Chapter 23
Chapter Twenty-Three
You’re the Only One
Madison
“You talking about serial killers doesn’t make you seem any less creepy. I hope you know that.”
“Oh, I know.” He grins, and my heart stutters at the sight.
Cedrick is… God. He’s handsome. His picture didn’t really do him justice. And when he smiles…
Something happens to my heart inside my chest. It’s like it turns inside out and thumps harder than it ever has before.
As nervous as I am to be here with him, to talk to him like this, it also feels as easy and natural as breathing.
Being with him has been since the moment we met, and I guess, maybe a part of me was worried that something would change that, but also that nothing would have changed that.
And I didn’t know what to do, either way.
But I’m here now and…
I think I’m happy. I am.
My phone buzzes in my pocket, and I pull it out, for some reason fully expecting it to be Cedrick, even though he’s right in front of me.
“What’s got you lookin’ so disappointed?”
“What?” I mutter as I read through Kane’s text. “Oh, nothing. It’s just Kane.”
*Earlier That Day*
I rap my knuckles on Kane’s door after I’ve finished my homework.
“What’s up?”
I wring my fingers together as I step over the threshold, the words stuck in my throat. I know what I need, what I want, but the prospect of asking for help is more daunting than I thought it could be.
“Mads?” Kane asks, and I jerk from my reverie.
“R-right, sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry, man. What’s up? You don’t look so hot.”
“No, I… I’m fine. I-I just had—have a question.” There. You finally spit it out.
Kinda.
He spins back and forth in his chair, hands resting over his stomach, face in an easy smile. “Sure.”
“Would you… Ugh. Can you come with me on a date tonight because I’m scared to meet him in person.” The words come out in a rapid rush of word vomit, and at first, I’m not sure Kane even heard me right, but then, his brows draw together in concern.
“You’re scared?”
“What? Oh. No, no, not like that—”
“Oh, so is this like an online thing?”
And at that, I don’t really know what to say. I can’t exactly tell him no, I’m meeting Static the clown from Mayhem Motel. The same one who scared the piss out of me and then sucked my soul from my body. No big deal.
Yeah. No…
I’ll let him think what he wants.
I just shrug and let him make up his own mind, not comfortable lying but not able to tell the truth either.
“Well, sure, man. I’ll come with you. Anything you need.”
I breathe out a breath of relief, eyelids fluttering as I lean back against the doorjamb. I won’t be alone.
At least, there’s that.
“Thank you, Kane. Means a lot.”
“Of course. Come get me when you’re leaving, okay?”
“Sounds good!” I tell him as I back out of the room, feeling so much better about tonight.
I’m seeing Cedrick, and I won’t have to face him all alone.
Everything is working out…
Like it really is meant to be.
“Your roommate,” Cedrick deadpans, bringing me back to the now.
“Yeah,” I blink down at my phone. “He was just checking in.”
“Uh huh. And how is this going, then?” Cedrick sounds short, and I don’t know why.
“I don’t know,” I respond verbally as I type. “Haven’t made up my mind yet.”
Kane:
How are you feeling about it?
Me:
It’s going really well. Thank you again for coming.
Kane:
Of course. Meeting people online can be scary, but I’m glad it’s going well.
He can’t take his eyes off you.
I flush reading Kane’s texts and flip my phone over on the table. My eyes dart over across the darkened club to where I know he is, and we meet each other’s gaze for a moment—long enough for me to catch his smirk—and then, I’m back to staring at the tabletop, feeling overheated.
“I don’t like that he’s made you blush like that.”
“What?” I ask Cedrick, distracted. I focus my gaze on him, only to find him staring intently at me. His eyes appear dark as they stare right through me, and I fight back a shiver that crawls down my spine.
“Him.” He jerks his head. I squint, confused, until my line of sight takes me to Kane across the room.
“Oh,” I breathe.
“Oh,” Cedrick mimics.
“Are-are you j-jealous?” I stammer, unsure if I should even be asking.
“Yes.”
I blink once. Twice. “Oh.”
Cedrick’s brow lifts. “Not expecting that, little mouse?”
“No—not really.”
“Why not?” he asks.
“I don’t know… I guess just because I expect you to lie to me.”
That makes him frown. “I haven’t lied to you once,” he says stiffly.
“Okay.”
“I mean it, Madison.”
“Okay, Cedrick.”
“I wouldn’t do that.”
“Okay…” I repeat again, softer this time as I reach across the table and grab his hand.
It feels strange to initiate contact between us, but I like how long his fingers are and how strong they feel against mine.
They’re calloused and rough but still sort of soft in a way as he trails the tips of his fingers over mine.
I shiver.
“This is crazy,” I murmur after a while of silent touching.
“Probably.”
“Not probably. It is.”
“Yeah.” His accent is thicker than ever, and it nearly makes my eyes roll back. He glances back over at the dance floor, and a smile flickers over his lips, eyes looking a bit crazed. “Do you wanna dance with me?”
“What?” I squeak, unsure I heard him correctly.
“You heard me, little mouse. Come dance with me.” He reaches for my hand, and I fall into him like a trap.
I stand on unsteady legs and place my palm in his, letting Cedrick tug me out onto the dance floor. It’s not very crowded, but there are enough bodies that we kind of get lost in the swarm.
He pulls me close and places his hands tightly on my hips, his thumbs brushing just under the hem of my t-shirt.
My breath catches at the sensation, and I stand there awkwardly, unsure what to do with my own arms. I’ve never danced a day in my life apart from formal ones at church, where I was forced to dance with my mother.
And I’m pretty sure that’s not the kind of dancing Cedrick expects at the moment.
He dips his head down to whisper against my ear, “Put your hands wherever you feel comfortable.”
“I don’t know how to dance.”
“It’s okay. We’ll just sway then.”
“I’ll look stupid,” I complain, face heating with embarrassment as I finally move my arms to wrap them around Cedrick’s neck. It’s the only place I could think to put them, but with the height difference between us, it probably looks stupid.
“Impossible,” he rasps against me, breath hot enough to send shivers down my spine, and the next thing I know, Cedrick’s guiding my hips back and forth. Nothing too strenuous, just a gentle rocking motion to the beat of whatever song is playing around us.
I feel myself smiling as I lean into it a bit, feeling my body loosen up a little with each passing minute.
“That’s it, darlin’. Just like that,” Cedrick praises me, his fingers biting into my skin as my hips rotate faster. He takes a step closer, putting our groins in touching distance, and I gasp when I feel his hard length against my crotch.
My gaze darts up to meet his knowing one, and he smirks, shooting me a wink. “See? You’re a natural.”
“This is crazy,” I breathe, still surprised I’m really doing this.
I’m dancing with my stalker in a club.
What the hell?
“Crazy feels good, doesn’t it?”
I take a deep, sobering breath, ‘cause it kinda does.
But the clarity of my breath brings me back to the now, and while I don’t pull away fully, I do put a little distance between us. Cedrick loosens his grip on my waist and looks down at me with concern.
“C-can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
I swallow. Here goes nothing. “Why do you want me at Mayhem again?”
It’s the burning question I’ve had since the moment he brought it up, and I really wanna know why.
Like truly why.
“That’s a loaded question, my treat,” Cedrick drawls over the thump of the music.
“Is it?” I ask, taking a step back from him to cross my arms over my chest, and wait. Cedrick senses the shift and pulls back slightly as well, but not enough for there to be any great space between us.
I let him stew in silence as the club’s music thumps around us, but it doesn’t take long for it to become overbearing.
“I’m not sure how to answer that,” he finally responds, looking down at me through his lashes. Our eyes meet, and my breath catches in my throat. I get caught in his snare for far too long before I realize someone is standing next to us.
“Oh,” I squeak when my eyes catch on Kane.
“You told me to come get you when it’s eleven.”
“Is it really?” I ask. He holds his phone in front of me to show me that yes, it is, in fact, eleven o’clock.
“I…” I glance over at Cedrick, who’s glaring daggers at Kane. “I’ve gotta go.”
“Why?” he asks, never looking away from him.
“I have an early class tomorrow,” I say as a way of explanation.
“‘Course. Wouldn’t want you to be tired,” he drawls, and to anyone else, it probably sounds sarcastic—if Kane’s scoff is anything to go by—but I know he’s being genuine.
“Thank you,” I whisper as I reach for his hand, jarring him from his one-sided staring competition. It jolts him out of it, and his eyes find mine once more.
“You really have to go?”
“You’ll see me soon,” I say with a smile.
“Tonight,” Cedrick says with easy determination.
“Shh!” I hiss, eyes shooting wide as they dart over to Kane, who has stepped back a couple paces to let us say our goodbyes with some privacy.
“Why? You know you like it, my treat.”
“Anyway…” I swallow thickly. “I really do have to go. Thank you… for meeting with me and everything. I’ll… I will text you?” I phrase it like a question, confused as to where we go from here.
I take a step back to walk away, and Cedrick stands to his full height, having apparently been slouching to accommodate me. My head cranks back to look up at him, and I gulp.
Holy shit.
“Madison…” he drawls softly, and I whimper. “May I kiss you?”
“You… You’re asking to-to kiss me?” I balk.
“‘Course.” He nods sincerely. And it’s his nervous little throat bob that does me in.