“Hm?”
“There’s an old lady over there waving at us.”
Maddy looked over where Nate was pointing to and yep, sure enough, her grandma was right there facing her window, waving and smiling.
“Aw, she’s cute,” Nate said.
Her grandma suddenly got dead serious, looking straight at Nate, as she made a slashing motion with her hand across her throat.
“Okay, maybe not so cute anymore,” Nate said wearily.
Maddy chuckled.
“Don’t worry, she’s harmless. Most of the time.”
“What do you mean most of the time?” Nate’s voice was starting to get a bit shrill.
“I mean, she’s Italian, Nate. Italiansknowthings, if you catch my drift,” she said looking at him knowingly. “So, you’d better get me back in one piece, big guy. No pressure.”
Nate looked as if he didn’t know whether to laugh or start running.
“Yes, no pressure at all.”
sixteen
As Nate sat behind the wheel of his car with Madison next to him, he had the crazy urge to turn the car around and go the opposite way from the party.
Which was stupid, since he had been the one to suggest it.
It had clearly been a very stupid decision.
He didn’t know what he had been thinking.
Except he knew what he had been thinking.
He’d wanted her to have this experience, to go to a high-school party and get a feel of the atmosphere, blend in, people-watch, have a few laughs. No big thing. Plus, he thought he would be there with her so she wouldn’t feel pressured to socialize if she didn’t want to. It was supposed to be an excellent idea.
One that had turned to bite him in the ass because the moment she’d opened her door, Nate had just wanted to shove her back in and lock the damn thing firmly behind her.
He’d been weirdly looking forward to the party tonight, for reasons that he suspected had nothing to do with the party itself. He’d been focused on the game of course since practice had been grueling all week. But his thoughts had also strayed towards the post-game outing in a way they hadn’t had in a long time.
But seeing Madison framed by the soft light that emanated from her hallway had been enough to make him swallow his tongue.
He’d never felt so unsteady and the funny thing was that he didn’t even know what to blame. It wasn’t even that Madison dressed in a way to look hot intentionally. She’d just opened her door in her jeans and sweater, her hair a dark waterfall over one shoulder, her lips rosy and shiny, and Nate had never felt so unprepared.
He found her radiant. It was like she shone from within.
It wasn’t a light that was meant to blind you or force you to look, but something subtle that always shone whether you chose to look at it or not.
And Nate was becoming greedy for it. And for her. Which wasn’t fair to her, wanting to keep her company to himself, and himself alone. Others should be able to appreciate who she was, and bask in her kindness and light.
It was easier said than done.
This whole idea about checking things off an imaginary list had started off as something to pass the time, and in a sense it was. But for Nate, seeing everything through Madison’s eyes made it different. Watching her enjoy the things they did or not enjoy others as much, like that failed running session that still made him laugh—filled Nate with a sense of accomplishment he didn’t quite know how to handle. It seemed that all Madison had to do was smile and Nate’s chest would feel like a balloon full of helium.
Like right then for example. They were driving towards Johnny’s house where the party was held and they were passing through houses that had already started putting out Christmas lights, and a brief glance at Madison was enough to tell him that she was looking at everything with an excitement that was so genuine, he had trouble focusing on the road and not looking at her.
Apparently, Nate hadn’t been as sneaky as he’d thought because Madison turned to look at him with a sheepish look.
