Maverick
After the incredible weekend I had with Ajaih, I couldn’t wait to see her again, be in her presence, learn her quirks.
I knew she was a veteran and not just one who did a few years in the military and decided she was ready to go back to civilian life.
No, Lt. General Ajaih Jeffries had done a career plus some and retired after serving twenty-two years in the Air Force.
Deciding she wasn’t done living in the sky, she re-entered civilian life as a captain for Sky United Air before transitioning to a lead flight instructor at the Winston Hills Aviation Academy.
I won’t lie, after we crossed paths, I Googled the freckled-faced beauty who had captivated me without trying, and I was pleasantly surprised to see just how accomplished she was, considering how modest her demeanor was.
As thoughts of her played vividly in my mind, I still smelled her, felt her, needed her.
Her skin, her sweat, and the way it created the perfect sheen over her body as I stroked her until she moaned her release, the barest hint of lavender from her favorite shampoo and conditioner.
My fingers moved down my abdomen, gripping my growing erection as I remembered the warmth of her body, the curve of her hip, the way she fit into me like we were some old melody trying to remember the lyrics.
That weekend.
It had started with playful flirting at the WHM Christmas party before turning into deep, slow touches, and ended with the kind of lovemaking that peeled back years of silence inside me.
She was all questions and honesty. No fronting, no pressure, just curiosity and kindness wrapped in a sexy ass body and a sharp mind.
We didn’t just fuck, we explored each other physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Our time together felt like one long conversation between tangled limbs and wine-slick laughs.
She shared her fear of needing too much, my confusion about my attraction to her, and laughed over how unassuming Yanna was about the power and prowess she held over everyone who dared to enter her world.
She shared with me her desire to continue exploring the freedom of polyamory, and I shared my interest and intrigue in exploring a world I knew very little about.
We read each other without judgment, and when she looked at me, I swear I could feel some part of myself being rewritten.
But now, in the hush of the aftermath, when the buzz fades and the clarity creeps in, I feel the quiet part that needs to be said aloud settling in my chest like a weight I can’t ignore.
Knox.
His name slips through my mind like a whisper I can’t quiet.
Knox, who has seen me at my worst, kissed me back to life, shared his bed, his future, his damn Spotify playlists.
We weren’t always perfect, but we were real and still are in many ways.
Even though we’ve been living in different time zones, orbiting each other like old satellites, every time he's in town, we fall into each other like no time has passed.
And because of the love and desire I still feel, he deserves more than a text or a shrug about this addition to my heart. I owe him the truth.
This thing with Ajaih… It’s not casual. It could be something real, and if there’s any chance of building something new, I can’t do it by falling into lies and untold truths between us. Especially when we still kiss and fuck like a couple very much in love when he's in town.
I sit up, legs hanging off the side of the bed, elbows on my knees, causing the sheet to fall away as I think about the way Ajaih looked at me last night. Her eyes saw all of me and still wanted more, but now, as I sit here thinking about Knox’s laugh, the way it cracks wide when he's truly happy.
I know for sure I can’t have them both, not without honesty.
So yeah, it’s time. Before I fall deeper, before I fuck this up, I need to talk to Knox.
And I hope his mind and heart are open enough to understand.
I stared at my phone longer than I needed to, thumb hovering over Knox’s contact like it might shock me.
My heart tapped an uneven beat against my ribs, that familiar mix of anticipation and dread.
There’s never a “good” time for this kind of conversation, just the truth and the courage to say it out loud.
I finally hit call.
It rang twice.
“Well damn,” Knox’s voice came through the line smooth as ever, with that lazy Southern drawl that always felt like home, “You miss me or just need something?”
I chuckled, already feeling my tension loosen just hearing him, “Can’t it be both?”
He laughed low, “Yeah, I guess with us, it usually is.”
There was a pause, the kind filled with years of knowing each other’s moods.
“You good, Mav?”
“I’m cool, been thinkin’ about you, about us, about life.”
“That sounds dangerously close to a deep talk,” he said teasingly, causing me to laugh lightly.
“You sure you’re okay?”
I ran a hand over my face. “Yeah. I just miss you.”
“Then come see me.”
“What?”
“Yeah, Santorini is the perfect place to discuss our love, where the water’s warm, wine’s cold, and the renovations on the house are finally finished. You’ll love it. I’ll cook. You can unwind, and I might even let you win at cards,” we both laughed.
I smiled, because damn, the idea of being wrapped in his world again was tempting. “You serious?”
“Always about you,” Knox said, voice softer now. “You free in the next week or so?”
I swallowed hard, “Yeah, I can make that happen.”
“Good. Book it and I’ll cover the flight if I have to, just get here,” love and desire pouring from his tone.
That should’ve made me feel better, but it only made the words press harder against my chest.
“Knox, there’s something I need to tell you before I come.”
He didn’t say anything, but I could feel him listening.
“I met someone.”
Silence. Just the faint sound of the Aegean breeze on his end.
“I wasn’t lookin’ for anything. It just happened. Her name’s Ajaih.”
Another beat of silence.
“Her?” His voice was somewhere between confused and cautious.
“Yeah,” I said quietly, “She’s unexpected but the best surprise. She’s smart, grounded, and fine as hell, but it’s not just sex. It’s real, new, but real, and I didn’t want to come see you without telling you that.”
The line was quiet for a long time. Long enough that I wondered if we’d hit the part where he shut down, but instead he laughed, “Damn, Mav. A woman? Since when?”
I exhaled, half-laughing, half-relieved, “Since Ajaih.”
“Shit,” he said, “You really got layers, don’t you?”
“I didn’t mean for it to happen like this at all. Hell, when have I ever shown interest in a woman outside of our little trysts?” I asked, “But I still love and am in love with you, Knox. You’ve got roots in me. You are part of me. But I had to be honest.”
He hummed low, thoughtful, “You tell her about me?”
“Yeah. She knows everything. I didn’t hide us.”
“Good.” There was a pause. “Then bring her.”
“What?”
“Bring her with you to Greece. Let me meet the woman who’s got you sounding like a man with his chest cracked open.”
My throat tightened. “You sure?”
He laughed again, this time lighter, “You’re not the only one who’s grown up, Mav.
We said we’d always be honest, right? You have never penalized me for my fluidity, only embraced my needs and desires, so let’s see what this is.
You, me, her. Not like that,” he added quickly with a smirk I could hear in his voice, “Unless she’s into that. ”
I shook my head, laughing, “You’re wild.”
“And you’re in love. Or close to it,” He sighed, “Book the flight, for both of you.”
I stared at the phone, floored.
“Knox?”
“Don’t thank me yet,” he said, “Just don’t run from whatever this is, or me.”
And just like that, I knew I wouldn’t, I couldn’t.
I sat on the edge of the bed, still gripping the phone like it had weight. My mind was buzzing as the conversation replayed in my mind: Knox’s laugh, his calm acceptance, the damn invitation. I didn’t expect him to say yes. Not like that. Not with so much grace.
Now I had to make the second call.
I didn’t even hesitate this time, as I found her name in my favorites and hit the call button.
It rang once.
“Hey, you,” Ajaih answered, her voice thick with that late-afternoon drawl she had when she was relaxed, probably stretched out somewhere barefoot with a glass of something in her hand.
I smiled into the phone, “You sound like you’re having a good day.”
“I am now,” she said, and I could feel her smiling. “What’s up?”
I leaned back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling like it might give me the right words.
“Got a question for you and maybe a proposition.”
“Mmm, sounds sexy already,” she teased.
I laughed. “Not that kind. Well, maybe, depending on if you say yes.”
“Now you’ve got my attention.”
I sat up, trying to ground myself. “How would you feel about five days in Santorini?”
A beat.
“Like the island? Greece?”
“Certainly not Alabama,” I chuckled.
Laughter.
“Are you serious?”
“Dead serious, I just got off the phone with Knox. He invited me out there for a few days so we could talk about our relationship, but before I said yes, I told him about you.”
Silence.
“And?”
“He wants to meet you.”
She didn’t say anything for a moment. I could hear her breathing shift, as if she were sitting up straighter, trying to decide if she was dreaming.
“Wait, wait, wait, you told your ex, who you still hook up with when he’s in town, about me? And he invited you to Greece?”
“Invited us.”
“What?!”
I grinned, heart thudding now. “He was cool about it. Shocked, but cool. He’s not trying to stir up anything messy; he just wants to see where things stand. Said if this is real, and I think it is, you should come with me.”
“Maverick…”
“I know it’s a lot. I know it’s fast, but I don’t want to compartmentalize my life anymore. I want you to know the people who’ve mattered to me, and I want them to know you.”
She was quiet again.