JJ’s blue eyes flick between mine slowly, as if he’s trying to unravel something in my head. We might have bonded like no other in first year and quickly became good friends, but I cannot bring myself to tell him what happened to Ivy. Not because I don’t trust him, but because I deserve to feel this way.
“How was yours?” I ask, swallowing back the lump in my throat.
JJ nods once. “Yeah, got lots of work done and went to visit my family members.”
“Work?”
“Filming stuff.”
“Ah,” I exhale. “How’s that going?”
“Good. Dad hates it, obviously. But I don’t care anymore, I?—”
As JJ continues to talk, my gaze snags on a girl in front of us with long, black-brown hair that’s swung up into a high ponytail. She has three large boxes in her arms, all stacked on top of each other, but she can’t see over the top of them.
She wobbles from side to side, then accidentally hooks her ankle with her other foot and tumbles to the ground. All the boxes go flying, and she hits the pavement with a thud.
Without thinking, I immediately rush towards her as she pushes herself up into a sitting position. JJ is right behind me. I bend down to her level, and she glances at me. For a moment, I freeze as I take in her pretty face, with an arched cupid’s bow and catlike brown eyes.
“Are you okay?” I ask, unable to look away from her.
She laughs it off awkwardly, heat flooding her cheeks as she dusts off her jeans. “Yeah, just peachy.”
I reach for a few items that fell out of the first box and place them back inside. “Did you hurt yourself?”
“No,” she sighs and raises her hands to find them a little gritty, but the skin hasn’t split. “Just bruised my dignity.”
“Na, I think you fell with style,” I say with confidence, attempting to lighten the mood.
“I don’t think I could do anything with style,” she chuckles.
“Do you need some help?”
She sinks her teeth into her bottom lip. “I thought I could carry them by myself, and my dad literally just left. I clearly overestimated my abilities.”
“Let me take them,” I offer as I stand up and hold out my hand for her to take.
Her eyes flick to my fingers before she looks up at me. She places her hand in mine, and I gently pull her to her feet. She adjusts her cropped T-shirt, flashing her toned stomach, tanned skin, and a belly piercing.
My chest quivers when she smiles at me with a glint of gratitude in her eyes. We both glance down at our hands to find we’re still holding onto one another before finally pulling away.
“Thank you.” She brushes a few wispy pieces of hair from her face.
“Hey.” JJ claps a hand on my shoulder. “I’ll see you later, yeah?”
I glance at my friend and frown, but he shoots me a subtle wink. I exhale a silent sigh as he walks off, and I turn my attention back to the girl who is rubbing dirt off her jeans again.
“I’m Finn, by the way.”
“Maya,” she says. “Honestly, don’t worry. I’ve got it.”
I shake my head adamantly. “No, please. Let me help.”
Maya props a hand on her hip and blows out a breath. “They’re heavy.”
“I lift heavier in the gym.” The comment sounds cocky, but I didn’t intend for it to. I want to help so she doesn’t actually hurt herself.
The corner of her lip curls as she looks back up at me before dragging her eyes across my chest, over my arms, and down my legs. The back of my neck begins to heat because never in my life has a girl checked me out without an ounce of shame.
