Jax's Little Obsession

Chapter 21

Maya’s Pov

The next three weeks blur past in a chaotic cycle of late nights, burnt coffee, and flying sparks in the student workshop. I am entirely consumed by the engineering showcase. I refuse to let anyone say I got this spot because of Jax’s name or his family's money. This project has to be 100 percent mine. Ava helps me trace circuit boards and double-check stress calculations until our eyes are bloodshot and heavy.

Every now and then, Jax wanders into the workshop. He leans against the doorframe with his arms crossed, watching us work in silence. Sometimes, when I hit a dead end with the hydraulic valves, he points out a tiny flaw in my math with a quiet, two-sentence suggestion before I can even ask. Every instinct tells me to ignore him, to wipe out his advice and do it the hard way. But I look at his notes, and I realize he is right. He knows mechanics just as well as I do. Still, I grumble and change it my own way, just to prove I am in control.

"You're being stubborn," Jax notes one evening, a faint smirk playing on his lips as he hands me a wrench.

"I am being independent," I snap back, snatching the tool from his hand. "Go back to your boardroom, Jax. I don't need your help."

"I never said you needed help," he replies softly, his dark eyes lingering on my face longer than necessary. "I just like watching you work."

I turn away so he won't see the sudden heat rising in my cheeks.

Then, finally, the day of the showcase arrives.

The main exhibition hall is massive, crowded with polished tables, shining metal prototypes, and hundreds of students in formal clothes. Judges walk around with clipboards, looking serious and important. My project—a compact, high-efficiency pressure regulator built from recycled workshop materials—sits proudly on my table. I stand beside Ava, smoothing out my blazer, my stomach tied in tight, nervous knots.

"You're going to crush them," Ava whispers, giving my arm a reassuring squeeze.

As the crowd parts, a shadow falls over my table. I look up, expecting to see a judge or Professor Vance. Instead, it is Dakota. He is dressed in an expensive gray suit, looking completely relaxed, with that familiar mocking smirk painted across his face.

My whole body goes rigid. "What do you want, Dakota? Come to trash my table?"

To my absolute shock, Dakota doesn't laugh. He actually stops, leans down, and looks closely at the intricate gear assembly of my regulator. A look of genuine surprise flashes across his eyes.

"I have to hand it to you, mechanic," Dakota says, his voice losing its usual venom. "When I first saw you, I thought you were just a stray dog Jax brought home for charity. But this design... this is actually brilliant. The pressure distribution layout is cleaner than anything anyone else in this room has built."

I stare at him, completely thrown off balance. "Are you... complimenting me?"

Dakota straightens up, offering a small, half-mocking salute. "Don't get used to it. But credit where credit is due. Good luck with the judges. You're going to need it against my entry." He turns on his heel and walks away toward the opposite side of the hall.

I watch him go, blinking in disbelief. Then, my eyes drift across the room, searching through the sea of students and faculty members.

Jax is standing near a pillar by the back entrance. He has a direct view of my table. The moment he sees me looking at Dakota, his expression hardens into ice. The relaxed, proud look he wore earlier vanishes completely, replaced by a dark, intense fury. He doesn't start walking toward us, but his posture goes rigid, and his jaw clenches so hard I can see it from across the hall.

A shiver runs down my spine. The jealousy I thought I was imagining before is real. He hates the fact that Dakota was standing close to me, talking to me, looking at my work. If looks could kill, Dakota would be lying on the floor right now. I turn back to my table, my heart beating faster—not just from the nerves of the competition, but from the terrifying realization of how deeply Jax cares.

Two hours later, the preliminary round results are announced over the loudspeaker.

"For the mechanical engineering division," the head judge booms into the microphone, "the top scoring project... Maya Beau."

Ava lets out a loud shriek of pure joy, grabbing me by the shoulders and shaking me back and forth. "You did it! Maya, you won the preliminary round! You're in the finals!"

A wave of dizzying relief washes over me. I smile, laughing as Ava hugs me tight. Across the room, I spot Jax pushing through the crowd, walking straight toward our table with long, purposeful strides. When he reaches me, he doesn't care that people are watching. He steps right into my space, his dark eyes shining with a deep, unfiltered pride that takes my breath away.

"I told you," Jax says quietly, his voice dropping below the noise of the cheering students.

"You did," I admit, my cheeks flushing. "Though I could have done it without you standing over my shoulder like a guard dog."

"You did do it on your own," Jax replies, his gaze softening into something warm and steady. "Every single piece of that design is yours."

I look up at him, confused by how genuinely happy he looks. "Why do you look so excited? You'd think you were the one who won a ribbon."

Jax pauses, his eyes searching my face. A small, rare smile touches the corners of his lips. "Because watching you succeed, Maya... watching you walk in here and prove every single one of these snobs wrong with your own talent... it's becoming one of my favorite things in the world."

The words hit me like a physical shock. My breath catches in my throat. I stand there, completely speechless, staring up into his dark eyes. He isn't talking about control anymore. He isn't talking about possession or contracts or rules. He is just a man looking at a woman he respects, a woman he admires more than he ever expected to.

I don't know how to respond. Every defensive wall I built is crumbling down, piece by piece. I open my mouth to say something sarcastic, to change the subject, but nothing comes out.

Jax just watches me, his smile deepening just a fraction, as if he knows exactly how much power those simple words have over me. And for the first time, I don't even try to fight it.