𝑺𝑬𝑬 𝒀𝑶𝑼 𝑨𝑮𝑨𝑰𝑵, javon walton

015

The next morning, Mae and Anya hit the slopes early, the cold mountain air filling their lungs as they laughed and raced down the hill. It had been a while since they'd skied together, and the familiar rhythm of carving through the snow brought back old memories.

After a few hours, they returned to the hotel, changed into something more comfortable, and made plans to watch a movie. As they got ready, Mae's phone buzzed. It was a message from Jaden.

Jaden: we're coming over to watch the film with you guys. Hope you didn't start without us.

Mae smirked, showing the message to Anya. "Looks like the boys are joining."

Anya grinned. "Good. We need more opinions for the classic film we're about to watch."

The four of them ended up sitting on the large plush couch in the game room, snacks all around as 10 Things I Hate About You started playing on the projector. Javon and Jaden got comfortable on one side, while Mae and Anya took the other.

During the movie, Mae found herself stealing glances at Javon. She could feel his eyes on her a few times too, but neither of them said anything.

After the credits rolled, everyone was chatting and recapping their favourite scenes. Javon, with a mischievous grin, leaned closer to Mae.

"Can you say something for me?"

Mae raised a brow. "Depends on what it is."

"Say bottle of water," Javon said, clearly amused.

Mae laughed, realising exactly what he was after. "Really? You want to hear my accent?"

"Yes! Say it, come on," he insisted, his grin growing.

"Bottle of water," Mae said, laying the accent on thick for fun.

Javon laughed. "It sounds so much better when you say it! Okay, okay—say Tuesday now."

Mae rolled her eyes playfully, but obliged. "Tuesday"

"Man, you Brits make everything sound so fancy," Javon teased.

"Well, we did invent the language, so I guess we have that going for us," Mae replied, her tone playful.

Jaden jumped in, laughing. "Bro, I think you just want to hear her say everything in that accent."

Javon smirked but didn't deny it. Mae gave him a little nudge. "If you're so obsessed with my accent, maybe you should learn a few words yourself."

"I just might," Javon said with a wink.

Mae felt her heart flutter. She was having fun, but there was something about the way Javon was looking at her now that made her feel like this was more than just playful banter.

Javon squinted, concentrating hard. "Bo'oh'o'wa'er," he tried again, dragging out the vowels and slurring the sounds together in a way that made Mae laugh so hard she almost fell off the sofa.

"That was tragic," she teased, wiping away a tear. "I don't know why you're even trying. It's not happening!"

He rolled his eyes, but a playful grin tugged at the corner of his lips. "At least I'm trying! You, on the other hand, could probably pull off my accent without even blinking."

Mae smirked. "Obviously," she said, immediately switching into a perfect American accent. "See? Easy. No effort at all."

Javon's jaw dropped. "What? Okay, now that's just showing off. You even sound better at my accent than I do," he said, half-impressed, half-annoyed.

Mae laughed again. "It's not my fault you can't say 'bottle of water.'"

"Bo'oh'o'wa'er," he repeated with extra emphasis, but it still came out sounding off.

She shook her head. "Nah, mate. Not even close. It's bo'Oh'O'wa'er. You have to drop the 't' completely."

Javon gave up with a sigh. "Fine, I'll stick to my American accent. But can you do French?"

At this, Mae grimaced, her nose scrunching up. "Ugh, I hate the French accent. It's just... too much," she replied, waving her hand dismissively.

"Really?" Javon asked, surprised. "I thought all Brits liked French stuff."

She rolled her eyes. "Trust me, the accent is *not* one of them. It sounds so... I don't know, dramatic." She threw in a mock French accent for effect, sounding over-the-top and ridiculous, which only made Javon laugh harder.

"Okay, yeah, that was bad. But at least I know what you sound like with an American accent now," he teased.

"Yeah, well, good luck with 'bo'Oh'O'wa'er.' You'll need it," Mae shot back, giving him a cheeky grin.