A quick look at his downcast expression was enough to pull Madison out of her blatant staring.
During the past few days, Maddy and Nate had picked up the habit of talking and texting here and there more than usual. Mostly for silly stuff. But as the days went by, Maddy couldn’t help but notice that Nate’s mood seemed to be deteriorating little by little. And whenever the holidays were mentioned, he became quieter and distant, like he had to make an extra effort to appear his usual self and Maddy didn’t know what to make of it. She hated seeing and hearing him like that. And watching his dark demeanor that morning sent a painful pang in her solar plexus.
Maddy pursed her lips in determination. She took her friend responsibilities seriously and she would at least try to cheer him up. The cogs in her brain started spinning which gave her a nice distraction from the absolute boredom of the class.
She suddenly felt much more energized.
That afternoon, she texted him.
Maddy: Wazzup?
Nate: Are you quoting what I think you’re quoting?
Maddy: Um… no?
Nate: Because if you were, that would mean that you were actually ready to watch the thriller that you still owe me?
Maddy: Wow, that backfired spectacularly. You’re still on about that? I thought we’d decided that we didn’t need to watch that.
Nate: No, Mads. You decided that. I never agreed to that.
Maddy: Well anyway, I’ll be totally sidestepping that.
Maddy: My reason for annoying you this fine evening is to ask you what you’re up to tomorrow afternoon.
Nate: Nothing much.
Nate: ShouldIbe scared?
Maddy: Of course not, silly.
Maddy: I was just wondering if you wanted to go browse some music with me.
Maddy: Ever since the party, I’ve been itching to go find some nice tunes.
Maddy: There’s a music store not far from here we can check out.
She hoped she didn’t sound too pushy.
Maddy: If you want to.
Yeah, that’s much better.
Maddy: You totally don’t have to if you’re not in the mood.
Okay, she should stop now.
Maddy: It’s no big deal.
Seriously, any time now.
She made a sound of frustration while sitting on her hands to stop herself from typing more nonsense.
The truth was that she was actually really looking forward to his reply. She hoped this would turn his mood around. Plus, she just really wanted to see him. Since the party, she found that she’d missed his steady presence next to her, radiating a warmth that was unique to him, and only him.
Her phone pinged with another message. The sound that escaped her was anything but dignified.
Nate: Sure, Mads.
