Chapter 28
Maddy
I touch down at Heathrow six days later and wake up from a lovely dream filled with adorable black-haired, green-eyed, pink-cheeked little British babies because ‘I’m falling for Jett’ is a massive understatement, and I’m just that basic.
I’m so disoriented that it takes me a moment to figure out why my phone is positively blowing up when I power it back on after my nap. Oh yeah, BuzzFeed posted.
Mickie: ‘Omg, loved the BuzzFeed, Mads! Not only are you the two hottest people I’ve ever seen, but I’d literally kiss your feet after what you’ve done for me. I loooooove you!! Second date with Sy tonight, eep!! I hope to be getting tied up! Wish me luck!!’
Gage: ‘Just fucking ridiculous, Maddy. What did I even do to deserve getting brought to your house to get this thing with you and Jett paraded in front of me? What was the point? You two need to grow up.’
Dad: ‘Jesus Fucking Christ, Matilda! My friends watched that! Your Godfather sent it to me, bloody hell! The mouth on you two!’
I laugh at that, seeing as my Godfather claims to have slept with a million people, like he’d be offended by a few crass tweets. We didn't even write that shit!
But my favorite text is from Jett, of course: ‘Did you watch the whole piece? It’s beautiful. Might have snuck something in while you were in the loo! Four days without ya feels like four years, Baby, please get here soon.’
I swoon so hard it takes me a minute to freak out that there’s something special Jett said on the BuzzFeed piece that everyone on the planet has now seen except me. My fingers fly to the link. They snuck it in between my interview and the thirst tweets we did together.
I hear Jay’s endearing, Seth Rogen-esque chuckle as the camera zooms in on Jett. “You’ve got a wild, rock ‘n roll album coming out, a world tour upcoming, even heard you’re gonna be modeling for Calvin Klein?”
Jett bites his lip, slicks his hair back, and grins. I just about fall out of my chair. He has not told me this. “Yeah, as if everyone won’t be hearing enough about me, then they’ll have to see me in just my pants.”
There’s the cute chuckle again from behind the camera. “If you don’t speak British, he means underwear. Jett, it’s like, a lot, man. You gotta tell us, what are you most excited about?”
“Honestly?” Jett does it, the megawatt, see every tooth and the whole cow-tongue smile. “Making Maddy Morningstar fall in love with me.”
The whole fucking world saw this today? Okay, now I do fall out of my chair.
In a daze, I realize the woman running to help me up isn’t some fellow traveller or airport attendant.
It’s my baby cousin Britta here to pick me up, since she wanted to shop and have lunch with me while Jett rehearses for his BBC performance tonight.
“Baby Britta?”
Her new, sleek inverted long bob is the same shade as her perfectly winged eye liner, midnight black, and it makes her look like an actual adult for the first time – a gorgeous one, wow.
Britta, who just finished her pre-med studies, checks me out to see if I’m injured. “Baby Morningstar? Get off your ass, cousy, before someone sees you!”
She marches me out of a back corridor and throws my ass in what I think for a second is the driver’s seat of her car before I remember where I am.
“Jesus, what’s wrong with you, Baby?”
I can’t seem to stop the honesty. “I-I fell in love.”
“Um, yeah, that’s pretty fucking obvious! Is Jett Raven really your boyfriend, Baby? I need to know every detail!”
“Um, yeah,” I repeat stupidly.
“Well, you better be careful ‘round here, Baby, the Jett fangirls are everywhere. You’re not in LA anymore, sweetie! Ten of my girlfriends messaged me saying they hate your guts and your days are numbered.”
I rub my eyes, adjusting to the bright grey of the city in summer. “Ten? The fuck? Were they serious, cousy?”
“I mean, the first part, at least, yeah. Don’t worry, I’ll be your bodyguard when Jett’s not around. And I get to meet him at brunch tomorrow?”
“Of course, sorry you and Auntie can’t make it tonight, but yes, tomorrow. You're going to love him.”
“And where are we going first? Regent Street?”
I nod and check her cupholders, where she has my favorite, an ice-cold Irn-Bru, waiting for me to up my sugar. “Bless you, Brit. I’m getting you whatever you want for lunch and in the shops, and you get to pick my outfit for tonight.”
Britta squeals, “Oh my God, I’m going to pick you an outfit so hot, it will make all Jett’s fangirls wanna throw themselves right into the Thames!”
I snort and remember I forgot to respond to Jett’s text. Now I look and there’s another one.
Jett, ‘Baby, did you like what I said, or was it too much?’
I swoon again, thinking about, despite how quickly this is all happening, he already wants me to say those words: I love you, Jett Raven. I plan to tonight after his gig. I’m pretty sure I know what he is going to say in response, and the thought sends me straight to outer space.
Me: ‘I don’t ever want you to worry about being too much for me, Jett. The way you talk about me is how I always dreamed to be talked about, the way you treat me is the way I always dreamed of being treated.’
I consider adding in the part about having already fallen completely, or the part about me falling on my ass literally in the airport. But Britta is talking to me, and I should probably stop thinking about Jett for five seconds and listen to what she’s saying.
“Now, Lola said you kicked my number one telly crush out on the street when you saw Jett wearing Auntie Jewels’ new swimwear.
That you were ‘bout to hook up with the Gage Carter and then randomly decided to jump Jett’s bones instead?
In the middle of the party that was also a date with Gage?
My brain hurts, like what? I need all the tea, cousy! ”
Shit, I've now ignored two of Gage's texts! Wait, he’s Britta's number one crush? “I’ll spill, I swear, but I need to eat food first, and I’m getting an idea, hold on!”
In fact, I'm getting a great idea, now that I’ve learned from Jett that you can give a person as a thank-you gift … so, why not gift someone as an apology gift? I snap a picture of Britta driving when she isn’t looking and attach it before typing a text to Gage:
‘I’m so sorry, Gage. I swear, I had no idea this would happen when I invited you over.
It was such a dick move, and I apologize.
It wasn’t on purpose. It wasn’t my intention to hurt you or waste your time.
I promise, I couldn't have predicted this! Please let me send an apology gift. The younger, hotter, posher version of me, my cousin Britta. Your gift can be in LA and delivered to your doorstep next week if you’re interested. ’
Britta stops to let a thousand tourists cross the street, and I show her the draft message. She screams so loud and shakes me so intensely that her car lurches forward and she nearly hits a group of Japanese businessmen.
“Is that a yes? Can I send it?”
More screaming. “Of course you can fucking send it! Fuck Lola and Jude, you’re my favourite cousin for life!”