Maverick
Present Day
“Yours is the light by which my spirit's born: - you are my sun, my moon, and all my stars.” ― E.E. CUMMINGS
“I’m going to look for her.” I zip my raincoat and pull the hood up, as if the waterproof layer will somehow combat the anxiety sitting in my gut.
“Mav, I’m sure she’s fine,” Bec reassures me, tracking my frantic movements.
“I’ve looked everywhere and asked everyone I could think of. She’s not here.” As far as I know, V was the last person to see her earlier today. No one I’ve asked has seen her for hours.
“You don’t think she tried to leave, do you?” Bec’s voice shakes.
I shake my head vehemently. “We both know she wouldn’t.”
I considered that as a possibility, of course. Maybe she got spooked, tried to run off. But I like to think I know Delilah fairly well at this point. She wouldn’t do anything like that. Not anymore. Plus, the ferry is docked and I had the speedboat all morning.
Bec pulls at the strands of her short hair. “Fuck.”
I grab my flashlight, some hand warmers, my water bottle, and an energy bar and stuff them into the pockets of my jacket.
The storm rolled in out of nowhere—even the most experienced hiker would struggle in this weather.
We always settle camp at a higher elevation to avoid flash flooding, but if Delilah’s out there in the woods in the dark, she could slip and fall, become hypothermic, or god-knows what else.
I desperately force the worst-case scenario from my mind.
“I’ll come with you,” Bec says, grabbing another flashlight.
Normally, my instinct would be to do this solo to prevent anyone from getting hurt. But right now, all I can think about is finding Delilah, and I know that logically, the more people we have looking for her, the more likely it is that we’ll find her. “Thank you.”
I step out of my tent, shocked to find several faces in the dark before me. V, Benji, Liv, and a few other members of our camp are gathered, raincoats on and flashlights in hand. I’m hit with an overwhelming sense of gratitude for these people, for the community that Arcadia is.
V’s the one to step forward and grip my arm, shouting over the rain. “We’ll find her, Mav.”
I nod, determined. “The mud’s a bitch so watch your step. Don’t go too far if you won’t be able to find your way back. Yell if you find her.”
Our small search team sets out, fanning out to cover more ground.
“Della!” They all yell, scanning their flashlights over the soaked earth.
“Delilah!” I yell, my voice hoarse with worry. I don’t care if she’s offended by my use of her given name. I’ll call her whatever it takes to ensure she makes it back to me safe. Zeus never leaves my side as he sniffs the ground for her scent.
Each step has the knot of anxiety in my stomach drawing tighter.
If my supposedly waterproof raincoat is barely managing to do the one job it was created for, I don’t want to think about how cold and wet Delilah is right now.
Unless she found some sort of cave to wait out the storm in, she’s probably soaked to the bone.
Goddammit. Hopelessness and dread start to cloud my thoughts.
“Delilah!”
“Maverick!”
My head whips to my left where Benji’s distressed voice came from. I shine my flashlight in that direction, unable to see much of anything through the rain.
“Mav, I found her!” Benji yells again, waving his flashlight frantically. Zeus bounds toward him, barking frantically.
Thank fuck. I take off in that direction, almost slipping several times as I rush toward the sound of my friend’s voice and the small light source.
I find them about a hundred yards away, Benji trying to shield Delilah’s body from the rain with his own.
I squat down to get a better look at her, and my stomach drops.
“She’s cold as ice.” Benji’s voice shakes, whether from the cold or fear, I’m not sure. “I’m sorry, Mav. I tried to lift her but I couldn’t.”
I clap him on the shoulder. “You did great, Ben. Thank you.” I press the back of my hand to Delilah’s cheek, cursing under my breath. He’s right, her skin is freezing. Her lips are dark blue and she’s shivering violently, her eyes moving rapidly under her closed eyelids. “Delilah.”
Her eyelids flutter open at the sound of my voice. “I’m cold,” she stutters.
“I know, baby. We’re gonna get you warmed up, okay?
” I scoop her into my arms, cradling her against my chest as violent shivers wrack her body.
Benji shines his flashlight ahead of us, illuminating the way back to camp.
Once we make it back, Benji heads back out to tell the others that we found her while I get to work on making sure Delilah doesn’t stay hypothermic.
I set her down on top of my desk, uncaring that the documents there will be ruined. Her eyes are still closed, so I cup her cheeks in my palms. “We gotta get you out of these wet clothes, darlin’.”
She nods her consent, shivering all the while.
I work as quickly as I can to strip the soaked clothes off of her, dropping them to the floor of my tent with a splat.
I grab a dry shirt from my backpack and squeeze the excess water out of her hair, hoping it warms her up a bit.
By the time she’s down to her bra and underwear, my only concern is for her safety, so I barely notice the extra exposed skin.
Her undergarments are soaked too, but I’m not about to force her into anything she’s uncomfortable with.
“Don’t tell m-me this is the first time you’ve s-seen a n-naked woman b-before, Rebel Man.”
I can barely understand her through the teeth chattering, but a surprised laugh huffs out of me at her attempt to lighten the mood. “Are you sure this is okay?”
She nods. “I j-just w-want to b-be warm.”
“Arms up, darlin’.” She lifts her hands above her head, allowing me to peel her wet sports bra up and off her head. I avert my eyes, giving her the privacy she deserves. “Can you walk?”
“My feet are n-numb,” she informs me. “Can you g-get me a n-new p-pair of s-socks?”
I grab a clean pair of wool socks out of my bag and roll them onto her feet and up her legs. Whatever reason she doesn’t like her feet being touched must not matter right now since she doesn’t flinch away. I lift her back up and walk her over to the bed, setting her on the mattress.
Under the privacy of the blankets, she shimmies out of her underwear then tosses the wet garment on the floor next to the bed. Her lips aren’t blue anymore, but they’re still pale. Her cheeks still lack any color whatsoever and her teeth are rattling so hard I’m afraid she’ll chip a tooth.
“Maverick?”
“Yeah, baby?”
“I’m s-still c-cold. C-can you s-stay with m-me?”
I study her shaking form, prepared to do whatever it takes to make sure she’s safe and warm.
“Of course.” I strip all the way down to my briefs before sliding under the covers next to her.
She curls into me immediately, burying her face in my chest as our legs intertwine.
Jesus Christ. Her skin is still like ice.
Zeus whines from his spot on the floor as a large clap of thunder booms a few miles away. I found him as a puppy in a storm just like this one—hence his namesake—but he’s never liked storms. “It’s okay, boy.”
“I-I’m sorry.” Delilah shivers against me.
“Don’t apologize.” I lean down and kiss the top of her head.
“I t-took a walk a-and e-ended up on the b-beach. It g-got d-dark and s-started raining. I c-couldn’t f-find my way b-back.”
“Shhh,” I whisper. “It’s okay. You’re safe now.”
She manages a small nod as her breathing seems to even out and her shivers lessen. “Thank you.”
A small, disbelieving laugh huffs past my lips. “For what?”
She sighs, snuggling into me further. “For saving me.”
“Benji found you,” I remind her, running my hands up and down her back.
“That’s not what I mean,” she says, sounding sleepy.
With her bare skin plastered to mine, her temperature seems to be coming up, which means I can take my first deep breath in a few hours.
Her breath steadies as she falls asleep to the sound of the rain against the canvas of my tent coming down in a strong, steady rhythm.
But even with Delilah safe beside me, my mind won’t stop going over all the what-ifs.
What if we hadn’t found her in time? What if she still gets sick from being in the cold for so long?
What if she goes back to New Athens and I never see her again?
In reality, I’ve only known her for a matter of days, but it feels like I’ve known her for a lifetime.
I’m not really one to believe in fate or destiny or whatever bullshit people usually put their faith in, but with Delilah, I think maybe we were meant to be together.
Two souls who were always destined to meet.
Two paths that were always meant to cross.
How else can I explain the sense of peace that washes over me when I hold her in my arms?
Or the choking anxiety I feel when she’s out of my sight?
And the primal instinct to keep her safe over every other impulse?
Before my thoughts can spiral and I talk myself into keeping her here forever, Bec peeks her head inside my tent. She breathes a visible sigh of relief upon seeing Delilah asleep next to me. “How’s she doing?”
“She’ll be okay.”
“Fucking hell.” Bec flops down in the chair at my desk. “She scared the shit outta me.”
I lean down, pressing a lingering kiss to the top of Delilah’s head, just because I can. Because I need the reminder that she’s safe. “You and me both.”
She sits in silence for a moment before her eyes find mine, full of concern. “What are we gonna do when she goes back?”
“Believe me,” I say. “There’s no shortage of possibilities playing out in my head right now.”
Bec nods, looking down at the floor. “How can I be so worried for someone I barely know?”
“I’ve been asking myself the same question,” I admit, looking down at Delilah. “She’s extraordinary.”
My closest friend smiles. “She really is.” A beat of silence passes before Bec speaks again. “Goddamn stubborn though.”
I huff a laugh, still studying Delilah’s relaxed face as she sleeps. “I’ll take stubbornness over submissiveness any day.”
“I’ll drink to that,” Bec says, pulling a flask out of her jacket’s inside pocket.
I roll my eyes. “You’ve really got my father wrapped around your finger, don’t you?”
She shrugs with a devilish grin. “I’m easy to love, what can I say?”
“You’re a pain in my ass is what you are.”
Bec winks. “You know you love me.”
I jerk my chin toward the tent opening. “Go get some rest.”
She stands, offering me a mock salute. “Aye aye, captain.”
“Goodnight,” I call after her. I pull Delilah closer and close my eyes, grateful for whatever time I get with this incredible woman.