Is that what you thought I did all those times as a kid?” Cyler asked, defeat marring his face and guilt creeping in on the edges of his eyes. I doubted his sincerity.
“What else could you have been doing? It's a familiar cycle, Cy. If it's between you and me? I’m the greater of two evils.”
“You’re a pain in the ass, absolutely, but I ask you to talk to Maverick because you’re the only one that gets him to stop moping. You challenge him. You piss him off, yeah, but you also bring him back.”
Cyler looked sincere, but I still couldn’t believe him. Surely, I didn’t have that much power over Maverick. Maverick and I would have to actually talk more for that to happen.
Cyler seemed unwilling to stay any longer, we were breaching the line of civility, and he needed to retreat—fast. His shuffling feet seemed eager to flee this space and all the unsaid problems between us.
“I’ll talk to him,” I said softly, and Cyler let out a relieved sigh as he left the room.
It was a short walk to the Clinic, but I took my time getting there. I knew our meeting would end in the inevitable argument. He’d complain about my priorities. I’d complain about his absentmindedness. We’d both end up leaving feeling distant and hurt, but he’d forgive Cyler, at least. I decided to take a different approach this time. One that didn’t require screaming right off the bat.
I opened the door and, unsurprisingly, found Maverick hunched over his desk while wearing a deep-set frown. I coughed, which made his eyes drift to mine.
“What are you doing out past curfew?” Maverick asked. He didn’t seem angry, though. Only amused. “You know Kemper will throw a fit.”
“I’m here on a special mission, actually,” I said while pulling a basket out from behind my back. It absolutely killed me to do so, but I grabbed one of Ashleigh’s chocolate cakes from the Walker Dorms to bring to Maverick. I just prayed word didn’t get back to her. I didn’t want Miss Perfect to know there was something about her I liked.
“Is it poisoned?” Maverick asked jokingly.
“No, but I did dip the forks in toilet water. Come on, let's eat,” I offered while unloading two cake slices on the counter. I handed one to Maverick and he dived in.
“I really don’t want to talk about it,” Maverick growled while shoveling cake into his mouth and reviewing something on his Tablet.
“I haven’t even asked you yet!” I exclaimed with a smile. This was off to a great start. I made a bet with myself that I’d be kicked out of his clinic within ten minutes. “Well, what do you want to talk about?” I asked. Maverick wasn’t much of a talker. He was a worker. A thinker. A moper. “How about we talk about your need for a haircut?” I joked.
“How about we talk about you and Tallis?” Maverick countered with a smirk while chomping down on his cake. Touché, brother.
“Since when do you care about my love life?” I asked in frantic anger. I cursed my brash tongue. Maverick rewarded me with a wide smile full of chocolate cake. I just accidentally confirmed everything, and he loved having the upper hand. I could practically feel his calculating gaze seeking out opportunities to tease me. Maverick grinned as I gave him a mean look that said, ‘drop the conversation’, but he didn’t seem phased.
“I won’t pry,” he said while holding his hands up in surrender. “I’m just surprised, that’s all. I mean, you’ve always had certain standards.”
“You’re just afraid I’ll ask about Ashleigh,” I joked. Maverick was being surprisingly civil, and I liked it. I wondered if this time would be different, if we had broken the cycle.
“Excuse me, did you actually say her name without sprouting horns?” Maverick countered with a smile, and I almost felt guilty that my anger towards her was so obvious.
“I can be civilized, you know. You and Cy paid the good bucks for my tutorage.”
“Being civilized and being kind are two different things, Sis,” Maverick replied. Ah, there it was. The inevitable catch, the sly insult about my character. Too bad he was right.
“So, what were you and Cyler fighting about?” I asked, changing the subject. I was curious, and it was very rare that they trusted me with information regarding Dormas politics.
“We both want different things for Dormas,” Maverick said while shifting his Tablet and clicking a button. I sensed that he