Chapter 19
I Don’t Understand
"He asked you to what?" Tony asked Madison.
"You heard me."
"Why did you say no?" Tony asked cocking an eyebrow.
Madison bit her bottom lip and looked down at the ground as she shrugged.
"Why so glum?" Mike asked Nick as him and a blonde attached to his hip walked up to him.
"Not glum, just confused." Nick replied as he stared at Madison talking to Tony across the room.
"About what the girl?"
Nick nodded.
"What did she do? Bruise your ego? Playing hard to get? Making you actually work for her or something?"
Nick looked at Mike and stared at him for a minute.
"What?" Mike asked as he took a drink of his beer.
"You don’t know what you’re talking about. So why don’t you take your girl here and leave me alone."
Mike stared at Nick shocked for a second and then turned around and walked away.
"He’s still staring at me."
"You’ve confused the poor boy; he’s probably never heard the word no in his whole life. He’s probably trying to figure out what exactly happened." Tony said as he started to laugh.
"Shut up."
"So tell me why you said no. I don’t understand. I’m sure he doesn’t understand either, you know because he does look a little confused." Tony replied looking at Nick and then back at Madison.
"It didn’t feel right?" Madison replied shrugging.
"Bullshit."
Madison hit Tony lightly in the arm and said, "Shut up, it is not."
"I think that it did feel right and you’re just scared or you’re not scared but you’re making him work for it, because of what he did."
Madison pressed her lips together and looked around the room.
"I’m right huh?" Tony asked as he started to laugh again.
"I’m not saying." Madison replied trying not to laugh.
"You’re bad." Tony said softly.
Madison shook her head as she started to laugh.
"So what is it going to take to make you say yes?"
Madison shrugged and said, "I don’t know. Nothing, if he can work up enough courage to ask me again then I know he really likes me. Because you know he has pride and he may not ask me again because of it."
"So what if he doesn’t?" Tony asked seriously.
Madison stood there a minute and thought. "Then I get over it." She said shrugging slightly.
Tony looked at her suspiciously and said, "Sure."
"So where did your flavor of the week go?" Madison asked as she looked around catching Nick’s eye for a brief moment then quickly looking away and back to Tony.
"Uh, he had to go home to his wife." Tony replied rolling his eyes.
"You need to go for the single guys Tony." Madison said pointing her finger at him.
"Yeah but the guys that are out of reach are always the good ones."
"Whatever." Madison replied rolling her eyes.
"Well Nick is coming your way. I’ll talk to you later." Tony said to her and then walked off.
Nick walked up to Madison and just stared at her while she stared back with a questioning look on her face. Nick grabbed her face and kissed her passionately before she could say anything. He moved his fingers through her hair as he deepened the kiss. Madison wrapped her arms around his neck pulling her closer to him.
They separated breathless. Nick searched her eyes as he tried to catch his breath. "Why?"
"Why what?" Madison asked truly confused.
"God Madison you know what I’m talking about." Nick replied angrily as he stepped back from her. "Why did you say no? I like you."
Madison stared at him and asked, "Why are you getting so angry?"
"Because."
"Why?"
"Because you act as if you like me as well but you tell me no. I don’t understand."
"I’m sorry." She replied softly and started to walk off.
Nick sighed frustrated. He wanted to scream. What did she want from him? He stared at her as she walked outside and started talking to someone. Was Mike right? Was she making him work? He sat down putting his head in his hands as he thought about it.
"Hey baby." A red head girl said as she sat down next to Nick putting her hand on his leg.
Nick looked up at the girl, with way too much make up and an entirely too tight of a dress that did nothing for her. "Can I help you?"
"Where’d your girlfriend go?" She asked as she moved closer to him trying to kiss him.
"Get the fuck off of me." He snapped as he stood up and walked away.
"Damn you must really like her if you turned that girl down." Mike said from behind Nick.
"What? How come you keep popping up everywhere?"
Mike started laughing and shrugged.
Nick shook his head and walked outside to Madison. "I have to talk to you." He said as he grabbed her hand and pulled her over to a corner.
"What?" She asked confused.
"You won, you made me make a fool of myself and I know you enjoyed it. Because of what I did, am I right? Was it payback?"
"No."
"So, be my girlfriend." Nick said as he searched her eyes.
Madison smiled slightly and then did by far the bravest thing ever. She wrapped her arms around his neck kissing him intensely.
"I take that as a yes?" Nick asked after they separated.
Madison smiled and nodded and then pulled away from Nick. "What am I getting myself into?" She asked sighing.
Nick started to laugh and said, "I know I’m supposed to say something witty and romantic to answer you but I suck at that stuff. But I have nothing."
"That’s comforting."
"Sorry." Nick replied shrugging.
"Hey Madison, I’m leaving. Talk to you later." Tony said as he grinned at Madison and then at Nick.
"Who’s the guy?"
Tony grinned wider and said, "Replacement?"
Madison started to laugh and shook her head as Tony gave her a kiss on the cheek and then gave Nick a nod and walked off.
"A replacement, for what?" Nick asked curiously as he looked at Madison.
Madison started laughing and replied yawning, "He was hanging with a guy earlier and he turned out to be married so that guy he left with was the other guys’ replacement. Make sense?"
"All the parts you weren't yawning at."
"Sorry, I’m really tired." Madison replied as she closed her eyes laying her head on his shoulder.
Nick smiled down at her and couldn’t help but notice the funny feeling in his stomach as he looked at her. "You want to leave?" Nick asked her quietly.
She opened her eyes and looked at her. "Ok." She said as she stood up waiting for him to get up, and then they walked out of the party hand in hand.
"Where are you staying?" Nick asked Madison as they got outside.
"The hotel that’s like three blocks down."
Nick smiled at her and said, "Me too."
Madison smiled back at him as he wrapped her arm around his waist as they walked down the sidewalk.
"You want to come in?" Madison asked Nick as she unlocked her hotel room door.
Nick looked at her suspiciously. "Ok." He replied shrugging.
Madison started to laugh and said, "Don’t get any ideas." As they walked into the room.
Nick just laughed as he followed her into the bedroom. She immediately walked over to her suitcase pulling out her pajamas. He sat down on the bed watching her.
"I’m not changing in front of you." She said looking at him as she took her shoes off.
"I didn’t except you to." He replied defensively as he raised his hands in the air.
Madison laughed as she walked into the bathroom closing the door behind her.
Madison walked out of the bathroom in a tank top and pajama shorts with her hair in a loose pony tail and her face free of make up. Nick sat up straight and looked at her.
"What?" She asked as she started to crawl under the covers.
"I think I like you better like this." Nick said as he moved up to the headboard lying on his side facing her.
"Why?"
"You’re all natural and you’re beautiful." Nick replied sincerely as he moved his hand over the side of her face.
Madison blushed slightly and then smiled at him. She looked at him with a serious face a minute as he leaned in kissing her. She moved closer to him, moving her leg in between his as she wrapped her arm around his neck.
Nick moved his hand to her side to the little part that was showing skin, and rubbed her hip softly.
"I could really get used to that." Madison whispered as she laid her head on Nick’s chest after he laid on his back.
"I bet you could." Nick replied laughing slightly.
"Will you stay here until I fall asleep?" Madison asked almost childishly.
Nick looked down at her; breathing was becoming hard for him as he stared at her. What was wrong with him? Why was she having this effect on him? "Yeah." He whispered as he watched her close her eyes and snuggled closer to him.