Chapter Ten
Maya
After showering—at opposite ends of the cubicles, while Maya rolled her eyes through the group rendition of “Reach For The Stars” by S-Club 7—she and Jamie were the last people left in the changing rooms.
To say Maya was nervous was an understatement. She hadn’t expected to have this conversation today.
Hadn’t wanted to, at least.
You’re a coward, Maya.
Jamie was right, she’d been avoiding her, and it had worked great until now. Maya had actually managed to study for her January exams, and then, when her eyes were sore, she’d run until her body was.
Anything to stop her from thinking about that kiss.
Except all she’d done was think about it. And now she needed to sort this out. It was part of her responsibilities as captain. Lead by example. Always be encouraging. Don’t get involved in messy love triangles that could affect the team’s ability to play football.
It hadn’t dawned on Maya until she’d stepped back into the main room at Rosie’s, and Leah had welcomed Jamie back to the group with a warm hug, that she’d severely fucked up with that last one.
What the hell had she been thinking? What the hell was Jamie playing at? And why, oh why, was the feel of her mouth on hers still playing on a loop in her mind?
Curse this woman. Curse her to the ends of the earth.
Jamie had no right to be playing the guilt-trip card. Not when she was stringing Leah along, too. The last thing Maya wanted to do was get involved with one of her silly games.
Maybe that’s the reason she left the Harriers in the first place. For sleeping around and causing too many team dramas. Someone like Jamie probably thrived off the attention.
That might be a bit harsh. Maya didn’t really know her. But she could still make her sweep.
Jamie bent over, grunting as she reached for a Starburst wrapper with a broom. It wasn’t a sight Maya had expected to see today, but surprisingly, it did make her feel better. Jamie had offered to help so many times that, in the end, Maya just gave her the brush to do it herself while she checked the Millton City women’s score on her phone.
She just needed to stop thinking about Jamie’s hands gripping her face, and her tongue sliding in her mouth.
Or the other reaction it flared up, low and dangerous in her stomach.
Had seducing Maya been part of her plan all along? God dammit.
She cleared her throat, hoping Jamie wouldn’t see her blush. “Uh, ready to go?”
They walked side-by-side down the squeaky hall.
Be cool and casual . Have a clear head, nip this in the bud, then get back home to help Grandma.
“I just gotta drop the kit bag by the washer, and then we can go,” Maya said.
“I didn’t know they had washing-machines here.” Jamie held the door for her, and Maya gave her a tight smile as she hurried through.
“Yeah. It’s for all the sports teams’ kits. Get ready for the smell. It stinks in there.” Maya dropped the kit bag off her shoulder and unlocked the door to the washer room with a code. In a quick movement, she opened the door, flung in the dirty kit bag, and slammed it shut.
The scent of smelly socks and cheese made its way into the hallway .
Jamie scrunched up her nose. “Jesus Christ.”
“Wednesdays are always the worst. Game day for everyone, isn’t it? And the basketball team’s kit is the worst for some reason. Smells like they went fishing in a pond full of dead fish.”
The sight of Luke Ingle leading Carly out of the Globe flashed behind her eyelids. She hadn’t heard from Carly since.
“It really gets right into the brain.” Jamie laughed, curling her lips and backing down the corridor. “Shall we get outta here?”
Maya blinked away the images. “Sure.”
They headed out of the building and into the crisp November air. There were a few students milling about campus, but instead of people lounging on the green, there were blackbirds strolling about, pecking at leftover bits of sandwiches. Golden light dappled the leaves, playing hide and seek with the shadows.
“Do you have to do that every week?” Jamie asked, shoving her hands into her tracksuit pockets.
Maya tried not to look at her. Jamie’s freshly washed, damp hair was oddly cute. “What? Clean up and stuff? Yeah. Captain’s perks.”
“The Harriers do it on a rota.”
She raised her eyebrows, surprised by the mention of her old team. Jamie had been very selective about what information she gave out. “Well, we’re not like the Harriers.”
“I’m just saying, it seems a bit unfair that you have to do it every time.”
“I don’t mind,” she answered honestly. She liked being busy; it made her feel like she was being useful. It did have its perks too, including a set of keys for the locker rooms, gyms, and store cupboards, but on days like today, it also meant more time on her hands to overthink everything.
“What about Coach?” Jamie asked.
They crossed the street, avoiding a cyclist carrying his shopping bags on the handlebars, and dipped into the snicket leading to the accommodation. This route was second nature. A wave of nostalgia washed over Maya when she realised she wasn’t going home to Hannah and Maddie. She missed them.
Hopefully Pot Noodle Night would be on the cards tomorrow.
“Coach has to get back to pick up her kids. She already does so much for the team and—why…why am I explaining myself to you?” Maya let out a sharp laugh. “You’re the one that should be explaining.”
“That’s easy,” Jamie said, her trainers clunking on the cobbles underfoot. She shot Maya a sideways glance and even had the audacity to look smug. “Nothing is going on between me and Leah.”
“Pah. You expect me to believe that?”
“Well…yeah. I’m telling you the truth.”
Maya shook her head, walking a little faster. Did Jamie think that she was that gullible? She’d seen the way she and Leah acted when they were together. She wasn’t stupid.
“What?” Jamie huffed, jogging to catch up with her. “Nothing’s going on.”
“Does Leah know that too?”
“Yeah, of course. We’re just friends.”
“Oh, that old chestnut.”
“She’s one of the first people that was nice to me here. It’s not as if you were so warm and welcoming, captain .”
The sarcasm irked Maya. “Yes, I’m sure Leah’s bed is very warm and hospitable.”
“For fuck’s sake,” Jamie snapped. “Are you always this fast to jump to conclusions? What exactly is your problem?”
Maya stopped dead in her tracks and turned to face her. “What?”
Jamie’s brows were knitted together, her hands still firmly in her pockets. Her blue eyes pinned Maya with a fiery rage. “You really are the most stubborn person I’ve ever met. You say that I’m annoying? You’re annoying! All you had to do was speak to me…to ask, but you’ve got this idea in your head about me. That I’m the bad guy. That’s all you want me to be. And no matter what, you’re unwilling to change it.”
Maya didn’t know what to say. Mostly because Jamie was right. But she could hardly tell her everything she was feeling. That would be too embarrassing, especially after the way she’d behaved.
“Can you blame me?” she said instead .
Jamie shook her head. “Because we’re both competitive, and I enjoy winding you up on the pitch, that automatically means I’m a lying womaniser? It’s football, Maya. There’s so much more to me than that. I can’t stand people putting words in my mouth.”
“Jamie, I—”
“I don’t want to hear it. What’s the point when you’ve already made up your mind?”
Silence hung in the air until a crisp packet blew out of a nearby bin and rustled across the path.
Maya felt like an ice-cold bucket of water had been thrown in her face.
Jamie sighed, bending down to pick up the litter. Then she started walking again.
Maya looked after her, unsure whether to follow. Fuck it.
They continued down the cobbled stones, albeit with an awkward distance between them, as the giant oak trees above creaked their branches in the wind. The large stone building waited at the end of the walkway, the Millton University logo standing front and centre. Jamie led the way through the gated entrance and out around the back into a car park. Her blue VW Golf waited proudly in the middle.
Surely Jamie isn’t still gonna give me a lift home, is she? Like this? Maya’s brain had gone blank. She didn’t know what to say. Was she the arsehole here?
“I…uh…” She scratched the back of her neck, watching as Jamie rummaged in her backpack. “I…think I should go.”
Jamie looked up at her, her expression halting her in place. “You’re just going to leave?”
Maya was surprised by the softness in Jamie’s voice. It didn’t match the fire in her eyes. She didn’t know what to do or say to make it better. This wasn’t how she’d expected their conversation to go.
Jamie scoffed, glancing away at the concrete. “I don’t know why I bother. Just forget it, Maya.” She lifted her backpack onto her shoulder and marched into the building.
Maya flinched. She’d deserved that. She was the arsehole. Here Jamie was, staying late to help her pack up after the game, offering her a lift, showing her kindness…and she was being a jerk. She had reservations about her, that was true, but Jamie had done nothing to deserve the way she’d treated her.
Jamie was annoying, but there was something about her that’d got under Maya’s skin. She didn’t react well to it; it threw her off balance. Feelings often did—look at what a car crash she and Carly had been.
Also, probably her fault.
With a sigh, she followed Jamie into the building, taking a left at the post-boxes instead of a right to her old place. She needed to offer an olive branch. Or at least not be such a miserable bitch all the time.
Jamie continued down the scratchy red industrial carpet, not bothering to see if Maya was following her. After two rights and a left, and passing a very questionable stain on the flooring, she stopped in front of a door, fiddling with her keys. She glanced at Maya, perhaps a little surprised that she’d tailed her, then with a huff and a shove, opened the door.
Maya lunged forward to catch it, so it didn’t hit her in the face. She didn’t know what to expect as she walked into Jamie’s apartment, but a huge cardboard chess set wasn’t one of them. The chunky black sofas were pushed to the sides of the room, allowing space for…whatever that was. She tore her eyes from a slightly broken queen piece, where a ratty blonde wig seemed to be defying gravity completely as it hung off the limp cardboard. The game squares had been coloured in lazily with a black marker pen and each cardboard piece given a lopsided facial expression.
Jamie waved her hand. “Ignore that.”
“Is this…the Morley twins?” Maya had heard some strange things: about how they each carried voodoo dolls to curse anyone who looked the wrong way at them, and something about making a potato levitate. She’d not heard anything about giant puzzle games. It was a little anticlimactic.
“Yeah. They’re really into human chess,” Jamie said, by a means of explanation, then disappeared into what Maya assumed was her bedroom.
Maya’s curiosity got the better of her, and she followed her in. Other than the faint scent of her perfume, and some hair-styling product on the dresser, this could have been anybody’s room. There were no pictures or keepsakes tacked on the walls, like Hannah and Maddie’s. No childhood teddies on her bed or clothes out of place—just a stack of books on the dresser. The only item quintessentially Jamie was the open bag of Starbursts on her bedside table. The rest looked unlived in. Or was this what a tidy room looked like?
Knowing what she did about Jamie, Maya hadn’t expected her room to be so…bare. It was the opposite of her. She was light and loud and fun, and this was…poky and dark and…sad.
Why would Jamie choose this over living with her parents?
“Why are you here, Maya?” Jamie asked, picking up a bag and emptying her laundry bin inside it. “What do you want?”
Heat pricked the back of Maya’s neck. Truthfully, she wasn’t sure—but she could hardly say that. All she knew was that when Jamie was walking away from her, the only thing she could do was follow.
She sighed. “Well, we agreed to talk. Fifteen minutes.”
“I’m truly honoured that you spare so much of your time for me, Your Majesty.”
Jesus. This was going terribly.
Maya looked down at the carpet; she knew she needed to do better than that. “Jamie. I’m…I’m sorry. I just…I don’t really know how to feel about any of this.”
That declaration stilled Jamie, and she glanced up at her, a bundle of dirty socks in her hand. An uneasy silence filled the space. Maya scrambled for something else to say. Anything to distract from the nonsensical feelings swirling in her head.
“I…uh, used to live down here.”
What did you say that for?
“Did you?”
Maya scratched the back of her neck. She didn’t mean to keep the conversation on her, but she couldn’t bear the silence. “Yeah. My friends still live there.”
“Why don’t you?”
She swallowed and met Jamie’s gaze. “My, uh, grandpa had a stroke. He’s pretty sick. I moved back home to help out and take care of him.”
For god’s sake, why couldn’t she just shut up?
There was a beat where Jamie shuffled a little awkwardly, but her eyes softened. “That’s really nice of you,” she said. “I bet that’s tough, though. You wanna talk about it?”
Maya shook her head. “Nah, I’m good.” She couldn’t stop her mouth from asking, “Why don’t you live at home?”
“It’s complicated.” Jamie shuffled the clothes around in her bag, evening it out, then tied the top.
Her secrecy surrounding her university move raised alarm bells. What could have happened to make her ditch her last year at the Harriers? Maya felt guilty at assuming she’d slept with her old teammates. Was her reluctance to open up just her way of giving Maya a taste of her own medicine ?
Her eyes landed on a notebook on Jamie’s bedside table, with what looked like scribbles inside. Is that a diary?
Suddenly, she was very aware that she was in Jamie’s bedroom. The air stilled, and Jamie’s cedar scent occupied her senses. Had Jamie ever brought anybody back here? Leah? Did she mean what she said about her?
“So, there’s nothing going on between you and Leah?” She cursed herself for voicing that out loud, but she couldn’t help it. Way to be cool and casual, Maya.
Jamie blinked. Then the corners of her mouth quirked. “So, you do like me.” She took a small step forward, that arrogant look back with a vengeance. “I thought I might have got it wrong, but…” She let her gaze dip over Maya, and involuntary tingles spread through her stomach.
“But what?” she asked.
“You’re jealous.”
“I’m not.”
“Then why did you ask about Leah again?”
“Just to…check.”
“Check what?” Jamie’s stupid mouth morphed into a smirk.
Maya hated how much she liked her mouth. How good it felt pressed against hers.
“Nothing.” Maya gritted her teeth, her jaw clenching. “You are so annoying.”
Jamie took another step towards her. “Then why do you want to kiss me?”
Maya’s breath caught in her throat, and she wet her lips. She wanted to deny it, but her eyes dipped, finding the curve of Jamie’s mouth again.
“I think it turns you on.” Jamie’s hand found her waist, sparking a fire there. When Maya didn’t move, she tightened her grip, and Maya felt it everywhere. “You say I’m annoying…and cocksure , and arrogant. Yet, every time I touch you, something changes. I see it. I feel it.” Her fingers dug into her hip, and Maya sucked in a sharp breath, heat flushing her face. “Maybe all this time, this…vendetta you’ve had against me…is just because you want to fuck me.”
Jesus Christ. Maya almost swallowed her tongue. She didn’t want her to be right, but her body was betraying her, and as soon as she didn’t slap Jamie’s hand away, Jamie knew it. The smirk tugging at her mouth said it all. Maya wanted to knock it off her face. To shut her up, to pull at her, to have her at her mercy, to make her beg her for—
Oh god. I do want to fuck her.
The realisation made her legs weak. Or maybe it was the intense gaze Jamie was pinning her with, the way those piercing eyes undressed her without words.
Both Jamie’s hands were gripping Maya’s waist now. Strong. Possessive. “Is this what you like, Maya?” Her stare darkened, holding her in place. “I can play the bad guy if that’s what you want.”
In a quick movement, Jamie pushed her up against the wall with a thud.
Maya gasped, her pulse thundering as Jamie pressed her weight into her. Her fist curled around the collar of Maya’s Millton University T-shirt, and she pushed her harder into the wall, their faces so close Maya could feel her breath.
Her body ached traitorously in her abdomen, slick heat pooling between her thighs. Jamie had caught her off guard again, somehow worming her way under her skin, and she couldn’t do anything about it. She had her right where she wanted her. Maya felt powerless, and in a new, twisted kind of way, she liked it.
Her mind was always talking, always assessing, overthinking. Looking into Jamie’s eyes, that all quietened. It was just the humming of her whole body that occupied her senses.
Jamie leaned in, her breath tickling the sensitive spot on Maya’s neck. Her voice was a low, throaty whisper, each word sticking in her throat. “Just tell me to stop.”