Maverick dated a girl in high school, Madison, for two years. She was beautiful and smart and so nice, and he completely broke her heart when he broke up with her and they went to separate colleges. Not to say Mav wasn’t hurt by it as well. He was, but he moved on pretty quickly. He started dating Monica and then Tina and then Carissa. I still follow Madison on social media and she seems really happy now, but it took her a while to get back on her feet. I could tell. According to Mav, she’s been dating a guy for a little while, but they still text back and forth. I don’t know what that means. Part of me thinks if given the chance, he’d get back with her in a heartbeat. I wouldn’t blame him. Lord knows I would if I was in his shoes. She was a real catch. Not that I’m not, but it’s obvious he doesn’t see me that way, so that’s a nonstarter.
I continue sipping my tequila and ignoring them as they talk about hockey and their next game and how they’re going to beat Stanford.
“No way. Are you going over there or playing them here?” That’s Leyla.
“We go up next Thursday,” Colson says.
“So do we.” Leyla grins, looking over at me. “It is next Thursday, right?”
“Yep.”
“Well, shit, maybe we can hang out after the game,” Brian says. “I wonder if we’re sharing transportation.”
“There’s no better way of getting to know someone than sitting beside them on a long flight or bus ride,” Leyla adds with a wink. “Trust me, I know.”
“I bet you do.” I laugh and finish off my drink, setting it down on the bar.
“You wanna get out of here?” she asks me. “Peyton texted about a party.”
“Sure. Why not?” I shrug.
“You’re just going to leave?” Mav sidles up beside me.
“You’re with your boys. I’m sure you’ll be fine.”
“So? You always hang out with us.”
“I know and I was just thinking about the fact that we need to hang out less.”
“What?” He turns to me fully now, completely blocking everyone else from my vision. He really is a freaking powerhouse of a guy. “Why would we do that?”
“For starters, we already live together. We can hang out at home. And no one wants to talk to me when I’m with you, and the ones who do, you don’t let.” I purse my lips. “Like Brian, who had to ask me out when we were away from the table.”
“Brian?” Mav chuckles. “He’s not even your type.”
“My type? What even is my type?”
“Well, you dated that guy Mike with the surfer dude vibe.”
“Mike.” I shake my head with a laugh. “We literally dated for two months. I can’t believe you even remember him.”
“And Danny. He was nice enough.”
“Another guy I only dated for a month.”
“That’s your thing though.” Mav shrugs. “You’re a short-term dater. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
“A short-term dater?”
“Yeah. You date a guy, he doesn’t make you happy, so you cut your losses and move on. It’s smart.”
“That’s . . . ” I shake my head. “Okay.”
“What?”
“Nothing.” I take a breath and start walking over to Leyla.
I’ve never really thought about it in those terms, probably because that’s not what happens at all. What normally happens is that I start dating a guy, he wants to move way too fast, and they start acting uninterested. Sometimes they break up with me, other times I cut it off before they get a chance to. It’s never a case of me moving on because they don’t make me happy.
“How are you going to give me lessons in what girls want if we don’t hang out?”
“You clearly do not need my help in that department.”
“We can help each other.”
I laugh. “How would you help me?”
“I can tell you what guys want and you can tell me what girls want.”
“Guys want sex. Easy.”
“Some guys want more than just sex.” He says this with the most serious expression on his face.
“That’s all you and Colson ever want.”
“Because I haven’t met the right girl.”
“What about Rebecca?” I raise an eyebrow.
“Well, maybe I’ve met the right girl but haven’t made my move yet.” He sighs heavily. “I need to know what I’m doing wrong.”
“For starters, you’re not asking anyone out on actual dates. You’re just taking them home and fucking them and then ghosting them. I can’t imagine anyone would take you seriously after that treatment.”
“Fair.” He flinches. “That’s why I need help.”
“Stop taking girls home that you don’t think have potential.” I shrug.
“Fine.”
“Okay. That’s step one.” I reach up and he instantly lowers his face so I can kiss him on the cheek. “See you later.”
“Be careful. Call me if you need me to go pick you up or whatever.”
“Okay, Dad,” Leyla says, rolling her eyes. She links her arm with mine as we walk away. “I swear he hasn’t stopped looking at you tonight. It’s almost like he can’t fathom that you’re this hot and just sitting right under his nose.”