Chapter 10 Maddison #3
“That’s a guy I briefly worked with. He was cool, but he moved away after, like, three months.
” I turn to face him. “Are you subtly trying to get my dating history? Because if that’s the case, I’ll make it easy for you.
” I gesture at the wall. “I haven’t dated any of these guys in these photos or in the world. ”
His lips part in surprise, and it makes me giggle.
“Why are you laughing at me?” he wonders with his brows furrowed.
“Because you look so shocked by that,” I reply. “I’m not sure why. You haven’t dated anyone before.”
“I know, but …” He’s struggling with this information. “I have a reason why I don’t.”
“I know. And I have my reasons why I haven’t.”
“Oh …” He drags out a pause. “Can I ask what those reasons are? You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”
“It’s fine. It’s not a big mystery.” I pluck a few photos off my wall and stuff them into my pocket, deciding to take them with me.
“A lot of people I know start dating and end up either getting consumed by their relationship, get into a toxic one, or some of the women I know end up knocked up. I’ve always known that I wanted out of northside.
I want a better life with a career and stability.
And so, to make sure that plan happens for me, I decided I didn’t want any distractions or risks. ”
“And so, no dating.”
“Yep, no dating.”
“That makes sense.” His gaze tracks me as I wander around the room, picking up a few items to take with me. “What about now?”
“Hmmm?” I’m picking up an old band T-shirt, but pause, glancing at him.
He shifts his weight while massaging the back of his neck. “Is that rule still in play now that you’re in college?”
I hesitate, trying to dissect the meaning of his question. With how many times it seemed like he might kiss me, I’d question if he was asking for himself. But River doesn’t date either, so perhaps he’s simply curious.
“I don’t know.” I stand up straight. “It’s not that I don’t want to date, but I’m going to a college full of royals and, no offense to you—you’re like the sweetest guy I’ve ever met—but from what I’ve seen, when a royal dates a northsider, it’s usually because they’re a sidepiece.”
“That does happen a lot.” A disappointed frown is etched on his face, but then he grins. “You think I’m sweet?”
“Not think. I know.” I collect a backpack from off the floor and stuff the items into it.
“A lot of people would disagree with you. In fact, I’ve got a reputation for being a total asshole.”
“That doesn’t surprise me. I thought that about you when I first met you.” I sling the backpack over my shoulder and flash him a toothy grin. “But underneath that hard candy shell, you’re just a chocolatey center that’s all melty and soft.”
He stares at me, unimpressed. “Did you just compare me to an M&M?”
“What? They’re yummy?” I giggle as I back toward the window.
He shakes his head, his eyes playfully narrowing. “You’re yum—”
Bang!
“What the hell was that?” River hisses, hurrying over toward me in a protective way.
Blood roars in my eardrums as my heart thunders. “The front door slamming shut.”
“I’m trying to find her … I know … Look, I’ll get her to you, but Maddy’s smart, so we gotta play it smart.” My mother’s voice floats through the house.
“She’s talking to Drew,” I whisper through a gulp.
My throat feels tight. It’s stupid after all these years of her being a terrible mother, but it still hurts knowing she’s helping Drew try to get a hold of me.
River places his hand on my back and urges me toward the window. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.”
“I’ll do it, okay?” my mother says, her voice sounding close to my door now.
I snap out of my trance, quietly glide the window open, toss my bag out, and then move to duck outside. As I grip the windowsill, the sliver becomes lodged deeper into my flesh.
I let out a string of curses underneath my breath but disregard the pain and duck out. My boots land on the gravel with a soft thump as I stumble. I regain my balance and scoop up my bag right as River climbs out.
He grabs my uninjured hand and tows me with him as he heads toward the back of the building.
I slam on the brakes. “Hold on. I want to close the window so she won’t suspect anything’s been going on.”
He opens his mouth, I think to protest, but then the bedroom light flips on. The curtains are wide open, and my mother is standing in the room, looking directly at me.
It’s clear by her stunned expression that she didn’t expect to find me.
“What the hell?” she mutters, blinking a few times.
“Run,” I hiss at River as I start to take off.
He takes off with me, grabbing the backpack from my hand as I do. I throw him a what-the-hell look, but he merely slips it on. Always the gentleman, even in a time of crisis.
And that crisis worsens as we round the back of the building and find our Uber is gone.
“Shit,” River curses as we both come to a halt where the SUV was parked.
He frantically peers around at the back of the building, the street behind us, and then to the trees. “He took off.”
“I thought he might.” I’m panicking, my mind moving too fast for me to process a plan.
I need to calm down.
I need to think.
Breathe, Maddy. Just breathe.
Weirdly, my aunt’s voice fills my head.
It snaps me out of my fear enough that I can move my feet.
“Come on. There’s a path through the trees.” I yank River with me before he can even respond and guide him into the trees.
Light slips away from us the farther we get into the branches and bushes. The sounds of twigs snapping underneath our shoes fill up the silence sweeping around us.
“Maddy!” my mother shouts, her voice slicing through that silence.
I quicken my pace. So does River while digging out his phone.
“What’re you doing?” I whisper as his screen illuminates.
“Calling for a car to pick us up,” he replies in a hushed whisper. “Do you know a place where one can pick us up?”
I rack my brain for a place. “Yeah … I think we should be okay in the grocery store. We can hide out there until the car arrives.” I give him the address, and he punches it into the app.
We reach the end of the trees then, and I quicken my pace to a jog. River does, too, and before I know it, we’re both running down the sidewalk at full speed.
Every time a car passes by, tension ravels through my body at the probability that it could be Drew. But we manage to make it into the store safely, shaken and a little out of breath.
I don’t stand at the front of the store. Instead, I wander back toward the cookie sections in the farthest corner. Then I release River’s hand and exhale as I slump back against one of the shelves.
“I’m so sorry,” I apologize, frustrated with myself. Yes, I wanted to get the necklace, but was it worth it? It’s not like I believe I belong to this royal bloodline.
River’s cheeks are flushed, strands of his hair are sticking up all over the place, and his brows are knit. “For what?”
I gesture at the brightly lit up aisle of cookies and the dingy linoleum floor. “For bringing you into this mess. I should’ve known better, but I got too curious. And you know what they say—curiosity helped capture the north-sider with the bounty.”
He slouches against the shelf behind us and crosses his arms. “You’re forgetting it was my idea to do this.”
“So? I’m the one who was more than aware that that”—I point my finger at the entrance doors that lead to the outside where Drew could be waiting—“could happen. But I ignored that little voice in the back of my mind.”
His eyes search mine as he remains silent for a heartbeat. “How about we stop blaming ourselves and put the blame on the person who caused this?”
“My dad?”
“Yeah.”
I waver, fiddling with the zipper on my jacket. “I guess I can do that.” But I still feel a drop of guilt over bringing River with me.
The corners of his lips pull into a dazzling smile. “How about we buy some cookies and milk while we wait?”
I cock a brow with a smile on my face. “Cookies and milk? What are we—five?”
He shrugs, his eyes glinting with amusement. “Cookies and milk always calm me down, whether I’m five or nineteen.”
Again, he’s so cute I almost can’t stand it. I’m not used to this type of sweetness.
“Fine, let’s get some cookies and milk,” I agree, pushing away from the shelf.
His smile widens, and I can’t help laughing.
“I’ve never seen anyone get so excited about cookies,” I remark as we amble down the aisle.
As we stop in front of the cookie section, he assesses the selection with his head angled to the side. “It’s because I don’t eat them a lot. I try to stick to a specific diet during training sessions.”
“Does it help?” I wonder. “I’ve done it before.”
“It does.” He picks up a box of frosted sugar cookies. “It’s always good to have a cheat day, though.”
“Or cheat night.” I tap the box.
“Or cheat night,” he agrees, showing me the cookies. “What do you think? Do you like sugar cookies?”
“They’re my favorite,” I reply, and that makes his grin shine through even more.
“Let’s go find the milk then.” He nods for me to follow as he walks off toward the right back section of the store.
I follow, my head spinning with confusion. Tonight has been bizarre. I went from hanging out to feeling betrayed by my mother to running from Drew to hanging out with River and talking about eating cookies and drinking milk.
“I’m not used to this,” I announce suddenly.
River flicks me a confused glance as he opens the refrigerator door where the milk is. “Used to what?”
I lift a shoulder. “I don’t know, like hanging out, feeling chill.”
“You feel chill?” he asks amusedly as he grabs the milk. “Maybe that’s from the fridge door being open.”
I give him a hardy har look. “That’s not what I meant, and you know it.”
“I know, but I couldn’t resist.” He grabs a carton of milk and lets the door close behind him.
“I’m just stressed out a lot.” And apparently being Miss Honesty tonight.