Love That Never Left

The next day after school Mady was having a little bit of a break down. She has never been on a date before so she had no idea what she should wear. She called her friend and then after ignoring some outrageous suggestions for first date wear she chose a simple blue dress and converse. Simple, but not her normal attire, so she thought it would work. She just finished putting her phone and wallet in her purse as her doorbell rang. She ran down and opened it to reveal Zach standing there holding a bouquet of flowers for her.

“Thanks Zach! You totally didn’t have to though.”

“I know, but I wanted to. Are you ready?”

“Yup! Where are we going?”

“Alright, I’m sorry, but I’m not very creative, so dinner and a movie sound good?”

“Sounds great!” Mady says as she proceeds to follow Zach out to his car after taking his flowers and placing them inside.

They ended up at a restaurant near the theatre. It was a casual place with good food, so to Mady it was perfect, although Zach thought they should go somewhere nicer. After ordering the two began to talk about everything and anything. They were simply getting to know one another better, telling each other stories and the whole chebang. By the time they left they knew the little things about each other. For example she knew his favorite band was the Format, he knew her favorite was Maroon 5 and All Time Low. There was never a dull or quiet moment with them. Things were going well for a first date, not too awkward or anything like that. They knew one another pretty well before so it wasn’t that they were diving into totally unchartered territory.

Once they finished their food, Zach insisting to pay against Mady’s wishes, they went to the theater and ended up watching some chick flick because Mady really wanted to see it, and Zach was being a sport about it.

After the movie the date ends to their dismay and Zach takes her home. They share a lingering goodnight kiss on the lips before Mady lets herself in her house and slides down the door until she is sitting on the floor with her hand on her lips relishing in the goodnight kiss.
The next morning she wakes up to the shrill of her phone going off. She groggily picks up her phone and says, “Hello?”

“Hey Mady!” Rebecca says to her in a peppy manner that would make Mady slap her across the face
if she were in the same room as her while being so peppy so early.

“What is up because I’m about to hang up and sleep.”

“No! We is going to hang out today! You, Me, Zach, and Cameron. We are all going to go ice
skating!”

“I can’t skate…”

“I’m sure Zach will teach you. I won’t take no for an answer and Zach said he would give you a ride by the way.”

“Sounds cool!”

“And then wanna have a sleepover, but I can’t have it at my place.”

“You can come over to my place.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yup no big deal at all.”

“Great see you at noon.”

“Crap this cuts into my beauty sleep!” Mady says faking deep concern before laughing, saying goodbye, and hanging up the phone.

Mady goes and gets ready throwing on jeans, a sweater, and a pair of converse before putting her in contacts, brushing her teeth and putting on a very light amount of makeup.

Two hours later Mady runs down stairs when hearing her doorbell ring. She opens the door and then steps outside after seeing Zach at her door.

“Hi Zach!”

“Hi Mady! Ready?”

“Um as ready as a girl who can’t ice skate for her life.”

“I’ll teach you.”

“Really?”

“Yeah of course”

“Are you sure? I mean I don’t want to cut into your fun at the rink.”

“Don’t worry about it. Let’s just go. Alright?”

“Only if you’re sure.” Mady says hopefully.

“I am. Come on.” He says taking her hand and leading her to his car.

The two arrive at the rink and after Mady puts on her skates and starts to get up trying not to fall on her face before even getting on the ice. Zach begins to help her making sure she won’t fall.
Once they get on the ice Zach grabs her hand and helps her glide though; which results in Mady yelping as her hands leave the railing she was holding on to for dear life.
By the time everyone is ready to leave Mady has learned to skate on her own, barely, but she manages to stay up right alone.

They all go out for pizza and have a blast just talking together and hanging out.
After pizza they all leave saying goodbye and getting in the cars they came in, Rebecca planning on going to Mady’s place and Cameron going over to Zach’s. Mady gets into Zach’s car and after putting on her seatbelt turns to look at Zach confused as to why he hasn’t put the keys in the car yet.

“What’s up?”

“I had fun today… I just wish we could have been alone. I mean I love Cameron and Rebecca, but at times they can get…”

“A little much” Mady says finishing Zach’s sentence while thinking of Cameron and Rebecca tackling each other on the rink while the fellow skaters giggled and raced around them in circles trying to see if they could break the ice making them fall in.

After arriving at her house Mady was supposed to be focused on the notebook which was the movie her and Rebecca were watching, but her mind was elsewhere. She just kept thinking of Zach and where things could lead. She did not know why, but with him she saw a future and that scared her because it was odd for her. She was used to people leaving her, not staying. The analogy she had was all relationships are like walking up stairs. You each talk about how far up you want to go. The higher you go the stronger your relationship, the only issue was someone could push you off the stairs and out the window. When you fell out sometimes someone will be there to help you put yourself back together so you can meet a new person at the bottom of the stairs. Sometimes you lay broken because there is no one there to help you and you can’t pick yourself up. Mady took the third option when she was pushed off the stairs and out the window, which was often, she would pick herself up- there was never anyone to help her- before getting back to the bottom of the stairs hoping the next person won’t push her off.

Zach was similarly thinking about Mady and where they could end up. He kept chastising himself because his thoughts were very feminine, but when it came to Mady he simply could not help it he realized. He was falling for her and fast. He could only hope she was falling for him as well.
At that moment Zach decided to do something romantic and spontaneous. He grabbed his guitar and walked on over to Mady’s place. Then he started to throw pebbles at her window.

Mady was enraptured in her thoughts when she heard something hit her window, again, and again.

“What the hell is that?” Rebecca wondered out loud.

“I don’t know. I’ll go look.”

Mady then proceeded to walk to the window only to look outside and see Zach staring up at her signaling for her to come down and meet him. She gave him a ‘one minute’ signal before closing the curtain and turning to Rebecca.

“It’s Zach… he wants me to come down stairs… is that ok? I may be down there awhile. I totally understand if you say no.”

“It’s fine I will just keep watching movies on your netflicks.”

“Sounds good… I’m so sorry! It’s just I really like him.”
Rebecca just waved her off, “Seriously it’s fine! Go down to lover boy before he thinks you are not coming!”

Mady give Rebecca a hug before sliding on some converse and running down stairs and outside to Zach.

“What are you doing here?”

“I kept thinking about you.”

“That caused you to come here in the middle of the night with a guitar?”

“Yes, it did. I want to play something for you, if you don’t mind.”

“Of course I don’t! Play away Porter, play away.” Mady said before sitting on the grass with her legs crossed while looking up at Zach.

Then Zach looked straight into her eyes and began to sing, “Beauty queen of only 18….” What he did not know when he was singing was She Will be Loved by Maroon 5 was her favorite song. She always thought my one true love will sing that to be. She knew it was a silly thought. A song wouldn’t tell her who her true love, but the idea to believe it was so strong. She was so happy in that moment tears rolled down her cheeks at the end of the song.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you cry. I’m such an idiot… I’m so sorry. Please don’t cry.” Zach says to her and towards the end he wipes her cheeks of the tears streaming down her face.

“I’m crying happy tears… I love that song. It is my favorite. I love it. Thank you. I don’t think you realize playing that song means to me.”

“Well I’m happy it made you happy.”

“It did, it made me very happy.”

Zach then leaned the guitar against her house before leaning his back against it as well. He then proceeded to pull Mady so she was in his arms, where she belonged.
Neither realized it but somewhere in the middle of kisses and talking they fell asleep wrapped up in one another.

At about 5:30am Mady got a phone call from Rebecca waking them both up. “Huh? What is up Rebecca?” Mady asks blindly answering her phone while Zach stretches awake.

“I had a feeling this would happen.”

“What would happen?”

“You two would get comfortable and fall asleep, and me being the amazing friend I am set an alarm at 5:30 before your parents wake so you won’t get in trouble. Now say goodbye to lover boy and get your ass up stairs before your parents see you!”

“Oh my gosh! Rebecca I so owe you one! Thanks!”

“What is going on?” Zach mumbles still trying to wipe the sleep from his face.

“You need to go, and so do I. I need to get back to my room before my parents wake up.”

“Oh dang! And I need to get home before my parents wake up as well. What time is it?”

“5:30 and thank Rebecca later.”

“I will” Zach says before giving her a lingering kiss, saying, “Bye I will call you in a couple hours,” and running back to his house.

Mady walks back to her room and collapses on her bed where Rebecca is patiently waiting.

“I owe you one Rebecca, I really do.”

“You also owe me details.”

“After a few hours of sleep, I promise.”

“Alright” Rebecca replies before they both go to sleep.

Zach runs back to his house and does his best to sneakily open the door without it squeaking, but he fails.

“Who is the girl?” his dad says from the kitchen which is adjacent to the door.

“What dad?”

“I saw you running outside in the middle of the night with you’re guitar. I’m old, but not that old. So I repeat, who is the girl?”

“Mady… she moved down a block or so awhile ago.”

“She seems like a nice girl.” Mr. Porter says before standing up and setting his cup of tea in the sink.

“Goodnight son.” He says walking up the stairs.

“Am I in trouble?”

Mr. Porter stops before turning around and saying, “For falling for a girl to the point where you will be her Romeo in the middle of the night, of course not.” Then he continues his trek up the stairs.

“Dad, thanks” Zach tells his father with sincerity ringing in his voice.

“You’re welcome Zachary.” He replies with a smirk on his face. He then mumbles to himself, “Did the same thing for your mother, and here I am a happy married man in love with his wife. Just wait you’ll marry that girl Zachary you will.”