Fly With Me | ✓

39

The morning had started out a God damn mess and it only got worse after breakfast.

The thing about football games in Britain? It didn't matter what time kick-off was. There was pub time before kick-off time and one of them was more important to not be tardy to. And, considering that the football game they were attending later was, in fact, a bachelor party, it was even more important that they arrive to the pub in a timely fashion so they could get proper pissed as per the groom's request.

Yes, even Maverick.

Everleigh had been ordered to arrange a cab for the four of them because "I've never seen Kingston Maverick drunk and I bet he's giggly and I want to see it, Leigh! Make it so." and that seemed a fair enough reason to her.

The problem they were having was that Maverick had misplaced his hearing aids despite having put them in the same spot at night since he moved into the flat. Everleigh loved that he was trying out life within their home without his hearing aids to see if he could shake off some of the fright that came with his birthday diagnosis. But from that came a little more dropping it wherever he was and at that present time, they both stood in the living room wearing stupidly matching t-shirts saying groom crew across the chest staring at their carnage that had scattered itself across the flat. (The t-shirts weren't the biggest problem, but they were the dumbest.) (Roman had really wanted shirts so Everleigh paid someone to design a football-esque design for the chest, and put the last two numbers of their birth years on the back, last names to tie it together.) (It was that, or Roman was getting buy me a shot, I'm tying the knot and Everleigh was calling it a day.)

"It's fine if we're late but it's not fine if I can't hear anything."

Everleigh didn't mean to mutter, "It's not fine if we're late," but it slipped out anyway.

Maverick stared at her from across the room, ankle deep in couch pillows and throw cushions.

Everleigh stared back at him, practically unaware her mouth had moved.

Maverick waved his hands at her wildly, pointing to his ears like she was truly the stupidest person he knew. He didn't need to sign anything to her to say hey dumbass, remember those hearing aids we're looking for? I don't know what you're saying.

A closed fist made circles on her chest: Sorry. A few quick signs repeated her muttering to Maverick.

He sighed and placed his hands on his hips. "If I just don't go—"

You're going.

"I don't want to have to sit there while you translate your dad, Everleigh."

He knows the alphabet. Everleigh signed, still searching drawers in the kitchen with her eyes. Couple more common phrases.

"He does?"

Roman taught him.

"How does Roman know?"

Everleigh pointed at Maverick before bending down to recheck drawers she'd already looked in. That was always the most frustrating thing about losing something: retracing steps they'd already retraced. Walking in circles and hoping for a different outcome. Poster children for Einstein's theory of insanity.

"Must really think you like me if they're willing to go through all that."

Everleigh simply raised her hand above the height of the island and stuck her middle finger up at him.