Chapter Twenty-One

"Two suitcases? Really? Emalyn." Mav groans, shaking his head. "You do realise we're only going for the weekend, right?"

Emalyn rolls her eyes as she tugs her two, overstuffed, suitcases towards him.

"You wouldn't give me a single hint of what we're doing this weekend, so I had to pack for every occasion."

"Here's a hint, you won't need two suitcases worth of clothing."

"Maverick." She groans. "One case is basically for skin care."

"I don't care, Emalyn. There's not enough space for everyone's baggage if you bring two suitcases. Just leave one behind."

"What?" She gasps. "You can't expect me to just leave one suitcase behind. How about you just leave your bags behind?"

"Because I have the alcohol and it would be a lame party without it."

Emalyn sighs and rolls her eyes.

"Can we strap one to the roof of the car?"

Mav's eye twitches as he takes a deep breath.

"Are you kidding me? Your suitcase would damage my car and besides, I don't have a roof rack or any rope to attach it."

"But I need all of these clothes." She loudly groans, emphasising her displeasure.

"Perhaps you can orangise another person to take you down?" He smirks.

There's a brief moment where I get my hopes up.

"Fine." She gives him a side-eye. "But I'll need fifteen to twenty minutes to re-pack my clothing."

"You have as long as it takes me to buy us coffee."

"Okay, deal." Emalyn nods. "Can I please have a double shot of coffee and a pastry?"

"Sure, anything for the birthday girl."

Emalyn smirks as she wheels her suitcases over to the bed.

"Any special requests for you, Willow?" Mav asks.

"Hm, can I have an iced coffee and a croissant?" I smile.

"No worries, I'll call when I'm back."

"What if we need help with our things?" Emalyn asks.

"I'm sure you can manage one suitcase." He smirks.

Emalyn looks at me and I shrug.

"I've carted this suitcase through Europe, I'm sure I can manage to get it out of the dorm room." I chuckle. "Least there's smooth pathways and a working elevator."

"I'll leave you ladies to it." Mav waves and he walks out the door.

I'm relieved when he leaves as it's hard to be so close to him, but so far away.

* * * * *

 Somehow, we make it to the cabin without Maverick kicking Emalyn out of the car. Three hours of their bickering have me contemplating why we picked somewhere so far away, but that melts away when we arrive.

Our new home for the weekend is a log cabin surrounded by magnificent tall trees and chirping birds. You'd think we're stranded in the wilderness by how dense and vast the tree line is, but we're close to the town center.

We unpack the car and take our things to the veranda. He opens the door and ushers Emalyn in.

"Wow, it's incredible," she gasps, twirling around, eyes wide like she's in a candy store. "How did you find this place last minute?"

Mav frowns, then urgently nods his head.

"Last minute cancelation," I comment.

"We lucked out with this venue," Mav adds, despite his meticulous planning efforts and overly complicated excel sheets.

"I can't wait to see the rest of this place!" Emalyn cheers.

"Willow can show you around but don't take too long. We're hosting welcome drinks and then hiking to a lake for swimming," he explains.

"Ah, I'm so excited." Emalyn bounces on her toes.

"Just wait until you see the master bedroom." I smile.

Emalyn squeals with delight as we lug our things down the hallway. I open the door and she throws herself onto the king bed which almost swallows her from the amount of throw pillows pilled on it.

"I have a feeling this is going to be the best weekend ever," she comments.

"I hope so!"

I leave Emalyn to enjoy her room while I head to mine, which is which is conveniently far from Emalyn and close to Maverick. I rustle through my case and find my neon blue thong bikini which I certainly didn't pack.

"Emalyn," I grumble under my breath.

I reluctantly change into the suit and try to rearrange the small strips of fabric to cover more of my body, but nothing helps. I bought this bikini shortly after meeting Maverick and I still recall his expression when he first saw me.

I tug a dress on and pack my tote bag before heading back out there.

"So what did we decide on for the welcome cocktails?"

"Vodka sunset," he replies.

"Can mine have an extra shot?" I grin.

"We're doing shots?" Emalyn calls as she bounds down the hallway.

Maverick places three plastic shot glasses on the kitchen bench and fills them to the bring with vodka.

"To the best weekend ever." We cheer.

When the guests arrive, I briefly show them around and let them know about our afternoon plans. They trickle into the main area for a couple of drinks and Emlayn works the circut chatting to her friends.

Thomas arrives last, but his presence is the loudest.

"Hello party people," he yells upon his entrance.

His gaze wanders through the crowd until it lands on me. I look away and finish the remainder of my drink. I place it on the counter and Mav hands me a cup of water.

"Water? I don't need water," I grumble.

"Your cheeks are rosey, you need water."

"I was hoping one more glass would give me the courage to speak to other people and feel less awkward here."

"You don't need alcohol for that," he says.

I fear I do.

I take the cup of water to the lounge room and slump into one of the arm chairs. I take small sips until I near the end.

"Can I have everyone's attention?" Mav shouts. "In fifteen minutes, we'll be leaving for a hike to a nearby lake. Please make sure you're changed and ready to go."

I'm thankful for the instructions as at least I'm not aimlessly wondering around. I double-check the contents of my tote bag before going outside. Emalyn joins me with her two friends from high school.

"Willow, have you officially met my two besties?" Emalyn asks.

"I don't think so."

"This is Lisa and Stacey." Emalyn gestures to them.

"It's nice to officially meet you." I awkwardly smile.

Mav joins the group and rests his arm on Emalyn's shoulder.

"I'm so lucky that Willow and Maverick organised this entire weekend for my birthday," Emalyn says. "And my parents for paying for it."

"You're so lucky," Stacey comments, her eyes lingering on Mav.

Jealousy from the way she looks at Mav bubbles in the pit of my stomach.

"I think we should get going now," I comment.

"Yes, I'm ready for a swim," Emalyn says.

"Follow me then," Mav replies.

We follow Mav down a narrowing pathway that leads us down hill. I pretend to listen to the girls chatting before speeding ahead and falling into line with Mav.

"Let's pretend we're talking about weekend-related things," I say.

"Are you having a good time?"

"Yeah." I nod.

"You aren't convincing me." He chuckles.

"Slightly terrible because the only two friends I have, I can't really hang out with. Emalyn should spend time with her other friends because she doesn't see them much."

"Perhaps give them some more time," he suggests.

"I don't like them."

"That's something we can agree on." He chuckles.

"And I don't like the way Stacey looks at you."

"Are you jealous?" Mav smirks.

I shake my head and look away.

"What do I have to be jealous about? You're mine after all."

Mav is beaming after that comment.

Once we reach the lake, everyone is quick to strip off and jump in. I linger around, fussing over applying my sunscreen until someone calls my name.

"Aren't you coming in, Willow? The water is beautiful," Thomas shouts.

Ugh, why him?

Mav splashes him with water which turns into a water fight. I quickly discard my dress and race to the water. As the water pools around my thighs, they stop fighting and their gaze shifts to me.

Their mouths drop and their eyes rake over my body. I hold my arms in front of my chest, as if the water is cold. I feel so vulnerable and naked in front of Thomas like this.

Thomas paddles over to me, followed by Maverick.

"How have you been?" Thomas asks.

"I've been okay." I shrug. "College is a struggle after spending a year on vacation. I think my mind is still on holiday."

"Can't blame you, Europe is magical," Mav comments.

"That's right, you've both been to Europe." Thomas rolls his eyes.

"If Thomas can make it through college, anyone can." Mav jokes.

Thomas rolls his eyes and splashes water at Maverick.

"I hear you've both organised this entire weekend?" Thomas asks.

"Yes." I nod. "Emalyn wanted a birthday weekend and I couldn't do it alone."

"How long did it take you to plan all of this?" Thomas enquires.

"Few weeks." Mav shrugs.

"Maverick is very organised with his spreadsheet."

"Mav has thrown some of the best parties I've ever been to. I'm not surprised he ended up owning a bar."

"His cocktail skills are exceptional."

"So you can tell me what's happening this weekend? Mav won't spill even a tiny hint."

"My lips are sealed." I wink.

Thomas playful pouts as he shakes his head.

"I have to go, but enjoy your swim."

I paddle over to Emalyn's group and attempt to emerse myself into their conversation.

"I love your bikini," Lisa comments.

"Thanks, Emalyn picked it for me."

She beams with confidence and doesn't bother denying what she's done.

"So what can we expect for the rest of the evening?" Stacey asks.

"Just something relaxed because all the fun starts tomorrow, so don't drink too much."

"When Mav hosts a party, it's hard not to." Lisa chuckles. "Do you remember that party Emalyn threw last year and Mav made all these drinks and shots? It took me like three days to recover from it."

Those two eye Maverick like candy, which sparks annoyance in Emalyn.

I'm beginning to understand why she made that rule.

And I feel even worse that I've broken it.

* * * * *