Cheydan broke into a huge smile, and he racked his brain, trying to come up with something exciting to do. His first thought was the carnival and how fun it was, except for the fact he was stuck riding with his brother.
“There’s a carnival in town — all the junk food and gut-wrenching rides you can handle.”
“Oh, that sounds so fun, Cheydan!… I would love to, but…”
Her hesitancy made Cheydan realize it probably wasn’t a good idea for someone so sick to eat fair food and ride nauseating rides. “I’m sorry, that was a stupid idea. What about…”
“Dinner and a movie?” Lissy suggested. “There’s a new Nicholas Sparks film I’ve been wanting to see, but it just feels lame watching a romance with your friends or your parents.”
Cheydan preferred doing something that would let him talk with her, face to face, instead of just sitting next to her in silence, but suddenly all he could think of were activities completely unsuitable to someone so ill.
“That would be great,” he conceded, and all of a sudden his body began to hum with the thought of sitting close to her in a dark room.
“Can we eat at your parents’ restaurant again? The food was amazing.”
Cheydan chuckled. “You really want to go back there and risk another ambush from my mother?”
“She’s sweet! I liked her. But we can go someplace else if you prefer.”
“No, that’s okay. I’m happy to go wherever you like, Lissy.” I just want to be with you, he thought, but he wasn’t brave enough to say it out loud.
Cheydan was too excited to go back to class after talking to Lissy. He went for a walk around campus instead, imagining the date in his head, planning everything he wanted to do and say. He even went so far as to call his brother to ask for some advice, but Maddock didn’t answer, and Cheydan decided he needed to just be himself anyway, if he wanted Lissy to like the real him.
He didn’t want to risk anything going wrong, so he used his phone to order movie tickets, even though the movie had been playing for weeks and there was little chance it would be sold out. He also called his mom and made sure she reserved a special table for them. Confident that he had thought of everything, Cheydan went to his next class, a new spark in his step and his head held high.
“How about dinner and a movie tonight?” Maddock whispered in Maddy’s ear as he passed by. She was bagging groceries and he was running a different register, but he’d exaggerated his sudden lack of quarters as an excuse to visit the office, which just so happened to be right next to where Maddy was working. Cindy had managed to keep them at opposite ends of the store most of the week, so he had to make his own opportunities to chat with Madison.
“There’s a chick flick I’ve been wanting to see for weeks, but you can’t go to those kinds of movies with your brother.” Maddock wiggled his eyebrows, and Maddy stifled a giggle as she nodded.
On his break, Maddock noticed he’d missed a call from Cheydan, so, since Madison was tied up with a big check out, Maddock decided to call back his brother.
“Hey Chey, sorry I missed you. What’s up?” Maddock propped his feet up on the table in the break room and tipped back precariously in the folding chair.
“Hey Madd, it’s nothing. I was calling to ask for some dating advice, but I decided I might do better if I don’t act like my obnoxious twin brother.”
“Har har har. Says the guy who’s never even had a real date before. Did you actually find someone to go out with your ugly mug?”
Cheydan rolled his eyes. “We have the same face, bro.”
“I know, but somehow it just looks so much better on me, don’t you think?” Maddock snickered.
The truth was, Cheydan usually looked a lot better than Maddock because he actually made a little effort with his appearance. Maddock looked like a homeless person half the time. He mostly relied on his personality.
“What kind of advice do you need, anyway? You know I’m an expert. Never mind, you’re such a noob you probably need help with everything. Let’s start with the basics — where are you taking her?”
“Dinner and a movie. She wants to eat at the restaurant again and see that Nicholas Sparks movie.”
“Excellent! That is just perfect, bro; you know why?” Maddock asked but didn’t give him a chance to answer. “Cuz you just found yourself a wingman. It just so happens, I’m taking my girl to dinner and a movie tonight! We’ll make it a double.”
Cheydan cringed. “I don’t think that’s such a great idea…”
“Yeah, man, it’s perfect! This way, we can meet each other’s girls, and you can learn from the master. Just copy everything I do, bro, and you’ll be golden, and if you start to do anything stupid, I’ll just kick you!”
Cheydan still didn’t like the idea, but once his brother decided on something, there was no challenging him, so Cheydan decided just to go with it. At least if Maddock had his own date he wouldn’t be tempted to flirt with Cheydan’s.
“Fine. We’re going to the early show. Meet you at the theater at 5:30?”
Maddy stared at the bathroom stall, a blissed out expression on her face. She had been daydreaming about her date with Maddock later that evening ever since he whispered the suggestion in her ear. She still wasn’t completely convinced that he was interested in her, but the fact that he wanted to take her to a romantic movie was a pretty good sign. So far, everything he’d done for her could just be explained by his tendency towards generosity and not necessarily attraction. She’d seen how generous he was, not just to her but to everyone.
Although she didn’t know how she would’ve made it without him, she hated the idea of being a pathetic charity case he felt obligated to help out. She was quickly falling for him, and she wanted their emotions to be equal, even if their financial status definitely was not.
She was just about to flush when the bathroom door opened, admitting two of her coworkers, and Maddock was the topic of conversation.
“I think that cute guy Maddock might be into me,” the voice Maddy recognized as belonging to one of the newer employees said. “I forgot my lunch, and when he overheard me complaining about it, he actually went and bought me a drink and a sandwich. How sweet was that? And you should’ve seen the way he smiled at me. I thought my knees were going to melt!”
“Humph. Don’t get too excited. He’s a sucker for charity cases. Did you know he spends half his paycheck buying food for the homeless shelter? Plus, I think he has a girlfriend. I saw him at that Italian restaurant Luciana’s just the other day, and he was holding hands and making googly eyes with some chick. I waved at him, but he didn’t even notice me.”
Maddy’s excitement instantly plummeted. She was so stupid! How could she possibly expect a guy like Maddock to be interested in a mess of a girl like her? He was obviously just a really nice person who liked to help other people.
Maddy slammed down the toilet handle and barged out of the stall with a scowl on her face, interrupting their conversation. She didn’t want to hear any more about Maddock Engel. She was grateful for everything he’d done for her, but she wasn’t going to let him spend another dollar on her. She had to find a way to make it on her own.
Suddenly feeling sick to her stomach, Maddy asked Cindy if she could clock out a little early. The look on Maddy’s face must’ve been convincing because Cindy immediately conceded and even suggested Maddy take the next day off as well, if she didn’t feel better.
Maddy didn’t bother to say goodbye to Maddock, she just took off towards the shelter. He wouldn’t understand, anyway. He probably had no clue how infatuated with him she was. She texted him instead, telling him she wasn’t feeling well and begging off for the evening.
She figured he’d probably stop by the shelter later, but Maddy didn’t even want to see him. She knew she couldn’t resist that smile that made her feel like she was the most important girl in the world. The smile he apparently gave to everyone.
On a whim, she decided to leave the shelter for a few hours, hopi
ng to miss him. She told the woman at the check-in desk that she had to run an errand, in case Maddock asked about her.
“You’re coming back, though, right? I mean, since your spot is already paid for?”
“Paid for? What do you mean? I thought it was free to stay here.” Maddy stared at the woman as if she had grown another head.
“Well, it’s free for the first three days, then it’s $10 a night unless you apply for extended stay. The shelter will review your case and offer you 30-90 more days if they think you need it, and they’ll help you find a more permanent place to stay.”
“How many nights am I paid up for?”
“The rest of this week and next. Maddock must have paid it for you. He’s such a sweetheart. I swear, he’d give up everything he had if somebody else needed it.”
Maddy’s jaw dropped, and she stared at her in disbelief. Why hadn’t Maddock told her this? Probably because he knew she wouldn’t have any money till she got her first paycheck from Hinkleman’s, and he didn’t want her to feel indebted to him.
A giant weight fell on Maddy’s chest, compressing her lungs till she couldn’t breath and her heart till it couldn’t beat, and squeezing tears from her eyes. She felt simultaneously overwhelmed with gratitude and heartbroken because everything he gave her left her desperately wanting the one thing she didn’t have — his heart.
“Give it to someone else, or give it back to him, but I can’t take it,” Maddy said, her logic overcome by her pride, then stormed out of the shelter before the woman had a chance to question her. She couldn’t risk seeing him again. She’d stay at the library and ask Cindy to schedule her when Maddock wasn’t working, she decided. If necessary, she’d look for another job.
Chapter 16
Cheydan was just leaving his final class when his phone lit up again with Lissy’s number. His heart skipped at the sight of it, and a smile he knew she would hear in his voice took over his face. The sun was shining, and the warm of it on his skin made him feel like he was alight.
“Hey Lissy! I’m really looking forward to tonight.”
“Oh, Cheydan, I’m so sorry…” Cheydan’s smile immediately dropped, and he willed her not to say what he knew was coming.
“I really want to go, but I’ve been sick all afternoon. I don’t think it’s a good idea. Could we do it another time?” Her regret was sincere, but Cheydan still wondered if she was just blowing him off.
“Sure, Lissy. I’m sorry you’re not feeling well. Would you like me to come over and sit with you instead?”
Lissy looked down at her faded, flannel pajamas, stained from her last round of nausea. She didn’t need to look in a mirror to know her face was pale and clammy, her cheeks were sunken, and there were dark circles under her eyes.
“No, I don’t think I’m up for any company. I’m sorry I ruined your plans.” This was why she’d never had a successful relationship before — she was a drag, her illness always interfering with the normal life most guys her age wanted to have.
“It’s okay. I hope you feel better soon. Are you sure there’s nothing I can do for you?”
Lissy declined, and Cheydan hung up the call, his earlier happiness suddenly evaporated as a cloud obscured the sunshine. He called his brother to tell him about the change of plans.
“Hey Maddock,” he sighed as soon as his brother answered, “Lissy got sick and can’t make it tonight.”
Maddock was in the locker room, clocking out. “Really? Maddy just texted me that she wasn’t feeling well, either. Guess tonight wasn’t meant to be, huh?”
“I asked her if she wanted me to come over and hang out with her, but she wasn’t interested. I already bought two movie tickets online, though, so do you still want to go to the movies? Maybe the box office will swap them out for the new James Bond movie instead.”
Maddock snorted at his brother’s obsessive need to plan everything in advance. Who else would reserve tickets to a movie that had already been playing for a month?
As soon as Maddy texted him she was sick, he decided he would sit with her at the shelter that evening, but Lissy’s rejection of the same offer made him realize that maybe Maddy wouldn’t want him around either if she wasn’t feeling her best.
He still wanted to check on her, and there was enough time for a visit before the show, so Maddock agreed to meet his brother and hurried to pick up the things he wanted to bring Madison.
Maddock wasn’t sure what was bothering her, so he decided to get a little of everything — aspirin, Pepto Bismol, NyQuil, Sudafed, all of it went in the cart, along with a bouquet of daisies, a bag of candy, a handful of magazines, and a get-well card. He glanced briefly down the feminine needs aisle, but he was’t brave enough to buy any of that stuff. Since he didn’t have any sisters, the workings of the female body were still a little bit of a mystery to him, one he wasn’t eager to investigate.
“Hey Maddock, you brought me flowers! How sweet of you,” the receptionist teased as he entered the shelter, hands full of gifts for Madison.
“Sorry, Linda, these are for my girl, Madison. I heard she was sick. But I promise I’ll bring you some next time.” He plucked one flower from the bunch and laid it on her desk as he walked by.
“You might as well give me the rest of them; she’s not here to take them.”
Maddock stopped in his tracks, his tennis shoes squeaking as he pirouetted. “What do you mean? She texted me and told me she wasn’t feeling well, cancelled our plans for the evening.”
Linda leaned her elbows on the counter, twirling the daisy between her fingers. “She left about an hour ago. First she said she was running an errand, but when she found out her rent had been paid for two weeks, presumably by you, she told me to give the space to someone else instead.”
Maddock just stared at her, trying to understand what she was saying. What had he done to upset Madison? He knew she was hesitant to accept help, but it’s not like she had a whole lot of other options. He had to talk to her, get her to be reasonable. There was only one place he could think of that she might be.
He drove to the library, fingers crossed that he would find her there. He had no idea where else to look for her, and he realized how little he really knew about her. He wondered if she was even sick or if it was just a lie, but Maddock took the bag of medicine with him, just in case. Even if she wouldn’t go back to the shelter, he would still leave the medicine with her in hopes she would take it if she needed it.
He traipsed through the library, looking in every corner and down every aisle twice before he finally admitted she wasn’t there. He wanted to spend the rest of the evening scouring every inch of Indianapolis, but there was no point. She obviously wanted to get away from him. He texted her, but she didn’t respond.
He didn’t understand why she had changed her mind all of a sudden, or what he could’ve done differently. The last time they talked she had seemed happy and eager to go out with him.
He’d snuck some money into her bag the day before, but she hadn’t said anything about it, so he wondered if she had found it yet. He hoped she noticed it and used it to buy some food and maybe rent a motel room. He couldn’t stand the thought of her going hungry or sleeping on the street, and he hated that his attempts to help her had been rejected. Why was she so stubborn? Most girls appreciated his generosity.
Maddock drove to the movie theater, not the least bit interested in watching a movie, but only because he didn’t want to disappoint his brother. He barked out a laugh as he remembered he was supposed to be giving Cheydan advice about women. Some expert he was.
Cheydan was standing in front of the theater, wringing his hands and pacing, when Maddock arrived two minutes after the movie was supposed to start. “There you are! What took you so long?”
Maddock quirked an eyebrow at the unusual show of impatience. “Sorry, things didn’t go exactly as planned. Did you swap the movie tickets?”
“No, the James Bond movie was already sold out, and I didn’t know w
hat else you would be interested in, so I was waiting for you.”
The boys approached the ticket counter and scanned the listings with dismay. Besides the sold out James Bond movie and the romance, there was a musical, a cartoon, and a mystery they’d already seen.
“Maybe you should just get a refund,” Maddock suggested.
“No refunds after the show starts,” the girl behind the ticket counter informed them, popping her gum and shaking her purple hair.
“We might as well watch the movie. I don’t want to waste your money. Come on, bro, it’ll be romantic. Just two guys, enjoying a special night together.” Maddock slung his arm around his brother’s shoulders as he led the way into the theater.
Cheydan elbowed his brother and knocked his arm off his shoulder. “Fine, but you’re buying the popcorn.”
Hands loaded down with munchies, the two entered the dark theater where the movie was already playing. They couldn’t really see where they were going, so they just took the first empty seats they found, between two sets of couples.
Maddock turned towards Cheydan and groaned when the actors on screen started smooching and so did the people sitting on either side of them. “This is so not how I expected this evening to turn out.”
“Tell me about it! This was supposed to be my first real date. I didn’t even want to include you, but you insisted, and now I’m here alone with you! This is not just disappointing, this is humiliating!” Cheydan’s agitated whisper drew the ire of the other moviegoers, and a few of them shushed him. An usher gave him the evil eye, and Cheydan slouched in his chair and quieted.
“Do you want to get out of here?”
“No! I’m going to watch this movie and figure out how to impress the ladies so next time I won’t be watching a sex scene with my brother!” Cheydan couldn’t resist one more jab.
Maddock chuckled at his brother’s aggravation and settled in to watch the movie, glad at least that it had distracted him some from his worries about Madison.
Date with Destiny Collection: Angel Romance Series: Books 1 - 4 Page 36
