Chasing Ghosts [Independent]

The bass of the Westwood apartment speakers vibrated up through the soles of Cole’s sneakers, but he couldn't have cared less about the back-to-college party raging around him. He took a slow pull from his red Solo cup, leaning against the kitchen island, his mind exactly where it had been for the last two weeks: Cabo.

More specifically, a girl in Cabo.

Maya.

That was all he knew. Just Maya. For five sun-drenched, tequila-fueled days, they had been inseparable. Tangled sheets, breathless midnight swims, and a magnetic, consuming pull that Cole had never felt before. And then, on the morning of their flight back, he woke up to an empty hotel bed. No note. No number. Just the lingering scent of coconut and vanilla on his pillow. She had vanished like a ghost, leaving him more gutted than he was willing to admit.

"Earth to Cole!"

Cole blinked, snapping his attention to Liam, his best friend and roommate, who was grinning like an idiot.

"You're miserable tonight, man," Liam laughed, slapping Cole on the shoulder. "But cheer up. The guest of honour just pulled up. I’ll be right back."

Liam pushed his way through the sweaty, dancing crowd toward the front door. Cole watched with mild disinterest as the front door swung open. Liam wrapped someone in a massive bear hug, lifting them off their feet. As Liam set the girl down and stepped back, ushering her into the hallway light, the breath physically left Cole’s lungs.

It was her.

Maya.

She looked different. Gone was the tiny, neon bikini and the wild, beach-tousled hair. Tonight, she wore a demure white sundress, a pale pink cardigan slipping off one shoulder, and her hair brushed into soft, innocent waves. But it was absolutely her. The same heart-stopping hazel eyes. The same soft curve of her lips.

Cole gripped his plastic cup so hard it cracked.

Liam threw an arm around the girl's shoulders, beaming with pride as he navigated her through the sea of drunk college students. He was heading straight for the kitchen. Straight for Cole.

"Cole, man, I finally get to introduce you," Liam said over the music, practically vibrating with excitement. He gestured to the girl tucked under his arm. "This is Maya. My little sister. She just transferred here."

Maya lifted her gaze. When her eyes met Cole’s, the colour completely drained from her beautiful face. Her lips parted in a silent gasp, and for a second, Cole thought she might actually bolt for the door.

A slow, wicked smile spread across Cole’s face. The universe was twisted, but tonight, it was working entirely in his favour.

"Your sister," Cole repeated, his voice dropping an octave as he kept his eyes locked dead on hers. He could see the pulse hammering at the base of her throat.

"Yep," Liam said, oblivious to the suffocating tension suddenly filling the kitchen. "Maya, this is Cole. My best friend and roommate."

Maya felt the blood completely drain from her face. She hadn't just hooked up with a random guy in Cabo. She had hooked up with her brother's roommate. A roommate Liam hadn't even warned her about.

"It is so nice to meet you, Maya." Cole took a deliberate step forward, his eyes locked dead on hers. "Funny, Liam never mentioned he had a sister."

Maya swallowed hard, her eyes darting between Cole’s outstretched hand and his smirking face. Her hand was trembling slightly as she reached out and placed it in his. The second their skin touched, that same electric jolt from Cabo flared to life between them. Cole’s fingers tightened slightly, his thumb brushing over her knuckles, letting her know exactly who was in control.

Before Maya could pull her hand away, a guy from the football team yelled from the hallway. "Liam! The keg is tapped! We need the spare from the basement!"

"Dammit," Liam muttered. He looked at Cole. "Hey, do me a huge favour? Keep an eye on her for ten minutes. Don't let any of these animals near her, okay? She’s not used to this kind of scene."

Cole’s smirk deepened. "Don't worry, man. I’ll keep her entirely to myself."

"Thanks, bro." Liam kissed the top of Maya's head. "Be right back, May.”

The second Liam disappeared down the basement stairs, the sweet, innocent sister act evaporated. Maya snatched her hand back.

Cole took a deliberate step forward, the polite roommate facade dropping instantly. "So this is where you disappeared to, Maya?" he murmured, dark amusement dripping from every word.

Her hazel eyes blazing with a mixture of absolute panic and fiery defiance. She stepped into Cole's space, closing the distance until he could smell that intoxicating mix of coconut and vanilla again.

"Don't even think about it," she hissed, her voice barely audible over the thumping bass.

Cole leaned down, letting his mouth brush dangerously close to her ear. "Think about what? Telling my best friend how his precious, innocent little sister spent her last week of summer screaming my name?"

Maya shivered, glaring up at him. "Cole, I swear to God. You cannot tell him. He thinks I’m… he thinks I'm a good girl. He doesn't know about any of that. If he finds out I was sleeping with random strangers in Mexico, let alone his best friend, he will lose his mind."

"You didn't seem to mind being bad in Mexico," Cole murmured, his eyes dropping to her lips. "And for the record… I'm not a random stranger anymore."

Maya’s breath hitched, but she lifted her chin, trying to muster a glare that wasn’t completely compromised by the blush creeping up her neck.

"It was a vacation fling," she lied smoothly, though her voice wavered the slightest bit. "What happens in Cabo, stays in Cabo. It meant nothing, Cole."

Cole let out a low, dark chuckle that vibrated right through her. He took another deliberate step forward. Maya instinctually stepped back, only to feel the hard edge of the granite kitchen island press against her lower back. Trapped.

He planted a hand on the counter on either side of her hips, caging her in. The party raging around them seemed to mute, narrowing Cole's entire world down to the panicked, beautiful girl looking up at him.

"Nothing?" he echoed softly, dipping his head until his lips were a breath away from her jaw. "Is that why you snuck out like a thief at five in the morning? Because it meant nothing? Or because it meant a little too much and you panicked?"

Maya’s hands came up, resting flat against his chest to push him away, but they stayed there. Her fingers curled slightly into the soft dark cotton of his t-shirt. She could feel the steady, heavy thud of his heartbeat beneath her palms. It matched her own erratic pulse perfectly.

"Please, Cole," she whispered, dropping the defensive act for a fraction of a second. The raw vulnerability in her hazel eyes did something strange to his chest. "Liam has this... image of me. He's always protected me. If he learns I’m the kind of girl who hooks up with guys in hotel rooms, he'll look at me differently. You have to promise me."

Cole studied her face. The truth was, he’d never do anything to hurt Liam. He was his brother in every way that counted. But letting Maya off the hook that easily? Not a chance. He’d spent two weeks obsessing over a ghost, and now that she was flesh and blood in his kitchen, he was going to enjoy this.

"Alright," Cole murmured, pulling back just enough to let her breathe, though he didn't drop his arms from the counter. "Your secret is safe with me, Maya."

Relief washed over her features, her shoulders sagging. "Thank..."

"But," Cole interrupted, a slow, dangerous smirk returning to his lips. "If I have to play the role of the polite, platonic roommate to my best friend’s sweet little sister... you have to play along. No more running away. No more ghosting."

Maya swallowed hard, her eyes wide. "What does that mean?"

"It means," Cole said, his gaze dropping to her lips one last time, "we’re going to be seeing a lot of each other since you'll be hanging around our place. And you're going to have to pretend that being in the same room as me doesn't make you feel exactly like you did in Cabo."

"I got it!" Liam’s voice boomed over the music as he emerged from the basement hallway, a fresh keg hoisted onto his shoulder.

Cole seamlessly pushed off the counter, taking a casual step back and shoving his hands into his pockets just a second before Liam walked into the kitchen.

Maya quickly spun around, grabbing a random red Solo cup from the counter and pretending to inspect it, her cheeks flushed a deep, telltale crimson.

"Sorry about that," Liam said, dropping the keg with a heavy thud. He wiped his brow and looked between the two of them, completely blind to the thick, electric tension suffocating the air. "You guys getting acquainted?"

"Oh, definitely," Cole drawled, his eyes locking onto the back of Maya’s head. "Maya and I were just figuring out exactly where we stand. I think we're going to get along great."

Maya turned her head, shooting Cole a lethal glare over her shoulder.

Cole just winked.

The glaring morning sun was entirely too bright, but the dull throb behind Cole’s temples vanished the second Maya padded into the apartment kitchen wearing a pair of fuzzy socks and one of Liam’s oversized hoodies.

She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Cole leaning against the counter. He was wearing grey sweatpants slung dangerously low on his hips and absolutely nothing else. A fresh pot of coffee was brewing behind him, filling the air with a rich, roasted scent, but his attention was entirely locked on her.

"Morning, roomie," Cole purred, his eyes raking over the massive hoodie that swallowed her small frame.

"I don't live here, Cole," she muttered, crossing her arms defensively as she marched toward the cabinet for a mug. "I'm just staying until my dorm is ready on Monday."

"Right. My mistake." Cole pushed off the counter and stepped seamlessly into her personal space, reaching up to grab a mug from the top shelf before she could. He didn't step back once he had it. Instead, he stayed close enough that the heat radiating from his bare chest washed over her. He slowly handed her the mug, his fingers deliberately dragging across hers. "Did you sleep well? Because I kept waking up. Tossing and turning. Just kept remembering how much better I sleep when I’m not… alone."

Maya’s breath hitched, a furious blush rushing up her neck. "Cole," she warned under her breath, her eyes darting nervously toward the hallway.

"Just making conversation," Cole whispered back, dipping his head so his lips were dangerously close to her ear. "Though I’m surprised you aren't more of a morning person. You were always so energetic at sunrise in Mexico."

"Okay, I'm making pancakes!" Liam’s booming voice shattered the quiet as he bounded into the kitchen, oblivious to the fact that his sister looked like she was about to spontaneously combust.

Maya practically vaulted away from Cole, clutching her empty coffee mug like a shield. Cole simply turned to Liam, an innocent, easygoing smile spreading across his face as he poured himself a cup.

Throughout breakfast, Cole didn't let up. Every time Maya reached for the syrup, his hand was there to brush hers. When she mentioned a history class she was nervous about, Cole offered to be her personal study buddy, lacing the offer with a heavy, velvet gaze that left her sputtering on her orange juice. He was playing a dangerous, thrilling game, and he loved every second of watching her try to maintain her good-girl facade.

Eventually, Maya excused herself to take a shower, practically sprinting down the hallway.

The second the bathroom door clicked shut, Liam let out a heavy sigh and leaned against the sink, crossing his arms. He looked at Cole with a serious, slightly uncomfortable expression.

"Hey, man," Liam started, scratching the back of his neck. "Listen, about Maya."

Cole took a sip of his coffee, hiding his smirk behind the rim. "What about her?"

"I know how you are," Liam said, gesturing vaguely at Cole. "You're naturally a flirt. It’s your default setting. I get it, and usually, it's hilarious. But... maybe dial it back a little with my sister?"

Cole raised an eyebrow, feigning total innocence. "Dial it back?"

"Yeah." Liam frowned, looking genuinely worried. "She’s not like the girls you usually go after. She’s quiet. Innocent. She gets overwhelmed easily. I just saw the way you were teasing her at breakfast, and she looked totally panicked. I don't think she likes guys being that forward with her. She probably has no idea how to handle someone like you."

It took every ounce of Cole’s self-control not to burst into laughter right then and there. No idea how to handle someone like him? His mind flashed to the memory of Maya’s nails digging into his back, her breathless demands echoing in the humid Cabo air. She knew exactly how to handle him.

Instead of letting the memory slip onto his face, Cole let out a low, rough chuckle and set his mug down. He reached out and clapped his best friend on the shoulder.

"You're right, Liam. My bad," Cole said, his voice entirely too smooth. "I was just trying to make her feel welcome, but I'll back off. I definitely wouldn't want to make your sister do anything she isn't completely comfortable with."

Liam relaxed instantly, smiling in relief. "Thanks, bro. I knew you'd understand."

"Always," Cole agreed.

As Liam turned back to the stove to clean up the griddle, Cole’s eyes drifted down the hallway toward the closed bathroom door. He might have agreed to back off in front of Liam, but the second they were alone again, all bets were off.

The bathroom door clicked open ten minutes later, releasing a billow of steam and that dangerous, familiar scent of vanilla into the hallway. Maya emerged, having swapped the oversized hoodie for a pair of fitted vintage jeans and a cropped white tee. She was frantically towel-drying her hair, looking everywhere but at the kitchen.

"Perfect timing," Liam said, grabbing his keys off the counter and tossing them into his duffel bag. "Coach just texted. Someone called out sick, so I’ve gotta cover a shift at the athletic center. I'll be gone for a few hours."

Maya froze, the towel slipping from her hands. "Wait, what? But I need to go to Target to get my dorm stuff today."

"I know, I know. I’m sorry," Liam grimaced, throwing his bag over his shoulder. He gestured casually toward the kitchen island. "But Cole said he doesn't mind taking you. Right, man?"

Maya’s head snapped toward Cole, her hazel eyes wide with absolute betrayal.

Cole leaned against the counter, taking a slow, agonizing sip of his coffee. He met her panicked gaze over the rim of the mug, his eyes gleaming with dark amusement. "Not at all. I’d be happy to escort your sister."

"No!" Maya blurted out, a little too quickly. Liam blinked, turning to look at her in surprise. She cleared her throat, forcing a painfully awkward smile. "I mean, no, it's fine. I can just take an Uber, Liam. I don't want to bother Cole on his weekend."

"It’s really no bother," Cole drawled, stepping out from behind the island. He had thrown on a black t-shirt, which did absolutely nothing to hide the broad line of his shoulders. "Besides, I need a few things myself. And Liam’s right, I wouldn't want you wandering around alone. You might get... overwhelmed."

He infused the last word with just enough weight that Maya’s jaw clenched.

"See? Sorted," Liam smiled, completely oblivious to the silent warfare happening in his living room. He kissed Maya on the cheek and gave Cole a chin-nod. "Thanks again, bro. Take care of her."

The front door slammed shut. The silence that rushed in behind it was deafening.

Cole didn't move for a long moment. He just stood there, watching her chest rise and fall with her quickened breathing. Slowly, he reached for his car keys on the counter, the metal jingling loudly in the quiet apartment.

"Ready to go, roomie?" he asked softly.

Ten minutes later, Maya found herself trapped in the passenger seat of Cole’s matte black Jeep. The space felt entirely too small. The air conditioning was blasting, but she felt like she was burning up, hyper-aware of the way Cole’s large hand loosely gripped the steering wheel, his silver rings glinting in the morning light.

She kept her face practically pressed against the passenger window, determined not to say a single word.

"So," Cole murmured, his deep voice cutting through the hum of the engine. He didn't take his eyes off the road, but a wicked smile played at the corner of his mouth. "Liam and I had a really interesting chat while you were in the shower."

Maya stiffened. "I don't care."

"I think you will," Cole countered smoothly. "He asked me to back off. Said I was being too forward with you at breakfast."

Maya squeezed her eyes shut, wishing the plush leather seat would just swallow her whole. "Of course he did. Because he thinks of me as his little sister. Which is exactly why you need to leave me alone, Cole."

Cole merged onto the highway, his foot pressing down a little harder on the gas. "The best part, though, was when he told me why I needed to back off. Do you want to know what he said?"

"No."

"He said you were innocent," Cole continued, ignoring her entirely. His voice dropped, vibrating with a dark, mocking edge. "He said you were quiet. That you wouldn't know how to handle a guy like me."

Maya whipped her head around to glare at him. "Shut up."

Cole hit the blinker and pulled the Jeep into an empty parking spot at the far end of the Target parking lot. He threw the car in park, but he didn't kill the engine. Instead, he unbuckled his seatbelt and shifted in his seat, turning his entire body toward her.

"It was really hard not to laugh, Maya," Cole whispered, his eyes dropping to her mouth. "Because all I could think about was the way you dug your nails into my back when I pinned you against the wall of that hotel shower."

"Cole.." she gasped, her face flushing crimson as she instinctively pressed herself back against the passenger door.

He leaned across the center console, invading her space until she was surrounded by the scent of cedar and mint. Maya’s heart hammered violently against her ribs. She thought he was going to kiss her, and the terrifying truth was, she wasn't sure she would stop him.

But Cole just reached past her waist, his knuckles brushing deliberately against her hip as he grabbed her seatbelt buckle. With a soft click, he released it.

He pulled back just an inch, his gaze locked intensely on hers, dropping all traces of the playful frat boy. "You can play the innocent little sister for Liam all you want," he said, his voice a ragged, breathless command. "But don't you ever try to play it with me. We both know exactly what you are."

Maya shoved both hands against his chest, breaking the spell.

She scrambled out of the passenger side so fast she nearly tripped over the curb. The dry, blistering September heat radiating off the asphalt hit her like a wall, but it was nothing compared to the suffocating, magnetic tension inside the Jeep. She slammed the door shut and marched blindly toward the glowing red Target logo, wrapping her arms around her stomach to steady her shaking hands.

Cole was infuriating. He was arrogant, relentless, and worst of all, he was entirely right. She wasn't innocent. Not with him.

The automatic doors slid open, blasting her with aggressively cheerful fluorescent lighting and chilled air. She grabbed a red plastic basket, determined to get in, get her dorm supplies, and get out without making eye contact with the guy currently strolling through the doors like he owned the place.

Cole seamlessly plucked the basket out of her hand and dropped it into a shopping cart he pulled from the stack. He leaned heavily on the handle, giving her a lazy, devastating grin.

"Lead the way, Maya," he said, his voice entirely too pleasant. "I’m at your service."

She ground her teeth, turning on her heel and speed-walking toward the home goods section. She tried to focus on her mental checklist: towels, a desk lamp, shower shoes. But it was impossible with Cole trailing mere inches behind her. The squeak of the cart’s wheels felt like a ticking clock.

They turned down a frustratingly narrow aisle stocked with dorm bedding. Maya grabbed a set of pale grey Twin XL sheets and pretended to intensely read the back of the packaging.

"Twin XL," Cole noted from right behind her.

She stiffened as the front of his body brushed agonizingly close to her back. He reached around her, his arm boxing her in against the shelving unit as he tapped the plastic packaging in her hands.

"A little small, don't you think?" he murmured, his breath fanning across the shell of her ear. "Though, I guess you don't really need a lot of space. You always did like to sleep right on top of me."

"Stop it," Maya hissed, finally spinning around.

It was a mistake. Turning around only meant she was now trapped face-to-face with him, boxed in by the shelves at her back and his hands gripping the metal cart in front of her.

"Stop what?" Cole asked, tilting his head. The playful glint in his eyes was fading, replaced by something heavier. Darker. "Stop telling the truth?"

"Stop acting like you own me just because of a five-day fling," she shot back, her voice trembling with a potent mix of anger and adrenaline. "I left, Cole. I walked away. And you're just dragging this out because your massive ego can't handle the fact that a girl ghosted you for once."

The air between them flatlined.

Cole’s jaw clenched. The relaxed, teasing frat boy vanished entirely, leaving behind a cold, sharp intensity that made Maya’s breath catch in her throat. He abandoned the cart, taking a half-step forward until his chest was flush against hers, pinning her back against the display of pillows.

"You think this is about my ego?" he asked, his voice dropping to a gravelly, dangerous whisper that sent a shiver straight down her spine. "You think I spent the last two weeks replaying every single second of Cabo in my head because my feelings were hurt?"

Maya stared up at him, her heart hammering frantically against her ribs. She couldn't look away from his dark eyes, even if she wanted to. "Then why?" she whispered.

Cole’s hand came up, his thumb roughly tracing the line of her jaw before his fingers tangled in the soft hair at the nape of her neck. He tilted her face up, forcing her to look at exactly how much she had unraveled him.

"Because," Cole breathed, leaning in until his lips brushed against hers with every word, "I wake up every morning craving you. And you're going to admit that you feel the exact same way, Maya. Even if I have to tear down this entire good-girl act to make you do it."

The breath mingling between their lips was suddenly shattered by a low, mocking whistle that echoed down the quiet aisle.

Maya jumped, violently shoving against Cole’s chest. Cole didn't stumble, but he turned his head slowly, his jaw ticking with a lethal kind of tension as his eyes locked onto the intruder.

It was Trent, the linebacker who had been loudly commandeering the beer pong table at the party last night. He was leaning against the corner of the metal shelving unit, a sleazy smirk plastered across his face as his eyes raked over Maya’s flushed cheeks and panicked stance.

"Well, well," Trent sneered, his gaze dropping to where Cole still had one arm caging Maya in. "Liam's sweet little sister sure moves fast. Barely been on campus twenty-four hours and you're already hooking up with guys you don't even know in a Target." Trent let out a dark chuckle, crossing his arms. "Hey, Cole. When you're done breaking her in, let me know. I wouldn't mind a turn if she's handing it out this easy."

A sickening drop of pure ice hit Maya's stomach.

Before she could even process the vile words, Cole moved. The simmering, magnetic heat he had just directed at Maya vanished, replaced instantly by a blinding, violent rage. He closed the distance between him and Trent in two massive strides, grabbing the front of Trent's sweatshirt and shoving him hard against the metal shelving. Products crashed to the floor.

"Say one more word about her," Cole snarled, his voice a guttural, terrifying register that Maya had never heard before. "Open your mouth one more time, Trent, and I swear to God I will break your jaw so badly you'll be drinking your meals through a straw for the rest of the season. Back the f*ck off."

Trent held his hands up in mock surrender, his smirk faltering into nervous realization. "Hey, man, chill. I was just messing around."

"I'm not," Cole whispered, his eyes practically black. He shoved Trent one last time before releasing him. "Get out of my sight."

Trent scrambled away, disappearing down the main aisle without looking back. Cole stood there for a second, his chest heaving as he stared at the empty space. Then, without a word, he turned back to Maya. The fury in his eyes softened just a fraction as he looked at her pale face. He reached out, wrapping his large, warm hand securely around her wrist, and pulled her gently toward the front of the store.

They finished the shopping trip in suffocating, heavy silence.

The drive back to Westwood Village was pure agony. A fender bender on Wilshire Boulevard had turned the late afternoon traffic into a dead standstill, trapping them inside the cramped cabin of the matte black Jeep for forty-five excruciating minutes. The quiet between them wasn't just heavy; it was practically vibrating.

Cole sat rigidly behind the wheel, his jaw clenched so tight a muscle ticked along his cheek. He had the AC blasted to combat the brutal September heat, but the icy air did absolutely nothing to cool the intense, magnetic tension radiating between their seats. Maya kept her eyes glued to the endless sea of red brake lights, desperately trying to ignore the way his knuckles gripped the steering wheel, or the fact that every time he shifted gears, the rough denim of his jean jacket brushed right against her knee. Neither of them said a single word, but the shared memories of Mexico hanging in the small space felt loud enough to shatter the windshield.

Two hours later, Maya was sitting cross-legged on the apartment sofa, folding a new blanket, when the front door nearly blew off its hinges.

Liam stormed into the living room, his face flushed red with absolute fury. Cole emerged from his room, wiping his face dry with a towel, completely unprepared for the physical shove Liam delivered directly to his chest.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Liam roared, his voice shaking the framed posters on the wall.

Maya dropped the blanket, springing to her feet. "Liam, what.."

"Shut up, Maya, I’m handling this," Liam snapped, never taking his furious eyes off his best friend. "Trent just called me. He said he saw you two at Target. He said he walked down an aisle and caught you backing my sister into a corner and forcibly kissing her!"

Maya gasped, all the blood draining from her face.

Cole went entirely still. The towel dropped from his hands onto the counter. He looked at Liam, the betrayal radiating off his best friend, and then his eyes flicked to Maya. He didn't say a single word. He didn't defend himself. He just stood there, his jaw clenched so tight a muscle feathered in his cheek, absorbing the accusation. He looked entirely prepared to take the fall.

"I asked you to back off!" Liam yelled, stepping closer to Cole. "I trusted you to take care of her, and you corner her in a public place when she barely knows you? What kind of a sick game are you playing, Cole? Do you know how terrified she must have been?"

Still, Cole said nothing. He just held Maya’s gaze, a quiet, damning resignation in his dark eyes.

"I want you to apologize to her," Liam demanded, his voice dropping to a harsh, shaking grit. "Right now. You apologize to my sister, and then you and I are going to have a very different conversation outside."

Cole finally dragged his eyes away from Maya. He swallowed hard, looking at Liam, and slowly opened his mouth. "Liam, I.."

"Stop!"

Maya’s voice sliced through the tension like a whip. Both boys snapped their heads toward her. She marched right into the middle of the standoff, her heart threatening to beat straight out of her ribs. She couldn't let Cole take this. Not when he had been the one to protect her.

"That's not what happened, Liam," Maya said, forcing her voice to stay steady as she stepped defensively in front of Cole.

Liam frowned, his anger faltering into confusion. "What are you talking about? Trent said.."

"Trent is a liar," Maya spat, the memory of his sleazy smirk fueling her courage. "Trent cornered me. I was looking at sheets, and he came out of nowhere. He started making these disgusting, lewd comments, asking if I wanted to hook up with him since I was new to campus. I told him to leave me alone, and he wouldn't."

She took a breath, risking a glance over her shoulder. Cole was staring down at her, completely floored.

Maya turned back to her brother. "He got mad that I rejected him, Liam. He started calling me names. Cole heard him and stepped in. He told Trent to back off and literally had to shove him away from me. Trent was just angry that Cole humiliated him, so he called you and made up that sick lie to get Cole in trouble."

The silence that followed was deafening. All the fight completely drained out of Liam's body. His shoulders slumped, and he dragged both hands down his face, groaning in profound realization.

"Oh, God," Liam muttered, looking violently ill. He turned to Cole, the guilt practically suffocating him. "Cole... man. I.. I didn't know. Trent made it sound so real. I'm so sorry. I should have known you'd never do something like that to her. I should have trusted you."

Cole stared at Maya's back for a long, heavy moment. The air between them crackled with a totally new, dangerous electricity. She had just lied to her brother. For him.

Slowly, Cole stepped around Maya, clapping a hand on Liam's shoulder. His eyes, however, stayed locked on the beautiful, defiant girl standing in the middle of the living room.

"It's fine, Liam," Cole murmured softly, his voice thick with a promise only Maya could understand. "I told you I'd take care of her. And I always protect what's mine."

The word mine hung in the air, heavy and suffocating.

Liam didn't catch the possessive edge in Cole’s voice, too entirely consumed by his own guilt. He rubbed the back of his neck, looking between Cole and Maya with a defeated sigh.

"I'm an idiot," Liam muttered, shaking his head. "I'm gonna go down to Lamonica's. Get us some pizzas and garlic knots. My treat. I just... I need to take a walk and cool off. I'm really sorry again, man."

"Forget about it," Cole said, his voice quiet, his eyes never leaving Maya.

Liam grabbed his keys and wallet, pausing at the door to give Maya an apologetic look. "I'm sorry you had to deal with Trent, May. I'll handle him on Monday at practice. I promise."

"It's okay, Liam," she managed to whisper, her throat incredibly dry.

The front door clicked shut. The deadbolt slid into place with a hollow thud.

Maya stood perfectly still in the center of the living room, her pulse roaring in her ears. She could feel Cole’s gaze burning a hole right through her. The air in the apartment felt instantly ten degrees hotter, thick with a dangerous, unspoken realization.

She turned around slowly.

Cole was standing exactly where Liam had left him, but the easygoing, forgiving best-friend persona was gone. In its place was the boy from Cabo; intense, hungry, and entirely fixated on her. He didn't say a word as he began to walk toward her. His steps were slow, deliberate, like a predator cornering a very willing prey.

Maya's instinct was to step back, but her legs refused to move. She just watched him close the distance until he was standing mere inches away, the heat radiating off his chest seeping directly into her skin.

"You lied to him," Cole murmured, his voice a dark, velvety rumble that sent a shiver straight down her spine.

"I.. I just didn't want him to punch you," she stammered, looking up into his dark, storm-filled eyes. "He was ready to kill you."

Cole tilted his head, a devastating, wicked smirk finally breaking through his serious facade. He reached up, his knuckles gently grazing the soft skin of her cheek. Maya’s breath hitched, her eyes fluttering shut for a fraction of a second at the contact.

"Don't lie to me, Maya," he whispered, stepping even closer until the tips of their shoes touched. "You didn't do it to save me from a bloody nose. You did it to protect our secret."

He slid his hand to the back of her neck, his thumb resting right over her racing pulse.

"And if you're protecting our secret," Cole continued, leaning down until his lips brushed against her ear, "it means you haven't let it go, either. It means you're just as obsessed with what we did in Mexico as I am."

"Cole.."

"Admit it," he commanded softly, his hand tightening just a fraction in her hair, tilting her head back so she was forced to look at his mouth. "Tell me you don't feel this. Tell me your heart isn't beating out of your chest right now. Say the words, Maya, and I'll walk away. I'll leave you alone forever."

She opened her mouth, the word no sitting right on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn't say it. The lie simply wouldn't form. Not when he was looking at her like she was the only oxygen left in the room. Not when every nerve in her body was screaming to close the final inch between them.

Cole’s eyes darkened, reading her silence perfectly. The smirk vanished, replaced by a raw, consuming hunger.

"That's what I thought," he breathed.

Before she could process another thought, Cole’s hands dropped to her waist, gripping her hips firmly. He didn't kiss her. Not yet. But he pulled her flush against his body, letting her feel exactly how much effect she had on him, leaving absolutely zero room for doubt.

The solid, undeniable heat of Cole seared right through the thin cotton of Maya's shirt, short-circuiting every last rational thought in her brain. For two weeks, she had convinced herself that Cabo was a fever dream. A temporary lapse in judgment that she could neatly pack away and forget.

But standing here, pinned by his dark, storm-filled gaze, feeling the frantic, hammering rhythm of his heartbeat syncing perfectly with her own, the truth was blindingly clear. She hadn't run because it meant nothing. She had run because he terrified her. Because no one had ever made her feel this completely, dangerously out of control.

Maya looked at the slight, arrogant curve of his mouth. The mouth that had been driving her entirely insane since she walked through the front door of this apartment.

She was done running.

Her hands uncurled from her sides. She reached up, her fingers twisting fiercely into the soft fabric of his black t-shirt. Cole barely had a second to register the shift in her eyes before Maya went up on her tiptoes, completely closing the final inch between them, and smashed her lips against his.

Cole froze. For exactly one second, absolute shock kept his body rigid. He had pushed her, taunted her, and cornered her, fully expecting to have to chase her for weeks. He hadn't expected her to snap.

And then, with a low, desperate groan that vibrated straight into her chest, Cole took over.

His hands slid from her hips to her waist, his grip bruising and possessive as he lifted her completely off her feet. Maya let out a breathless gasp, instinctively wrapping her legs tightly around his waist as he backed her up against the nearest wall with a heavy thud. The framed posters rattled in protest, but neither of them cared.

The kiss wasn't sweet, and it wasn't tentative. It was a collision. It was two weeks of agonizing withdrawal, panic, and explosive tension finally breaking wide open.

Maya threaded her hands desperately into his thick, dark hair, angling his head to deepen the kiss. She tasted like the vanilla she always wore; he tasted like black coffee, mint, and pure adrenaline. Cole’s mouth was bruising, frantic, devouring hers as if he were trying to memorize exactly how it felt so she could never disappear on him again.

"Mine," Cole breathed against her lips, his voice a raw, ragged command. His hands roamed frantically over her back, pulling her flush against his chest so she could feel every rigid line of his body. "You are not running this time, Maya. I swear to God."

"I'm right here," she gasped back, diving back in to capture his lips.

He didn't give her a chance to breathe. Cole pushed off the wall, carrying her effortlessly across the living room until her back hit the plush cushions of the sofa. He followed her down immediately, settling his weight heavily over her, caging her completely beneath him.

His lips left her mouth, dragging an open-mouthed, scorching trail down her jaw and directly to the sensitive column of her throat. Maya arched her back, a soft, involuntary moan slipping past her lips as his teeth lightly grazed her pulse point. It was exactly like Mexico, only infinitely more dangerous, because the very real threat of Liam walking back through that front door was hovering like a ticking time bomb over them.

Every brush of his hands, every hot breath against her skin sent a wild, electric thrill through her veins. Maya’s hands scrambled beneath the hem of his shirt, her cold fingers finally finding the scorching, hard planes of his stomach, pulling a sharp hiss from his teeth.

"You're going to drive me insane," Cole muttered darkly, pulling back just enough to look down at her. His dark eyes were completely blown out, his chest heaving as he stared at her flushed, swollen lips and the wild, messy tangle of her hair spread across his couch.

He looked like a man who had finally caught a ghost, and he had absolutely no intention of ever letting it go.

The frantic scrape of a key sliding into the deadbolt shattered the heavy, heated haze enveloping the living room.

Maya gasped, her eyes flying open in sheer panic. Cole swore violently under his breath, rolling off the couch and pulling her up with him in one seamless, fluid motion. They moved with the synchronized chaos of two people whose lives depended on it. Maya smoothed down her shirt and wildly finger-combed her hair, while Cole aggressively fluffed the squashed sofa cushions and straightened the rug with his foot.

By the time the front door swung open, Maya was sitting in the armchair with her phone out, and Cole was leaning against the kitchen counter, casually scrolling through his messages. Both of their chests were heaving, but the apartment looked entirely untouched.

"Piping hot Lamonica's!" Liam announced, kicking the door shut with his heel. He hoisted two massive pizza boxes into the air, completely oblivious to the thick, electrified air still lingering in the room. "And I got the garlic knots. Peace offering?"

"Smells amazing, Liam," Maya said, her voice only trembling a fraction. She avoided looking at Cole, knowing that if she met his dark, knowing eyes, she would combust on the spot.

Dinner was a masterclass in agonizing restraint. They sat around the small coffee table, the scent of pepperoni and garlic filling the room. Underneath the table, Cole’s knee rested deliberately against Maya’s. Every time she tried to shift away, he simply tracked the movement, keeping that scorching point of contact firmly in place.

Liam, however, was beaming. The tension from the afternoon had completely evaporated, replaced by his usual golden-retriever energy.

"I gotta say," Liam mumbled around a bite of pizza, looking between the two of them. "I'm really glad you guys are getting along. I was worried you'd be lonely transferring here, May. I'm glad you made your first friend on campus, and I'm really glad it's Cole. I know he’s got a reputation, but he's a good guy. He'll look out for you."

Cole took a slow sip of his soda, his eyes locking onto Maya over the rim of the can. "Always, man. She’s in good hands."

Maya choked on her garlic knot, reaching blindly for a napkin while Cole smirked.

Two hours later, Liam retreated to his bedroom to knock out a sociology paper, leaving Cole and Maya alone in the dimly lit kitchen. Maya was washing the last of the plates when Cole stepped up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her back against his chest. He pressed a soft, lingering kiss to her temple.

"Cole," she whispered, leaning into his warmth despite herself. She turned off the faucet and turned in his arms, looking up into his softened gaze. "I need you to promise me something."

"Anything," he murmured, his thumb brushing a stray drop of water from her chin.

"Summer break," she said, her voice quiet but resolute. "Cabo. What happened there... it stays between us. Nobody else can ever know. Not Liam, not anyone. Promise me."

Cole studied her face for a long moment, tracing the genuine pleading in her hazel eyes. The frat boy arrogance was completely gone, leaving only the fierce, grounded boy who had spent two weeks agonizing over a ghost.

"I promise, Maya," he said softly, pressing a kiss to her forehead, sealing the vow. "Cabo is ours. Just ours."

The rule was simple: keep it a secret. But Cole made keeping that rule entirely impossible.

Their dynamic shifted into a dangerous, thrilling game of hiding in plain sight. In front of Liam, they were the perfect picture of platonic roommates. Cole would casually ask Maya about her classes while pouring cereal, and she would complain about her professors without missing a beat. But the second Liam turned his back to grab the milk, Cole’s hand would slide under the kitchen island, his long fingers wrapping possessively around Maya’s thigh, making her breath hitch midway through a sentence.

The campus became their personal playground for stolen moments. Maya would be buried in a textbook in the quiet third-floor stacks of the library, only to feel a heavy, familiar presence step up behind her chair. Without a word, Cole would drop a caramel macchiato on her desk, grab her by the wrist, and pull her into the narrowest aisle of the European History section. There, surrounded by dusty encyclopedias, he would back her against the shelves and kiss her until she completely forgot what century she was supposed to be studying.

"You're going to get us caught," she breathed one afternoon, her hands tangled in his dark hair as a librarian's cart squeaked by just one aisle over.

Cole just smirked, his thumb tracing her swollen lower lip. "Let them look. I don't care who knows you're mine, Maya. You're the one making me play pretend."

While the library offered fleeting thrills, Maya’s dorm room became their actual sanctuary. Her assigned roommate was a nightmare. A girl who blasted EDM at seven in the morning and constantly brought home loud, obnoxious guys. But the rare nights she was out, the cramped, suffocating little dorm transformed into the only place they didn't have to hide.

The second Maya sent the 'all clear' text, Cole would find a ridiculous excuse to ditch Liam. He would slip past the strict RA desk, navigating the fluorescent-lit hallways until he was clicking her door shut and throwing the deadbolt. The moment that lock engaged, the arrogant, untouchable facade he wore around her brother completely melted away. Cole would shed his leather jacket, kick off his boots, and fold his massive frame onto her tiny Twin XL bed, pulling Maya down by the waist until she was entirely draped over him.

It was a stark, dizzying contrast to the electric anxiety of Liam’s apartment. Here, they could just exist. Maya would type out an essay while leaning her back flat against Cole’s chest, completely surrounded by his heat, while he scrolled mindlessly on his phone, lazily twisting a strand of her hair around his finger. There were no sudden footsteps to flinch at, no hasty retreating to opposite sides of the room. It was just the whir of a cheap box fan and the intoxicating weight of his hands on her waist, proving just how dangerously deep they were actually falling.

But the hardest part wasn't the public spaces, or even the suffocating secrecy of the apartment; it was the parties.

When October rolled around, the Westwood apartment threw their annual Halloween blowout. Maya went as a dark angel, a sheer black dress and a pair of feathered wings that made Cole’s eyes turn absolutely lethal the second she walked out of her bedroom. He was dressed simply as a mechanic; a fitted white tank top with grease smudged on his arms and dark jeans. But he couldn't keep his eyes off her.

For two hours, they had to play their roles. Liam hovered like a protective guard dog, making sure no drunk undergrads bothered his sister. Maya watched from across the living room as a girl dressed as a very convincing cat heavily flirted with Cole by the keg. Jealousy flared hot and sharp in Maya's chest. But just as the girl leaned in to touch his chest, Cole stepped back, his face completely cold. He muttered something to the girl, dismissing her instantly, and his dark eyes immediately cut across the crowded room. He found Maya’s gaze, holding it with a silent, burning promise, before subtly tilting his head toward the hallway.

Ten minutes later, Maya slipped through the chaotic crowd and pushed open the heavy oak door to Cole’s bedroom.

He pulled her inside before she could even hit the light switch, pressing her back against the door until it clicked shut. The heavy bass of the party was muffled instantly, replaced by the ragged sound of their breathing.

"I hated watching that," she admitted, her voice trembling as his hands immediately found her waist.

"She meant nothing," Cole swore, kissing a path down her jaw. "I didn't even hear a word she said. All I’ve been thinking about for the last two hours is getting you in here and ruining this halo."

It wasn't just the physical pull that kept them anchored to each other, though. The longer they dated in secret, the more Cole completely dismantled her expectations of him. Maya had assumed he was just the arrogant, carefree guy she met in Mexico, but late nights in his matte black Jeep proved otherwise.

He drove her up the winding, narrow roads of the Hollywood Hills one crisp November night, parking the matte black Jeep on a secluded dirt turnout just below the Hollywood Sign. Through the windshield, the sprawling, electric grid of Los Angeles glittered endlessly into the distance. The heater was blasting to chase away the canyon chill, and Maya had her bare feet tucked comfortably into his lap. Instead of trying to hook up with her, Cole spent three hours talking. He told her about the crushing pressure from his dad to drop football and take over the family business, and the quiet, hidden anxiety he carried about not being good enough.

Maya listened, tracing the silver rings on his fingers, realizing exactly how much trust he was handing her. He was handing her the pieces of himself he kept hidden behind his smirk and his reputation.

"Why are you telling me all this?" she asked softly, the steady hum of the heater filling the quiet space between them.

Cole looked at her, the dashboard lights casting sharp shadows across his striking face. The vulnerability in his eyes was raw and completely unguarded. "Because I don't want to just be the guy you sneak around with, Maya. I want to be the guy you actually let in. I want all of it."

That was the night the dynamic truly shifted. Maya stopped looking at him as a mistake she made over summer break and finally accepted that she was entirely in love with him.

The secret began to feel less like a fun game and more like a heavy burden. Cole stopped going to parties entirely if Maya wasn't there. He spent his weekends studying on the floor of her dorm room, helping her cram for finals. Liam started making offhand comments about how Cole was acting like a boring old man, completely oblivious to the fact that his best friend’s sudden domestic lifestyle was entirely due to his sister. They were existing in a fragile, beautiful bubble, just waiting for the pin to drop.

But secrets of that magnitude always have an expiration date, and the sheer exhaustion of constantly playing pretend at the shared apartment finally made them reckless. The electric anxiety of dodging Liam's watchful eye drove them to seek refuge on Maya's turf at every possible opportunity. So, when Maya sent a rapid-fire text on a blistering Tuesday afternoon saying her nightmare roommate was gone for the day, Cole didn't even hesitate. He bailed on his afternoon study group, completely disregarding the risk of Liam asking where he was going, and practically sprinted across campus.

They were so relieved to finally be alone, so blinded by the need to just exist in the same space without hiding, that they broke their own cardinal rule. They got sloppy. When Cole climbed through the first-floor window an hour ago, neither of them had remembered to lock the door.

The tiny dorm room was stifling, the Los Angeles heat no match for a cheap box fan. Cole’s heavy arm was draped across Maya’s waist, their legs tangled in the messy pale grey sheets of her Twin XL bed. They were both sweaty, exhausted, and deeply asleep which is why neither of them heard the heavy footsteps coming down the hall.

The handle clicked. The door swung open.

"Hey, Maya, you left your laptop charger at the.."

Liam froze. The charger slipped from his hand, hitting the linoleum floor with a sharp clack.

Maya shot up, pulling the sheet to her chin with a gasp. Beside her, Cole was instantly awake, his reflexes kicking in as he sat up, instinctively stepping between Maya and the doorway, completely unbothered by the fact that he was only in his boxers.

"Liam," Cole started, his voice rough with sleep but laced with absolute panic. "It’s not what it looks like. I mean.. it is, but.."

"Are you out of your mind?!" Liam roared, stepping into the room and slamming the door shut behind him. The veins in his neck were pulsing. "You're hooking up with my sister behind my back, Cole? Is she just another one of your casual flings?!"

"No!" Cole barked back, not backing down an inch. He ran a frustrated hand through his messy hair, his chest heaving. He didn't look like the arrogant guy who snuck around Westwood; he looked terrified of losing both of them. "No, Liam. I'm not just hooking up with her. I love her."

The room went dead silent. Maya stopped breathing. It was the first time he had said those words out loud.

Liam’s fists, which had been clenched tight enough to turn his knuckles white, slowly loosened. He stared at Cole. He knew his best friend. He knew Cole’s history, his walls, and the fact that the guy had literally never uttered the 'L-word' to a girl in his entire life.

Liam looked past Cole’s shoulder to Maya, who was watching him with wide, terrified eyes, completely flushed and clearly terrified of his reaction.

The murderous glare melted off Liam's face, replaced by a sudden, disbelieving bark of laughter. He scrubbed a hand over his face and let out a long sigh, the tension completely draining from his massive shoulders.

"Wait... really?" Liam asked, a genuine, massive grin breaking out across his face. "You actually love her?"

Cole blinked, completely thrown off by the mood swing. "Yeah. I do."

"Well, damn," Liam laughed, leaning back against the door and crossing his arms. "I was about to punch you through drywall, but... that's actually amazing. Do you know how hard it was trying to find a guy I actually trusted around her?" He shook his head, still smiling. "Could have done without the visual, though. Put some pants on, man."

The heavy wooden door clicked shut, leaving a stunned, echoing silence in the cramped dorm room.

Maya sat frozen against the pillows, her heart hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird. She slowly turned her head to look at Cole. He was still standing between her and the door, his chest rising and falling from the adrenaline spike, but the fierce, defensive posture was rapidly melting away.

He turned around, his dark eyes softening the second they landed on her flushed face. He climbed back onto the narrow Twin XL mattress, pulling her flush against his chest and burying his face in the crook of her neck, letting out a long, shaky breath.

"You meant it?" she whispered, her voice barely louder than the hum of the cheap box fan.

Cole pulled back just enough to frame her face with his large hands, his thumbs gently sweeping across her cheekbones. "Every single word. You think I’d risk Liam literally murdering me in my sleep for a casual hookup? I've been completely out of my mind for you since Mexico, Maya."

The shift in their dynamic after that morning was night and day. The Westwood apartment transformed from a high-stakes minefield into an actual sanctuary. Maya no longer had to pretend to study on the opposite side of the living room, and Cole no longer had to mask his lingering, heavy stares.

Instead, Liam would groggily walk into the kitchen to find Maya sitting on the counter, swimming in Cole’s oversized UCLA football hoodie, while Cole stood directly between her knees waiting for the coffee to brew. Liam would dramatically gag, throw a crumpled In-N-Out bag at Cole’s head, and walk right back out; but Maya never missed the fond, protective smile her brother tried to hide before turning around.

By the time summer rolled around again, the tension of their past had entirely dissolved into something permanent.

On a warm Friday night, Cole parked his matte black Jeep in a beachfront lot right next to the Santa Monica Pier. The cool ocean breeze swept through the open windows, carrying the faint scent of salt water and sweet funnel cake. Just ahead of them, the neon lights of the Ferris wheel spun in a kaleidoscope of colours, reflecting brightly against the dark, crashing waves of the Pacific.

Maya leaned her head against Cole’s shoulder in the front seat, her legs draped comfortably over his lap. He was tracing absentminded patterns on her bare thigh, the quiet hum of the radio mixing with the distant, rhythmic sound of the tide. He looked entirely at peace, the heavy weight of his family's expectations completely forgotten down here by the water.

"I thought I lost you, you know," Cole murmured out of nowhere, his gaze fixed on the dark, rolling waves. "When you vanished from that resort. I almost missed my flight home trying to track down a ghost."

Maya shifted, tilting her chin up to meet his eyes. "And now?"

A slow, devastatingly genuine smile spread across Cole's face; no arrogance, no carefully constructed walls, just the boy who had finally caught the one thing he was terrified to lose. He leaned down, brushing his lips softly against hers, his hand sliding to the back of her neck to pull her closer.

"Now," he whispered against her mouth, "you're exactly where you belong. No more running."