Jax's Little Obsession

Chapter 31

Maya’s Pov

The next few weeks became a strange double life. On campus, Jax and I were still locked in our old routine of sharp glares, cold distance, and sarcastic remarks. If anyone walked past us in the hallway, we looked like enemies who barely tolerated each other's existence.

But the moment the sun went down and we stepped away from the prying eyes of the university, everything changed. We didn't talk about labels, and we didn't put a name on what we were doing. We didn't need to.

Our secret relationship grew in the quiet spaces between midnight and dawn. Jax started picking me up behind the old library instead of the main entrance, driving us out to forgotten diners or quiet overlooks where the city lights looked like scattered stars.

We developed small, stubborn routines that felt more natural than anything I had ever known. We spent hours in my father's garage working side by side on motorcycles, arguing loudly over classic rock versus electronic music, stealing bites of cold takeout food while sitting on old milk crates, and tossing heavy calculus textbooks back and forth across the workbench.

For the first time in my life, I wasn't just surviving. I was happy.

Ava noticed the shift before anyone else did. On a Thursday afternoon, we were sitting in the campus courtyard sharing a basket of fries between our open notebooks, when Ava suddenly stopped chewing, narrowed her eyes, and stared right at me.

"Okay, spill," Ava demanded, dropping her pen against the grass.

I blinked, innocent-like. "Spill what?"

"You," Ava pointed a french fry at my face. "You haven't complained about your classes in three days. You're actually smiling when you look at your phone. And don't think I haven't noticed that you're spending every single evening disappearing somewhere off-campus. You're glowing, Maya. What is going on?"

My cheeks flushed hot. I quickly looked down at my notebook, trying to hide a grin that was threatening to break across my face. "Nothing is going on. I'm just... catching up on my sleep and my projects."

"Right. And I'm the queen of England," Ava scoffed, crossing her arms. She leaned in closer, dropping her voice to a serious whisper. "It's Jax Worth, isn't it? You two are spending time together."

I hesitated. I knew I couldn't lie to Ava—she knew me way too well. I let out a long breath, abandoning the notebook entirely. "Maybe. A little bit."

"A little bit?" Ava’s eyes went wide. "Maya, he is a Calloway! His family owns half the city and half the people in it. What are you doing?"

"I'm not doing anything!" I protested, though my voice lacked any real bite. "We just... talk. We work on engines. It's different when it's just the two of us, Ava. He isn't the cold jerk everyone sees on campus."

"And what do you call whatever this is?" Ava asked gently, searching my face. "Do you love him?"

The word hit me like a physical shock wave. Love. I froze, a sudden panic fluttering in my chest. I shook my head quickly, gripping the edge of the notebook. "No. No way. I don't love him. We're not doing that."

"Okay, okay, calm down," Ava said, holding up her hands. "I'm just warning you, Maya. He's complicated. He's dangerous. People like him don't change their entire lives for a mechanic from the south side. I just don't want to see you get completely destroyed when this falls apart."

"I know he's complicated," I whispered, looking across the courtyard where a group of students were laughing near the fountain. "I know the risks better than anyone."

I didn't tell Ava the most important part. The contract that had forced us together in the first place—the debt, the workshop threats, the forced arrangement—didn't matter anymore. Every late night, every shared laugh, and every quiet moment in the garage was a choice. I was choosing him. Not because I had to, but because somewhere along the way, the idea of a world without Jax Worth in it had become entirely impossible to imagine.

That evening, right on schedule, his black car was idling in the dark alley behind the science building. I slipped into the passenger seat without a word, the familiar scent of cedar and clean rain wrapping around me like a shield. Jax pulled away from the curb smoothly, his hands resting easily on the steering wheel.

"You're quiet tonight," Jax noted, glancing at me sideways as we drove through the quiet city streets.

"Just thinking," I said, resting my elbow against the door and looking out at the passing storefronts.

"About what?"

"About what people say," I turned my head to look at him, watching the streetlights cast sharp shadows across his strong jawline. "Ava thinks I'm crazy for spending time with you. She thinks you're going to chew me up and spit me out once you get bored."

Jax's hands tightened on the steering wheel. The car slowed down slightly as he pulled into a secluded overlook parking lot overlooking the glowing skyline, cutting the engine completely. He turned in his seat, his dark eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that made the air in the car suddenly feel thin.

"And what do you think, Maya?" he asked, his voice low, steady, and dangerously quiet.

I looked back at him, feeling the heavy, undeniable truth of my own heart beating against my ribs. I could lie. I could make a joke, push him away, or hide behind my usual sarcasm. But I was tired of running from what was right in front of me.

"I think," I whispered, leaning slightly closer across the center console, "that I stopped caring what other people think a long time ago."

Jax didn't smile, but a slow, burning heat flared in his dark eyes. He reached out, his warm fingers gently catching my chin, tilting my face up toward his.

"Good," he murmured, his thumb brushing softly against my lower lip. "Because I'm never getting bored of you."