Eternal Longing ✓

5. Eat & Be Merry

JAYA

Deep breaths, deep breaths, deep breaths.

I look down at the table and close my eyes shut for three seconds, urging my beating heart to slow down.

Opening my eyes and looking up, I almost curse loudly at the fact that he's still sitting there, his stare unwaveringly cold. I shift in my seat, willing the tinge of heat that courses through my body at his presence to leave.

I've done the work to freeze myself from Finley. I refuse to go back to it just because he's infiltrated himself into my life once more.

"So, that's why you call her Broccoli or Brocs for short?" Hannah scrunches her face at Mav. Apparently, she doesn't find our first meeting as exciting as he does.

Me and her both, honestly. I mean, the one time I was trying to be healthy, my plate was legitimately propelled into the air.

If that wasn't a sign from God to forfeit all notions of losing weight and becoming a health nut, I don't know what it was.

"Yeah, she'll always be known as Brocs now." Maverick looks at me with one of his soft smiles, and a pound of guilt crashes over me.

I don't deserve him. I don't deserve Maverick Hoover with all his physical affection, real smiles, playful banter, and unadulterated support.

We only met a week ago, amidst a flurry of broccoli, yet he's already one of my biggest supporters.

After my best friends who are currently at different universities across the country and my little brother back home, Maverick Hoover is all the way Team Jayakayia Patterson.

He hasn't seen the real you, though, has he?

I swear the voice in my head sounds exactly like the one owned by the man sitting across from me. I glare at him accusingly as if he's really the one whispering in my ears.

"Well, that's . . . cute," Hannah comments, watching me and Mav suspiciously. "Do I see any sparks, perhaps? Y'all fucking?"

Something hits the table harshly. Without looking at him, I know it's Finley's arm that hit the surface.

As for me, completely caught off guard, I cough hard due to her crude question.

Mav seems unperturbed by her bluntness, chuckling lowly with a shake of his head. "Jeez, Hannah. Why are you in our business, though?"

"Just asking." She shrugs innocently with a bite of her pasta. Her gaze moves to Finley, watching him for a second.

Shit, shit, shit. She knows something's up. I need to distract her.

"Did I ever tell you about how I met Hannah, Mav?"

His eyes shine with mirth as he stuffs some pie into his mouth. Turns out Maverick's one of those freaks that can eat three huge slices of pie and wash them down with a can of soda and not get bloated or put on any kind of weight.

Hannah looks mildly embarrassed by the fact that I'm about to tell the story, but she doesn't try to stop me from telling it.

I chance a glance at Finley and noting his clenched fists and ticked jaw while his eyes are locked on his abandoned water, I look away.

Is he still reeling from what Hannah said? From the idea of Mav and I having sex?

Yeah, not definitely going to unpack that. I promised I wouldn't ever again.

Steeling my spine with the promise I made to myself one year ago, that I'd be better for myself and my family, I ignore Finley and look to Mav.

"We met online. You know the Muller Freshman chat created during the summer, right?"