“Of course I would be. I am the perfect example of courage and chivalry,” he deadpanned.
Madison laughed at his expression, but then her own went soft and he had trouble looking away.
“Yes, I suppose it would suit you to be the caring kind, always there to take care of everything and protect others in need, wouldn’t it?” she asked this with no means to know the gravity that question actually carried. She was probably just thinking about the incident that had brought them together in this situation, the accident he’d tried to prevent.
Nate felt his throat tighten, a lump making difficult to speak for a moment. He thought of his father, and then of his mom and brother.
“I try,” he managed to croak, his voice a low rasp. He couldn’t look her in the eyes for a few moments as he attempted to keep the surge of emotions under check. The last thing he wanted was to ruin their movie night because of things that should stay in the past.
Nate felt a small hand tug on his sweater, at the same spot where it had slapped him a few moments earlier, and he was met with eyes full of understanding. She didn’t say anything else or ask any questions, and he was glad for that. She was not prying, but she was there, a steady presence next to him, radiating calmness and warmth.
She, then, surprised him again by saying, “At least your House would suit you. I would have loved to be in Ravenclaw but I would have probably shamed them immensely. They are smart and studious and are supposed to know pretty much everything and do everything right. You already know how I am with maths and science. And you should see me try to drive anywhere without a GPS. My sense of orientation is shot to shit. You could point me to the grocery store and I would drive myself to Alaska. Map reading is not in my survival skill set.”
Nate knew what she was doing, changing the subject like that. She was trying to make him feel better even without knowing what had gotten him down in the first place. He shook his head in amazement, which she probably thought it was only because of what she’d just told him.
“I would pay good money to see that, Mads.” He didn’t know when he’d started shortening her name, but it felt natural as it passed through his lips.
“Well, it’s just too bad that you won’t, isn’t it?”
“Why not? We’re here, with no GPS in the car available, and I’m sure you have your driving license already. We could use my car. It wouldn’t get us to Alaska even if you wanted it to.”
“I do have a driving license and though the problem is not my driving skills, I still think I’m just going to letyoudo the driving, if we need to get anywhere for some reason. It’s probably safer.”
“Okay. You’re in good hands, Mads.” He grinned suggestively at her, making her laugh.
“I’m sure I am, big guy.”
“And Ravenclaw would be lucky to have you.”
He saw her eyes soften as she smiled so sweet, someone would think he’d given her the best compliment.
“Thanks, Nate,” she said, their eyes catching and holding for what felt like hours but could only be seconds. “You’re a good friend.”
Nate felt her words strike a chord somewhere inside him.
“Is that what we are, Mads? Friends?” He couldn’t avert his gaze even if an explosion were to happen right next to him. He wanted to read every expression on that beautiful, honest face of hers.
“I think so.” Her voice betrayed a kind of hopeful longing that made him want to give her anything she wanted.
“Then you got yourself a friend.”
A hint of that tell-tale mischief he’d already seen before entered her gaze.
“And a jock at that. Just imagine; the possibilities are endless.”
Nate’s laughter caught him off guard. “I’m not sure you’re really ready for that.”
“Why not?” she frowned.
“Why tell you when I could just show you?” He knew his smirk had turned evil, and that was exactly his goal. “And,” he continued, stopping her as she had just opened her mouth to say something more, “we have another movie to watch now, so save your questions for later. You got me into this, so now I’m invested.”
He settled even further into the sofa but not before stealing a glance at her, drinking in the complex emotions that seemed at war in her eyes.
Finally, Madison simply smiled at him, before starting their second movie. And this time, she even allowed him to ask questions and throw in some commentary here and there, while they slowly ate their way through their snacks.
“Hey, Nate?” Madison’s voice cut through the lull in the film, about an hour later.
“Hm?” he tilted his head at her in question. She seemed to hesitate before taking a small breath.
