2. Maverick

Maverick

What the hell am I doing?I honestly have no fucking clue. All I know is it’s almost Christmas, and I’m all alone.

How?

I don’t know. I was engaged to be married. Plans to get married and have kids—spend Christmases with them. That was all on the table just a short time ago, but now it’s all gone.

My best friend is married now. He’s happy with his obnoxious-as-hell husband, and I’m unbelievably happy for him. But I still don’t know how the hell I got here.

My parents had asked me to come home for the holidays, and I will on Christmas Day, but I can’t just live there during my downtime. They’re nearly retired and living their best lives—they don’t need their son in their space because he can’t seem to get his shit together.

And I found myself just driving around tonight, looking at the Christmas lights by myself, and somehow, I wound up at the bar where I knew Cooper works. His infectious smile popped into my head and made me smile too—which is kind of rare for me.

There’s something about Cooper I can’t really explain because I don’t know him well, but you don’t really have to know Cooper to like him. The guy is just likable.

Maybe a little bit on the dorky side—with a small frame and pretty face with glasses that magnify his beautiful wide eyes—but that just adds to his charm. That and his love for animals.

I grin as I think about the bulldog he talked me into adopting. I didn’t plan on getting a dog anytime soon, with my chaotic schedule during the warm months of the year, but Cooper assured me if I ever needed help, he’d be there.

And for the first time in my life, I believed someone when they said that. My parents are good parents, don’t get me wrong, but I never wanted to rely on anyone in my life—fiercely independent from the get-go. But for some reason, when Cooper said that to me, relief went through me like I’ve never felt. I wanted to take him up on it.

I wanted to depend on someone else.

That feeling still has me a little shaken to this day, just thinking about it.

I follow Cooper to his apartment a few blocks away from the bar, and when we walk up to the third floor, he starts searching his pockets to find the key. “I don’t think my roommates will be up. But if they are, just know they’re idiots, and they will embarrass me.”

I can’t hold back my smile as I watch him nervously fight with the key in the lock until we hear the distinct click, and he pushes the door open. “I can handle your roommates.”

He looks up, unmoving and watching me the way he seems to. It should be unnerving—I’ve never really liked a lot of attention on me—but I like it when he does it. “I hope that’s true,” he says and then lets me into his place, following and closing the door behind us as I look around. It’s small but neat and tidy. Some books lie on the coffee table—like actual paperback sort of books—and a cozy-looking couch with two matching chairs.

It’s quaint. Really nice. I feel a longing as I look around and then think about my big, fancy, empty house. I mean—I do have a dog, thank God, or it would be totally quiet all the damn time.

Not surprisingly at all, two small, yippy dogs come running when they hear us and are immediately all over Cooper. He leans down and hugs them to him. “Oh, there’re my girls! I’ve missed you. Did you miss me?”

The dogs lick his face, and I can’t help but laugh. “How many animals do you have?”

He looks a little sheepish as he gazes up at me. His dogs have him on the floor now, both of them on his lap. “Just a few. And there might be a couple of cats around here.”

I laugh and kneel down, scratching the cute little mutts’ ears. “How have you not been kicked out yet?”

“Oh, he’s been threatened . . . Oh my God!” I look toward the hallway, where the voice is coming from, and see a guy with blond hair and glasses similar to Cooper’s has come to a halt with huge, surprised eyes. “You’re Maverick Adair! Oh my God!”

“Here we go,” Cooper sighs as he stands up, and I follow him. “Yes, this is Maverick, my friend,” he says pointedly to his roommate and then looks at me. “Maverick, this is David.”

“Nice to meet you, David.” I extend my hand, but the guy looks like he might have short-circuited and doesn’t move. “A fan?”

David’s eyes meet mine, still wide. “Yeah . . . yes. A fan. Huge fan! You’re Maverick Adair.”

I smile, even though something inside me dies a little. I don’t want to be Maverick Adair tonight. I just want to be a normal guy, hanging out with a friend. “He knows,” Cooper says and grabs David’s hand, pulling it to meet mine, where we shake awkwardly. “Why are you still awake?” Cooper asks his friend.

David hasn’t moved since our hands dropped, and he just continues to stare at me.

“David.”

The guy startles and looks at Cooper. “What?”

Cooper seems amused now, a cute smirk playing on his lips. “Why are you awake?”

“Your little greeting army always wakes me up, and then I heard voices, so I thought I’d investigate.” David pushes his glasses up his nose a little and then returns to staring at me. “I had no idea it would be Maverick Adair in our apartment.”

“You can just call me Maverick, you know,” I say, and Cooper laughs again.

“I don’t think he can help it, and I think you’re underestimating just how obsessed everyone in this apartment is with you.” I cock my head to the side with a surprised smile as I take in what he just said. Cooper’s eyes go wide as he covers his mouth quickly and shakes his head. He looks like he’s scolding himself as he drops his hand and looks at me wildly. “I mean, not obsessed. We aren’t like crazy, obsessed fans.”

“Yeah, we are,” David says, and Cooper looks like he wants to kill him. “What?”

Cooper looks adorably flustered when he turns back to me. “We aren’t. I mean, we just we . . . I mean, you’re a great racer.”

David snorts, starting to let go of that shell-shocked shyness he had at first. “Yeah, racing. That’s why we’re obsessed.”

“Will you please . . .” Cooper starts, and I can’t help but laugh.

It feels damn good to laugh, honestly. “So you’re more fans of the thirst-trap videos on TikTok,” I supply and don’t miss the way Cooper’s cheeks flush red.

“Mm-hmm,” David says, his eyes sweeping over me in an obvious way, which says he’s seen me close to naked, but somehow it isn’t creepy.

“Not my idea.”

“Well, whoever’s idea it was, they should get a raise,” David says with a sly smile. I decide I like him now. He’s funny.

“That’s . . . I like racing,” Cooper says all of a sudden, and I’m sure a little louder than he meant to say it. I turn to him, and see his cheeks are somehow even more red. “I like racing.” He clears his throat. “And you know, you and Pheobe were a hot topic.”

My smile falls at the mention of my ex, and Cooper must notice it. He steps closer to me.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. You’re more than just a tabloid relationship. Not that it was just for the media or anything. I mean, you were very obviously in love with her. That’s what got me. That’s why I watched . . . because of the way you looked at her . . .” He puts a hand on his forehead and looks so damn stressed. “Oh God, Cooper. Please shut up.”

I let out a laugh because the guy is just too damn cute. “It’s okay. Really. Never shut up.”

David and Cooper now gawk at me. I don’t think things could get any more awkward until I hear more footsteps and then a guy in pajama pants, white t-shirt, and bedhead stumbles down the hall. “Holy shit, am I dreaming? Is Maverick Adair really standing here in my living room? I mean I had a dream like this once, but you two were for sure not here, and there were not nearly as many clothes on.”

“Oh my God. George.”

George—I’m assuming the other roommate—doesn’t seem bothered at all by Cooper’s annoyed tone and walks right up to me. “Holy shit. You’re really here. Are you here to propose? Because the answer is yes.”

Cooper groans loudly, but I laugh.

How bout that. I like him too.

I think I could get used to Cooper’s little world.