I nod and take a step back.
“Do you wanna get out of here?” he asks. “I have absolutely no reason to be here anymore. I’ve filled my obligation.”
Again with a nod. Apparently when he kissed me, he took my ability to talk.
Maddox heads straight for the exit, without so much as a goodbye to the bride. Or his friends. I don’t think he’s aware everyone’s staring at us. My eyes catch Will’s right before I slip out the door, and he’s scowling. Don’t know what that’s about.
“Maddy, wait up,” I say as I try to catch up to him. If anything, his feet move faster.
He gets to his car and pauses. “Shit, I’ll be over the limit. Guess I’m calling a cab.” He refuses to look at me, and nothing I say or do will change that, so I awkwardly stand a few feet away from him with my hands in my pockets and my eyes looking anywhere but Maddox.
“Uber will be here in a few minutes,” Maddox says and throws himself on the curb next to his car.
“Okay.”
“Fuck, I’m sorry.”
“For what?” I take the spot next to him but make sure to keep my distance.
“For kissing you.”
“Part of the charade. Although, I’m not sure the tongue was necessary.” My attempt at a joke falls flat. “Probably didn’t help you ran out of there immediately after.”
“It wasn’t part—” He shakes his head. “Sorry, yeah, you’re right. All part of the charade.”
We sit in silence, and I stare out at the street. What should I do? Say “Hey, it’s okay you were turned on while making out with a guy. Happens all the time. Doesn’t mean anything.” Yeah, I don’t think that’ll work this time. The dream he had about us is one thing. This …
“Sorry,” Maddox says again. “Chastity getting married has messed with my head. Coming back here—”
“You don’t have to explain.” I want him to, but it’s not my business, and I have no idea what to say to comfort or reassure him if that’s what he needs.
“You’re gonna go home and tell Stacy I’m a complete head case, aren’t you?”
“She already knows that. She warned me about it.”
He scoffs. “Figures. Look, the dream, the kiss … it’s—”
The sound of a car horn makes both of us jump. “Car’s here,” I say.
“Of course, it is,” he mutters.
Our poor Uber driver tries to talk and be friendly, but Maddox and I keep giving one-word answers. When we pull up to the house, Maddox jumps out and arrives at his front door before I’ve scrambled out of the car.
Maddox pauses in the doorway. “It’s still early,” he whispers. “My parents are probably awake, so—”
“Need to pretend you’re not being weird. Got it.”
We don’t get two feet in the door before his mom comes in from the kitchen. “You boys are home early.”
“Uh, yeah,” Maddox says, “said our congratulations and then got out of there.”
“Come join us in the back for a bonfire and beers.”
“Coolest parents ever,” I say.
Maddox hesitates. “We’ll just go get changed out of our suits first.”
He heads for the stairs, but his mom whispers, “Damon.” When I turn to her, she’s waggling her finger at me to come closer.
“What’s up?” I ask quietly while simultaneously watching Maddox climb the stairs. He doesn’t look back at us.
“Is he okay? He looks … down. Did something happen? There’s a few in this town who still live in the stone ages. I mean, for a small town, we’re pretty accepting. There’s just a handful of them who aren’t.”
Well, your son kissed me, which you wouldn’t find weird because you think he’s gay, but he’s not. Although, he’s definitely freaking out about kissing me. Okay, so I can’t say that. “There were a few, uh, stares. Nothing major.”
“Did you have a fight?”
Not really. Maybe? I have no idea what’s going on in his head. Apart from freaking out. But maybe he blames me for the kiss. “No.”
I don’t think she believes me.
“Okay, well, make sure you boys join us outside, okay? Don’t let him wallow about whatever’s bothering him in his room. That’s his MO.”
“We’ll be right down.”
When I reach the bedroom, Maddox is rummaging in his suitcase for warm clothes. Even though he stiffens at my presence, he pretends he doesn’t know I’m in here.
Wordlessly, I grab my own bag and pull out sweats and a long-sleeved Henley.
“We don’t need to go down there if you don’t want to,” Maddox says.
I laugh. “Yeah, we do. Your mother’s spidey senses are tingling, telling her something’s up with us. She told me not to let you stay up here and wallow.”
“How does she do that? She has like a sixth sense or something.”
“To be fair, you’re wigging out.”
“I’m not wigging out. I’m … okay, fine, I’m wigging out. I’m confused as fuck right now.”