Chapter 66 CHAPTER 66
Maya groaned, trying to shake us off. “You guys are delusional. Aaron’s just… being Aaron. He’s protective of everyone. Especially Yael’s friends.”
“Especially cute friends,” I teased, bumping her hip. “Admit it. You like him.”
“I do not,” she said, but her voice went up an octave. “Nothing is going on. We’ve barely even talked.”
“Barely?” Jordan raised an eyebrow. “That hug you gave him after the game last weekend looked like more than ‘barely.’”
Maya’s mouth fell open. “You saw that?”
“We all saw that,” Liam laughed.
“It was a friendly hug!” Maya insisted, throwing her hands up. “God, you people need hobbies.”
“My hobby is currently interrogating you,” I said sweetly. “So, when did this start? Was it the party? The library study session? Ooh—did he walk you home that night it rained?”
“Nothing. Started. Nothing,” Maya repeated, emphasizing each word like she was casting a spell. “He’s your brother, Yael. That would be weird.”
“Weirdly perfect,” I countered. “You already love me. Loving my brother is just the next logical step. Think of the double dates!”
Jordan snorted. “Imagine the group chat. ‘Yael and Knox, Maya and Aaron — the ultimate power couples.’”
Maya covered her face with both hands. “I hate all of you.”
We spilled out of the building into the bright afternoon sun. Students milled around, laughing, rushing to their next classes. The quad was alive with chatter and the distant sound of a frisbee game.
As we walked down the path toward the main road, Jordan suddenly pointed ahead. “Hey, there’s Knox.”
My head snapped up. Sure enough, Knox was standing near the big oak tree by the entrance, talking to some guy I didn’t recognize. The conversation looked intense—Knox’s arms were crossed, jaw tight, while the other guy gestured wildly.
I pulled out my phone and typed quickly.
Me: Hey you. Miss that smile already. Everything okay?
I hit send and watched.
Knox’s phone must have buzzed because he glanced down, and a slow, genuine smile spread across his face—the kind that made his dimple pop. He looked so soft for a second. Then he slipped the phone back into his pocket without replying. His expression hardened again as he went back to the conversation, voice low and serious.
I frowned a little but didn’t push it. He’d text back when he could.
Jordan nudged me. “Still in the honeymoon phase, huh?”
“Shut up,” I laughed, shoving him lightly. “Speaking of phases… back to Maya and Aaron.”
Maya let out an exaggerated sigh. “There is no Maya and Aaron! We talked a couple times. He’s nice. That’s it. End of story.”
Jordan looped an arm around her shoulders. “Nice? The way he stared that guy down like he was ready to throw hands? That was more than nice. That was ‘touch her and die’ energy.”
Maya’s lips twitched like she was fighting a smile. “He was just being a good guy. Any decent person would’ve done the same.”
“Any decent person wouldn’t have looked at you like you hung the moon right after,” I said, waggling my eyebrows.
“You’re impossible,” Maya groaned, but she was laughing now, the shaky edge from earlier completely gone.
Liam shook his head, amused. “You two are worse than a soap opera. Maya, just admit you think he’s hot. We won’t judge.”
“I never said he wasn’t hot,” Maya shot back, then immediately clapped a hand over her mouth. “Wait—no. That’s not what I meant!”
We all burst out laughing. Jordan doubled over, clutching his stomach.
“Gotcha!” I crowed. “So you do think my brother is hot. This is gold.”
Maya swatted at my arm. “You tricked me! That’s not fair. He’s tall and… whatever. Objectively attractive. Doesn’t mean anything.”
“Objectively attractive,” Liam echoed in a mocking tone. “Sure, keep telling yourself that while you fix your lip gloss three times before class.”
“I was not!” Maya protested, but her cheeks were pink again.
“You totally were,” Jordan confirmed. “And you picked the cropped sweater. The one you said makes your boobs look amazing.”
Maya gasped dramatically. “Traitor! I told you that in confidence!”
We kept walking, the four of us taking up most of the sidewalk, teasing bouncing back and forth like a ping-pong ball. A group of freshmen had to step onto the grass to let us pass, and Jordan waved at them like we were leading a parade.
“So,” I continued, not letting it go, “if nothing’s going on, why were you staring at him the whole class instead of taking notes?”
“Because I was focused!” Maya said, but she was grinning now. “Unlike you, who was doodling hearts with Knox’s name in them.”
“Hey!” I laughed. “Those were abstract art.”
“Abstract ‘I’m obsessed with my boyfriend’ art,” Liam added dryly.
Maya linked her arm back through mine, squeezing. “Fine, maybe Aaron’s… nice to look at. And maybe he’s sweet. But that’s it. No big romance. I’m not complicating things with your brother.”
“Complicating?” Jordan teased. “Or upgrading? Come on, Maya. Live a little. He clearly likes you.”
Maya rolled her eyes but couldn’t hide her smile. “You guys are relentless. Can we talk about something else? Like… plans for tonight?”
“Yes!” I jumped on the change of subject. “We should go out. All of us. Something fun. No drama, just good vibes.”
Liam nodded. “I’m down. That new place downtown with the live music? They do half-price wings on Fridays.”
“Perfect,” Jordan said, rubbing his hands together. “Wings, music, and maybe a little dancing. Maya can practice her flirting skills on someone who isn’t Aaron.”
Maya shoved him playfully. “Or maybe I’ll just dance with my best friends and ignore all of you.”
“Deal,” I said, grinning. “But if Aaron texts you later, we’re totally reading it over your shoulder.”
“You wish,” she laughed. “But yeah… tonight sounds good. I could use some fun after that idiot in class.”
We turned onto the main path, the afternoon sun warming our faces. The teasing continued, light and easy, Maya denying everything while her smile gave her away. Jordan kept cracking jokes, Liam throwing in dry comments that had us all laughing harder.
By the time we reached the dorms, we’d already decided on outfits, a pre-game playlist, and who was buying the first round of drinks.
“Tonight’s going to be epic,” Jordan declared, slinging an arm around both me and Maya. “No creeps, no overprotective brothers—just us, having the best time.”
Maya glanced at me, eyes sparkling. “As long as you don’t spend the whole night texting Knox.”
“No promises,” I winked. “But I’ll try. For you.”
She bumped my shoulder. “Good. Because I need my wingwoman.”
“Always,” I said, linking our arms tighter.