Chapter 13: Going into the bad boys' orbit
1899 Words
Maya’s POV
My phone vibrated against the desk, the screen flashing with Sienna’s name.
"Wakey, wakey" Sienna’s voice practically buzzed through the speaker the second I answered. "b***h, there's a bonfire out by the lake tonight. Everyone is going, so we're going."
I let out a slow sigh, leaning back against my pillows. "Sienna, no. It sounds like it’s going to be packed, and you know I don't really like places like that."
"Maya, come on!" Sienna groaned. "Cole is going to be there. This is literally your chance to fix things after blowing up at his house."
A heavy silence settled over my end of the line.
Cole.
I hadn't spoken to him since that night at his place. Ever since I laid everything out and cut through his act, he hasn't talked to me. And it's been over a week now.
"Maybe it's for the best," I said quietly, staring up at the ceiling. "Maybe I should just let him go."
"Absolutely not!" Sienna’s tone turned sharp, unyielding. "Not after what he did to me. Don't you dare forget that Cole used me, Maya. Whatever you do to him, he deserves every single bit of it. Besides, it’s nothing too extreme-- and it's going to help you get the answers you need. Besides, I'm sure Cole will be more than glad to be of service, considering that's all he's good at."
I swallowed hard, the cold logic of her words sinking in. She was right. I needed answers, and right now, the only person I know who can give them to me is Cole.
"Fine," I gave in softly. "I'll go."
By the time we reached the lake, the beach was already a chaotic sprawl of orange light, loud music, and dark shadows moving around a towering bonfire.
I stood near the edge of the light, scanning the faces surrounding the flames, but the one person I was actually looking for was nowhere in sight.
I turned to Sienna, raising an eyebrow. "b***h, you said Cole was going to be here. I don't see him."
Sienna chuckled, taking a sip from her red solo cup. "Relax. I'm sure he's going to pop up before the night comes to an end. Try to enjoy yourself a bit. Here, have a drink."
She handed me a cup. I lifted it to my nose, catching a sharp whiff of cheap liquor, and immediately wrinkled my face. "This is too strong. I want wine."
"Always so sophisticated," Sienna teased, shaking her head as a few other girls from campus joined us.
I stood there chatting with them, only half-listening, taking small sips of a lighter drink Sienna tracked down for me. A few minutes later, a sudden shift in the crowd caught my eye.
Three figures walked into the light of the fire--Cole, flanked by Jax and Theo.
My heart did a quick, involuntary knock against my ribs. I immediately snapped my head back toward my cup, looking away before he could notice me watching. A subtle smile tugged at the corner of my lips as I leaned in toward Sienna, whispering, "I guess you were right after all."
Sienna grinned, clicking her cup against mine with a quiet clink. "Cheers to that."
For the rest of the night, I stayed back, observing him from a distance.
He was sitting near some palm trees with a girl hanging off his arm. On the surface, it was the exact same Cole St. James routine: flashing his signature arrogant smirk, leaning in to whisper things that made her giggle.
But as I kept watching, I realized something was off with him.
It was subtle, but it was there. One second he was fully engaged-- laughing with her, leaning into her space, running through his practiced charm-- and the very next, his expression would completely hollow out. It was like he was lost in space, staring blankly into the dark, empty void of the lake, entirely unpresent.
Jax stepped in and talked to him for a brief moment. I watched Cole force a grin back onto his face, but as Jax turned and walked away, Cole’s mask slipped again.
He turned his head-- and his eyes locked directly onto mine across the flames.
The air in my lungs froze. For five agonizing seconds, neither of us moved. He looked exposed, stripped of his usual performance.
I broke the gaze first, casually turning my shoulder and saying something meaningless to Sienna.
Out of the corner of my eye, I watched him pull away from the girl beside him. He didn't say a word to her, nor did he head for the drinks. He just turned his back on the light of the fire and started walking alone toward the dark, quiet edge of the lake.
Is he okay?
I left Sienna by the fire and started walking toward the dark, quiet stretch of the lake-- towards him.
I kept my steps quiet, making sure my presence felt deliberate.
I stopped a few feet behind him.
"The crown looks a little heavy tonight, Cole."
He didn't turn around right away. "I thought you didn't do parties, Maya. Too much friction for you?"
"I'm here for Sienna," I said, taking a deliberate step closer to narrow the space between us. "She needed to be around people who weren't you. It’s part of the healing process."
"Glad I could be of service," he said, finally turning to face me. The moonlight caught the sharp angles of his face, making him look exposed. "You’ve been watching me all night. Did you get enough data for your little autopsy?"
Autopsy? Does he know? Have I been exposed?
I didn't flinch. I let my gaze linger on his face, tilting my head just enough to convey that clinical, almost magnetic focus.
"You've been performing all night, Cole. The girls, the laughing.."
"I wasn't performing," he growled, taking a step toward me.
"Yes, you were," I said softly, letting a trace of softness creep into my voice to pull him in deeper. "You were performing for me. But Cole.. you looked more alone tonight than I’ve ever seen you."
"You don't know anything about me," he said, closing the distance between us, trying to lean into that old instinct to intimidate. "You saw me for five minutes in a café and had one conversation in my apartment. You don't get to say s**t about me."
"I don't have to tell you," I countered, holding his gaze without backing down an inch. "You're showing me. I'm pretty sure you've spent the week trying to bury what I said under a mountain of noise. If it weren't true, you wouldn't be trying so hard to kill it."
Cole stopped, standing just inches away.
I could feel the tension radiating off him, his dark eyes searching mine like he was trying to figure out the answer to a puzzle.
"Why are you here, Maya?" he whispered, the confident mask instantly cracking, letting a glimpse of raw frustration bleed through. "If I'm such a 'black hole,' why do you keep coming into my orbit? Why don't you just leave me to rot in my ivory tower?"
I stayed silent for a long moment, letting the stillness build between us. I looked out over the black water, then brought my eyes back to his, softening my expression. I gave him the spark he was desperate for-- a flash of lingering curiosity.
"Because I want to see if you're actually capable of it," I said, giving him the impression that despite my coldness, I was curious about him.
"Capable of what?"
"Of being real. Of being someone who doesn't need a crown to feel like a person." I took a slow step back, creating distance, dangling the hook just out of his reach. "I want to see if there’s a real person under all that noise, or if you really are just the cliché I think you are. I want to see if someone like you can..." I stopped myself before I could say things he shouldn't know.
He stepped into my space. "If someone like me can what? Finish that sentence, Maya."
I gave him a faint, lingering look.
I could feel his breath against my skin. And his eyes.. his eyes felt like a magnet-- slowly pulling me in.
I'm I.. I'm I just pretending I'm curious or I'm I really, genuinely curious?
"Most people spend their lives pretending. I just want to see how long you can keep it up before the mask stays off for good."
I didn't give him a chance to respond. I turned on my heel and walked away into the shadows of the tree line, leaving him standing alone by the water to digest every single word I said to him tonight.
I headed back toward the main party area, scanning the lingering crowd until I spotted Sienna further down the beach, pressed up against some random guy. They were making out against a pine trunk.
I walked right up to them and cleared my throat. "Sienna."
Sienna pulled away, breathless, glancing at me with annoyed, hazy eyes. "b***h, what?"
"I want to leave. I did what I came here for, there's nothing else to do."
Sienna let out a dramatic groan, turning her body away from the guy. "Come on, Maya. Let's stay for a little longer. Loosen up a bit."
I crossed my arms, looking at her flatly.
"Sienna, this guy just wants to f**k you, you know it."
The guy scoffed, looking offended, but Sienna just let out a heavy sigh and patted his chest. "I'll see you around," she told him.
He didn't bother arguing; he just rolled his eyes and slunk back toward the bonfire.
Sienna turned back to me, and threw her hands up in the air. "Really, Maya? Why do you have to be a party pooper? I mean, you never told me it's a crime for a girl to want some d**k--"
Before I could answer her back, my phone vibrated violently in my pocket, the loud ringtone cutting off her rant. I pulled it out and looked at the screen.
Louisa.
What does she want? I haven't talked to her in forever.
I pressed the phone to my ear. "Louisa?"
"Maya!" Louisa's voice exploded through the speaker, breathless and high-pitched over the deafening bass of a club blasting in her background. "Guess who I just saw! The sexy, hot, scrumptious Nicholas Kensington!"
A beat passed.
What?
My hand went limp beside my frame, the phone resting loosely in my palm.
The sound of the beach-- the crackle of the bonfire, the distant music, Sienna’s voice--all dissolved in a fraction of a second.
A sharp, high-pitched ring-- a piercing, suffocating sound-- flooded my ears, muttering out the rest of the world. Sienna’s lips were moving in front of me, but I couldn't hear a single word.
The air turned ice-cold in my lungs.
Nicholas is back?
- Writer
