Chapter 33
SADIE
Tonight. He’ll be home tonight.
There was a strange energy coming from Maverick when we talked yesterday.
I assumed it was because they lost their game and probably won’t make the playoffs, but it seemed like more than just that.
A wall was between us, a wall I didn’t even notice until I hung up and realized there was none of the usual softness in his words. No I miss you. Nothing.
But finally, in just a few hours, I can see him in person and figure out if I’m making a bigger deal out of this than I should.
Honestly, I didn’t expect him being away for so long to be this hard.
But Maverick is someone who says so much without words that having to rely only on words was incredibly challenging.
And as much as I don’t want to think too hard about the future, not when it feels so uncertain, I can’t help but worry about how we would manage an entire season of this, of him traveling half the time and me staying at home.
But that’s a future problem, and I have no desire to face it now. Not when I’d much rather be getting ready for his return.
The apartment is clean and the fridge is stocked with everything I need to make him a delicious dinner later tonight. Ali invited me over for dinner yesterday, but I declined, not wanting to put my nervous energy on her.
Why I’m nervous is another thing I have no desire to face.
When a knock comes at the door, it makes me jump.
Going to it, I look through the peephole, and am shocked to see Eli standing there.
His head is hanging down, but his clothes look clean.
Still, I’m acutely aware that Maverick isn’t on his way home from the stadium just yet.
I’m here alone and will be for several more hours.
I open the door a crack. “Hi, Eli,” I say cautiously.
“Sadie. Hey.” He looks at me then, and his eyes are clear, although tired-looking. Dark circles ring them and his cheeks seem hollow. “Is Mav around?” he asks hopefully, his face falling when I shake my head. Something seems different with him this time.
“Okay. Thanks.” He turns to leave and I open the door more.
“Wait.”
He looks over his shoulder at me, confusion clear in his expression.
“Do you want to go get a coffee?”
I don’t know why I’m asking this. Well, part of me doesn’t. The other part knows exactly what I’m doing. I see a man hurting, in need of something. And if I can help, I will. Just not here.
“Sure?” he replies, half question, half statement.
I give him a sharp nod. “Okay. Give me two minutes.” I close the door and lock it quietly before hurrying to grab a sweater, my keys, and phone, stuffing them in my bag.
Slipping into my shoes, I open the door again, half expecting to find an empty hallway.
But Eli’s still there, twisting his hands together.
“Are you sure my brother will be okay with this?” he blurts out, and that one question, asked with so much genuine concern — not for himself, but for me — gives me the confirmation this is the right thing to do. He needs someone to hear him out right now.
“Yes. It’s just coffee. I’m buying.”
We silently make our way to the coffee shop next to Maverick’s apartment, and after ordering and paying for our drinks, we sit down at a small table.
I wait. One thing I know from my previous work is not to push things. He came to Maverick’s apartment for a reason, just as he agreed to have coffee with me for a reason. And I’m not scared. He’s not behaving as if he’s under the influence of anything. All I see is a man calling out for help.
His hands shake slightly when he sets down his coffee cup, finally lifting his head to look at me. “How much has Mav told you about me?”
I answer honestly. “Not much. I’d heard your name once or twice, but it wasn’t until the last time you came around that he told me who you were.”
Sadness plays across his face. “Yeah. Brothers from another mother. That’s what we called ourselves when we were younger.
Young and stupid, I guess. Promised to always be there for each other and shit.
” He barks out a harsh laugh. “You don’t go through the shit we did, with parents who’d rather drink and hit us, and not bond somehow.
Mav, he…well, yeah. It was shit. I was the youngest. So he and Colin aged out of the system before me.
Funny how that promise to be there for each other didn’t hold up in the real world. ”
He’s hurting. Angry and hurting. And it’s so achingly familiar to the sense I get from Maverick sometimes.
Two boys who were abandoned so young, who grew up in a broken system that never gave them a sense of belonging.
Two young men thrust into a world where they had no one to depend on but themselves.
It makes me wonder if Colin is the same, or if he somehow found his way to something better.
And it breaks my heart to hear even these small crumbs of information about Maverick’s childhood.
I suspected it was bad, and Eli’s harsh summary confirms it.
“I know Colin thinks I’m a piece of shit who just takes Mav’s money. And I do. I’m not gonna lie about that. But they left me. They walked out without looking back and they left me in that fucking place with no one.”
“And you’ve spent years blaming them for whatever happened? Whatever bad choices you made were because they aged out before you?” I try to control the sharpness of my voice, to stay calm and compassionate, but I’ll be damned if I’ll let Eli blame Maverick for any of this.
His eyes widen in surprise, then narrow, but only for a second before he drops his gaze to the table. Seizing the moment, I push on.
“Your brother cares about you deeply. Why else would he keep stepping up every time you ask for something? Why would he keep giving you money, even though he knew you weren’t using it for anything good?
Why would he keep bailing you out of whatever situation you ended up in if he didn’t care about you?
But you’ve been taking advantage of that. Of him. And I think you know that.”
Eli slumps even farther in his chair, mumbling, “Yeah.”
I, on the other hand, sit up straighter, hand wrapped tightly around my coffee mug. The warmth seeps into my hands, strengthening my resolve. Maybe it’s not my place. After all, Maverick and I are still new, despite what it seems like to the rest of the world. But I feel compelled to try and help.
“You know Maverick would do anything for you. So why not ask him for what you truly need?”
Sorrowful brown eyes lift to meet mine, hope flaring in them. “How do you know what I need?”
“Because I’ve worked with people struggling with addiction before. And I know you can hit a point where you’re on a precipice. You either ask for the right kind of help, and commit yourself to that path, or you go the other way. Alone. And from what I can guess, you don’t want to go it alone.”
I watch him swallow, his jaw clenching. It’s up to him now. If I’m right and he wants help for his addiction, I’ll do whatever I can to assist him. I’ll get Maverick on board any way I can, and together we can support Eli the right way.
“You’re a good person,” he says hoarsely after a few silent moments. “My brother’s lucky to have you.” He stands up from the table and pauses, his hand resting on top of his coffee cup. “Thank you.”
I watch him leave the café before slowly exhaling. I have no idea what he’ll do now. But I hope he makes the right decision. And I hope Maverick listens to him when he does.
As I make my way back home, my phone rings. I answer, already smiling.
“Hey, you. I was just thinking about you.”
“You were?” Maverick’s rumbly voice sounds surprised, which simultaneously makes my heart ache and melt. Some day I want him to realize he deserves love and affection. To be important to someone.
“Yeah. You’ll never guess what just happened.” I reach his building and walk inside, feeling light and happy. “Eli came over.”