Chapter 23

It doesn't take long for Saturday to roll around, and once it does, I'm a nervous wreck. I somehow let Raven's words get to my head and I've been over-analyzing everything Maddox has been doing. I did it yesterday to the point where it drove me insane! Whenever he'd smile or laugh, I'd feel a jolt in my stomach and I'd wonder if Maddox really did have feelings for me. Even if I have the nerve to ask, I wouldn't do that to myself or to him. He may feel pressured into answering yes, or he may crush my heart and say no, and then our friendship will definitely be awkward.

I pace around my room and rub my hands along my jeans. I changed my outfit four times in the span of an hour in order to find the right one. I finally settle on a cute blue sweater and a pair of dark jeans. The last thing I want to do is dress in red or pink. I don't want him to think that I think this is a date, which I don't. I wish it was but I know it isn't. This is simply a hang out session. But if it's just two friends hanging out, why didn't he schedule it for Friday, or even Sunday? Why Valentine's Day? I immediately shake my head as I continue to walk back and forth.

Maddox said he'd be here at six and it's only 5:45, but I've been ready since 4:30. A knock on my door causes me to jump and I walk over and opened it. My cousin, who is dressed in pajama pants and a sweater, scrutinizes me. "I was going to ask if you wanted to watch a movie but it seems that you have plans," she acknowledges with a growing smile.

"You don't?" I ask her with wide eyes. I assumed she'd be with Jackson out at some romantic restaurant across town.

"Nope," she sighs with a shake of her head.

"What about Jackson?" I question awkwardly and she shrugs.

"He never asked me," she frowns. "But it's fine. You know what they say- on to the next one."

"Yeah, that's true," I shrug as she takes a seat on my bed.

"So you're going out?" she asks as she watches me pace back and forth.

"I'm going to hang out with Maddox," I tell her. "As friends," I add when I saw the grin on her lips.

"On Valentine's Day?" she questions with narrowed eyes.

I give a weak nod. "He asked if I wanted to hang out. I said yes," I relay the short conversation to her.

"Where are you guys going?" she wonders aloud as I assess myself in the mirror.

"His house," I answer, which gets a surprised look from her. "I didn't want to go out. Couples would be everywhere, and it just wouldn't be a good scene."

She nods in understanding. "Because you guys obviously don't like each other or anything," she replies sarcastically.

I shoot her a glare in the mirror. "I don't know for sure if he likes me."

"I mean, he asked you to hang out on Valentine's Day. Doesn't that say anything?" she mutters as she sits on her hands.

"I don't want to assume! This could just be typical boy behavior! What do I know? I've never even had a boyfriend," I scoff as I put my head in my hands.

"I know that guys don't just ask girls to hang out on Valentine's Day unless they have feelings for them," Vivica informs me. "And I've had four boyfriends."

The sound of a horn honking outside greets my ears and I look at Vivica in a panicky state. "What do I do?!" I hiss nervously.

"Put on your coat and go outside," she replies as if mentally questioning my sanity. I nod before shoving my arms into my coat and zipping it up. Making sure I have all of my belongings, I follow my cousin out of my room, making sure to turn off the light and close the door behind me.

"I'm not ready yet, Vivica. What if- what if I embarrass myself in front of him?" I ramble nervously.

"You act like you haven't done it before," she responds with a quiet snort. When she sees my desperate face, she tilts her head at me. "Weren't you the one preaching to him that you didn't want your feelings for him to change any aspects of your friendship?"

"Yes, but—," I attempt to excuse.

"But nothing. Just act like you did before your feelings developed; just be a bit nicer. And be flirtatious, but not overly flirtatious." The horn honks again and my cousin looks at me. "You better get going. I'll cover for you if my mom gets home early. Now go and have fun!" She grabs my shoulders and leads me to the front door, which she yanks open. She then proceeds to shove me outside and slam the door.

I nervously walked in the direction of his idling car, counting the steps as I go. I pull open the passenger side door and get in. "Hey," I mutter as I refuse to make eye contact. I busy myself with buckling my seatbelt.

"Hey," he greets. "I see you remembered your coat."

I look down at my gray jacket before nodding. "Oh, yeah," I chuckle awkwardly. I cringe as I peer out the window. Slowly closing my eyes, I remember what my older brother, Dylan, used to tell me. 'Nothing is ever awkward unless you make it awkward.'

Tonight won't be awkward, not if I have anything to say about it.

+ + +

When we arrive at Maddox's house, I get out of the car and follow him up the familiar steps. He opens the door and I'm greeted with the sound of loud rap music. I furrow my eyebrows and Maddox sighs loudly. I lean down to untie my shoes and I hear Maddox faintly say: "One minute." I simply nod and began removing my sneakers.

The music is immediately shut off and I hear Abel's annoyed voice. "What are you doing? I'm trying to get ready for my date."

"Leave the music off," Maddox threatens and I'm guessing Abel makes a move to turn it back on.

"Don't be jealous that you don't have any plans," Abel replies in a snarky voice.

At work this morning, Abel asked me if I was doing anything today and I told him that I wasn't. I was surprised that he didn't figure that his younger brother and I were going to be hanging out; Maddox seems to tell him everything. Plus, he was assigned the mission to find out my favorite chocolate. Then again, Abel is oblivious and doesn't catch on unless you tell him something outright. I assumed the older brother was going to be with Caroline all day after work. I didn't tell him because I really didn't need him to tease me, which I know he would have. That would've eventually driven me to cancel my plans.

I nervously enter the living room where the two brothers are arguing and Abel looks at me with narrowed eyes. "You told me you didn't have any plans," he announces skeptically.

"Well, she does, and so do I, so go away," Maddox snaps as he shoves his brother in the direction of the stairs. Abel looks at me with an amused smirk.

"If you two want to be alone, you should've said so," he comments. Maddox throws a couch pillow at his brother, who simply dodges it and runs up the stairs.

I slowly turn around to look at Maddox, who is staring at me with a confused look on his face. "You told him you didn't have plans?" he questions casually. He has both of his hands in his pockets as he rocks back and forth on the heels of his feet.

"Yes," I confess. "Because I didn't want him to tease me."

"Tease you?" Maddox asks as a stupid smug look appears on his face.

"Yes," I repeat as I stand in front of the recliner, rubbing my hands against each other in an attempt to get rid of my nerves. It isn't working...at all.

"What could he ever tease you about?" Maddox asks me playfully.

"Where can I put my coat?" I blurt as I start to unzip my jacket. He chuckles quietly, which sends shivers down my spine, before he takes my coat and disappears down the hallway.

Abel comes galloping down the steps, whistling noisily and twirling his keys around his index finger. I watch as he drops the keys, bends over to pick them up, and tumbles forward. He hits his back on the steps and groans loudly once he reaches the bottom. I try not to laugh but I can't help it. He slowly get up, holding his back as he does. "Are you okay?" I manage to say through my laughter.

"Yeah," he mutters as he stretches, cringing as he does. "That's going to leave a bruise."

Maddox enters the living room with a curious look on his face. "What happened? I heard thuds," he announces and looks at Abel, who's grimacing.

"I fell down the stairs and your girlfriend seems to think it's hilarious," Abel explains as he glares at me. My face is already red from my excessive laughter but I can feel the heat rising from Abel's words. Maddox joins in on my laughter as his brother finally picks up his keys, gives us the middle finger, and leaves the house, grumbling angrily as he goes.

+ + +

"Are you hungry?" Maddox asks me once I exit the bathroom. I sheepishly nod. I was too busy getting ready that I didn't make time to eat. And once I finished getting ready, I was too nervous to bother. I didn't feel my hunger until I arrived here. Maddox motions for me to follow him into the kitchen and I do. "You have two very marvelous options," he announces as he washes his hands.

"Which are?" I question with a small smile on my lips. He dries his hands on a paper towel before looking at me. I take a seat at the kitchen island and watch as he walks to the pantry and then to the freezer. He drops the two items on the counter. Like a woman from a game show, he points at them and speaks in an oddly happy voice.

"Your first option is ramen noodles, made with the finest water from the tap...or frozen pizza, which I'll try my best not to burn," he announces, which gets a laugh from me.

"This is a very hard choice," I reply as I put my hand to my chin. "But I'm going to go with the pizza."

"Excellent choice," he nods as he opens the pantry door, haphazardly shoves the box of noodles in, and closes it. I'm about 80% sure it's going to fall on the next person to open the cabinet. He starts ripping apart the pizza box. "Sorry, I can't cook."

"I see why you eat fast food all of the time," I reply with a curt nod. But why are you so fit? My face reddens at the thought but I simply stare at him as he tosses the pizza in the oven.

"I tried to make steak yesterday," he informs me before looking around the room. "The kitchen almost caught on fire."

I stare at him with slightly wide eyes. "How are you going to survive when you move out?" I wonder.

"Frozen pizza, ramen, fast food, chips, and other snack foods," he replies with a nod.

"What a healthy diet," I mutter sarcastically and he chuckles in response. "How aren't you fat?"

"Exercise," he answers in short.

"That's a lot of work," I complain. He shrugs as he turns back towards me. His messy hair is slightly hanging over his eyes and he brushes it back. His eyes focus on me and he grins teasingly.

"Can you do 20 push-ups?" he wonders.

I cough and try to think of an excuse as to why I can't. "No," I murmur when I realize I'm taking too long.

"Try," he insists as he rests his arms on the island directly across from me. I scoff and shake my head. I'll try at home, but I'm definitely not trying in front of him.

"No," I answer quickly. The grin on his face only widens.

"Why not?" he asks with a smile.

"I'm not going to embarrass myself," I retort dismissively.

"Let's make a bet," he starts as he leans forward on the kitchen island. His arms are crossed and he keeps inching closer and closer to me as he speaks. "If I can do 100 push-ups, you have to try to do 20."

I scoff from my seat. He's merely six inches away. I slowly exhale and somehow manage to keep my cool. "No, you can do 100 push-ups. I'm not an idiot."

He chuckles as he assesses me. "Okay, if you try to do 20 push-ups, I will—," Maddox starts but I cut him off quickly.

"Stop teasing me," I suggest a little too hastily. His eyebrows rise slightly and I can tell he understands the words I leave out. Stop teasing me about my crush on you.

He sucks his teeth as he jumps back from the island. "That's way harder than 20 push-ups. Teasing you is so much fun."

"It is not," I snap back with an eye roll.

"For how long?" he questions me and I give a weak shrug.

"Until I get over you," I answer.

"How about for the rest of today?" he proposes as a second thought.

"Fine," I reply. I don't know when I'll get over him, and I'd rather him not know if it happens to take me a while.

"Well, the push-ups aren't going to do themselves," he motions towards the clean tiled floor. I sigh as I get off of my stool, empty my pockets onto the counter, and get on the floor. I sit there for a second before looking up at him. Now he's poised on the counter with an entertained expression on his face.

"Do I really have to do this?" I whine. Maddox nods with a growing smirk and I sigh and get into push-up position. It takes me a second to realize what that position is.

"And none of those knee push-ups," he blurts and I shoot him a glare from my half-planking position. 

"You didn't say that originally," I retort as I prepare to get into the real stance.

"Well, I'm saying it now- no fake push-ups," he insists. I groan as I extend my legs and lower myself down. That's one. I do it four more times before my arms start to shake. I drop and sprawl across the kitchen floor with my arms out at my sides.

"It's too difficult," I grumble as I get up. I look up at Maddox and find that he's laughing very hard; in fact, he was guffawing so hard that he has become silent.

"Stop laughing!" I shout as I get up and slap his arm. He doesn't stop. He only laughs harder, and whenever he looks at me, he starts all over again. I stand there with my arms crossed as I wait for him to stop. He's lying across the counter clutching his stomach. I urge to yank him from the counter and watch as he falls to the floor but decide against it.

Ten minutes pass and I've taken the pizza out of the oven and cut it into four pieces. Maddox manages to move himself so that he's leaning on the island instead of lying across the counter. I threatened to put the hot pizza on his chest if he didn't shut up. He's now recovering from his laughing fit and whenever I go to speak to him, he just starts laughing again and gripping the edge of the island tightly in his hands. Though I have to admit that I'm pleased to see him happy; it's starting to get very annoying. The food eventually cools and I stare at him with an agitated look on my face.

"Will you shut up?!" I snap when he chuckles at me. He narrows his eyes as he leans closer to me across the kitchen island. He's barely five inches from my face and I can see his mischievous green eyes through his untidy, dark hair.

"Make me," he responds with a smirk on his lips, and instead of making him, I shove a slice of pizza in my mouth and keep my eyes trained on my plate.

+ + +

We're in the living room trying to decide on a movie to watch when I finally decide to enforce my side of the bet. He's been making comments about how I stare at his mouth whenever he speaks just to make me blush. "What happened to not making fun of me?" I remind him from my spot on the couch.

"I said I wouldn't if you managed to do 20 push-ups. You barely did five," he retorts with a wave of his hand.

"No, you said you would if I tried to do 20, which I did," I reiterate pointedly.

"Well, we both failed," he dismisses. "Now pick a movie."

I roll my eyes but stare at the large movie selection. There are at least twenty romance movies. I look at him as I point to the large array and he sighs. "Abel...and my mom, but mostly Abel."

I nod in understanding before going back to the movie shelf. With a sigh, I look at him again. "You choose. I can't," I give him the task.

"Fine," he responds. He glares at me before moving me aside.

I return to the couch and drop in my previous spot. It doesn't take him long to find a movie, which he jams into the DVD player. "What movie is that?" I asked him when he joins me on the couch. I make it a point to move away from him. He stares at me as I slide to the corner of the couch before he lets out a boyish chuckle.

"You'll see," he replies as he lets it play out. 'The Conjuring' appears on the screen and I immediately turn to him.

"Are you kidding me?" I snap. He grins widely as he searches my eyes. "You choose the only scary movie in that entire collection. You couldn't have just chosen a comedy."

Maddox only grins in response before excusing himself. I make sure to pause the movie seeing as I'm not too excited to watch it, especially not alone. Maddox turns off the lights as he's leaving and my eyes widen. Watching the movie is one thing, but watching it in the dark is a completely different thing. My mother and father went and saw this movie when it came out in theaters a while back and said it was good but I never bothered to test their claims. I'm not a fan of horror movies, and I'm not exactly sure how Maddox found out. I've only ever told...Winona and Cassidy. Well, there's my answer.

Maddox appears with a large bundle of what appears to be a very thick, red blanket. He lets it fall on the couch and I grab it and yank it towards me. He can deal with the cold. I cannot. As selfish as it may seem, he's the one who chose this movie. I need to be able to hide my face when something pops up. He walks into the kitchen and returns with snacks. I'm just getting comfortable when Maddox throws something at me. I look at the dent in the blankets to find a small tub of ice cream. It's vanilla. He hands me a spoon and I accept it with a quiet thank you.

He drops down on the couch awfully close to me. "What are you doing?" I grunt when I notice the lack of space between us. He also has ice cream, but it's mint chocolate chip. I wrinkle my nose at it. Gross.

"You're hogging the blankets," he responds as he lifts them onto his lap. I grumble unhappily as he starts the movie.

+ + +

Maddox swears loudly as something jumps from the darkness. I'm quick to bring the blanket up to my face but Maddox drops his spoon, yet again, and has to pause the movie to go to the kitchen and grab a new one. My heart beats rapidly in my chest, not only because of the jump scares but because every time something scares Maddox, he gets closer to me. Our legs were just pressed up against each other and I'd have a hard time focusing on the scary movie on the flat screen a few feet away.

I try my best to pay attention to the movie and almost shriek when something jumps from the top of the dresser. I immediately bury my face in his shoulder before I realize what I'm doing and move away from him. Seeing as I'm already pressed uncomfortably against the arm of the couch, my quick jump causes me to flip over the side of the sofa and land with a thud on the floor. I take the blanket with me, which results in Maddox's newest spoon falling to the floor. He's laughing too hard to care. I crawl around the couch and pull myself back up with a quiet grunt. Maddox eventually gives up on finishing his ice cream and returns it to the freezer. He's still laughing when he sits down once again.

We play the movie and I try my best not to jump, mainly because I don't want to end up on the floor again. I also refrain from burying my face in Maddox's shoulder, which is definitely not okay. When the movie finally ends at around 10:30, Maddox is too scared to turn on the light so I have to do it for him. As I walk towards the light switch, which is right beside the hallway, I hear the front door open so I squeal and run back to Maddox.

"You're still here?" Abel's voice asks from down the hallway. "Unless that was Maddox who squealed like a girl."

I sigh in relief at the fact that it's just Abel. He walks into the living room and discovers Maddox snuggled up in a blanket surrounded by empty chip bowls and water bottles on the table, a DVD on the floor, and the end credits of the movie we just watched on the screen. "Looks like you two had a good time." I gather our trash and haul it to the kitchen with Abel in tow. "Did you kiss him?" Abel inquires in a quiet voice, wriggling his eyebrows as I drop the water bottles into the recycling bin.

"No," I respond after giving him a short glance. "We watched a movie."

"You wish you kissed him," Abel whispers to me. I return his teasing glance with a glare and he seems to get a kick out of this. "You're not denying it."

"Bye, Abel," I snap as I enter the living room. My phone rings from the depths of my pocket so I take it out and look at the caller ID. I hold up one finger to Maddox as I answer the phone. "Hello?"

"Hey, are you hungry? I'm going to be home soon and I was just wondering if you and your cousin ate," my aunt asks and I feel my heart start to race.

"Uh, yes, we are very hungry," I reply in an attempt to buy myself some time.

"Do you want a pizza or something?" she questions

"Yeah," I confirm. That will probably take the longest to make. "I'm so hungry. When exactly are you going to be home?"

"Around 11:30," she informs me. "Plain cheese pizza?"

"Yeah," I affirm. "Mind getting wings?"

"Sure," my aunt agrees. "I love you."

"I love you, too," I respond before hanging up. "That was my aunt. I need to be home by 11:15."

Maddox looks at the time. It's 10:45. "Start getting ready to go. I'll go warm up the car," he insists.

I go to the bathroom first. I should've gone before the movie. Now every dark hallway is going to scare the wits out of me. Once I finish in the bathroom, I exits and pulled on my shoes. After zipping up my coat, I tell Abel I'll see him tomorrow before slipping outside. I jog to the car and get in quickly.

"You didn't tell your aunt you were going out?" Maddox asks as he pulls out of the driveway.

"No, she would've asked who I was going to be with. And then she would've told my mother, who would've told my father, who would've beaten you to a bloody pulp,' I explain my thought process. "I thought it'd be best to keep it a secret."

"I would rather not be a bloody pulp, thanks," Maddox confirms with a sharp nod.

I laugh at his commentary before sighing. "I had a good time."

"You were so scared during that movie," he scoffs with a shake of his head. My eyes go wide as I gape at him.

"You were the one shrieking like a girl and swearing every six seconds!" I remind him before letting out a loud laugh.

"Only because I kept dropping my spoon," Maddox retorts. "You were the one basically hugging me in fear."

"I was not!" I respond defensively.

"You put your face on my chest," he recalls proudly and I feel my face redden.

"Yeah, but then I realized what I was doing and I pulled away," I snap back as I fight the blush.

"And then you fell," Maddox relays with a quiet chuckle.

"I remember. I probably have a bruise," I grumble as I rub my shoulder, which is what I landed on.

"Good," Maddox responds. I glower at him and he simply smirks at me in response.

We drive in silence back to my house. When we come to a stop, Maddox tells me to wait before reaching into the back of the car. I do as he asks while he digs around. He produces two things. His face is tinted pink as he holds them out for me and I wear an amused look on my face. "Here," he mutters.

I look at both of the items. One of them is a pink gift bag, and upon further inspection I notice that it's filled with an assortment of candies, and the other is a single red rose. I accept the gifts with a small smile on my face. "Thank you," I whisper, feeling myself go red in the face.

"Abel picked out the bag," he blurts awkwardly.

"Thanks, Maddie," I reply as I hold them in my lap.

"Yeah," he mutters after glaring at me for the use of his nickname. I start to get out of the car and he surprises me by following. I lead the way to the front door, reaching in my pocket for my key. I put the rose in the bag and hang it on the doorknob when I realize my key isn't in my pants pockets.

"Uh, Olive?" he starts. I turn and see that he has my key in his hand, along with the other usual contents of my pockets I furrow my eyebrows and his cheeks go pink again. "You left them on the counter when you were doing your push-ups." I sigh as I reach for the key but he snatches them back. Instead, he grabs my extended hand and pulls me towards him into a hug. I'm surprised but I hug him back nonetheless. My arms are around his neck and I have to stand on the tips of my toes, which is slightly uncomfortable, but the warmth that his arms, which are around my waist, send through me is definitely worth it.

As I pull away, he surprises me by pecking my mouth. I look at him with wide eyes as my face immediately turns the brightest shade of red possible. He stares at me for a few seconds before biting his lip. He moves in for another kiss and I excitedly return it, enjoying the feeling of warmth in the pit of my stomach as our lips press against each other. My heart beats heavily in my chest and I wonder if he can feel it. This kiss is like the last one- soft, gentle, but there seems to be something else. I can't exactly pinpoint it but I can't help but feel like it's a sense of want and need—a sense of satisfaction. Eventually he pulls away with a small smile. "Your aunt's going to be coming home soon," he breathes.

"Okay." I reach out and touch his chest only to find that his heartbeat is beating just as fast as mine.  I smile and drop my hand, tossing it behind my back awkwardly. He furrows his eyebrows at me and I simply shake my head dismissively. Offering me another smile, he turns and walks down the steps. Suddenly remembering what I'd been looking for before, I call out to his retreating figure. "My keys!"

"Check your pockets!" he yells back and I shove my hand in my front coat pocket and pull out my key ring. I see him chuckling as he gets into his car. I grab my bag and rose and enter the house, feeling a large grin fall onto my face.