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“That’s awesome. Good for her.”

“Yeah, good for her.” I sighed.

“Leaves you alone with the ‘rents then?”

“Yeah, and we’re not always good.”

“Are you heading straight back to school from Chicago, or are you coming back down this way?”

“Oh, I’ll be back down by next weekend. I’m only staying with my sister until Thursday. She starts the job that night. Night shift.”

“Oof, that’s rough. What’s she doing?”

“She’s a doctor. She’s finishing her residency. She has a year left. She was doing it down in Bloomington, but wanted more action, you know? Plus, she’s hoping to get into the fellowship program up there.”

Kara nodded, “I could see that. After law school, I’ve thought about moving to Chicago for a bit, getting some experience at a big firm, before I head back home. I want to work with families that don’t have the means to pay for a lawyer.”

I smiled. “That’s good of you. So many people become a lawyer for the money, it feels like.”

“Yeah, I know. Then growing up in Creekton Villages, you just saw a lot of shit, you know? A lot of heart break, and single mothers, a lot of families just barely getting by. I was lucky. Mybrother wanted better for me, so he busted his ass to get me into Mourningside Prep.”

“He sounds amazing.”

“He is…and he’s an ass too.” Kara chuckled. “Brothers.”

I laughed lightly and let the conversation drift off as the song changed again.

“Oh,” I gasped, freezing in the doorway as I walked back into the cozy living room of Kara’s small apartment. I had gone to the bathroom while I was waiting for Kara to be ready to head back to school, and I came back out to find a large man in the living room who hadn’t been there before.

Dressed in a black hoody and dark wash jeans, the man was broad-shouldered and tall. He had a short black hair was buzzed closed to his head and a thick but trimmed goatee that did nothing to hide his chiseled jaw. His brown skin and dark brown eyes suggested he was of Mexican heritage.

His gaze snapped to mine, those dark eyes roaming over my body. I wasn’t wearing anything special, a pair of beat-up blue jeans and a purple long-sleeved top that hugged my curves. My curly, golden blond hair was pulled up in a messy bun, but the way he quickly looked me over and then let his gaze roam over my face, sent a shiver down my spine at his intensity.

“Hi, I’m Maya,” I introduced myself, trying to break the heavy silence that had descended between us.

“Marcos.” He moved forward and held out his hand to me. “I’m Kara’s brother.”

My heart fluttered in my chest as I listened to his deep voice. His palm was warm in mine and butterflies erupted in my belly as I shook his hand. “Nice to meet you.”

There was a spark between them, and I found myself getting lost in his dark eyes.

“Oh good, you’ve met,” Kara said, interrupting the moment.

I quickly dropped his hand and stepped back, looking over my shoulder at my friend. Kara had come out of her bedroom with her duffle slung over her shoulder.

“Marcos, Maya’s the one who’s been driving me back and forth to Northern,” Kara explained. “She’s a junior.”

Marcos gave a nod of recognition. “Nice to finally put a face with the name, I’ve heard a lot about you,” he said slowly. “Thanks for driving her. It’s stupid that freshmen can’t have cars on campus.”

I smiled. “I know. My freshman year I at least had my sister on campus.”

Marcos smiled in return. “You live in Creekton still?”

“Not anymore, my parents moved to Mourningside after I left high school,” I explained, brushing a stray hair out of my eyes.

“What are you doing here?” Kara asked her brother.

“I thought I would stop by and see you before you headed back to school,” Marcos said.