to spend the day fighting. I’m not worried about whatever that douche has in store for us, and neither should you be.”

Staring up at Maverick, I was unable to shake the bad feeling in my chest. But he was right. I wasn’t here to fight. I was here to spend time with him and our friends. Leaning up, I pressed a quick kiss on his lips. “Okay, no fighting. Besides, I have a surprise for you.”

“Oh yeah?” His husky breath danced over my face.

“Yeah, but you can’t have it until we get to the beach.” I curled my hands into his jersey, anchoring us together.

“I hate waiting.”

“Me, too. But some things are worth the wait,” I whispered, and Maverick pressed a kiss to my hair before dipping his mouth to my ear.

“I will always wait for you.”

His words sent shivers up my spine. So much had changed in such a short space of time since he came to SU. But I guess some things never changed.

And that eased the constant ache in my chest.

~

“SO ARE WE GOING TO pretend Maverick doesn’t look like he got beat on by Deontay Wilder, or am I the only one brave enough to ask?” Kiera popped a fry into her mouth and stared at the rest of us. Maverick went tense beside me and I slid my arm over his. 

“Sis, I think you and me need to have a little talk about some things.”

Kiera shot Kyle a look and said, “Like you’re not thinking exactly what I’m thinking.”

“True.” Kyle sighed. “But the thing with Rick is, well... seriously, Cous, help me out here?”

“I—”

Maverick yanked his arm free and rose from the bench. “I need to get a bit of air.”

I could tell it was on the tip of Kyle’s tongue to crack a joke about already being outside, but he didn’t. And I was grateful. 

“I didn’t mean to scare him away.” Kiera gave me an apologetic smile. “It’s just no one was talking about it and shit, that’s some bruise.”

“It’s not you, I promise. We’ll be back.” I got up and went after Maverick. He didn’t wander far. Just over to the fence separating the perimeter of campus and the world beyond. “Hey,” I said moving up beside him as he stared out at nothing.

“Hey.”

“Maverick.” I wrapped my hand around his arm and tugged gently. When his eyes slid to mine, my heart cracked in two. “Talk to me. What happened? And don’t say nothing because I know you, and this isn’t nothing. Did something happen at the initiation?” My gut instinct had told me something was wrong when we talked about it, but I didn’t push, because pushing Maverick only made him pull away all the more.

“Zac Lowell.” The name hung between us like an invisible force.

“He...” I swallowed. “Hit you?”

“Yeah.”

“But why... I don’t understand.”

“The initiation was a lame paintball thing. I was the only person who avoided taking a hit. I guess this was my reward.”

“Maverick, that’s assault.” My stomach sank.

He gave me a pointed look. “It’s his word against mine. Besides, I can’t rat him out. He’s the captain. And he’s well connected, Lo. His dad is an alumnus, and a donor here.”

“My God, it’s happening again.” I cried, unable to tamp down the emotions rising in me. “How do we always end up in these ridiculous situations?”

“Hey.” His strong arms wrapped around me, tucking me underneath his chin. “It’s just a bruise.”

I pulled back, craning my head to meet his eyes. “It is not just a bruise. Can you be sure this is the end of it? That he won’t pull another stunt like this? You already told me there’s another thing tonight. What if he does something like this again... or something worse?”

He mashed his lips together, and I had my answer.

“Fuck.”

His brows quirked, and he dipped his head, “Say that again,” he breathed against my lips.

“What?”

“Fuck. Say it again. I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say it.”

“Maverick.” I curled my hands into his tank. “Be serious.”

“Oh, I’m being totally serious. I haven’t seen you for three days.” His mouth moved to my ear. “Haven’t felt you under me. On top of me. It’s killing me, Lo.”

I gasped, trying to drag air into my lungs. He felt it too. The pain of separation. “It’ll get easier,” I whispered, not sure who I was trying to convince—him, or myself.

We stood there a couple more minutes. Not talking. Just soaking in the closeness. Then hand-in-hand, we made our way back to the others. Neither of us spoke, the weight of things lingering in the space between us. But something about the way he held me, how gentle he kissed, told me he knew how serious this thing with Zac Lowell was.

But if I’d learned anything from being with Maverick, it was that he needed to process things in his own way. He wouldn’t do anything to jeopardise his place at SU, he had worked too damn hard.

“Motherfucker,” Maverick hissed as we approached Kyle, Laurie, and Kiera.

“Who is...” the words died on my tongue as realisation hit. “It’s him, isn’t it?”

Maverick went rigid beside me as I held onto him, squeezing his hand to let him know I was right there.

“Prince, get over here,” Kyle piped up when he noticed us, hovering a few feet away. “Zac came over to introduce himself.” His eyes flicked to mine and then back to Maverick, and something passed between them.

“Prince.” Zac clipped out and turned his attention to me. “And you must be the girlfriend.” His gaze swept over me but not in a lingering way.  He almost looked disgusted, and I resisted the urge to kick him in the balls. “So, what, you got a golden pussy or something, keeping our guy away from the first team meet?”

My eyes narrowed in disbelief and three things happened at once. Laurie sucked in a sharp breath. Kiera gasped. And Kyle was off the bench flanking Maverick’s other side.

“Not cool, dude,” he said. “That’s my cousin you’re talking about.”

My grip on Maverick tightened as his body trembled with fury.

“Hey, it’s all good.” Zac smirked. “I’m just saying, Prince should get his priorities straight.” The two of them were locked in a stare-off. It was obvious Zac was baiting Maverick, trying to get a rise out of him. I knew Maverick well enough to know it was taking everything for him not to engage. Zac knew it too. His smirk morphing into smug satisfaction. He exuded cockiness and entitlement. I instantly hated him. 

“Well, this has been... enlightening.” He inclined his head, his gaze remaining on me. “But I have shit to do. Lo, Kylie, it was nice to meet you.

Kyle’s jaw dropped open and Laurie went to him, sliding her arm through his and holding tightly.

“And Prince.” Zac wasn’t done. “Don’t be late.” He sauntered off as if he hadn’t just offended at least half of our group.

“So that was Zac Lowell?” Kyle ground out as we watched him walk away. “What a cocksucker.”

No one replied, the tension still crackling around us. I slid my fingers into Maverick’s and glanced up at him. Jaw clenched, eyes set into thin lines, he was one second away from chasing Zac down and doing something that could jeopardise his college career before it even got started.

“Who is he anyway?” Kiera’s question cut through the silence like a knife. 

“SU’s very own Caitlin Holloway,” Laurie said.

I flinched, and Kiera frowned. “Who?”

“Don’t worry, Sis. You’ll have the pleasure of meeting her next week.” Kyle clapped Maverick on the back and it jolted him into the present. “I don’t know about anyone else, but I need a beer,” he said. “Laurie, can you drive my Jeep back?”

“Yeah, of course.”

Kyle slung his arm around Maverick’s neck and pulled him close, whispering something into his stepbrother’s ear. When he was done, he looked back at the rest of us. “Let’s get out of here.”

And I nodded. Because after that introduction, I wanted to be as far away from Zac Lowell as possible.