Page 8 of Dear Future Husband (The Dearly Written #1)

Maybelle

For over an hour that morning, I jogged continuous loops around my suburban neighborhood block. Waiting until Trey’s Jeep was no longer parked out front of my family’s home.

I didn’t know what to make of the moment we had. All I knew was that I was high on the feeling. And would rather die of heat exhaustion from the exuberant amount of cardio I was doing than run into him again before I was emotionally ready.

As soon as the coast was clear, I bolted for my room, my adrenaline launching me at a neck-breaking speed.

I eagerly showered away all the anxious sweat from my body. I put on my fluffy pink bathrobe, then parked myself on my bed. Pen in hand, I was ready to document every detail of my encounter with Trey into the journal I snatched from the top of the bed-side table.

I wasn’t a quiet girl who had nothing special to tell the world. I was quiet because I told my world everything through the words of a small leather-bound book.

Since I was in middle school, I recounted anything and everything into this little notebook.

Every high and every low was detailed in the form of letters to someone I hoped to one day meet.

Like reading or running, it was an escape, an outlet.

Except it was made with so much more hope for a future I could love, for a life I would not dread.

So, I sat for a while, writing out every look, touch, and smirk from Trey, with a girly grin tight on my lips.

***

We were a little behind for setup preparations. Liam had lost his other dress shoe, setting us back. Mom made a few “just like your father” comments but smiled as she dropped us off at the front of the fine arts building.

My hurried steps had my hair coiling onto my face and catching on my gloss.

Overstimulated, I shuffled around the items in my arms so I could push the hair out of my eyes.

Somehow, Mom had convinced me to wear my hair down.

The curls were usually so crazed and ratty, but it was a special night, so I appeased her.

As we made our way inside, almost every single person we passed greeted Liam. While we strolled toward the entry doors to backstage, my twin was on cloud nine with all the recognition.

Not one soul acknowledged me. That was nothing new, but Liam and I rarely stayed together long in public.

So, it was a little eye-opening to me, just how invisible I was next to my brother.

I wasn’t by any means jealous of the attention he got.

Liam deserved to be seen. It was impossible for him to go unnoticed.

No, it definitely wasn’t jealousy. For the first time in a while, I was just truly realizing how great of a job I did at making the world forget my very existence.

“Hey, Mason!”

Liam and I both answered the call as we looked ahead to see Noah Williams.

“Williams, how’s it going, buddy?” Liam beamed at the boy as he pulled him into what qualified as the “bro hug”.

Noah was Liam’s pride and joy. He was a Junior and second-string quarter back on the team.

At the beginning of the year, Liam had taken full responsibility to train the young football player, preparing him to take up his mantle once he left for college.

Fortunately for Liam and the rest of Harbor High’s football team, Noah Williams was a natural born athlete.

He was a handsome boy with deep brown eyes, beautiful dark skin, and cropped black curly hair with a genuine smile. I had seen and spoken to the boy a few times when I picked Liam up from practices. I liked him. He was always super kind, very respectful and…

“I don’t think we’ve met. What’s your name?”

Startled, I escaped my muddled thoughts to look down at Noah’s outstretched hand. Desperate for help and maybe a mercy killing, I quickly glanced at Liam, who covered up a deprecating chuckle with his large hand.

If only I were a bug squished under a foot. That would be far less painful compared to this excruciating awkwardness.

Trying to spare Noah of the uneasiness I was currently drowning in, I pasted on a shy smile. But before I could fully accept Noah’s hand and re-introduce myself, I was beat to the punch.

“That is the Maybelle Mason, Williams.”

The three of us twisted to see Trey Turner lazily propped up on one shoulder against the wall. He was watching us with unabashed amusement. “You know her. It’s impossible to forget a face as beautiful as hers.”

A quick burst of heat rushed to my face from the compliment and a fiery stress rash inflamed up my neck and chest from embarrassment.

Cautiously, I peered back at Noah, whose unbothered countenance glowed with recognition.

“That’s right, Maybelle. You’re Liam’s twin sister.

Sorry; it’s been a minute since we last spoke.

It’s good to see you!” And while I was burning alive from my mortification, Noah spun back to Trey, already forgetting about me. “What’s up, Turner?”

Noah stepped up to Trey and pulled him into another “bro hug”.

Trey had on his white button up, black tie, and black pants. Same as Liam and all the other senior young men, but he wasn’t yet wearing his navy-blue cap and gown. He left his tie undone, hanging on either side of his neck, and left the top three buttons of his shirt open.

Trey slapped the boy’s back and when they parted, Noah looked at both Trey and Liam.

“I was surprised to learn that there are, in fact, brains behind those pretty faces. I mean, let me rephrase—none of us had any doubt the closeted nerd over here would finish top of his class,” Williams said as he threw a playful elbow at Trey, who barely moved an inch to block the stunt.

Right. Just another vital brush stroke of the artwork that made up the sensational persona of Trey. He was borderline genius. A fact he had proven time and time again through prime grades and academic awards.

God obviously had favorites.

“But you, on the other hand,” Williams said as he shoved at Liam’s arm like a boy might do to get a rise out of an older brother. “You are the definition of a dumb blonde. You’re just lucky you had a bunch of girls lining up the block to do your homework for you or you would’ve been hosed.”

Liam must’ve known better than to try to plead his case. A sideways smirk tugged at his face as he turned away from the conversation.

A stunning, well-put-together, middle-aged woman strolled by in stilettos and a pencil skirt. Her cat-like eyes found Liam over sharp-framed sunglasses. Her eyebrows rose at him, but when he winked at her, she twiddled her long fingers at him .

Trey’s chin dropped to his chest as his shoulders shook with obvious mirth. All the while Williams’s awestruck expression blatantly admired the woman, she too sweetly smiled at Liam, continuing her long, overly swayed strut down the hall to the awaiting auditorium.

Gross . The things I would do to expunge that blip of memory from my head…

Entirely at odds with the disgust I was currently gagging on, Williams’s eyes were bright with unrestrained idolization. Liam put a brotherly hand on his shoulder. “Not too bad for a dumb blonde, huh?”

Williams finally clicked close his gaping mouth to say, “I’m pretty positive that was one of our linemen’s moms, you crazy motherfuc—”

“Hey, language,” Liam chastised with an easy smile. He gestured to where I was still watching, listening, forgotten about until now. “There are young, impressionable minds present.”

This earned Liam a glower from an unamused sibling and earned me a collective chuckle from all three boys.

“Alright, alright. The team is planning on sitting together to cheer you guys on, and I volunteered to save us a couple of rows. Good luck. I’m proud of you two idiots,” Williams said before looking at me. “See you around, little Mason.”

As Noah Williams departed from us, joined by a couple of other boys I knew from the football team, Liam pranced up to the wall where his best friend stood, leaving me to follow.

“Triple Threat! We did it! Next stop, SDU!” Liam cheered, swinging an arm around Trey’s neck. He pulled his head down and tousled his caramel waves.

Trey shoved Liam off and grinned. “Can’t believe I agreed to share an apartment with your sorry ass. I’m already sick of you.”

Liam snickered. “Bull, you love me.”

Trey chuckled, but instead of responding to Liam’s taunting like I expected him to, he turned his attention to me.

The assessment started at my toes. It meandered its way up my exposed, tanned legs. It lingered just under my collar bones, caressed my lips. Then widened at the golden curls that I rarely let loose like this.

Trey’s emerald gaze intensified as he locked eyes with me. “You look incredible tonight, May.”

I hadn’t yet put on my navy-blue cap and gown; they were folded up in my arms with my silver handbag. A mistake I was now internally ridiculing myself for. I was struggling not to wrinkle the fabric I had locked up in my hold with anxiety and regret that I left myself so exposed to him.

I was in a forget-me-not blue, spaghetti strap dress, with a body-hugging skirt that halted just above the knees.

My mom had bought it for me, hoping I would wear it to a school dance.

Seeing as I didn’t attend any dances, I felt the dress deserved to see the light of day for at least one special occasion.

“Thank you,” I uttered and smiled lamely as I checked to see Liam’s reaction to his best friend’s obvious flirting.

But he already moved on, talking to a group of senior girls I instantly recognized as part of the girls’ basketball team.

Realizing I was now utterly alone to face the boy that turned me into a bumbling idiot, I very slowly turned my attention back to Trey.

I did realize one thing after our fateful conversation from earlier this morning.

I liked when Trey looked at me—saw me.