Summary: As Dean di Laurentis’s little sister, he had always been protective of you. What he didn’t know was that his little sister had a crush on his best friend and that they’d almost kissed once at a party back in high school. When you transfer to Briar University and old feelings resurface, Beau Maxwell proves that he never forgot that almost kiss… or you.
CW: you fell first he fell harder, Deans little sister, alcohol consumption, kiss, friends to lovers, kinda miscommunication, lowkey excessive description of everything except the important stuff, yearner Beau, mutual pinning, mixing of show and book canon
Words: 1.9k
Beau Maxwell has been your brother's best friend ever since a shared chemistry project in eighth grade turned into an explosion that left your brother without a left eyebrow for six months. They've been inseparable ever since.
They went to the gym together, cheered each other on at football or hockey games and cursed out their teachers together whenever one of them got a bad grade.
Sometimes you got the feeling that Beau was more like a sibling to Dean than you were, so strong was their bond.
Of course, being Dean’s little sister with only a year between you two, you also became pretty close to Beau over time.
It started when you asked him about some old math tests from your teacher that he also had last year, hoping he might use the same test again or at least parts of it. Turns out Beau was just as bad at math as you were and you still failed your test.
When he asked you about it and you told him how badly it went, you both laughed it off and kept texting each other.
Over time you started to realize how much you had in common, and suddenly Beau wasn't just Dean's best friend anymore, he was yours too.
Together with Joanna, you spent countless nights in either their basement or yours watching movies, playing games or drinking whenever your brother managed to bribe someone into buying him alcohol.
But at some point, Beau became more than just a friend to you. It hit you at one of his football games your brother dragged you to.
You didn't want to go because rain was in the forecast that day. But you knew Beau would be happy to see the two of you there so you went anyway.
You cheered when Beau threw the final pass that secured your school's victory.
He looked so handsome when he took off his helmet, his hair tousled and his cheeks flushed red from exhaustion.
Yet still smiling brightly with his dimples showing.
His eyes found you in the crowd, and for a brief moment everything around you seemed to disappear.
You could see his blue eyes light up when he saw you and you felt a warmth spreading through your chest.
The warmth, however, turned to ice when you saw a girl from the cheerleading squad walk up to him, hug him, and congratulate him on winning the game.
You had no right to feel jealous as you watched her wrap her arms around his neck and pull him into a tight embrace.
You weren’t his girlfriend, just his best friend’s sister, but you still felt that ugly feeling of jealousy.
You told Dean you weren't feeling well, excused yourself, and went home without congratulating Beau on his win or going to the after-party.
You didn't want to see him dancing with that girl at the party or even kissing her. Yet all you could think about that night as you lay in bed was what it would be like to be that girl.
When your brother received his acceptance letter from Briar University, your whole family was happy.
He even made the Briar hockey team which made him very happy. His joy was only doubled when Beau was also accepted so they could attend Briar together.
Even though Dean would never admit it you knew he was glad to know someone at Briar and not be alone even though you knew he’d be able to make new friends quickly.
The moment he received the letter was the moment he began planning his farewell party. Dean di Laurentis would never make a boring exit, that much was certain.
He and Beau were so absorbed in the planning that they didn’t notice how you were gradually pulling away.
You still had a year left in school before you could go to Briar too and you were sad that they would be leaving you in a few weeks.
Dean and Beau's party took place during the last week of summer holiday, just a few days before they would leave to Briar.
You celebrated at your family's holiday home which was located on the beach just an hour away from your hometown.
The party was loud with music and people dancing or shouting to their friends. The kitchen was practically overflowing with alcohol.
You had no idea how your brother had managed to get his hands on it without your parents finding out.
You enjoyed the party, dancing with your friends, but your eyes kept scanning the crowd, searching for Beau yet you hadn’t found him yet.
That was until you heard a loud laugh from across the room and spotted Beau talking to two girls you didn’t recognize.
Even though you pretended not to be looking, you felt a twinge in your chest.
Beau looks up and your eyes meet. You can see his face shift with confusion and you realize you’ve probably been watching him longer than you realized.
You break eye contact and turn away, not wanting to stay in the same room with them any longer.
You slip out the back door and walk down the pier to the sea. At the end of the pier, you take off your shoes and keep walking.
The sand feels warm beneath your feet and you watch the full moon reflected in the dark sea.
“You shouldn’t be out here alone at this hour,” you recognized his deep voice before turning around. “I’m fine, I just needed some fresh air,” you replied to Beau, who had a worried look on his face.
“There were too many people. I just need a break,” you continued, trying to fill the awkward silence as you shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other.
“Oh, okay, I was just worried. I saw you leave so quickly I thought you were going to throw up,” he chuckled, giving you one of his irresistible smiles.
You feel your heart beat faster at the sight of his dimples and cute smile.
“What, were you going to hold my hair back while I threw up in the ocean?” you ask, laughing and returning his smile as you feel the tension ease.
“Yeah, of course I would,” he replied, “that’s what friends are there for.”
As soon as the word comes out, you feel your smile fade. Friends. Of course, that’s all you’ll ever be: his friend and his best friend’s little sister.
He’d never see you as anything else.
Beau notices your reserved expression and tilts his head in confusion.
He kind of reminds you of your aunt's brown Labrador puppy in this moment.
“Is this what we are? Friends?” you ask him, unconsciously stepping closer to him.
“You’re drunk. Please stop looking at me like that,” he says, his voice breaking.
But he doesn’t step away. He just looks into your eyes, savoring their color.
“You didn’t answer my question,” you said, looking up at him and into his deep blue eyes, which almost seemed black in the dark.
“You’re Dean’s sister,” he whispered, trying to remind himself.
He should step away, lead you back to the party, but he couldn’t.
You reach out to bridge the last bit of distance that still existed between you and he has already closed his eyes, waiting for the moment you finally reach him.
“Beau? Is my sister with you?” You hear Dean’s loud voice from the pier, and the two of you pull away from each other quickly, trying to create some space between you so Dean won’t notice what almost happened between the two of you.
This was the last time you saw Beau before he and your brother left for Briar.
You almost cried when your brother left, but he reminded you that you would see each other again soon during the holidays.
Beau had left for Briar earlier than planned because he wanted to spend some time with his sister, who graduated from Briar last year and wanted to show him around campus.
But it felt like he was avoiding you. He hadn’t texted you after the near-kiss, so you assumed that he didn’t like you in that way and was uncomfortable around you now.
Time flew by, and you were graduating. You spent the holidays with your brother, who had come home from Briar.
Soon you would be going to Briar too, which excited you.
You didn't see Beau this holiday because he had been invited to train with a famous football team on the other side of the country.
You had done your best to get over him, but that near-kiss and the way he avoided you after still lingered in your mind.
You didn’t see him again until the welcome-back party your brother and his roommates were throwing at their hockey house at the start of the new semester.
You hadn't planned on going, but your new roommate and friend Jules, who was the sister of one of your brother's teammates, dragged you along.
You liked the hockey house and your brother's roommates, and it was clear that your brother had found a place where he fit and could be himself.
You danced with Jules as you felt his gaze from across the room.
Your eyes met, and you noticed the way he watched your every move and how your short red dress clung to your body as you moved.
When your eyes met Beau’s, you didn’t look away.
You stared right back at him while you danced.
You saw him swallow and blush and you smiled, noticing the effect you had on him.
He made the first move, walking across the dance floor toward you.
You were alone as Jules had slipped away without you noticing to talk to some people from one of her classes.
You were still surrounded by other people dancing but in that moment, it was just you and Beau.
“Hi,” he said, looking down at you with that silly smile of his. His hair was styled differently than it had been in high school, with more curls which suited him so well.
“Hi,” you replied, looking back up at him. “You look great,” he said after a brief pause, shifting awkwardly when he realized just how close you actually were.
“Can I talk to you? In private, I mean,” he said nervously.
You nodded, and he led you upstairs to a quieter spot.
“I’m sorry,” he said almost immediately once the two of you were alone.
“I know I should have texted you after what happened, but I just—” he paused, searching for the right words.
“I was afraid.”
“I was afraid of my feelings for you, so I tried to suppress them because I thought you’d never feel the same way. Afraid of the fact that you’re Dean’s sister,” he laughed nervously at that, “afraid that he’d kill me if he knew how I really felt about his sister.”
You let him talk and watched him stumble over his words, but all you heard was that he had feelings for you.
Before he could say another word, you reached up and kissed him.
It felt like fireworks when your lips met. You wrapped your arms around his neck, and he grabbed your waist to pull you even closer to him.
You feel him sigh as he deepened the kiss.
“I’ll never let you slip away again,” he says as he breaks the kiss and rests his forehead against yours.
A/N: I'm so happy to finally release my first Beau Maxwell fic. I'm trying to cope with Khobe Clarke's insane face card and the fact that I already got spoiled for what will happen to him in season 2. English is not my first language so please excuse any spelling mistakes or weird expressions. Also I only read the first book yet so excuse any inaccuracies. I'm definitely going to post more for Beau in the future because he's so cute in the show.
Also i dont own any canon characters or pictures used.
