by Lylah James
As the football game came to an end, Gran and Pops retired upstairs for the rest of the night. Maddox searched Netflix, and we settled on watching Anabelle. Maddox loved horror movies; I hated them.
“I’ll keep you safe.” He grinned with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
I popped a tiny pretzel in my mouth from the bowl of party mix chips. “Actually, I think you’re going to use this to your advantage to scare me, aren’t you?”
Maddox gave me a half-shrug, but he pressed his lips together to avoid smiling. Jerk.
Halfway through the movie, I realized Maddox was handing me the pretzels and ringolos because those were my favorites while he ate the other chips.
Yeah, it was the little things. I needed my partner in crime. I didn’t need a lover in Maddox. Friends were better than a boyfriend, right? Too much drama came with a relationship. Whatever Maddox and I had, it was safe from any unnecessary drama.
My eyes fluttered close as I fought to stay awake. Before I lost consciousness, I felt his lips brushing against my forehead.
“Sweet dreams, Lila.”
Just friends, I reminded myself.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Lila
I stood on the stage, the light in my eyes blinding me for a moment, before I blinked away the blurriness. My gaze found Maddox in the crowd. He was dressed in his graduation cap and gown, a lazy smirk on his lips. He winked, which helped with my nerves.
We were graduating today.
We fucking did it, as Maddox would say.
I shook hands with the Headmaster as he handed me my diploma. My hands trembled, and I smiled as pictures were taken. I walked down the stage, my stomach twisting and feeling beyond exhilarated. I was excited but I also hated having everyone’s attention on me.
This was my dream–everything I had worked my ass off for in the last few years.
I remembered the day I received a white envelope–an envelope that held the fate of my future in it.
“I don’t know… I mean… what if… it could be a… rejection letter,” I stuttered, my heart galloping a mile an hour. “Do… they send out… rejection letters?”
“You’re freaking out, Lila. Calm down,” Maddox said in his smooth voice.
“Calm down?” I screeched. “This,” I waved the envelope at his face, “is everything I ever wanted, and what if it’s not what I think it is?”
He raised his hands up in mock surrender, and I plopped back on my bed. My whole body was shaking. “I can’t open it, Maddox.”
“Lila,” he started.
“No, I can’t.” My stomach twisted with nausea. I think I’m going to be sick.”
“Lila, I don’t think they send out rejection letters.” Maddox rubbed a hand over his face, and I could tell he was fighting back a smile. What an asshole. He was laughing as I freaked out. I was a little miffed.
“How about I open it?” he suggested.
I popped up and bounced off the bed like a jack-in-the-box. “Yes! You do it!”
Shoving the envelope in his hand, I paced the length of my room. Sweat beaded my forehead, and I swiped it away.
Maddox tore open the envelope, and my stomach churned harder. Oh God, I really was about to throw up.
My eyes closed, and I reminded myself to breathe.
The sound of him opening the envelope filled the room. My heart thudded, and I inhaled… exhaled…
“Open your eyes,” he said, his voice sounding closer to me. He was standing right in front of me because I felt the heat coming off him. The closeness of him helped… calm me.
I squeezed my eyes close.
“Eyes on me, Lila,” Maddox demanded more forcefully, his voice deep and thick. “Now.”
Helpless against his command, my eyes snapped open, and I tearfully stared up at him.
He was… smiling.
My knees weakened, and I grasped his arm to stay upright.
“Congratulations, Lila Garcia.”
The breath I’d been holding shuddered out of me. Maddox waved the letter at me. “You’re about to go to Harvard.”
A loud squeal left me, taking Maddox by surprise. I launched myself into his arms, unable to contain my excitement. He hefted me up, and I wrapped my legs around his waist, laughing. “I got in!”
His arms came around me, one hand on my back and one hand planted firmly on my ass as I clung to him.
“You did it,” he murmured in my hair, with such pride in his voice that my heart nearly burst out of my chest.
I breathed in his musky scent before pulling my face away from his neck. Our faces were mere inches away from each other. His prominent Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat as he swallowed. Maddox nudged my nose with his, and his minty breath feathered over my lips.
“You did it,” he said again.
“Thank you. For opening that letter, for not leaving my side, for holding me, for forcing me to face my fears… and for being my friend.”
Maddox hugged me back. “You’re welcome.”
I untangled my legs from his waist, and he settled me back on my feet. “You need to tell your grandparents.”
I licked my dry lips and nodded.
Harvard, here I come.
I had gotten my acceptance letter two months ago, a little later than usual, but when I found the envelope in our postal box, my heart had dropped and the first thing I did was call Maddox. I didn’t understand why I did it, but I knew I needed him with me.
He was at my house in less than ten minutes, out of breath and smiling.
Maddox never left my side as I freaked out, and he didn’t leave when I told my grandparents the news either. It meant a lot to me, that he stuck by my side. I never expected us to go from enemies to friends…to best friends.
The rest of the graduation ceremony was a blur. Soon enough, we were outside under the blue sky with the sun shining on us.
Grayson had Riley in his arms, and they were laughing and kissing. Each student found themselves surrounded by their family. My gaze lingered over the crowd, looking for Maddox’s parents.
Please be here, please be here. Don’t hurt him anymore.
They were nowhere to be found.
I seethed, anger simmering through my veins and gut. How dared they? They should have been proud to have a son like Maddox.
Yes, he was a troublemaker–a total misfit.
But damn it, he was sweet, and his heart was pure. He worked his ass off to graduate with honors. Time and time again, he proved himself to the world that he wasn’t just a rich and spoiled kid.
My fists clenched at my sides, and I growled. Fuck it, fuck them! They didn’t deserve to share this day with Maddox.
There was a tap on my shoulder, and I swiveled around, coming face-to-face with Maddox. He stood tall, his shoulders squared, and I had to admit, he did look hot in Berkshire’s navy-blue graduation gown with his cap on top of his head.
His lips curved in an easy smile, and I searched his eyes, looking for the disappointment I expected to see. But there was none.
It was then I realized that he no longer expected anything from his parents. They were strangers to him, not a family. Because they had never been here for Maddox for the most important days of his life – his football games, his birthdays, his graduation.
“What’s up with that kitten growl, Sweet Cheeks? Did someone step on your tail?” he teased.
I swatted his arm. “Watch it, Coulter.”
“You don’t scare me, Garcia.”
“I’ll bite you.”
“Bite me then,” he dared.
I snapped my teeth at him, and he threw his head back, chortling. My anger at his parents melted away at Maddox’s laughter. I refused to bring up the topic of his parents not attending the graduation ceremony. He was happy, right here and right now, and that was all that mattered.
I crossed my arms over my chest, pouting.
His laughter died, but he was still smiling. Maddox shoved his hand in his pocket,
and he fished out a teal Tiffany box. What…?
My lips parted in surprise as he snapped open the small box. No way!
Shock coursed through my body. “Maddox,” I breathed, shaking my head. My cap slid down, and I fixed it on top of my head again, still staring at the box he was holding.
It was a necklace, exquisite but simple, with only a sterling silver charm.
“A dreamcatcher,” I whispered, my fingers brushing over the intricated webbed floral centerpiece and the delicate feathers attached to the round center.
“Now, we’ve got matching dreamcatchers.”
I let out a laugh at that. The memory from a few months ago flashed in my mind.
“What is this?” Maddox asked, giving the object in my hand a weird look. He appeared unimpressed.
“A dreamcatcher, silly.” I gave it to him, and he looked even more confused.
“Why are you giving me a dreamcatcher?”
I realized Maddox sometimes had bad dreams.
We fell asleep together last night, on his couch, while we were studying, and he had woken up from a nightmare. He didn’t speak of it, but the bleak look in his eyes broke my heart. He couldn’t go back to sleep and ended up going to the gym that was open twenty-four-seven.
Maybe it was fate or just pure coincidence, but as I was scrolling through Instagram, I found an ad for dreamcatchers.
Sure, it was a silly thing to give to him, but I remembered the dreamcatcher my mom used to hang on my headboard when I was a kid. She said it’d keep all my bad dreams and monsters away.
I didn’t really think much of it when I ordered it. True, Maddox and I were too old to believe in this, and he was obviously too macho for something so childish, but maybe…
Damn it.
I didn’t even know why I got this dreamcatcher, and now, I was doubting myself. The first gift I ever gave Maddox was a dreamcatcher. Oh, what a story to tell the world and our friends.
His eyebrows rose. “You seriously expect me to hang this on my bed?”
It wasn’t the response I was hoping for. My shoulders slumped, and I chewed on my lips, the feeling of bitter disappointment gnawing at my stomach. I thought maybe he’d be a bit more… appreciative?
I rose to my feet and squinted down at him, hands on my hips. Fuck him. “Look, if you don’t want it, you can throw it away. It was cheap anyway, so I don’t care.”
Maddox didn’t say a word. He just went back to looking at the dreamcatcher as if it was the weirdest thing he had ever seen.
I had thought he threw it away, like I told him to.
Except the next day, when I walked into his room… there it was.
The silly dreamcatcher I gave him, hanging onto his headboard. It looked so out of place in his bedroom, but Maddox kept it, close to him, right next to him while he slept.
We never spoke of it again, but every time I’d walk into his bedroom, that was the first thing my eyes would notice, and it’d always be there.
And months later, Maddox still had it. It was my first gift to him.
The dreamcatcher he didn’t want but never threw away.
I flipped my curled hair over my shoulders and stared up at Maddox. “Can you put it on me?”
He took the silver necklace out of the Tiffany box, and my throat went dry as his hands slipped around the back of my neck. He stood close, crowding into my space, but I couldn’t complain. His body heat caused me to flush, and his fingers were warm against my skin–a teasing touch, so featherlight that I barely felt it.
Maddox placed the necklace around my neck and the dreamcatcher charm laid on the base of my throat where it belonged.
“Beautiful,” he rasped, his breath caressing the tip of my earlobe. It made me warm and breathless, though we had been this close so many times: we hugged, we slept in the same bed, and Maddox would give me piggyback rides. We were always touching, one way or another, but some days… it felt more than just a friendly touch. Like today.
My eyes fluttered shut as his thumb brushed against the pulsing vein in my neck. His touch lingered there, feeling my heartbeat through my throat.
“The necklace or me?” I asked, my eyes still closed. Why… did I just ask that?
“You,” he said. “Always you.” His voice was soft and hot, leaving me feeling things I couldn’t explain, couldn’t put into words.
I leaned into him, my palms landing on his chest. The hard thump of his heart had my eyes snapping open. Maddox’s gaze flickered to my lips. His hands fell to my curve of my shoulders, sliding down my arms, and his fingers curled around my hips.
A single heartbeat passed between us.
I pulled back, breaking the moment between us. Maddox blinked before releasing a shuddering breath. My skin still burnt from where he had touched me, and I hated how cold I suddenly felt from pulling away from him.
Maddox took a step back, too, pulling us farther from each other. He ran his fingers through his hair, which he kept short since the first time I called him Poodle. He thought it’d make me stop calling him that stupid pet name if his hair was no longer long and curly like before.
Ha, he thought wrong.
Once a poodle, forever a poodle.
“Pictures!” Gran said. She waved Riley over, who came forward with Grayson.
“Closer everyone,” Pops demanded as he held a camera in his hand.
Colton and the boys–Brayden, Cole and Knox–all whom were Maddox’s teammates and close friends, surrounded us. Riley stood beside me, with Grayson on her side, while I stood next to Maddox. We formed a semi-circle and Gran was smiling from ear to ear.
“Say cheers!”
“Cheers,” we called out and the camera’s shutter clicked.
Picture perfect.
The moment our circle broke apart, we were surrounded by the other Berkshire students. I lost Maddox in the crowd, all the girls vying for his attention one last time. They were probably hoping he’d take one of them home for a graduation fuck fest. Colton and the boys had their own little harem around them, too.
I found Grayson and Riley, holding hands as they stood under a tree, watching from a distance. Grayson looked slightly relieved that Colton’s attention was no longer on his girlfriend.
Riley was convinced that Colton didn’t have any feelings for her. She was either in denial or she truly was blind to the tension between Grayson and Colton, which was extremely palpable.
Gran came to my side, pulling my focus away from the lovebirds as she hugged me, surprising me by her strength. “So proud of you, Lila. Your parents would be, too.”
I blinked back the tears at her words. “Is it weird that I felt like they were with me during the ceremony? Like they were right there, watching me?”
“No, sweetheart. It’s not weird because I know they’re watching over you.” Pops rubbed my back. “You’ve grown into such a beautiful and smart young lady.”
“I’m going to miss you two when I go to Harvard,” I confessed, choking back my tears. My heart was heavy in my chest as I realized I only had a few weeks left with my grandparents before I moved away to a whole different state.
Gran cupped my cheeks, smiling. “You have Maddox and Riley with you.”
In the end, Riley, Maddox, Colton and I were going to Harvard. Cole got accepted to Yale and that was where he was going. The other boys were leaving for Princeton or Dartmouth.
I sniffled, nodding. “Yeah, but they aren’t you.”
Even Pops looked crestfallen–I was his little girl–the one he raised and his only grandchild. Pops was rarely emotional but times like this reminded me just how much he loved me and Gran. He placed a chaste kiss on my forehead. “You’re going to be okay,” he said with strong conviction.
Hours later, I found myself in Maddox’s car. We no longer had our cap and gown on, but instead, Maddox was wearing a white buttoned up shirt, black slacks and a black tie. He was… in other words, sinfully sexy, but I wasn’t about to tell him that. He rolled up his sleev
es to his elbows and flexed his forearms, his hands on the steering wheel.
“Where to, Sweet Cheeks?” he asked, flashing me a half smile. There was light in his blue eyes, and it glimmered with teasing mischief. “The world is ours. Let’s cause some trouble.”
My lips curved upward. “You’ve got a bad reputation, Coulter. Stop trying to corrupt me. I’m a good girl.”
Maddox didn’t give a damn about his bad reputation. In fact, he loved being a bad influence. Such a rebel and a troublemaker.
“Good girls do bad things sometimes,” he drawled. “It’s me and you, Garcia.”
“Me and you?” I breathed.
Maddox and I against the whole world. Partners in crime and best friends.
“Me and you,” he agreed, starting up the car. “So, where to?”
I raised an eyebrow, smiling because there was only one answer to that question. “I have a dare, but it’s dangerous.”
I loved the way his eyes lit up to the word dangerous. Such a rulebreaker.
“Do you dare?” I asked.
Maddox grinned, a devious grin, and I had my answer.
Who would have known it end this way? From that day in the coffee stop, to us being enemies… and then calling truce, being friends… and to this moment? Maddox and I had come a long way together. Fate really had a way of playing with us.
I used to despise him.
And now he was the most important person in my life.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Lila
Three years later
I tapped my foot against the asphalt, waiting for Maddox to show up. I shot Riley a text, letting her know I was going to be late for dinner. She was cooking tonight, her infamous ravioli dish. We were celebrating since she finished her thesis last night. We were currently halfway through our second semester in our third year at Harvard.
While I had gotten accepted into Harvard for Chemistry, Riley was studying Sociology. She was planning to pursue a post-graduate degree in Criminal Law.