Get ready for a long chapter!
tw: assault, robbery, panic attack
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m a d e l y n
I went out for a run. I don't usually, considering we had a treadmill at home, but I wanted some fresh air after a long day at school.
My parents had left for their trip three days ago and weren't back yet, and Archer had basketball training again, so that meant I was home alone.
Before leaving home, all I did was make sure my Apple Watch was fully charged and on my wrist. I didn't bother taking my phone with me because I didn't need it for my run, I wasn't really in the mood to listen to music anyway.
"Nice to see you again here, dear. Back for your usual?"
I somehow found myself at the little store this old lady and her husband owned where I liked to buy my pickles. I didn't know that's where I was headed, but I wasn't mad at it. Good thing I had a little bit of money in my pocket.
"Hi, Mrs. E," I smiled at her, moving to browse the aisles. I never get anything else except pickles from her store, but I liked to look around anyway. "You know I can't resist good pickles. I went for a quick run, and now I'm here."
She laughed, "I always welcome customers, especially pretty ones."
"Slow day at the store today?" I made small talk with Evangeline. I'd become fast friends with her after she noticed that I kept coming back to buy pickles from her like five years ago.
"Little bit," she replied. "Though George said there was a large group this morning."
I nodded. "That's good every once in a while, no?"
"Yes, it's a lot less stressful when there isn't a surge," she agreed. "But it is nice seeing so many people in the store, it reminds me that I made the right decision buying this place all those years ago."
Silence enveloped the place as I walked around, looking through the shelves for my next great find. So far, nothing was striking me.
The bell at the door chimes, signaling that someone had entered the store. I didn't bother to look, busy scanning through the pickle jars in front of me to find my favorite.
"Please don't hurt me," I heard Evangeline whimper, making me furrow my eyebrows and turn around, only to find myself wanting to say those exact words to the person in front of me.
He had a ski mask on. I could only see his cold, heartless eyes as he pressed a blade to the bare skin on my side, not having been covered by my sports bra or the waistband of my leggings. The metal of the knife was so cold it felt like it was burning hot, and no words escaped my mouth. My eyes widened in shock and horror.
All sound drowned out. I couldn't hear Evangeline crying or the threats of the guy forcing her to take all the cash out of the register. Hell, I couldn't even hear my own heartbeat... or maybe that's all I heard?
"Your watch," the masked man motioned to my wrist. "And whatever else you have."
I raised my shaky hands up and slowly slipped the watch off my wrist, handing it to him. I pulled twelve dollars out of my legging pocket and held it out. Coincidentally, a jar of pickles here happened to cost exactly twelve dollars. "That's all I've got."
One Apple Watch and a few dollars was a small price to pay for my life. I could just buy another watch. I'm sure my mom wouldn't mind me giving this guy my birthday gift from her and my dad if she hears what happened.
My breathing hitched when he released the knife from my skin and began patting me down, as if I'd be stupid enough to hide something instead of giving it to him when my life was literally in his hands.
He ran his hands all over me, which I found no use for. I was wearing skin-tight workout clothes, they left little to the imagination, and unless I was secretly hiding a damn black card in between my shoulderblades, he didn't have to touch me all over. The fucker shoved his hand up the back of my sports bra just to make sure nothing was there. Who would even put anything back there?
"Let's go," his buddy called out to him, making his way to the door but keeping his gun pointed at Evangeline whose hands were up in the air, her eyes shut in fear.
The two left quickly, just as quickly as they came, and I let out a breath when I saw them drive away. I made sure to remember the license plate so we could report them to the police.
"A-are you okay?" I asked Evangeline hesitantly, walking to the counter where she stood. "They're gone now."
She nodded slowly, watching me with apologetic eyes. "You?"
I felt my side where the guy held the knife to, noticing that I had a cut. Evangeline gasped.
"No, no, there's no need to worry," I reassured her. "I'll clean this up when I get home and it will be all healed by next week, like nothing ever happened."
"I'm so sorry, Amelia," she took my hands. "This place should be safer. You didn't have to get hurt. I'm really sorry."
I smiled at her. "It's not your fault, it's theirs. Besides, this little cut's nothing, I promise."
After reassuring her several times that I was okay and didn't need a doctor, she dropped the subject and handed me some tissues to help stop the bleeding. I held a few of them to my side, pressing on the cut gently.
"Were you able to see the license plate?" she asked me, sliding over a piece of paper and a pen. "I noticed you were looking when they left."
Writing down what I remembered, I nodded. "Here, and if you have any security cameras, that'll be a big help too."
She took the paper from me and stared at it. "Alright, I'll get George to give me the recordings and we'll report it to the police right when you're able to go."
"Here," she handed me a cold bottle of water. "On me, for having troubled you today."
"Thanks," I gulped down the water.
"I... should go," I decided once I twisted the cap back on.
She squeezed my hand and nodded. "Will you be okay?"
Would I be okay?
"Actually, can I borrow a phone, by chance?" I wondered.
"Of course," she brought her phone out of her pocket and gave it to me.
I typed in the number I had memorized, praying my brother was done with basketball. It was five thirty, he should be done. The phone rang a few more seconds before I was sent to voicemail. I grimaced. "Can I try again?"
"Go ahead, try however many times you want to," she encouraged me.
The outcome was the same as before, voicemail. I worried that I would have to jog back home. The sun was going to set pretty soon, and I wasn't looking forward to heading back home in the dark with no watch, no phone and no money, not to mention the cut on my side that was still bleeding a little.
Aside from Archer's number and my parents' who were all the way in New York, there was only one other number that I knew by heart. I was scared to press the green call button after I'd typed the number down, but I did it anyway. It was a long shot since Archer wasn't answering my calls, but this was the last option before having to walk home.
"Hello? Who is this?"
Tears brimmed my eyes when I heard the voice on the other end of the line. "Hello?"
"Mimi?" I could hear the gears turning in his head. "What's going on? This isn't your number."
"I, um, I left my phone at home when I went out for a run, and I know it's a little sudden, but can you pick me up?" I requested. "I'll explain everything later."
"Uh, yeah, for sure," he agreed. "Where are you? I was just about to shower. We just finished training, but I'll come get you. I can shower at home"
"You know the store where I always get my pickles? The one a couple blocks away from my house?" I asked. "That's where I'm at."
There's a little bit of shifting on his side of the line. "Yeah, okay, I'll be there in five minutes."
He ended the call, and I gave the phone back to Evangeline, waiting not-so-patiently for Nate to arrive. Five minutes, he promised. I was staring at the clock on the wall, waiting for the five minutes to be up.
"I have a ride coming in just a bit," I told Evangeline, putting the bloodied tissues on the counter. I noticed the cut had finally stopped bleeding. She took the tissues and threw them in the bin behind her.
"That's good, I feel better knowing you're not going to run back home," she told me.
Four minutes and fifty four seconds after Nate ended the call, he was walking into the store, eyes landing on mine. The gentle look in them made me want to run into his arms and never leave. They were a stark contrast to the cold, selfish eyes I was staring at just several minutes prior.
"What's going on?" he had a confused look on his face as he walked to me.
"Can you pay for this bottle of water before we go?" I pleaded meekly, pointing at the already empty bottle of water on the counter in front of me. "It's quite a story, but I don't have cash on me right now."
"Amelia, I said the water's on me," Evangeline scolded me.
Nate walked to the pickle aisle and plucked a jar off the shelf, placing it on the counter. "Well then would you let me pay for this? I hear they're great."
"Alright," she nodded at him. "But I have to warn you, I'm out of change right now."
"Twelve dollars, right?" he confirmed.
"That's right," she declared.
He slid over a ten and a five before picking up the jar and taking my hand. "You can keep the change."
She sighed, taking the money and putting it in the cash register. "Enjoy your pickles."
I smiled at her before walking out of the store with Nate.
"You wanna explain now?"
I shook my head, already feeling the rush of emotions start to bubble up inside me. I gripped his hand tightly as we made our way to his car. He opened the door for me, letting me in, and the moment my butt touched the seat, my chest started to tighten.
When I was in the store with Evangeline, I tried my best to stay calm; I didn't want her to feel more stressed or guilty than she was already feeling, but I couldn't hold it in anymore.
"Nate," I wheezed. I was having a hard time breathing, and my fingers were feeling tingly. I didn't know if I wanted to pass out or throw up. Maybe it was both. "I-I can't... breathe."
His eyes widened, and he grabbed my hand. "Hey, hey, Maddie, look at me. You'll be okay, just breathe with me. Focus on my voice."
I took quick, shallow breaths. They were all I could do. I was getting more and more anxious, and my tears weren't helping with my breathing.
"Let's give you more space, yeah?" he kept his eyes on mine. I nodded quickly.
He guided me out of his car and into the open parking lot, not once taking his eyes off me or pulling his hands away from mine.
"We're going to breathe together, Mimi," he instructed me. "Can you do that for me?"
I nodded again. The two of us took deep breaths together. He kept reassuring me that it would pass and that I would be okay, all while making sure I was focusing on my breathing.
"Better?" he watched me closely.
"Yeah, better," I exhaled.
"Should I drive you home now?"
"Actually... Can we go to the hotel looking like this?" I wondered. "Me in workout clothes and you in a sweaty jersey?"
He furrowed his eyebrows. "I'm sure we can, why?"
"I wanna go to the roof," I told him.
"The... okay," he decided. "We'll go to the roof."
Nate drove us to the Clarke Hotel twenty minutes away. I don't think he cared what we were wearing or looked like when he led me to the front desk, demanded an all-access key from the startled lady checking people in and took us to the roof. The sun had completely set, and the Los Angeles nighttime skyline greeted us. He stood next to me, watching as the captivating city lights glowed in the buildings.
"At the store earlier..." I trailed.
He lifted his head and looked at me intently, noticing I had a hand on the skin on my side, covering up the cut from earlier. I gripped it tightly.
"What happened there?" he removed my hand from my side, and his eyes landed on the cut that had dried blood around it. "How did I not notice that sooner? Are you okay?"
"I'll be fine," I assured him. "I can disinfect it and patch it up when I get home."
"I have a first aid kit here somewhere," he shuffled through his gym bag quickly, pulling out a little pouch. "Sit on the chair, I'll clean it up. The earlier it's bandaged up, the better, so it can heal faster and not get infected."
Nervously, I followed his instructions. He knelt down on the floor next to me and started to bring things out of the pouch when I said, "I should probably tell you what happened now."
"I'd appreciate that if you'd like to share it with me," he stayed focused on cleaning and disinfecting my cut.
"I went out for a run," I started. "And I landed myself in Mrs. E's store. I didn't have my phone with me, just my watch and uh... twelve dollars."
His eyebrows scrunched up, looking at me. "You said you didn't have any cash on you."
"Getting to that," I clarified.
"Sorry, continue," he apologized, pulling out some gauze and medical tape.
"These two guys showed up to rob the store. One of them had a gun, he was at the counter, getting all the money from the register. The other one had a knife..." I glanced at the cut Nate was bandaging up.
His jaw tensed up. "Did he hurt you anywhere else? Do I need to take you to a hospital? Or the clinic downstairs?"
I shook my head. "Just this... but he did... feel me up when he was making sure I didn't have any other valuables on me."
Nate finished patching me up and stood, pulling me into a hug. "I'm sorry, Mimi. Fuck."
"It's not your fault," I laughed, tears forming in my eyes.
"Fuck," he cursed, squeezing me tightly. He cradled my head, allowing myself to breathe in his scent. "We have to report this. We're going to the police."
A tear rolled down my cheek and found its way to Nate's jersey. "Mrs. E said she'll take care of it. She said after I left, she and her husband are filing a report and showing them the security footage."
"I'm sorry I wasn't there, Maddie," he breathed. He still hadn't let go of me, and he held me even closer when he heard my sobs and felt me start to cry, my emotions overflowing with my tears.
"You—" I inhaled sharply, "didn't... know. It's—" another breath, "okay."
"Shh," he soothed me. "It'll be okay. I'm here, I won't ever let that happen again."
I cried into his chest, gripping the back of his jersey as I let all of the emotions out. God, I shouldn't have let that happen earlier.
"It's just..." More tears welled in my eyes the moment I started to speak. I thought the sudden rush of emotions had finally subsided, but they hadn't. "Mrs. E must've been so scared."
"Mimi," Nate grabbed my face and turned it up to look at him. "You don't need to worry about her right now. Think about you first. Are you okay? Do you need me to do something? Anything?"
I shook my head. "I... just want to stop time right now. Can you do that?"
He had a pained look in his eyes. "I can't, baby, I'm sorry."
"Yeah," I let out a light laugh. "I figured. That's okay."
"We can pretend," he offered. "Pretend like time isn't moving, like the whole world is at a standstill and the only thing that matters now is what's happening here, with you. Fuck the world, fuck time, it's all you."
"You'll pretend with me?" I asked.
"Anything for you," he smiled, tucking a stray hair behind my ear.
I nodded. "So now that we stopped time, can we not talk about what happened earlier?"
"Whatever you want," he told me, guiding me to the chair I was on earlier. He sat on the floor next to me, my hand in his.
"Let me hear your explanation," I decided. "Give me something else to think about instead of everything at the store."
"Explanation?"
I shifted in the seat so I could see his face better. "Yeah, your side of the story. What happened at the party?"
Realization dawned upon him. "You're giving me a chance to plead my case? Right now?"
"Why not?" I tried to smile. "I've had time to process things, maybe your explanation is the last push I need to forgive you."
"And take me back?" he pleaded.
I shrugged. "Depends on how good your explanation is."
He nodded in understanding. "Okay, before I explain, I just want to tell you that I really am sorry and that the way you reacted to what happened was perfectly justified."
"Okay," was all I said. That wasn't very reassuring.
"They asked us to play truth or dare in the living room that night, that was about four shots and two beers into the party," he started. "I was with Andrea almost the whole night, actually, scratch that, she was with me. After me and you had gone downstairs from leaving whatever it was that you left in my dad's office, she found me... and noticed we were wearing matching costumes."
I nodded. "Yeah, I noticed that too."
"That was a coincidence, I promise," he attested. I could tell by the way he said it that it really was just that, a coincidence, a fucked up one for sure, but a coincidence nonetheless. Besides, I trusted that he wouldn't lie to me now. I gave him a chance to be honest with me, he wasn't going to mess that up by lying.
"Continue your story," I encouraged him.
"Right," he nodded. "Anyway, they invited us to play truth or dare, and I couldn't refuse. I thought, what's the worst that can happen? I didn't wanna be a bad host and decline."
Guess that made sense.
"Over the course of the game, I took another two shots. One of them was for a truth and the other, for a dare," he recalled. "I wasn't going to prank call my dad on speaker and tell him I got a girl pregnant because he would connect the dots and think that girl was you. He might say something, and I knew Archer was watching, so I took a shot."
"What was the truth?" I wondered. I wasn't there to see him take any shots, maybe timing was just perfect and every time I left to use the bathroom or get my friend a drink in the forty five minutes I watched, it was Nate's turn. I did see him spell his name out with his butt though.
"Who are you in love with?" he revealed. "Stupid question, huh? I should've just lied and said nobody instead of taking the shot, but I was so out of it and I was nervous I was going to blurt your name out if I didn't take the shot and let the game move on to the next person."
I nodded. "You didn't have me with you to remind you to drink water like I do at every party."
"Yeah, I'm really lost without you," he chuckled before continuing, "When they dared me to kiss Andrea, I was pretty drunk already form the consecutive shots, and I knew I was going to puke if I had another drink. I didn't take the shot. The pressure was getting to me because people were waiting and chanting, and I wasn't deciding, so I said fuck it and kissed her. It was supposed to be a quick kiss, but she grabbed my head and made out with me. I should've just taken the fucking shot and thrown up."
"You thought you were gonna throw up if you took another shot... so you kissed your ex... in front of everyone... because of peer pressure."
He sighed. "I know, it's stupid and a shitty excuse because I should've known better, but I'm really sorry. I knew the moment I broke away that I made a mistake, and I was going to tell you right away, but nobody would let me leave and when I saw that look on your face when you were leaving, I already knew you saw everything."
"I'm glad you didn't puke," I shrugged. "I did though. I didn't have a single ounce of alcohol in me, and I threw my whole stomach up in the bathroom. Yeah, I guess that's the physical manifestation of the feeling you get when you think you've been used as a rebound by the guy you gave all of your heart to."
He shut his eyes, wincing. "I'm really sorry. And I want you to know that you were never ever a rebound. When I told you I loved you, I gave you my heart and you've had it since. Nobody ever had it before you, and nobody else will ever have it anymore because it's yours forever, even if you don't want it."
God, this guy knew his way with words.
"And will you apologize for what you said to me the day after or are we just pretending that didn't happen?" I questioned him.
"Us not being together anymore didn't mean shit because I shouldn't have kissed her in the first place," he admitted. "And it was really fucked up of me to tell you it was none of your business who I kissed. I should've reacted differently instead of going into defense mode. I'm so sorry, I wasn't thinking again."
"Come here," I took his hand and pulled him into a hug. "You do any stupid shit like this again, and I'm dumping your ass forever, you hear me?"
He squeezed me tight, kissing the top of my head. "Does this mean you're taking me back?"
I nodded. "You better stay away from your ex and any other dumb decisions."
"Promise."
"Can we start time back up already?" I asked him.
"Just a little bit more. I missed holding you."
♢♢♢
Author's Note
my babies are back together! did you really think i had it in me to keep them apart for long? i couldn't do it with poppy and blake, so i knew i didn't have the willpower to do it with maddie and nate.
i wanna hear your thoughts on this chapter, so comment away! and if you liked it, please remember to vote and share it with your friends too! i'll see you next week!
♡,
dani :p
There is no love without forgiveness, and there is no forgiveness without love. — Bryant H. McGill