Jax's Little Obsession

Chapter 20

Maya’s Pov

I woke up the next morning with one single goal: act like the kiss in the office never happened. I told myself it was just a stupid mistake caused by too much stress and too much anger.

I pulled my hair back into a tight ponytail, put on my favorite dark jacket, and walked downstairs, ready to look Jax straight in the eye and pretend my heart wasn't beating a million miles an hour.

Jax was already in the kitchen, leaning against the counter with a cup of coffee. When I walked in, he didn't laugh or bring up the night before. But he didn't act normal either. There was a quiet shift in the way he looked at me—a calm, steady warmth that was way more dangerous than his usual arrogance.

"Morning," he said, pushing a small cup of black coffee across the island toward me before I even had to ask.

I froze, staring at the cup. I hadn't told him how I liked my coffee. I hadn't mentioned it once since I got here. Yet there it was, sitting right where I liked it.

"I don't want this," I muttered, crossing my arms and stepping back.

"Drink it," Jax replied smoothly, a faint, knowing smile touching his lips. "You're going to need the caffeine for your morning classes. Besides, you slept in forty minutes later than usual. You need the shortcut."

I glared at him, my cheeks heating up. He noticed every single little thing about me, even when I tried to hide. I snatched the cup, mumbled an insult under my breath, and walked out the front door without waiting for him.

Throughout the day, his new attitude followed me everywhere. When I dropped my heavy toolbox outside the workshop, Jax was suddenly there, picking it up before I could. When I struggled to find a rare textbook in the library, a copy was sitting on my desk ten minutes later with a sticky note bearing his neat handwriting. Every time I tried to convince myself he was just playing a game of obsession, he did something that proved he was actually paying attention to me as a person.

By the afternoon, the constant mental tug-of-war had my nerves fried. I sat down on a stone bench in the courtyard with Ava, trying to catch my breath. A second later, Saige walked over, his basketball under his arm, flashing a warm smile as he sat down next to us.

"Hey, Maya," Saige said, tossing me an apple. "You look like you've been running a marathon. Everything okay?"

I caught the apple, letting out a tired laugh. "Just a lot on my mind. Engineering classes are no joke."

Saige watched me for a second, his eyes narrowing with friendly curiosity. He glanced across the courtyard, then back at me. "Hey, can I ask you something? And you can tell me to mind my own business if you want."

"Shoot," I said, taking a bite of the apple.

"What is going on with you and Jax Worth?" Saige asked, lowering his voice. "Everyone on campus is talking about those photos, but yesterday I saw him looking at you like you hung the stars, and today he's been hovering around your classes like a bodyguard. Are you two... you know?"

"No!" I snapped a little too fast, my face burning hot red. "There is nothing going on between us. He's just... complicated. We have an arrangement, that's all."

Saige chuckled, raising his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay, message received. Just checking out for a friend. You just look a little distracted lately, that's all."

Across the campus, standing near the shadow of a large oak tree, Jax was watching us. I didn't even have to turn around to know he was there. I felt the sudden shift in the air, the heavy weight of his gaze locking onto Saige and me. I looked over and saw him standing completely still, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. His jaw was clenched so tight I could see it from yards away.

The jealousy rolling off him was thick enough to choke on. For a second, I thought he was going to march over here and start another fight. But he didn't. Instead, he just stared at me for one long, burning beat, and then he turned around and walked away.

It stunned me. He didn't confront us. He didn't yell. He just walked away, looking like he was carrying a weight much heavier than a simple argument. Sitting there watching him leave, a cold realization hit my chest: his feelings weren't just about possession anymore. They were turning into something real, something messy, and it was scaring him just as much as it was scaring me.

Later that afternoon, back in the main academic building, a student assistant stopped me in the hallway and handed me a thick, heavy envelope with a gold seal on the flap.

"Maya Beau?" the student asked.

"Yes?" I replied, taking the paper.

"Congratulations. You've been officially selected to represent the mechanical engineering department at the annual university showcase next month."

My hands started to shake. The showcase was the biggest event of the year. Only the top students with the most innovative projects were chosen to present their work to the board and visiting industry leaders. It was the ultimate stamp of credibility.

I opened the letter, reading the words over and over again. I actually made it. On my own merit.

"Looks like the common mechanic is moving up in the world," a smooth, familiar voice murmured right beside my ear.

I jumped, spinning around to find Jax standing there. He was looking down at the letter in my hand, a look of quiet pride shining in his dark eyes—a look he didn't try to hide.

I clutched the letter to my chest, my heart racing. "How did you find me so fast?"

"I always know where to find you," Jax said simply. He looked up from the paper, his gaze locking onto mine with an intensity that made the rest of the hallway disappear. "You got selected."

"I did," I whispered, still barely believing it myself.

He didn't smirk. He didn't make a joke about his money or my background. He just stepped a little closer, his voice dropping into a low, steady promise that echoed straight through my chest.

"I'll be there," Jax said.

I frowned, my defenses popping right back up. "Why? So you can buy out the judges and make sure I win?"

"No," Jax answered, his voice firm and completely serious. "Because I want to see you win."