𝑸𝑼𝑨𝑹𝑻𝑬𝑹𝑩𝑨𝑪𝑲.

a laugh escaped him before he could stop it. head shaking slightly as a grin pulled at the corner of his mouth. honestly, there was something ridiculously endearing about the way allie seemed entirely unbothered by the fact she was currently getting drenched. espresso hues swept over her briefly, taking in rain - soaked hair, dampened clothes, and the stubborn expression that suggested she’d already decided she was winning this argument. “ yeah, I gathered that, ” beau replied, amusement evident in both his voice and the smile he made absolutely no effort to hide. taking a few steps closer, he tipped his head back toward the sky for a moment before looking at her again. “ y’know, most people actively try to avoid getting rained on. but then again, you’ve never really been most people, have you, hayes? ”

for a moment, beau simply looked at her. espresso hues studying the female seated across from him as fingers tapped absently against the side of his coffee cup. because there were plenty of things people said about isabel conklin, and he’d heard most of them. former skating prodigy. the girl whose career ended too soon. the one people felt sorry for. but none of that was what came to mind when he looked at her. his jaw shifted slightly before a faint grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. “ I think you’re stubborn as hell, ” he admitted, amusement briefly finding its way into his voice. “ honestly, it’s probably your most impressive and most annoying quality. ” the teasing faded as quickly as it appeared, expression softening into something more genuine. “ but I also think people spend so much time talking about what happened to you that they forget to pay attention to what you did after. most people would’ve let losing something that big define the rest of their lives, belly. you didn’t. ” eyes locked on her, head tilting to the side just slightly. “ yeah, it hurt you. i’d be worried if it hadn’t. but you still got up, found something else to be passionate about, and kept moving forward when it would’ve been easier not to. ” shoulders lifted in a small shrug. “ so if you’re asking what I think? I think you’re a hell of a lot more than the worst thing that’s ever happened to you. ”

the statement hung in the air between them, carried away only slightly by the cool night breeze that swept across the back deck. beau’s brows knit together almost imperceptibly as espresso hues drifted from the crowd gathered inside the hockey house to the blonde standing beside him. normally, he would’ve answered with something smart. some remark about dean’s complete lack of observational skills despite acting like the self - appointed sheriff of everybody else’s lives. but there was something about the way summer said it. maybe it was the alcohol softening her edges. maybe it was the absence of her usual bite. either way, it didn’t sound like she was reminding him of the arrangement. it sounded like she was thinking out loud. his forearms settled against the railing as he studied her profile for a moment, jaw shifting thoughtfully. of course nobody knew. that had been the point from the beginning. sneaking around wasn’t exactly his preferred lifestyle, but preserving his friendship with dean, and avoiding whatever homicidal breakdown would inevitably follow the truth, had seemed like a worthwhile compromise. still, the longer the silence stretched, the more convinced he became that summer wasn’t talking about dean. “ yeah, ” beau answered finally, voice lower now, lacking its usual easygoing humour. his gaze lingered on her a second longer before adding, “ but somethin’ tells me that’s botherin’ you a hell of a lot more tonight than it did yesterday. ”

ears pricked up at the words. espresso hues abandoning the endless stream of videos playing across his phone screen as he doom - scrolled, attention immediately shifting toward the figure lingering in the bathroom doorway. leaning forward, forearms braced against his knees, beau exhaled slowly through his nose while attempting to get a read on the atmosphere that had settled heavily across the four walls of sabrina’s room. as soon as he’d received that SOS text, practice had been abandoned and he’d headed straight for her. emotional support snacks in clutch, he was ready with his support regardless of the outcome of one little test.

lounging across the couch in the hockey house common room, beau slowly lowered the textbook he’d been pretending to read. espresso hues lifted toward dean, studying him for a moment longer than necessary. there was no immediate joke. no sarcastic comment. no smart- ass remark about finally admitting he couldn’t survive without beau’s guidance. which, honestly, should’ve told dean exactly how seriously he’d taken those three words. the room around them faded slightly into the background. distant laughter from upstairs, the television somebody had left running, the sound of a front door slamming somewhere down the hall. slowly, beau pushed himself upright. elbows braced against his knees as he leaned forward, expression settling into something more serious than most people ever got from him. “ alright. ” the answer had been decided the second dean opened his mouth. a corner of beau’s mouth eventually twitched upward, unable to completely resist himself. “ should i be worried, or is this the fun kind of help? ”

three words. that was all it took. hands already wrapped around the doorknob, beau found himself pausing mid - movement. shoulders tensing beneath the weight of his jacket as the words settled heavily against the silence stretching through the room. because the thing about summer di laurentis was that she wasn't someone who asked for things. demanded? sure. expected? frequently. but asked? rarely. slowly, his hand loosened grip against the handle. espresso hues drifted shut for the briefest second before he turned back around, attention settling fully on the girl sitting across the room. suddenly, leaving didn’t seem nearly as simple as it had thirty seconds ago.

philosophical thoughts or existentially spiralling? beau hadn’t figured that part out just yet. truthfully, he wasn’t entirely sure grace knew, either. the words had come out of nowhere, spoken lowly into the cold night air while the muffled bass from the party downstairs vibrated faintly beneath their feet. students crowded every inch of the hockey house tonight, music too loud, drinks flowing too easily, bodies packed together shoulder - to - shoulder. yet somehow, grace had ended up out here on the rooftop with him instead.

beau, seated against the slanted brickwork beside the chimney, let his head tip back for a moment at the statement. beer bottle hanging loosely from his fingers, varsity jacket stretched over broad shoulders, the corner of his mouth twitched upward in something dangerously close to amusement.

“ y’know, ” he started slowly, gaze lifting back toward her where she sat cross - legged beside him, “ most people say shit like that after they’ve smoked something. ” a beat. “ or after drinking jungle juice from a hockey house. ” normally, that’d earn him an eye roll. maybe a sarcastic comment about his intelligence.

beau maxwell had an open door policy. for his friends, if they needed him, he’d drop whatever and whoever he was doing at the drop of a hat to be there for them. mostly reserved for dean, occasionally frequented by his fellow football players and hockey players alike, that open door had now been extended to the females of his life, too. allie hayes had somehow slipped into that category now without beau ever really noticing when it had happened. maybe it was the way she looked at him like she expected disappointment and got confused every time he proved her wrong. maybe it was because she never really asked for anything unless she was desperate. either way, the video game that had been occupying his night had been paused mid - round and he was up to his feet, scrambling to pull on his sweater before reaching the door, feeling a sense of urgency in the voice that he recognised in an instant. even more so in the way she pounded against the door. a guaranteed complaint from the neighbours that he'd smooth over at a later date and time!

I was in the car with you for eight hours… and I have eyes! / beau maxwell of elle kennedy’s off campus / briar u series. loved and protected by flick, a sideblog to @legacieas. PSA : this blog will feature spoilers, heavy themes & mature topics, and will be canon divergent in some threads. medium activity.