#wes ayers

If Wes was being honest with himself, he wasn’t surprised to find Mackenzie on the roof of the Coronado, hiding away from the party that was happening in her apartment. Ever since the incident with Owen, he noticed that she had taken to sitting on the rooftop when she was stressed or needed to get away from everyone. And here she was, the night of her graduation, still in her cap and gown, seated on the edge of the building.

“Hey you,” Wes said lightly, taking a seat next to her, “How does it feel to be a high school graduate?”

Mac snorted, eyes never leaving the skyline, “Pretty much the same as yesterday. Though, there was more crying on Mom and Dad’s part today.”

Wes’s lips twitched, remembering Mrs. Bishop crying on and off throughout the entirety of the her ceremony. When Mac received her diploma, he glanced over and saw Mr. Bishop tearing up as well. “Okay, so today might be a relatively normal day, but what about tomorrow? Ready for that ceremony?”

Roland had finally assigned the two to be Crew partners and tomorrow was their official ceremony. The librarian had wanted to do the ceremony early in the summer, so the he and Mac could get used to working together in familiar Narrows. Mac had decided to attend the same small local private college that Wes had been attending for the last year. The campus’ Narrows were to serve as their territory. Ever since Roland had told the him, Wes couldn’t help but beam with excitement when he thought about the future. Instead of sharing his enthusiasm, Mac visibly tensed.

“Yeah, I guess.” Wes cast her a curious glance as she hurried to explain, “I mean, it’s just going to be a lot of responsibility, you know? Dangerous histories and a larger territory to cover.”

Wes raised a brow, “Mackenzie, you’ve been a Keeper since you were 12. You know how to handle responsibilities. And dangerous histories? You, pretty much single-handedly, were able to take down Owen.”

“But it’s going to be different!” She finally turned to meet his eyes, fire blazing in them, “It’s not going to be like before, where I’m laying my life on the line for myself. If something goes bad, it’s not just going to happen to me. One wrong move on my part and I could easily be putting your life on the line.”

“Mac...” She broke eye contact, turning back to face the skyline, “Being Crew is all about trust. I trust you with my life. I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather be partners with.”

She shook her head, her voice small, “How? How can you trust me?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’ve already been injured because of me,” Her eyes drifted back to him, then down to his side, where he still had an ugly scar from his encounter with Owen, “You were almost killed, Wes! It’s my fault that Owen got as far as he did. If something like that ever happened to you again, I don’t think I could forgive myself.”

Wes remained silent for a while. Obviously, this is something that had been eating away at Mac for a while. His faith in her had never wavered; not since Roland had announced their partnership, not since she brought down Owen by herself, not since they had first worked together two years ago.

“You know I don’t blame you for any of that, right?” Wes held Mac’s gaze as he continued, “Owen pretty much had a degree in manipulation. What matters is that, in the end, you were able to stop yourself from going along with him. You defeated him. And it’s going to take a while for us to fully trust each other. Crew isn’t easy, you and I both know that. But, there is no way that I’m going to have anyone else as a partner than you, Mackenzie.”

Her resolve wavered, a small smile creeping on her face. She nudged him, the familiar and comforting sound of thunderstorms rolled through his body, “When did you get so serious, Ayers?”

“When you started doubting how badass you are, Bishop.” He stood, stretching his limbs, “Come on. Your parents are probably worried that you’re not there. And your dad is finally starting to trust me. I can’t have him thinking that I’ve taken you up to the roof to have my way with you.”

Mac laughed as she stood, the sound carrying in the wind, “Then let’s go back down. Can’t have them too mad at you if you’re going to be hanging around here all summer.”