Safe With Me

Pepper

Chapter song: Parachute: Overnight

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Sleep didn't come to Madison that night. Not like it wasn't a normal thing. But this time it was worse, given the fact that most of her stuff had been stolen and after the whole Ian thing...who would sleep after that?

She just thanked God that she wasn't dumb enough to leave all her money and irreplaceable stuff in the room, or else she would literally loose it.

She had inherited all her grandmas money and it was safely kept in her bank account for safe keeping. She figured it was best to use some of it to rent an apartment, since her broke ass can't really afford much.

So she spent the rest of the night on her phone, looking for apartments and jobs that are hiring. She hoped she could get a well paying job, but even that was a long stretch. She just needed to try and get her life together in any way possible before worrying about anything else.

There was no chance she was going back to New York, not ever since that night. She's been on the run ever since and she just hoped and prayed nothing bad is going to happen.

Marking done possible options on her phone, she decided it was best to take a shower no matter how crappy it was. There was no hot water, but what did she expect in this dump?

The freezing water felt like knives on her skin and she instantly regretted her decision. She got used to the water at some point which led her to spending hours in there, not caring how wrinkly her fingers became.

She was a proud human raisin. What more can she ask for?

But her time in the shower had to be up at some point. Thanks to the cockroaches that crawled around her feet. Her scream was probably heard throughout Chicago.

As she exists out of the bathroom, she finds Gabriel sitting on the bed.

"You pushed away the only person who was willing to help you."

"I didn't push him away...I just don't want him to deal with my chaotic life." She explains earning a eye roll from Gabriel.

"Same thing." He nonchalantly says.

"It's a completely different situation!" She forcefully brushes her hair, already getting tired of the conversation.

"Care to enlighten me?"

"I like talking to him, being around him but I just don't want him to take pity on me like I'm some charity case." Madison huffs as she remembers Ian's confused green eyes.

"He wasn't treating you like a charity case Madison..." Gabriel shakes his head "He obviously wouldn't want you to stay in a place where you aren't safe. He genuinely cares about you and was willing to invite a complete stranger into his home."

"That's the thing that I don't get! Why would he? We barely know each other!" Madison stares at Gabriel in disbelief but all Gabriel did was give her an 'are you seriously that stupid' look.

"He. Trusts. You."

The conversation ended there leaving her in her own bundled thoughts. Ian trusts me? How did I even earn his trust? I'm nobody to him. She spent the remainder of her time flipping through channels and lost in her own thoughts.

She had been so lost in her thoughts she almost missed a call, quickly reaching towards it and answering without checking the caller I.D.

"Hello?"

"Madison! Hey!" Stella's energetic voice sounds through the speaker.

For a second Madison was confused to how she got her number but remembers that she gave it to her yesterday.