Maverick’s POV (from the moment you bang on his door):

The knock nearly scared the controller out of his hands. Mav sighed, pushing himself up from the couch as his best friend shouted something about being “mid-match.”

“Just pause it, man, I’ll be like—ten seconds!” he yelled back.

He opened the door mid-grumble but stopped cold when he saw her.

The new girl.

Up close, she was even cuter than he remembered from their awkward nod-in-the-hall interaction earlier that week. Her expression, however, was… not impressed.

“Oh. Heyy, new neighbor,” he said, trying to sound casual. Instead, it came out weirdly high-pitched.

“DUDE, CUT THE FLIRTING AND GET BACK ON THE GAME!” his friend called out behind him.

Mav rolled his eyes so hard he hoped she didn’t see the panic flicker behind them. He was not flirting. He didn’t even know how to flirt. Was that what he sounded like?

But then he remembered why he answered the door in the first place.

Right. Shower.

So yeah, the hot neighbor was standing in front of him, looking mad, and here he was, asking to use her bathroom like it was a cup of sugar.

“Look, I actually had a favor to ask you. My shower’s, like… completely busted. Can I use yours?”

Her eyes narrowed. “Seriously? We don’t even know each other.”

“Yeah, so? Look, I’ll bake you cookies or some sh—stuff. I’m desperate.”

Smooth. Real smooth.

When she agreed—only if he turned off his music—he nodded quickly. “Deal.”

Then she just… stared. He felt it—her eyes flicking over his shirt, his face, whatever. And now he was suddenly aware of how messy his hair was, how he probably had flour on his elbow, and how unrealistically attractive she was up close.

His neck felt warm. Crap.

“So… we cool?” he said, voice a little quieter, one hand tugging at the back of his shirt like it might help him disappear.