Loving Maverick

Maverick Is His Name

It was her! 

She was standing there, her curly deep black hair was messily pulled up in a bun. She wore dark cat-eye rimmed glasses with what looked like small gold flowers at the top ends. They were large but they still fit her face perfectly.

Having seen her in the light he noticed how attractive the girl was; her skin the color of brown sugar and her eyes were large through the glasses and pale and yet deep color of green. Her outfit was snug yet professional. She was far thicker than he had perceived the evening before. Maybe he was a little more tipsy than he'd realized.

"What's the matter, son?" He suddenly heard his father say. "Looks like you've seen a ghost." His father teased.

At that moment, Maverick snapped out of his reverie and, for the first time, noticed the expression on her face. She was afraid...because she recognized him too.

He could see the lump in her throat as she worriedly looked at him and then shifted a glance at his father. She was petrified that he'd more than likely tell him about what happened the night before.

"Feels like it." Maverick finally said as he stoically reached his hand out to initiate a handshake. "Nice to meet you." She said.

"Uh-I-it's nice to meet you too." She said. 

"Well, Maverick, I'd like to introduce you to your new assistant-"

"Is that right?" Maverick cut him off, his gaze steady on the beautiful young woman that just walked through the door of his office.

"Yes." Abhimanyu replied pointedly.   

"I thought she was here for an interview." Maverick said, brow raised. "I mean sure, she may be good enough for you but..." When he noticed the concerned look on her face and the frustrated look on his father's he quipped with a smile. "Well, I'd just like to see if we're a good fit first." He said, feigning a chipper disposition. "Surely, you understand that, father." He said.

"Maverick-"

"Sure!" The woman intervened. "I understand completely!" She smiled, clearing her throat as she did.

Maverick's father looked at with an accusing and knowing glare before feigning a smile himself. "Sure, I'll leave you to it." He said. He then looked at the young woman. "It's nice to meet you, miss.." He waited for her to say her name.

"Vidal." She smiled. "Stevie, Vidal."

"I know a Vidal." Abhimanyu smiled. "We're good friends, in fact." He then looked at Maverick. "Don't be too hard on her soon." 

He said it in a teasing way but it seemed that every single person in the room knew that Maverick was about to do the complete opposite of his father's suggestion.

After Maverick saw his father out of his office, he turned around  and headed to his desk, harshly chuckling as he did.

"I cannot believe this." He was both amused and annoyed of his recent turn of misfortune.

"Look, I know that you probably-we probably...didn't get off on the right foot last night-"

"Probably?" Maverick turned to face her. "Probably?!" He incredulously said. "You-you cried r**e when I tried to help you against two drunks that were trying to take advantage of you-"

"I know! And-"

"You got me arrested!" He hissed. "I-why were you even out on the night before a big job opportunity anyway?!" 

"Well...I-my friend-she-" Stevie started to excuse when she suddenly thought better of it. "Well, why were you out when you're in such an executive position?"

Maverick's eye twitched. "Are you really...accusingly questioning your boss...during your interview?" He asked. He couldn't believe her audacity.

"We-no, no-I didn't mean to-" She started to defend herself when she realized that if she said anything other than sorry at this point that she would be digging herself into a deeper hole. "Look, I'm-I'm sorry, alright! I was angry last night and a little more inebriated than I previously thought. I did not intend to place you in a difficult situation and-"

"Leave me there." Maverick replied. "I was treated like a criminal while you got to go home and sleep it off." He said. "Does that seem fair to you-"

"Well no, and I-"

As she started to talk again, Maverick lifted his hand. "Listen...I just don't...I don't think, given the condition in which we met, that we should be working together."

She closed her eyes, and let her face fall into her hand stressfully. Taking in a few deep breaths she looked at him again. "I...need this job, okay. I-my dad would very disappointed in me if I-please." She begged. "I-I'm sorry about the trouble that I caused you the night before. I just-I had a rough evening and unfortunately, I brought you into it, but-but that shouldn't take away from this job opportunity. I've already been hired and I-"

"Look, I-I understand what you're saying." Maverick said. "And no hard feelings but you went to a club...the night before you were to start on a job. Had I not been there to intervene the night before you may not have even been able to show up to work today. Your actions last night were careless and irresponsible. I cannot have an assistant like that working for me." Maverick stated.

"If you just give me a chance, then you'd see that I am not like that-"

As she attempted to further explain herself, Maverick walked to his office door and opened it. "I'm sorry, miss." He replied.

Defeated, she sighed and walked past him. "Thanks a lot for your time." She said and quickly walked down the hall and to he elevator.

Maverick watched her standing there, pacing the floor and holding her head. He almost could have sworn that he heard sniffling. That alone, almost made him change his decision, but then he saw his father walking up to her. No sooner, his gaze shifted to him, Maverick headed to his office, knowing that he was about to hear a full on explosion.

Barely a minute past before Maverick heard his office door opening again. "What was that?!"

"Dad." Maverick sighed. "I really am not trying to be difficult on this one." He sat on the corner of his desk and crossed his arms. 

"Then what do you call it?" The girl was a perfect candidate for the assistant job, Maverick!" 

"How would you know? And even if she were, isn't it my choice to make concerning the position? I need someone that I can depend on. Someone that isn't reckless and irresponsible-all of which is who you just offered the job of my assistant to!"

"Oh yeah, and how would you know that exactly?!"

"Because she's the one dad!" Maverick said, gesturing to the girl that was probably long gone at this point.

"The one, what, son?" Abhimanyu asked in resignation. "What are you talking about?"

A phone call had come through and it took Maverick a moment to consider whether he even wanted to answer. After it stopped and started again, he gave in and decided to answer both the phone and his father's question. "She's the one that got me arrested." He said and then picked up the phone. "Maverick Industries, Maverick Singh speaking."

The day was shot and Stevie was so upset with herself and even more angry with Kacey than she was before. She was so upset, in fact, that she had a five hour episode with her migraine. It was so bad that she went home and just sat in the shower, allowing the hot water to bead down on her head as she cried. 

"How am I going to tell, daddy?" She said in Italian as she sniffled and just lay there in the floor of the shower.She took steady breaths and closed her eyes, praying for the moment when the migraine would go away. 

Another hour past before the migraine had alleviated enough for her to actually stand up and get out of the shower. She put on a pair of black shorts and tank top with a pair of purple and black socks. Then she went into her living room to turn on the television when she heard a knock at her apartment door.

"Who is it?" She said in a near whisper, careful not to disturb the alleviation of her migraine. 

"It's me, Steve! Open up!" 

Upon recognizing Stefano's voice, Stevie opened the door and gave her cousin a weak smile. "Hey." She said. 

As soon as Stefano saw his little cousin, his smile faded. He came into her apartment and placed the pizza down on the table in the living room before returning his attention to her.

"Migraine or crying?" He asked.

"Both." Stevie scoffed, opening the box to be welcomed to the amazing scent of her favorite, Supreme pizza. She hadn't realized until the scent hit her nostrils that she hadn't eaten all day. Stevie then grabbed a slice and headed to the kitchen to grab a cold green tea ginger ale and a beer for her older cousin. It was really the only reason that she kept it in the house as she wasn't much of a drinker in the first place. "Where's Carlo and Tracey?" She asked as she sat in her favorite round chair.

"Carlo's working a late shift tonight and Tracey...I never know where that kid is...probably over some girl's house somewhere. He's been a loose cannon the past few years." He said. "What's going on?" 

"You mean since, uncle died?" She said, raising her brow. Stefano never liked to admit such thing nor did he like really speaking on the subject of the death of his father nor the toll that it took on he and his little brothers.

"What's going on with you?" He reiterated the question, changing the subject. "Why have you been crying? And what brought the headache on this time, Stevie?" 

Stevie sighed, knowing that she wasn't going to get away with switching up this subject. "I didn't get the job."

Stefano paused, mid-bite of his pizza as he looked at her. "What? Wait, what?" He stumbled. "I thought you already had the job."

"Okay, well, then I-I guess it's more like I lost...the job." She said.

He hesitated for a moment as if in confusion before replied. "That's...actually worse." He said. "How did you lose the job?"

"I...unknowingly inappropriately engaged with my boss the night before I started the job and...may have...potentially ruined his reputation in the process." She rushed the last part, still too ashamed to even speak on it. Before her older cousin could pry any further, Stevie continued on to clarify. "When I went in this morning, he recognized me and due to the 'condition in which we met'," She said with air quotes. "He has decided that I am too reckless and irresponsible to be working for him." 

When she said this was when she realized that she felt as if she had been holding her breath throughout this whole conversation. When she seemed to finally exhale, she dropped her head to her knee, which she had placed up to her chin at this point to lean on. She shook her head and took another bite of her pizza before she looked at Stefano.

"How, on earth am I going to tell daddy and mom?" She said in a desperate tone. "I can't even deal with the stress of this right now."

"What exactly is that you did, Steve?" He asked. 

She scoffed. "I got a little drunk and...left a club by myself." She said.

"And?" Stefano said. "Though I am very upset about this new bit of information that you are giving me and will definitely be tearing you a new one later for keeping this from me and also...being this reckless," He sighed. "What did this have to do with him?"

"These guys...they tried to...I don't know-"

"What!" He snapped, standing from his seat. "Someone tried to hurt you? Someones?! And you didn't tell me?" He incredulously said.

"Stefano please calm down." Stevie pleaded. "My migraine is barely gone and you're making me anxious again, so please." 

Reluctantly, Stefano sat down. "Did you get a good look at them?"

"No, no, Stef, I did not." Stevie replied with an exhausted sigh. "I was too tipsy and besides, he saved me before anything bad could happen." She smirked. "He was pretty bad A." She confessed. "Like he was like a weapon fighter man or something. Took em down like it was nothing." She commemorated. "Anyways, I vaguely remember trying to walk home, he wouldn't let me-I screamed for a police officer-he got arrested and-"

"Wait, wait-what?!" Stevie just looked at Stefano in a way alerting him to the fact that she did not want to say it again. "You got the man arrested?" He asked. "No wonder, he fired you."

"Oh, wow! Thanks!" Stevie spat with resentment. "I don't know what to do now." She said. "Guess it's good that I saved all that money up from working at the that dumb hotel and those few side jobs you secretly gave me." She shook her head. "It'll maybe bide me some time to figure out what I will do next." 

Stefano could see the concern on his little cousin's face. "Did you really want this job?" He asked her.

Stevie shrugged. "You know mechanics...cars-that's my passion, Stef. But...still, I-I can't say that I don't enjoy the idea of creating and architectural design as well."

"Hm." Stefano said. "Well, then try again." He suggested. "Just...don't take no for an answer. You're a great worker-dedicated and while he didn't catch you on your best day, very responsible and the least reckless person I know." He said. "Which brings me to the question of why you of all people were even out alone so late at night."

"Technically, I wasn't." Stevie said but she didn't want Stefano to know about her fight with Kacey. Kacey had an unrequited crush on Stef and she didn't want to paint her in a bad light just because of one little spat. "I dipped on Kacey because I wanted to go home." She partially lied, because if she were being honest, she really did want to go home but dipping on Kacey was a very vague way of explaining how they became separated in the first place.

"Hm, I see." Stefano replied. "Say, what's the name of this place that you were supposed to be working at again?"

Stevie sighed. "Maverick Industries." She said.

"Is that right?" Stefano perked up as he found the name familiar. "Uhm, do you know...do you know who your boss was supposed to be?"

She scoffed. "Ironically enough, Maverick, Maverick is his name."