Brighter Than The Stars: Book One

𝒞𝒽𝒶𝓅𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝒯𝓌𝑒𝓃𝓉𝓎-𝒯𝓌𝑜: 𝒢𝓊𝓈𝓈𝒾𝑒𝒹 𝒰𝓅

"Meeting the friends tonight, huh?" Eva asked from the open doorway.

Madeline turned to see her friend decked out. Eva's blonde hair was curled and clipped to one side. Her makeup was perfectly done, with black eyeliner that accentuated her pale blue eyes, and a red lipstick her mom always called 'whore red', for no real reason Madeline was aware of. Her black leather pants hugged her body perfectly, and her silver tassel top glistened in the room's light. But she'd be regretting those black spiky heels in no time.

"I'm guessing your plans are a bit more exciting than mine."

Eva's red lips curved up only for a moment, then fell back into place. "Travis was supposed to come home with me for Thanksgiving. We were going to leave tomorrow. Then he pussied out and bailed. So I'm going out to work him out of my system. You and Elijah should join me after the dinner."

"I don't drink," Madeline reminded her. Every couple of months, she joined her friends out at a club at their insistence, and every time, Madeline absolutely hated it.

Eva shrugged. "I know, but you might have more fun if lover boy comes with. Unless you were planning on enjoying a quiet night in after your dinner. With everyone else already gone for the holiday, you'd have the house all to yourselves. Anything happen between the two of you yet?"

Madeline went back to finishing her own makeup. "Nothing's happened, and nothing's going to. We're friends, Eva."

"Didn't your long-term high school boyfriend start out as a friend?" Eva asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yup. And that was a crash and burn." Because Marty had turned into a dick whenever Elijah's name ended up passing between her lips.

Maybe he'd just been a jealous asshole, or maybe Marty had seen something Madeline hadn't seen herself. There was a stronger possibility of that than she cared to admit. If she reacted back, then the way she did now when she thought or spoke of Elijah, Marty had every right to feel the way he did about Elijah. Still, he had no right to say what he did that night.

Marty had begged her to forgive him, and Madeline had. But the damage was done, and with them going to different colleges, there was little point in salvaging the relationship. She'd never been able to look at him the same after that; after he'd dared cast doubt on Madeline's value to Elijah.

"You're seriously comparing 'sex on a stick Elijah' to 'stick-in-the-mud Marty'? Those two couldn't possibly be more different. You forget, I've met Marty twice now. He's not just a tool, he's a possessive fuck nugget who followed you around like a lovesick puppy dog and glared holes at any guy who dared speak to you.

"Honestly, I only wish I could be there when those two meet. Because you just know Marty's going to act all tough when he sees you with Elijah at that festival thing you took me to freshman year, and that will not end well for him. He's going to get his ass handed to him and get knocked down the bottom peg. And that, my good friend, will be fucking glorious."

"God, I can't wait to meet this guy," Elijah spoke before entering her doorway. When he was spotted, he put his hands up in the air. "I'm not eavesdropping, and it isn't my fault you don't have a bedroom door."

That was obnoxious. Because her bedroom was an attic that'd been converted into an additional bedroom, there was no actual door. She had the peak of the house to herself, so her bedroom was three times the size of everyone else's and she had her own bathroom. So there were perks and setbacks.

Once Elijah looked at her, his defensive hands fell to his sides, and something in his smile shifted. "You look gorgeous, Maddie."

She'd been getting ready for the last half hour, so she certainly hoped so. Half her wardrobe was spread across the bed, the other half kept neatly put away once she decided on her black sweater dress. A little more cleavage than she was used to showing, but she felt like dynamite on the few occasions she'd found to wear it. Plus, that was the only patch of skin that showed since the dress had long sleeves and fell to her ankles. Paired with a wide red belt, her North Star necklace and black ankle boots, his compliment was well earned.