Falling Dumb Into Desire

-|| FF Two Months||-
Checking my reflection in the mirror one last time, I quickly smoothed out my hair with my fingers before my eyes glanced nervously in the direction of the clock. I still had at least fifteen minutes before Kennedy showed up, but already I was feeling anxious about the moment I would spot his car pulling up into my driveway.

Tearing my eyes from the clock, I looked over my outfit and wondered if it was too much for just a simple dinner out with my boyfriend. After examining my open toed heals, I wiggled my toes and then frowned softly to myself.

I still had time; maybe I should run back to my room and change.

As I turned around, I was caught off guard when I saw my mom standing at the edge of the foyer, her arms crossed in front of her chest while her shoulder rested on the door frame. She took a couple of seconds to examine my appearance before a smile pulled across her lips.

"You look beautiful tonight, sweetheart." She smiled.

"I don't know," I mumbled, "I think it might be too much."

"It's your birthday today, honey," she told me, "even if Kennedy were taking you to the local diner just down the street, you could dress as extravagant as you'd like." She laughed. "But, last time I heard, he was taking you to the most expensive restaurant in town." She teased.

"I told him not to, mama, but he insisted." I blushed.

"Madison, sweetie, what are you getting all embarrassed about it?" My mom grinned. "The boy is in love with you; let him show it."

"I don't need him to take me to the most expensive restaurant in town to show me that he loves me." I snapped.

The harshness of my words wiped the smile from my mom's face, and instead she gazed at me sadly. "I didn't imply that you did, sweetie." She said quietly. "I just meant that you should let him do whatever he wants, to show everyone else how much he cares about you."

Although I felt guilty for snapping at my mom, I was too proud at the moment to apologize.

"Anyway, I'd better get back to cooking dinner." She sighed. "I was just passing through and saw you standing there, so I thought I'd stop by and tell you how pretty you looked."

With that, my mom turned around and started making her way back toward the kitchen.

"Mom, wait," I called after her.

My mom stopped and looked back over her shoulder. I'm not sure if she expected an apology from me or something else, and honestly at the moment, I wasn't sure if I was going to give her an apology or something else. Biting my lip slightly, I reached up and pushed my hair back out of my face.

"Do you really think I look pretty?" I blurted out.

Slowly, my mom's smile returned once more and she nodded her head. "You always look beautiful sweetheart," she said, "but tonight you look stunning. That Kennedy is going to have a hard time keeping his hands off of you tonight."

"Mom." I blushed.

"What?" She laughed. "Don't think that I wasn't aware of you two planning on having a slumber party tonight. A mom knows these sorts of things, Madison."

"Well, I don't know," I mumbled, still embarrassed by my mom's comment, "we hadn't made any actual plans, but he was hinting around about him having the house to himself tonight."

"If you do decide to spend the night with him, give me a call and let me know, okay?" She asked.

"I will." I promised.

"And remember to be responsible." She insisted.

"Mom!" I felt my cheeks starting to burn even worse than they already were. "Kennedy and I haven't even talked about having sex yet." I mumbled.

"If the boy is hinting around about having the house to himself tonight … " my mom's teasing remark trailed off into a laugh.

"Mama, stop, before dad comes in and figures out what we're talking about." I said. "The last thing I need is for him to go into the protective father mode, just before Kennedy is supposed to pick me up."

"Alright, alright," she grinned.

At that moment, the doorbell rang.

"Oh, looks like Kennedy is a little early." She said, glancing behind me to the front door momentarily, before looking back to me. "I'm gonna go finish dinner. Remember to give me a call, sweetie." She said. "Have fun tonight."

"Alright, mama," I replied, and then grabbed my purse before I went to open the door.

Kennedy greeted me with a shy smile and a pretty bouquet of lilies. He held them out to me, and waited until I took them before he leaned over and kissed my lips gently.

"Happy birthday, sweetheart," he whispered as he pulled away.

Seeing his eyes scanning my figure, I did a little twirl for him. "How do I look?" I asked when I was done.

"Very, very," he paused momentarily, glancing past me and into the house, "nice." He said nervously.

Sighing quietly, I glanced over my shoulder and saw my dad standing where my mom had been standing a few moments prior.

"We're heading out now, dad." I told him.

"Alright." He replied. "Have fun, Maddi."

I hitched the straps of my purse up higher onto my shoulder, and then joined Kennedy on the porch. Closing the door behind me, I linked my arm with his and together we set off toward the driveway.

"So," I said, "now that my dad is out of earshot, how do you really think I look?"

"Fucking gorgeous." He said, nodding his head. "And super hot, may I add. And plus, I'm really like this." He said, tugging slightly at my low cut front.

"You're not worried about other boys looking?" I asked.

"They can look all they want because I know if they tried anything with you, you'd shut 'em down."

"You put too much faith in me." I said, trying to keep a straight face. "What if I don't 'shut 'em down' as you say?"

"Then I would kick their ass, and take you home with me anyway."

"Kenny baby, I don't think I've ever heard of you getting into a fight before." I grinned.

"I have," he said defensively. "Once or twice ... back in middle school."

"You're such a dork, Kenny," I giggled. "I love you."

At my words, Kennedy's shy smile returned and he leaned over, kissing my cheek gently before he pulled away and opened the passenger door for me. After helping me into the seat, he leaned over and pressed his lips to mine quickly.

"I love you too," he whispered, and then straightened out his posture, closing the door for me. My eyes followed him as he walked around the front of the car, heading toward his side, and I couldn't help but wonder if Kennedy was the boy for me; the one who would ask me to marry him one day, the one boy I would grow old with. I know I shouldn't get my hopes up, though, we're still young.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

After a couple of minutes of simply sitting and staring at one another with shy, loving eyes, our waiter finally returned with my credit card. After I thanked him quietly and slid my credit card back into my wallet, I stood up and held my hand out for my girlfriends. Her hazel eyes scanned over my hand slowly, before moving up to meet my own eyes. Like so many times before, I felt my stomach clench in nervousness, but I was accustomed to this feeling by now, so I knew to expect it. A smile pulled across Madison's lips as she slipped her hand into mine, and then intertwined our fingers.

Without a word, she stood to her feet and allowed me to lead her toward the exit. As we passed the front where the hostess was standing, she bid us good night and asked us to come again soon. Leaving her with a false assurance that we would, we stepped out into the cold November night, and began our hand in hand journey to the parking lot two blocks over.

Although the five o'clock news said that there was a storm front blowing in, the skies above us were clear, and filled with millions upon millions of stars. Moving closer to me, Madison rested her head against my shoulder and gazed up at them. I slowed my footsteps slightly, giving her more time to watch the night skies.

After a couple of minutes, she sighed quietly and then reached up, kissing my cheek gently.

"Thank you for dinner, Kenny," she whispered, "it was probably the nicest birthday dinner I've ever had." She admitted.

"You're welcome, sweetheart," I whispered back. Bringing my free hand up, I ran my fingertips through her hair. "Where to now?" I questioned.

At this point, she bit her lip, suppressing a smile. "Well," she said slowly, "you did mention something about having the house to yourself tonight."

"Yes," I said, just a wee bit nervously, "I did." I confirmed.

I knew what was on her mind, and I wasn't going to deny the fact that it was on my mind as well. Madison and I have been together since the beginning of the summer, and not once have we taken things past 'second base.' Trust me, there have been plenty of times where we certainly wanted to, but just because we wanted to, didn't necessarily mean that it felt like the right time.

Tonight, though ... tonight felt perfect to me. With starlit skies above me, and the girl that I love - the only girl that I have ever truly loved - beside me, tonight was perfect.

We didn't have to say anything else as we got into my car, and drove back to my house. Once we got there, we let our passion speak for us, and a few hours later, the night that had started perfectly, had ended perfectly, with Madison sleeping soundly in my arms. I'm not sure what it was about this girl that made me feel this way, feel so ... happy, amazing ... so at a loss for words. At a loss for words in a good way though; that's the only way Madison has ever changed me ... it's always been a change for the better.

The next morning I dropped her off at work, and then wandered aimlessly around town, simply thinking to myself about my life, and about how big of an impact Madison has had on it. I couldn't make any plans anymore, such as what I was going to do this weekend, without incorporating Madison into them. Is this what it felt like to really be in love with someone, when you can't picture your future without them beside you?

I arrived back at Starbucks about thirty minutes before Madison's shift ended, only to find her waiting outside for me, her purse hanging carelessly from her shoulder, with a cup of hot chocolate in one hand while the other held her infamous Carmel Mocha Frappachino. Waving at me, she got up from where she sat on the edge of an outdoor table, and then made her way toward my car.

"Hey, sweetheart," I said as she settled into the passenger seat, and then gave her a quick, yet loving kiss.

"Kenny baby," she replied, handing me the hot chocolate.

"Have you been sitting out here a while?" I asked quizzically.

Sipping on her drink, she shook her head. "Only a few minutes. We have a new worker in there. He's experienced though, so I decided to take off early."

"Oh," I said quietly. "Well, what are the plans for now?"

"Um ... can you just drop me off at my house, please?" She asked. "Me and my mama are baking pies." She added with a giddy smile. "We haven't baked pies together in a long time."

Smiling at her excitement of having her first mother daughter experience in a long time, I nodded my head and then put my car into gear. "I'll take you home, as long as you promise that one of those pies is for me." I teased.

After tossing her purse into the back seat, she simply stuck her tongue out at me, and went back to her drink. A few minutes later, we found ourselves in front of her house.

"Alright, babe, I'll probably be over later." She said. Leaning over, she kissed my lips quickly and then made a move to get out, but I placed a hand on the back of her neck, pulling her back in for another kiss. Instantly, the memories of us together last night flashed through my mind, and I smiled into our kiss, causing Madison to smile as well. She pulled away from me, and pushed me back with her index finger. "I will most definitely be back over later, Kennedy." She assured me with a soft smirk.

Not waiting for me to reply, she got out and shut the door before hurrying across the front lawn. In a matter of seconds, she had disappeared into the house, leaving me outside and wanting more. I bit my lip, but that wasn't enough to prevent the love sick sigh from escaping my mouth.

"Madison O'Callaghan, you're no good for me." I sighed as I put my clutch in and shifted into first gear. I glanced over my shoulder suddenly and saw that her purse was still lying in the back seat. "That girl," I muttered under my breath as I slapped my transmission back into neutral and pulled the e-brake.

After grabbing her purse, I got out and hurried to the front door. Once there, I knocked on it a couple of times, and then made a move to ring the doorbell, but the sound of raised, angry voices made me stop. My eyes widening in panic, I opened the door and rushed inside, following the yelling and found myself in the kitchen, where Madison's dad looked to be on the verge of exploding.

"I don't care if you and your mom had already talked about it!" He yelled at Madison, who was in tears. "This is my house, so any plans you make about staying out, you clear them with me first!"

"But dad," Madison cried, "it was my birthday yesterday."

"I don't fucking care." He snapped. "First your brother acts up with me, and now you Madison. Both of you guys get up to your fucking rooms."

"But - "

The slap echoed around the kitchen, and Madison, Jesse, and I stood there in shock before Madison reached up, clasping her hand to the spot where her dad's hand had just came in contact with her face.

"I'm not going to tell you again, Madison," her dad snapped as he raised his hand again, "get to your fucking ro - "

Before he finished his sentence, I rushed forward and pulled Madison behind me, before doing the first thing that came to my mind, and punched him as hard as I could on the side of his face. Slightly dazed momentarily, Madison's dad looked at me with pure hatred in his eyes before he turned on his heal, and exited out the door that led to their den.

Making sure he wasn't going to come back, I turned around and examined Madison.

"Oh, sweetheart," I whispered, trying to wipe the tears away, but found it to be no use since they were falling continuously.

"Kenny, I-I, I'm so sorry you had to see that." She cried.

"No," I said sternly, "you have nothing to be sorry for." I told her. "Now come on, let's get you guys out of here."

Trying to pull her out of the kitchen, she tore free from my grip and went to her brother. It didn't look to me like he had been hit, but the tears were falling silently from his eyes that were identical to his sisters. Without a single word, he carefully took her in his arms, and picked her up bridal style.

Whispering a few incoherent words to Madison, Jesse readjusted her slightly, and then led the way outside. Following close behind them, I couldn't help but feel a bit hurt by the fact that she had ran to her brother, and not to me. My pride was pushed aside, though, as the anger pulsed through me, and rose up from the pit of my stomach. I swallowed it down, and did my best to control it before I turned around and did something I would only regret.

Instead, I focused on my girlfriend, and getting her to a safe place far from here.