Prologue
They said college was where you discovered who you truly were. It was supposed to be the season of self-discovery, reckless decisions, lifelong friendships, and dreams that finally began to feel within reach. Looking back, I realized I had learned all of those things, but none of them defined my college life the way one person did.
Evren Maximo Ashford.
"Tali!" Paige hurried toward me, her eyes gleaming with excitement. "They just came out of the locker room."
My grip tightened around my books I had been carrying all morning. "Do you think he saw it?"
She looked at me, then at the books in my hands, before offering a helpless shrug. "I hope so."
I smiled, though we both knew how unlikely that was.
This wasn't the first time I had left something inside Max's locker. Ever since my freshman year, I'd been slipping letters between his books, always ending them with the same ridiculous request.
"If you ever read this, could you post a selfie holding my letter? Just so I'd know you actually saw it."
He never did, not even once.
There had been a time when he thanked students for the gifts he received, posting photos with bouquets, handwritten notes, and care packages sent by admirers. Then the rumors about him dating someone began circulating around campus, and just like that, those appreciation posts disappeared.
Still, I refused to stop. Maybe that made me pathetic, or maybe it was because Maximo was impossible not to admire.
He was the captain of the university basketball team, one of the brightest students in his batch, and the graduating Summa Cumlaude. Everywhere he went, people noticed him. Other than that, he's ridiculously handsome, right? Handsome enough to make you wish he'll donate a sperm cell just for you. But some called him arrogant, others swore he was a player, yet I never believed any of it.
As a Psychology student, I knew how easily people created stories about someone they envied. Until I had proof, I chose to believe there was more to him than campus gossip.
A week passed and today was his graduation,
I glanced down at the small paper bag in my hands. Inside was a blue stress squishy I had made myself. It wasn't expensive, and it certainly couldn't compete with the luxury gifts he probably received every week, but I hoped it would make even the smallest difference. If squeezing it could ease his stress after long practices or exhausting days, then that was enough for me.
My last chance.
After his valedictory speech, I was finally going to introduce myself. No more anonymous letters, no more hiding behind unsigned notes. For the first time, Maximo was going to learn my name.
By the time I reached the auditorium, he had already finished delivering his valedictory speech.
A disappointed sigh escaped my lips.
Great. I had spent the entire morning rehearsing what I wanted to say, only to miss the one moment that mattered.
Graduates from different colleges were already lining up for the awarding ceremony, filling the venue with cheers, applause, and the occasional proud cry from family members in the audience.
I scanned the sea of black graduation gowns, searching for the one face I could recognize from anywhere and there's nothing.
"Maybe he's in the restroom," I whispered to myself.
Clutching the paper bag against my chest, I hurried toward the nearest comfort room beside the auditorium and waited outside for several minutes. Students came and went, but none of them were Maximo.
I frowned.
There was another restroom behind the stage.
Without wasting another second, I made my way through the narrow backstage hallway, weaving past faculty members and student assistants rushing in every direction. The farther I walked, the quieter it became.
"Ah, shit... Evren, faster!"
The hushed cry echoed from a storage room tucked backstage, right beside the restroom. My footsteps came to an abrupt halt. The door had been left slightly ajar. Before I could stop myself, I glanced inside.
My breath caught....there he was.
The man I'd spent my entire freshman and sophomore years hopelessly chasing with my eyes, still dressed in his graduation gown.
He was bent over a woman lying on one of the old tables at the back of the room. The dim lighting swallowed most of her features, making it impossible to recognize who she was, but him?
I'd know that silhouette anywhere, then she moaned his name again. The sound hit me harder than I expected and when I heard the curse that slipped from his lips, my eyes widened in disbelief.
"F*ck." My breath caught in my throat because I knew that voice. Even though I had never heard him swear before, I would've recognized it anywhere.
Before I could stop myself, my hand accidentally pushed the half-open door. The soft creak echoed through the room, instantly drawing their attention Evren looked up and our eyes met.
The moment our eyes locked, something inside me quietly fell apart. I covered my mouth to keep myself from making a sound, turned around, and ran. I ran without looking back. It wasn't until I reached the end of the hallway that I realized I had left the paper bag behind the one that held the handmade stress squishy and every ounce of courage I'd spent two years gathering.
That was the last time I ever saw Evren Maximo Ashford...or so I thought,
Eight years later, fate brought Evren Máximo Ashford back into my life.
This time, he walked into my office as my patient.
I didn't flinch. I simply offered him the same smile I gave everyone who stepped through my door.
"Good afternoon. I'm Dr. Natalia Georgette Villarreal. Please, have a seat."
He smiled politely before taking the chair across from my desk.
"I'm Evren."
I stood and shook his hand. " Nice meeting you, Evren"
Once we were seated, I opened the referral letter.
"Dr. Romeo referred you to me, but he didn't mention your condition. Have you seen another physician before?"
He shook his head. "No. I kept hoping it'd go away."
"How long has this been going on?"
"Around six months."
I nodded and waited. Silence often encouraged patients to speak more than questions ever could.
He looked almost exactly as I remembered, same sharp features, same quiet confidence. But there was an unmistakable weariness in his eyes, as though life had taken more from him than he was willing to admit.
After a long breath, he finally spoke.
"I've been having trouble getting an erection."
My brows lifted ever so slightly.
"I know how it sounds." He let out an awkward laugh. "I can't believe I'm telling you this, Tali..." He paused and scratched the back of his neck. "Sorry. Doctor."
He knows me?
I just gave him a reassuring smile and waited for him to continue.
"It's been affecting every part of my life. Stress used to be the only thing I knew how to deal with. Now even that's not working anymore."
I made a few notes before closing his chart, but his next question caught me off guard. It had nothing to do with his condition, but I didn't mind answering since there was nothing confidential about my connection with Romeo.
"He's my fiancé's cousin," I replied calmly.
