madison tightened the gold hoop earrings in her ears and sighed, smoothing down the pale red fabric of her dress. she noticed that the necklace adorning her neck had been given to her by chandler and deciding against him getting the wrong idea, she quickly unclasped it with a groan and traded it out for one christian had kindly gifted her for her birthday.
feigning a smile in the mirror, madison stepped away from her vanity and slipped on a pair of shoes to match her dress. she grabbed her phone to check the time before slipping it in her wallet. deciding that she had enough time to sit down for a moment, she repositioned her blanket and unceremoniously fell onto her bed.
a million thoughts swirled through her head. the wind within let her worries catch flight on pale kites, untethered to reality. andrew peaked his head through the door and watched his daughter mess with the rings on her hand. he stepped inside her room a foot and made her aware of his presence.
"almost ready to go, darling?" andrew called out quietly and fixed the buttons on his sleeve.
it took a moment for his daughter to register his words before she looked up at him and answered, "uh, yeah, dad. i'll meet you in the car, okay?"
"okay," andrew responded, sadness traced into his tone due to his daughter's quiet nature lately, "get a playlist ready!" he called over his shoulder as he slipped down the stairs.
madison smiled softly to herself. her dad usually picked the music and though she did not completely dislike his taste, she knew that he always let her choose the songs when she was in need of cheering up. the gesture had already worked in lifting her spirits as she grabbed a cardigan and closed her door behind her softly with a more content sigh than before.
—
with five seconds of summer drifting between the waves of wind spilling in through the cracked windows, madison relaxed into her seat. letting her body find home in the leather, she glanced out the window as various aspects of the atlanta outskirt's scenery flash by. any attempt to regulate her breathing signified a failure as madison gripped onto the fabric of her dress tightly in her hands.
andrew kept his gaze on the road but patted his daughter's shoulder as he noticed the tension in the air. he had not been unaware of the lack of enthusiasm on his daughter's part for having dinner with the riggs. madison adored the family in every way and for this unusual behavior to appear, he was worried.
"what's up," andrew asked in a seemingly nonchalant tone, relaxing his grip on the steering wheel.
madison inwardly groaned, knowing that as soon as her father pinpointed an issue, she would not be in the clear until he received an answer. she loved her father for this quality, but it also complicated things at times. with her gaze continued to lock out the side window, madison attempted to conjure a suitable answer for andrew without giving everything away.
"just tired," madison began slowly, adding in a yawn for effect, "we have four episodes left of the originals to film plus the premiere party and then it feels like i'm back on set here for preparations for comi-con and fittings." madison sighed, carefully leaning her head against the cool window. what she said had been altogether true, but not exactly what had been troubling her for the last almost two weeks.
"i'm proud of you, sweetheart," andrew said, momentarily glancing over to meet her eyes, "but if you ever need a break you let me know! i understand how much you love your job, mads, but your mental health is important."
madison nodded, playing with the promise ring from chandler that had maintained its placement and swallowed thickly. her mind was barely steering around the curves in her path. making a mental note to email her therapist a list of the crazy things in her life now, she sent lauren a snapchat of the road ahead.
"you haven't seen chandler in a while," andrew mentioned casually, unaware of the conflict, "excited to see him?"
"yeah," madison responded just as nonchalantly, "it'll be nice."
the dizzy sensation in her head was no longer born out of reckless love for the boy on her mind. it was of frustration and regret. she wanted to feel his hand in hers but the worry surrounding the possibility of unreciprocated feelings ruined it for madison. her mind was racing a mile a minute, and she had no chance of catching up to it.
andrew turned into the riggs's driveway smoothly as madison grabbed her purse from the floor, slipping it into her lap. opening her door once they parked, she concentrated on the sound of her heels hitting the pavement to calm herself down. andrew followed and locked the car with the keys before placing them in his pocket.
rocking on her heels, madison waited for gina to answer the door after andrew rang the bell upon their arrival. andrew wore a warm smile as he carried a bottle of wine in his left hand. the two families had always been close, but when maddie and chandler announced their relationship, family dinners became a little bit more frequent.
madison caught the sound of heels clacking against the hardwood floors that covered the expanse of the riggs's home. when the door opened, she plastered a smile on her face and enveloped mrs. riggs in a warm hug. andrew went to shake william's hand as he appeared in the foyer.
"oh, sweetheart!" gina cooed, "i've missed you so much. how has work been?"
"pretty good," madison forced a chuckle, "a little tiring, but i'm glad to have a break. thank you for having us over."
"of course," she replied, waving off her gratitude, "you're always welcome, maddie."
madison smiled in return, rubbing her hand up and down her arm. she was always happy to see chandler's family, but the threat of an awkward meal was still prevalent in her mind. she stepped inside quietly, relaxing as she breathed in the comforting and familiar scent of vanilla spreading throughout the house.
turning the corner, she saw grayson chilling on the couch with his phone in hand. not seeing chandler, she decided on taking a seat with the youngest riggs. they had gotten close over the years, only two years apart, and conversation had always come easy between them—often making fun of chandler.
"what's up little riggs," madison asked as she sat down next to him, looking over at his phone to see him scrolling through his instagram feed.
"not much," grayson responded nonchalantly, "still dating my brother?"
"yeah," madison sighed and though grayson took it sarcastically, madison truly felt as though her actions had authentic meaning.
"what about that girl you had a crush on," madison starts playfully, "kenzie, was it?"
grayson's face heated up as he ducked his head, bumping his shoulder into madison's as he waved her off, "stop!"
all of a sudden the light hearted banter paused as chandler descended the stairs. grayson merely ignored him, turning back to ask madison a question but faltered as he saw the uneasy look on her face. instead of audibly questioning her on it, he decided to send a text that only her eyes could see. she read the simple "what's up with that," ignored it, and turned back to conversation with grayson.
chandler sighed, running his hands through his hair as he walked into the kitchen. madison saw the way his shoulders dropped with each step and shut her eyes for a minute, collecting her thoughts. she had not neglected to notice the way her heart sped up on the sight of him, looking as handsome as ever in a button down she had picked out months before.
"go," grayson spoke up, noticing not only his friend's apprehension but the obvious tension prevalent between her and his brother. his words drowned out the adults speaking in the room over as she followed his advice and stood up to leave.
"thank you," madison said softly with a smile, patting him on the shoulder as she went.
madison found herself playing with the rings on her fingers again as she entered the kitchen, knocking lightly on the doorframe as she stepped through. chandler was sitting in a chair by the table, phone in hand as he tapped his fingers against the wood, a nervous habit madison had picked up on. she did not want the preemptive conversation to be filled with tension, but she also knew it was nearly inevitable given how the last three weeks had gone for the couple.
"hey," she tried softly, stepping across the room slowly.
chandler looked up, having not heard her enter, and nodded. he hesitated but relented in turning off his phone and setting it on the table. the sound was jarring amongst the screaming silence.
"i don't think i should feel this nervous about seeing my girlfriend," chandler spoke quietly, "if i get to even call you that anymore."
trying to decipher the emotions fueling his tone, madison held her tongue for a moment longer before eventually formulating a coherent sentence in response, "i think that's up to you," madison answered his lingering question coolly, "seeing as you haven't made any move to keep up this relationship lately."
chandler sighed, the hurt in madison's voice bringing out his own, "i'm sorry," his voice cracked as he felt a familiar sting make home behind his blue eyes.
madison was surprised by this. she expected a cocky exterior from chandler—not a breakdown. it almost made her resolve crumble, almost.
she had hurt too badly to give in so easily.
"sorry doesn't make up for it, chandler," madison's voice took on an emotion of its own as she found herself brewing bitter tears, "you can't just bail."
"i know that now," chandler replied instantaneously, reading to fight for his girlfriend, "i didn't earlier and i take that blame."
"you know i have a hard time trusting people," madison spoke up, having a voice calm enough despite her clenched jaw that caused chandler to wince, "i told you that so many times, chandler. you knew it and yet you still didn't hesitate to break my heart with your distance. i would've talked things out, fixed things; hell, i would have done anything. i loved you!"
"loved?"
it seemed to have been the only word taken into chandler's mind from madison's spiral.
"i think so, yeah," madison said as she grew quiet, having deflated from her earlier emotion.
the fact that madison had not cleared up exactly how she felt gave chandler an odd sense of hope, despite all that was evidently already lost between them.
"i'm so sorry that i hurt you," chandler began, cutting off the girl beside him as he saw her mouth open to retort, "i know that you have a hard time trusting people. i know that when you do, you still have doubts. i should never have let them become real. i also know that you love two spoonfuls of sugar in your tea and that your favorite cup is the cracked one that belonged to your grandfather. i know the color yellow makes you happy and reminds you of the time you and katelyn pulled that all-nighter painting her bedroom yellow."
madison froze. her heart leapt into her throat as she became absorbed into chandler's world regardless of her earlier admission. she was still willing to listen.
"you sleep with two pillows—one has a walking dead pillowcase—and you will never get over the scene we filmed where saskia gets to take all of those walkers by herself. i know all of these things about you because you mean everything in the entire world to me and more. i also know, that most important, you love me."
madison had only ever been speechless one other time in her life—when she had found out she had a father on the other side of the world. this was the second time. chandler reached for her hand and within her own shock, she let him.
"i will work everyday to make things better," chandler furthered his speech.
"i know," madison replied, "you can't take all of the blame. i was caught up in everything else, too."
chandler breathed a sigh of relief, a smile catching on his face as he rubbed his girl's hand with his thumb. he could hear his parents finishing up with setting the table but he needed this moment to last longer. he needed her.
"i lied earlier," madison said quietly, still focused on her lap and she took everything in, "yeah, everything isn't as perfect as it once was, but i never stopped loving you—even when i hated myself for it."
chandler felt his heart begin to beat normally again. he knew there was still a long way to go but he also knew that he was not at all close to giving up on madison and thankfully, neither was she.
"can i kiss you?"
"that's kinda your thing, isn't it?"
madison smiled into the kiss as chandler pulled her onto his lap. she wound her fingers in the back of his smooth hair as his hands found home on her hips. it felt authentic and the familiar sparks ran through her body like electricity. deepening it, madison slid her hands down to wrap around chandler's neck as she felt his hands squeeze her hips gently before pulling away and leaning his forehead against hers. she pecked his cheek before letting her head fall on his shoulder, content to just be with chandler.
"i never got to tell you how beautiful you look tonight, pretty girl."
a/n;
*not proofread*
I'M SO APOLOGETIC FOR THIS TAKING SO LONG! i'm a varsity basketball player, honors/advanced/ap student, and TIRED lmao !