Maya

He's so close, but I'm not frightened like I usually am when someone gets too close. Years of Nick poking, probing and pulling my hair has made me weary of people. There's just something about Hudson that lets me know I'm safe. Maybe because he's so big and he dwarfs me in comparison, or perhaps it's the warmth in his hand resting against my waist.

I'm not sure why being younger complicates things. If anything, I feel protected by the fact that he's older and wiser. I admire the streaks of grey just over his temples. It's tempting to reach up and touch his hair. But I don't, still haunted by years of avoidance.

"It just does," Hudson's breathing is shallow, and his hand is getting tighter, pulling me closer. He seems to come back to himself but not before I bask in the way his big strong muscles feel wrapped around me. Those alarm bells are back, but I ignore them, too entranced by the man in front of me. "Let's get something to eat."

I nod, and he lifts me off the railing and sets me on my wobbly legs. When did that happen? I instinctively look around for Nick and the others, but I realize it's not fear I'm feeling. It's something more potent than fear. I want to ask Hudson what it is, but I bulk. Maybe it's silly, and I should keep it to myself.

Hudson leads us inside the small café. There are a couple of indoor seats, while the majority are outside on the pier. It's still early in the morning, and there's no one else inside the cafe. The barista behind the counter lights up when she sees Hudson walking toward her.

"What can I get for you?" The woman's eyes are hungry as she devours him. A pang of jealousy goes through my chest.

"Maya, what would you like?" Hudson looks down at me.

The woman glances at me for the first time as if she just realized I'm there. My happiness deflates, and I look up at Hudson, unsure what to say. Of course, she'd be infatuated with him, he's tall and handsome, and I'm just a nobody.

"You can choose whatever you like." He smiles at me, and butterflies start to sprout in my stomach. I don't think I'll ever get used to his charms.

I quickly look up at the board and then at the display, but everything's a blur. An anxious bubble is forcing its way up, and I don't know what to do. I feel like I'm trapped in the girl's bathroom crying when Nick and his friends hold the nob and won't let me out. So, I do the only thing I know, I run.

I run out of the neat little cafe and out onto the pier. The wooden planks rattle under each of my frantic footsteps. I notice a staircase down to the beach. When my feet hit the sand, I feel off balance, but I push through and run down to the water's edge. I lean over, my heart pounding in my chest. I want to hurl.

"Maya!" Hudson yells.

I look up, startled. Hudson has a wild expression on his face as he runs toward me. A cross between anger and what I think is worry? My chest clenches, and for the first time, I feel bad for running away. Why would I feel bad? These emotions don't make sense!

"Don't run off like that. I thought I'd lose you again!" As soon as he reaches me, he engulfs me in a hug. His hand runs soothing circles on my back while the other tenderly cradles my head to his hard stomach.

"I'm sorry," I mumble into his shirt. "What do you mean again?"

He lets out a ragged breath, "I saw you for the first time in the diner last night. One minute you were eating cherry pie, and the next, you were gone." He leans back, tilting my chin up so I can see his eyes. There's hurt but also something tender and warm in his gaze. "If something makes you anxious, you can hug me. Okay? That way, I'll know. Does that sound good?"

I smile. All the tension that had built up in the cafe has floated away. Replaced by what I think is love? Is this what love is? I want to ask Hudson, but his hand passes under my armpit, tickling me as he lets go. I let out a little giggle, I look up at him with wide eyes, and his face breaks out into a big smile.

He tickles me again, and I let out a little snort this time. Embarrassed, I look away, but I'm caught off guard when he lets out a laugh of his own. It's thick and pleasant like a strong breeze.

Hudson reaches for my sides this time, and I quickly dart out of the way. He laughs again, "you really are a quick little thing, aren't you?"

I nod my wind-blown hair a couple of paces away, smiling at him. He shakes his head and charges after me. I'm laughing so hard, zipping right then left, that I don't realize how close to the water's edge I've become. I'm twirling backwards away from him when my ankle hooks on a long tuberous piece of kelp. My butt hits the cold water, and I let out a shrill shriek as a wave splashes over me, effectively drenching me in icy water.

Hudson stops laughing. "Maya, are you okay?" He rushes over to me and scoops me up like I weigh nothing at all and not, in fact, a waterlogged teenage girl.

"Wait, I'm going to get you all wet!" I protest as I immediately saturate his shirt with ocean water. I didn't expect to take a dip into the ocean the first time I saw it, but I can't help but love how his warmth seeps in under my cold clothes.

He closes his eyes for a moment and lets out a growl in the back of his throat. The sound has me clenching my thighs together.

"It's fine. I've got another shirt in the truck." He holds me close as he walks back to the pier. It's not a short walk, and it's an even longer walk back to the rig.

"I can walk if I'm too heavy?" I say quietly.

He lets out another hearty laugh. "No, angel, you are light as a feather."

I soak up the nickname he's given me. Nobody has ever called me anything but Maya or the Carter-brother's-little-sister. That always put an end to any conversation I was brave enough to start.

Hudson is carrying me up the stairs of the pier when I spot a familiar truck. I know it's not a coincidence when I see the blue tarp in the back. It's Nick's truck, and to confirm it, the three of them are in the small cafe chatting up the barista. Just as we walk past, she points out to the beach where Hudson and I were just at. Nick thanks her with one of his cheesy smiles and heads towards the door. I hide my head against Hudson's shoulder just as Nick pushes open the glass door. I can feel his gaze searing into my head, but I don't dare look up. I have that foreboding feeling like I did yesterday. He'll follow me anywhere, and he's not going to give up until he catches me.