Ice Dreams Part 3 (6 page)

He nodded as he closed his eyes. “You look beautiful.”

She walked back down the stairs and sat on the bottom step. “You are drunk.”

“Still doesn’t change how beautiful you are.”

She sighed. “Thank you.”

He laid back down and fell asleep. Madison shook her head and headed upstairs to bed.

CHAPTER SIX

Madison wanted to sneak out as early as possible. She left Alicia a note and walked passed Hunter who was still sleeping on the couch. She arrived back home around eight in the morning.

She noticed Mike’s car was in his space. She quickly worried that something went wrong. She ran up the stairs and knocked on his door. It took a few minutes but he slowly opened it. He looked tired. He wasn’t wearing a shirt and his sweatpants hung from his hips in that perfect way.

“Are you ok?” she asked.

“Rough night, are you just getting home?”

She nodded. “Alicia wanted me to spend the night. What happened?”

“I need some sleep. I will come over in a few hours and tell you what happened.”

“Ok, see you later.” He shut the door as Madison entered her apartment. She quickly showered and changed. She grabbed her textbooks and used her balcony to study.

She heard the knock on her door around noon. She opened it and found Mike in much better shape. He had showered, shaved and changed clothes.

“Sorry about this morning but I drove home around two in the morning.”

She allowed him into her apartment as they sat on the balcony. She closed her textbooks and gave him her undivided attention. “What happened?”

“My father is a bastard but I think the situation will go away for now. She shouldn’t be talking anytime soon.”

“She’s still alive, right?”

He laughed. “Yeah, she’s still alive. How did yesterday go?”

“It was fun. Carter had his bachelor party last night. They rolled in around three in the morning. Hunter is coming over today.”

Mike just stared at her. “Yeah, what does he want now?”

“He wants to clear the air so that next Saturday won’t be awkward.”

“Makes sense, did he say anything else to you?”

She shook her head. “Nothing new.” She glanced at him. She took a deep breath and spoke, “Mike, I feel like there is something between us.”

His eyes never moved from hers. He nodded but still didn’t say anything.

“It feels so natural to hang out with you. You never pressure me into anything and you just let me be me. I won’t lie, I felt my heart beating out of my chest last night when you were about to kiss me but I just couldn’t.”

He moved slightly as he reached for her hand. “Maddy, I completely understand. I’m not sure I’m ready to take that step either. I have so much crap that I need to deal with from the last relationship but in the meantime we can keep hanging out and let nature will take its course.”

She smiled. “Should I be embarrassed?”

He chuckled. “No, not at all. I feel the same way about you. I just know we are both in an awkward situation.”

She nodded. “Can I make you lunch?”

“No, I need to run out for awhile. Amber needs me to repair that fixture in the backroom. I will be around later tonight if you want to grab dinner.”

“Sounds good, stop over when you are ready.”

He leaned in and kissed her cheek. She felt her heart racing again as he lingered. She looked into his eyes as he pulled back. He sighed softly as he left her apartment. She closed the door behind him and leaned back against it.

She walked across the room and grabbed her phone. “Hey Jessie.”

“Hey sweetie, what’s going on?”

“I need my best friend.”

“Oh no, what happened?” she asked.

“I think I have feelings towards Mike but I know I’m not over Hunter yet.”

She chuckled. “What’s going on with Hunter? I thought the loser was out of your life.”

“He’s not a loser, Jessie. He’s just confused. He’s coming over shortly to talk. We need to be civil next weekend.”

“Did something happen with Mike?”

“We had a moment.”

“Oh! What kind of moment?”

“He wanted to kiss me and God, I wanted him to but I turned away at the last second.”

“Oh Maddy, when are you going to have some fun. You aren’t married, you are young.”

“Alicia said the same thing. Maybe you are right but he said he’s in a bad situation right now. I don’t think he wants to start anything.”

“I think you need to take a bold step, Maddy. You need to move on from Hunter. You need a break from all that crap and just enjoy your life. How’s school?”

“I love it. I have this strange professor though.”

“Strange, how? Most teachers are strange.” She laughed.

“I don’t know. I can’t put my finger on it. All the girls drool over him.”

“Oh, I had some of those too. Take a picture for me.”

She gasped. “I will not be taking a picture of my teacher, Jessie. He will end up catching me and I will flunk his class.”

“You are no fun. When can I come and visit you?”

“You tell me. I’m always around except for my classes in the morning. You can sleep on the couch.”

“That sounds like fun. I need a break from the city living. Sometimes I feel like I’m going to get eaten up,” Jessie commented.

“You will love it here. It’s so calm and peaceful. Come after the wedding.”

“I will call you and let you know. I love you and take a risk, Madison.”

They hung up and Maddy changed her clothes. She found a pink summer top that tied around her neck and a pair of jean shorts. She quickly threw her hair up into a ponytail and heard a knock on her door.

She opened it and found Hunter standing on the other side. “Hey Maddy.”

“Hey, come on in. Did you want to sit outside?”

He nodded and walked onto the balcony. She grabbed a bottle of water and handed it to him. Their fingers brushed across each other’s briefly as he looked up at her. “I wanted to tell you in person.”

She sat down and looked at him. “Tell me what?”

“I received a contract extension this morning. I’m staying in town for another three years.”

She frowned and shook her head. “So this entire event shouldn’t have happened? You shouldn’t have abandoned me in a parking lot, you shouldn’t have panicked over nothing and most of all and you shouldn’t have run away from me.”

“Maddy, I’m so sorry for my behavior.”

“Hunter, we need to get through next weekend but you destroyed me. I can’t do this anymore. I need to finally say that we are over.”

He looked down at the ground. “Please don’t say that.”

“I need to focus on schooling and my job. Right now, I need to concentrate on Alicia and Carter.”

He nodded. “I promise to behave myself. I will only bug you when something is needed.”

“I’m sorry Hunter.”

He shook his head. “You have no reason to be sorry. This was all my fault. My mom is going to kill me.”

“She won’t kill you. At least you don’t have to see your parents this weekend. I’m dreading that.”

He looked at her. “God, I totally forget about that. I really am an idiot. Are you going to be ok?”

“It is what it is. My attention is with the bride and groom and if they start anything with me, I walk the other way.”

He stood up and handed the empty water bottle back to her. “I’m sorry again.”

She nodded. “I know you are. I will see you Friday night at the rehearsal dinner.”

He nodded as he walked down the stairs. She watched him climb into his truck and drive away. She hoped that she made the right decision because she missed him already.

Later in the evening, she grabbed her books and studied for her math test. Alicia had called about five times to go over last minute details. Her morning sickness had started to take over and she was panicked that it would ruin her big day. Madison researched home remedies and drove over to her house to drop off her findings.

When she returned home, she grabbed her books and walked down towards the beach. There was a small picnic table that she laid her books on and started to do her homework. Her phone rang, startling her. “Hello?”

“Hey, it’s Mike.”

“Hey, where are you?”

“I’m running late. I had to meet with my lawyer. Do you want to meet me down at McHale’s in about an hour?”

“Sure, are you ok?”

“Yeah, I will fill you in when I see you.”

“Ok, see you in about an hour.” She placed her phone on the table and stared at it. She knew there was a side to Mike that she didn’t know and tonight she would find out.

She quickly took a shower and found a light sundress to wear. She grabbed her keys and headed towards the bar. Once she arrived, she walked around to see if she could spot Mike. She glanced towards the bar and spotted Hunter staring at her.

She didn’t have time to think about it as she felt a tight grip on her arm. She turned around and came face to face with a drunken stranger. “Hey baby, you are damn fine. Let me buy you a drink.”

She opened her mouth to say something when she felt Hunter behind her. “Let go of her arm now.”

“Sorry man but your girl is hot!”

Madison turned to face Hunter as she saw the familiar stare on his face. “Hunter, back away from him, he’s not worth it. I’m fine.”

He looked down at her. “You are right.” He put his arm around her and led her through the crowd to the bar. “Did you want a drink?”

She shook her head. “No thanks. I should go.”

“Why are you here, Maddy?” he asked.

She took a deep breath. “I’m meeting Mike for dinner.”

He smirked. “Of course you are.”

“It’s not like that, Hunter.” She paused. “Wait, I don’t have to explain myself to you. See you around.” She stormed away from him and walked down the hallway to the bathroom. She closed the stall door and cried.

Once she gathered her thoughts and composed herself. She looked in the mirror and wiped her eyes. She grabbed her purse and opened the door. Mike stood across the hall from her as she walked out. “I’m going to kick his ass.”

“No, you aren’t.”

He grabbed her by her waist and pulled her close to his body. He whispered, “Maddy, why didn’t you wait for me in the parking lot?”

She looked down at his lips and swallowed. “I’m assuming you ran into Hunter.”

He nodded and closed his eyes. “He told me that creep put his hands on you. Are you ok?”

She nodded slowly. “I’m fine, Mike. Hunter handled it.”

His hand moved up her back as he leaned in closer. “Then why are you crying?”

“Just my regular issues,” she chuckled as she looked into his eyes. She bit her lower lip as he slowly groaned. His fingers moved to her lip as he softly pulled it away.

She didn’t remove her eyes from his as he grabbed her hands and led her back into the bar. She felt his grip tighten as they moved through the crowds. She spotted Hunter again as they walked by him. Mike didn’t stop until they reached the outside seating area and picked a table.

He sat down next to her as their knees touched gently. She looked back at him as he met her glance. He smirked. “Would you like a drink?”

She nodded. “Sure. You can pick.”

He laughed. “Let’s have some fun then.” He got up and headed towards the bar. When he returned, he handed her a light colored drink. “Let’s see if you like that.”

She smiled as she took her first sip. “Wow! What is that?”

“A mixture of passion fruit and pineapple juice, I thought you would enjoy that.”

She nodded. “Thank you. Tell me about your day.”

He laughed. “Well, I’m happy to report that my past girlfriend has wised up and she’s officially out of my life. Her games are over and I can move on with my life.”

“That’s great, Mike. Let’s celebrate to that.”

“Absolutely but I have some other news too.”

She looked at him and smiled. “Tell me what’s going on.”

“I decided to start my own business. It’s time for me to move out of my father’s shadow and make a name for myself.”

“That’s incredible. What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to start my own repair business. I’ve really enjoyed working for Amber and she’s been getting me referrals all over town. I found with all the beach house rentals, stuff is constantly breaking down so why not grab a hold of that business.”

Madison smiled from ear to ear. “I’m so proud of you, Mike. That’s awesome!”

He beamed right back at her. “It’s all because of you.”

“Why me?”

“You are one of the strongest people that I know, Maddy. When are you going to believe people when they say that to you?”