*Brad P.O.V*
I braced myself to see Maddie and Reece again as me and Tris got out of the car. It was now the morning, and we were all headed to Newcastle for our fourth show. I hadn't seen Reece since the... since him and Maddie kissed. And although I had seen Maddie yesterday, something about seeing her at the same time as Reece and everyone else was daunting. Everybody knew what had happened between me and Maddie, and the last time Maddie and Reece had seen most of the lads, they were all angry with them both. I prayed nothing would be awkward today - once today is over, it should be okay.
I noticed how me and Tris were the last two people to arrive, meaning Maddie and Reece were already here with everyone.
"You okay Brad?" Tris asked, looking concerned.
I nodded. "I'll be okay, just a bit overwhelmed." I said. "Once I've seen everyone and the initial awkwardness of me, Maddie and Reece seeing each other again is over, I'll be okay."
The three of us had decided it would be a good idea for us to talk things over before we leave, so my current job was to find Maddie and Reece.
"Well, good luck, and you know I've got your back if you need me. Don't worry about your bag, I'll sort it for you. Just go and find Maddie and Reece." Tris said, and I nodded, thanking him and walking off.
I first saw Con and Maddie stood talking to Joe, and made my way slowly over. Joe spotted me and waved, beckoning me over.
"Morning." I said, and the three of them smiled.
"Morning." They said.
Me and Maddie exchanged a glance at each other, and then she laughed nervously and held out her arms to give me a hug. I smiled and hugged her back, and I couldn't help but notice how Con and Joe have each other a look at relief. If anything, I was relieved too - this wasn't as awkward as I first imagined it to be.
"Have you seen Reece?" I asked.
"Yeah, I think he's on the bus with Blake and George. Are you ready to talk?" Maddie asked.
I nodded, trying to hide how nervous I was. Maddie took hold of my hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "You'll be okay." She said quietly, looking me right in the eyes. She knows. "See you in a minute." She said to Con and Joe, who waved.
"Good luck." They said to both of us. We gave them a reassuring smile and waved nervously as we walked off.
"Are you alright?" Maddie asked, looking up at me.
"Yeah." I said, sighing lightly. "I'm alright, just nervous to have all three of us together, you know?"
"I know." Maddie said. "If at any point you want to stop the conversation, I understand. So will Reece."
"Thank you." I said, and we reached the bus. I held my free hand out, gesturing for Maddie to go on first. She got on, pulling me after her.
Instantly, I saw Reece, Blake and George sat in on the sofa's, mid discussion.
"Oh, hey." Blake said.
"Hey." We all said to each other, and I could already tell it was awkward.
Blake looked from me and Maddie, to Reece, and then to George. He nodded towards the door and both him and George stood up.
"See ya." They both said, and they walked off of the bus, leaving the three of us together.
"Hey." Reece said, looking at us nervously.
"Hey." Me and Maddie said, sitting down where Blake and George had previously been sat.
"It appears we're all a bit nervous for this conversation, I see." Maddie said.
Me and Reece nodded in agreement, making brief eye contact before Reece looked away, worry edged all over his face.
"Can I just start, and say that I'm so so fucking sorry. To both of you. Brad, I'm so sorry I kissed Maddie. I don't even remember doing it, and it was a complete mistake. It never should've happened. Maddie doesn't mean anything to me in that way - I love her as a friend and nothing more. Maddie, I'm sorry that we kissed and to both of you, I'm so sorry for what it's caused between you two. You're a power couple, I love you two together and I can see how much you mean to each other. It literally breaks me to see what my actions have caused and I hate myself for it." Reece said.
"Reece, please don't hate yourself." Maddie said.
"Yeah, man, look. I've already said this to Maddie and I'll say it to you two. We all make mistakes, that's how we learn and grow. I've listened to the pair of you and you both tell me that it was an accident and there's no feelings involved. I know you two had a lot to drink... probably more than you've ever drank before. So, I'm taking your word for it and I believe you, I believe it was all an accident and that it meant nothing. I believe it won't happen again. Besides, I love Maddie, almost too much. And for that reason, I've given her a second chance. So, as far as me and Maddie go, it damaged us a little but I think in the long run this could be an incident which made us stronger." I said, and Reece smiled slightly.
"I'm glad you two talked it out and you didn't break up. I've been fearing you would and that's the last thing I wanted to do. I wasn't sure how I would cope, knowing I was the reason you two ended." Reece said.
"Where do we go in the future, in terms of all our relationships? So, me and Reece for example? What should we do... it feels almost wrong on your behalf for us to be our 'normal' selves." Maddie said, looking at me. "That's no hate to you, by the way. This is mine and Reece's actions that have caused this, not yours."
"Well, I trust you and Reece. I trust that nothing else will happen, so for that reason I trust you two to hang out as mates. Although, it might take me some getting used to and I might overthink sometimes. I'm sorry if I do." I said, prewarning them.
"Hey, babe, that's okay. It's normal for you to over think in these circumstances. And if you ever were to overthink or get worried, make sure you talk to me about it and don't keep it to yourself. I promise I'll be honest and helpful in return." Maddie said, making me smile gratefully.
"Thank you." I said, and she kissed my cheek.
"You're welcome." She said.
A/N:-
Making this situation toxic seems wrong- like Brad and Reece are way too genuine for me to make them hate each other, and especially Maddie involved too like all three of them are too kind and soft for me to make it toxic.
I don't know if it's just me who feels that way tho.
Anyways, hope you're having a nice day/night, and thank you for reading!
Ebony xx