Chapter 1

It had been a long time since I've seen him. 7 years to be exact. No contact, no texts, no social media. Cold turkey. To be fair, I went to college in a different state and he had joined the Marines. But it still felt sudden. Maverick Watson. Cheeky bastard. I met him my freshman year of high school. He was a sophomore. I will never forget the day we met. It was spirit week, for football I think. I'll be honest, I don't remember the exact theme, but everyone was dressed up. Maverick and I had a mutual friend, Grayson, who was in my grade. After lunch, a group of us had met in the high school's commons area, probably five or six boys, myself and my friend Kaitlyn. I remember looking at all of them and thinking, "omg these guys are so cute high school is going great so far." But Maverick always caught my attention more than the rest. There was something about him; something more than his looks. Don't get me wrong he was absolutely fucking beautiful, but he was so much more than that. When he looked at you, I mean really looked at you, I mean it would make your heart stop. He never showed his passionate side around his friends. He was the goofy one, never serious about anything, but he let me see that side of him a few times, and from the very first time he looked at me like that, I was addicted. The first time he "expressed his interests" to me was during the summer. He had bought a new truck and brought it over to work on it in my dad's garage. It was obviously hot so I was in some short jean shorts, looking pretty cheeked up if I'm honest. He noticed this, as planned. That night we were texting and he mentioned how bootylicious I was. (Exaggerated wording for affect). A couple nights later, we were hanging out in our friend's old apartment. He and his family had just moved, so everything was empty. I don't remember how we ended up in one of the closets, but he had texted me to come in there with him. The lights were off but I could still see his face as I closed the door behind me. He was laying on the floor watching a YouTube video. I laid down on the floor next to him and we watched the video for a few minutes. I could feel the tension. I wanted it; I knew he wanted it, too. I felt his body getting closer to me. His hands were desperate for me, but I knew he didn't want to scare me. I was nervous, truthfully, but I trusted him. The first touch was like being struck by lighting. I felt his energy course through my body and I turned to face him. We had never been this close before. I could feel his breath on my lips as he leaned in closer. They were surprisingly soft for a 16 year old boy.

After this night, any time he and I were together, we couldn't keep our mouths apart. We never fully had sex, just made out a lot. Like a lot. Once in my bed, bunch of times in the bonus room, in the bathroom. Those were all awesome don't get me wrong, but my favorite moment was not as obviously passionate, but only noticed by us two. We were in the backseat of my mom's car on the way home from a concert. Grayson was there, too. He was in the middle, Maverick was on the left and I was on the right. We were exhausted on the way home, so we all laid across each other with our eyes closed. I had my leg over Grayson's legs. Not like that he's gay, but my foot and calf were on Maverick's lap. About ten minutes after we had all settled down in the backseat, I felt a hand on my leg. It was subtle, not overtly aggressive or noticeable, but an acknowledgment that he was thinking about me. I'll never forget the feeling of how much that touch meant to me, but touches weren't enough for him. I couldn't give him enough of what he wanted, so he found someone who would give him all of it. I'm proud of myself for not giving in, though. I wasn't ready to have sex, and I wasn't about to force myself to do something I wasn't comfortable with. So way to go, young Campbell.

As time went on, we grew apart. It happens. I started doing theatre and he was doing other stuff, don't really know. Before we knew it, he graduated high school. I was there for that. I think that was the first time I realized how much I really liked him. Like more than a friend. Great timing, right? Too little too late at this point, so I celebrated with him. But it was time for my senior year of high school. I had to finish strong, I couldn't be distracted. I did indeed finish strong, got into a good school out of state, and he joined the Marines. I was there for his little swear-in ceremony. We said our goodbyes and he went off to basic training and I went to college. Any sort of conversation pretty much stopped at that point. I was friends with his mom on Facebook and she would post updated every now and then so I would get to know how he was doing. It was from those Facebook updates that I found out that he and his girlfriend were getting married. She was pregnant. I never really liked her, but that's neither here nor there. I didn't reach out, though. It had been too long. I was finishing up undergraduate and about to go off to grad school. I needed to let my feelings die off. So I moved abroad and studied there. Being out of the country is a great distraction. Plus, I had a really wonderful time.

It's two months after I completed my masters program, and I have since moved back to my hometown, only temporarily. Just until I find a good job in Boston, I have been working at a hotel as the assistant manager. Really fun job actually. It was a slow afternoon, really beautiful weather, so all the guests were out exploring the surrounding areas and my shift was ending in about 30 minutes. I was playing on my laptop when a Facebook message popped up in the corner. It was from Maverick's mom.

"The fuck?" I thought out loud as I clicked on it. It said the following:

"Hi Campbell! I know it's been a while since we've spoken but I have huge favor to ask. Maverick is flying in tonight and neither Brant (her husband) or I can pick him up. You're the only other person in town he still knows, so I was hoping you were free this evening and could pick him up. I will obviously send you gas money. His flight comes in at 7:25. Thank you!"

Wow. That is not what I was expecting. Of course I would go get him. Everything that I just told you aside, I wouldn't just leave him stranded.

"Hi Mrs. Beth! Yeah I can totally get him!"

I didn't really know what to think, or expect. By the time I get home, I'd have two hours before I had to leave my house. I really needed to shower. Like really.