Chapter 17 WESTLEY
“Hey, guys!” Aurora comes running up to our table with a few other girls and a grin on her face.
She’s in cosy pyjamas, along with the rest of her group, as everyone gets ready to start the movie.
There’s a big projector screen in the middle of a cleared-out field, bordered with massive, old trees.
Lanterns are scattered around the bases, lighting the way through the forest that leads back to the cabins and the mess hall.
After we finished the ropes course, and I followed Maevyn around like a lost puppy after that accidental kiss, we went on a trail hike where the kids continued to impersonate Maevyn when she screamed down the zipline.
By the eighth or ninth kid, Maevyn reminded them all she was on s’mores duty later in the day, and she wouldn’t hold back on a side serving of spit if they didn’t quit it.
It was a relatively quiet walk after that, apart from my mind that wouldn’t shut up. I’m always stealing her thoughts. She has no idea what she does to mine.
“Hey, Superstar. Come to collect your ration?” Maevyn asks as I extend the roasting stick to her with some perfectly toasted marshmallows. She sandwiches them one by one between the crackers and chocolate before passing them out to the kids.
“Any extras for your favourite child?” Aurora asks as she bites into her treat.
“I’m always pro-favouritism when it comes to my child.”
“What about her bestie?” Her friend, Ever, loops her arm through Aurora’s.
“As long as no one dobs us in, I’ll play along.” I spear more marshmallows onto the end of the fork, then set them over the drum fire.
“How long until the movie starts?” Maevyn asks the girls.
“I think another twenty minutes,” Sophie, one of the other mums, says as she steps behind me, collecting another packet of biscuits for the s’mores she’s making on the other side of the fire with her husband, Tom.
“Thank God.” Maevyn groans, rubbing her lower back just above her arse. “I need to sit down.”
“Did you hurt yourself when you came down earlier?” I ask, as I stand beside her and offer her the finished marshmallows.
“Just corked my arse, I think.” She chuckles as she hands the girls a s’more each.
Aurora leans over to kiss her mum’s cheek. “We’ll come find you guys later.”
The two girls run off into the crowd, and we watch until they make it to the middle, rejoining their friend group as they drop down in the sea of blankets and pillows.
I turn back to Maevyn, a hand on her elbow to turn her slightly as my other hand comes to the spot she was rubbing. “Are you sure you’re not hurt?”
Maevyn looks over her shoulder. “It stings a bit. I think I’m just not used to that kind of exercise.”
“Can I take a look?”
“Always trying to get into my pants, Thief.” She smirks.
“Damn. I thought I was being more subtle that time.” I pull a chair in front of the fire so I can see better, then sit down, dragging her in front of me.
“I’m really fine,” she insists.
“I’d feel better if I checked.” My hands come to rest on either side of her hips as she stands between my open legs.
Her curves are right in front of my face, making my leg start to bounce because being this close to her makes my heart race.
Trampling through my chest in a different way to when we’re cooking in her kitchen or talking over our balconies with nothing but the stars as our witness.
It’s even worse now that I know the feel of her lips against mine. “May I?”
She turns her head. Light from the fire flickers over her profile, casting her in an orange glow as she nods.
I lift the hem of her thin, cotton shirt, revealing scuff marks up her back and dipping into her leggings. Careful not to touch them, I pull her waistband down a little, confirming the marks reach down further.
I hiss at the sight of them. “You’re a bit scratched up.”
“Do you guys need the first-aid box?” Sophie calls.
“Yeah, if you’ve got one there, that’d be great.” I nod over at her.
Sophie looks under her table, then comes over with a white box and hands it to me.
“Ohh, Maevyn, what happened?” she asks.
Maevyn chuckles. “Didn’t stick the landing when I came off the zipline.”
“Surprised you didn’t see the video, babe,” Tom calls over.
I rifle through the contents of the box and find some antiseptic cream, then set the box on the ground beside me.
Maevyn groans. “Can’t believe I gave that little traitor a second s’more.”
We all laugh as I uncap the cream and lightly rub it over the scratches on her back, making Maevyn hiss.
“Sorry, Trickster.” My eyes flick up to her as I keep applying the ointment. I’m used to trading barbs with this woman, but increasingly, our moments have felt softer, more vulnerable. I think I like them just as much.
Turns out faking it with her is real easy.
I see goose bumps rise on her skin as my fingers move over her. Swallowing hard, my mind focuses too deeply on the feel of it. I recap the ointment and throw it back into the medicine box before I fix her clothes back in place.
“Naw, not gonna kiss it better too?” she teases.
My breath catches as I’m reminded of our kiss. When I look up at her, she’s staring at my lips. Is she thinking about it too?
She starts to move away, but my hands grip her waist. She looks down at me, and I stare straight back as I pull her closer and press my lips to her. I feel her shiver through the fabric, and I’m cursing the layers between us.
“Jeez.” Sophie fans her face as she collects the box from beside me. “Maybe I should hurt myself and get Tom to kiss it better.”
“Let me lie down first,” Tom says, joining his wife’s side. “I’ll give you something to fall on.”
Sophie smacks his stomach. “Thomas!”
“Hello.” Lydia comes to stand beside the fire, clipboard in hand, and a full face of makeup despite the laidback setting.
“We’re about to start the movie. Feel free to grab a drink.
We’ll do another round of s’mores during intermission.
Tea and coffee are set up at the back,” she says, pointing to the edge of where the kids are gathered, “and chairs are already set up around the perimeter.”
I stand up, keeping an arm behind Maevyn’s back. “Thanks, Lydia,” I say, dropping my hand further down and squeezing Maevyn’s arse. She yelps in surprise, and I wink at her, causing a blush to rise on her cheeks.
“See you guys at intermission,” Sophie says as she and Tom walk in the direction Lydia pointed.
Lydia’s eyes stay focused on us for a few moments before she walks away. The second she’s out of earshot, Maevyn turns to me, arms crossed over her chest.
“What? She was looking.”
She slaps my shoulder with a sweet chuckle, and I catch her hand before she can pull it away. Her brows pinch in question.
“They’re all looking,” I say.
It might be true. I don’t have a fucking clue. My eyes can’t leave her, and all I know is I like having her close. “Mocha?” I ask, as I drop our hands and link our fingers together.
She nods, and we start walking.
“How are you doing with all this?” I ask, looking around to make sure no one’s close enough to hear.
She blows out a breath, tipping her head back. “I was hoping to see some stars, but I wasn’t expecting this.”
I look up at the night sky, at the clusters of stars that peek through the canopy of branches and leaves.
I like the way Maevyn comes across as strong and fiery, but really, there’s a softness to her.
Something so precious in the way she loves the little things.
Dancing in the kitchen with her daughter.
Gazing at the stars. Wanting to fall in love.
“I meant about pretending.”
“Oh.” Her hand fidgets, fingers flexing and palm rubbing against mine. “I think it’s helped that we’ve been getting to know each other over the last few weeks.”
We hear the movie start behind us just as we make it to the table with refreshments. I grab two mugs, dumping a teaspoon of coffee in one for myself, while Maevyn pops one scoop of coffee and one of Milo in hers.
When we finish making our drinks, we walk around the outskirts of the group. There are probably a hundred kids here, with parents sitting in pairs, scattered around the edge to keep an eye on them. We find vacant seats toward the front, waving to Aurora when she spots us.
My phone vibrates in my back pocket. I pull it out before I sit down, laughing when I see the message from Phil.
“Who’s that?” Maevyn asks, sipping her drink.
“My best mate, Phil.” I send him a laughing emoji back, then pocket my phone. “He’s salty that I missed classes this morning.”
“Classes?”
“Yeah, I help him teach self-defence classes twice a week. Whenever I can’t make it, his wife goes, and she always humbles him.” I smile.
“You teach self-defence?”
I nod, leaning back in my chair. “At the Life Vine Community Centre.”
“Maybe I’ll come check it out. I like to keep my strength up, stay alert.”
She’s given me hints of her past. Nothing concrete, but enough to ignite that flicker of unease in my gut.
“Is that in general vigilance as a woman or something more personal?”
Most of the people we see in classes are women who have felt unsafe at some point in their lives. Some have been rattled by their own experiences, and others do it to feel empowered or confident in the fact that they have the tools to enforce their boundaries if needed. Sometimes, it’s both.
“My parents.” She hesitates for a moment, sipping her mocha and licking the remnants off her lips before continuing. “They didn’t keep the best company. I felt better being prepared.”
That has my jaw clenching and my hand tightening on the armrest. “Any time you want to practise, you just let me know. I’m only right next door.”
“You don’t need to give up any more time for me,” she says softly, smiling behind her mug. “Does your friend know about our arrangement?”
“I don’t have any secrets from Phil.” I look over at her, but her eyes are fixed on the screen ahead. “Is that okay?”