Innocent

I stared at Nick blankly. “Come again?”

“I think I love you, Maddie.”

“Mhm,” I nodded, “that's what I thought. Come on, Dasher. Time for mommy to call the police. Someone stole your daddy's brain,” I glared.

“Maddie, stop.”

“Nah, I'm good. I stopped caring about you after our drunken phone conversation, buddy,” I lied.

“Maddie, just sit down and talk to me,” Nick begged, grabbing my hand.

“No!” I yelled, swiping my hand out of his. “I cared about you, Nicholas. I was falling for you. I missed you. That's why I called you that night. I wanted to tell you how much I missed you, and to tell you to come back home.”

Nick was speechless. With his jaw agape, he stuttered unrecognizable words.

I looked down. “Can I go now, Nick? I have to get dressed. I'm supposed to meet your mom to decorate for your 'Welcome Home' party.”

“Y-Yeah,” he managed.

I walked up the stairs, not ready to talk about love with Nick, just yet.

~~

“Hey, Denise,” I said as I walked through her door.

“Hi, sweetie. Can you start coloring in these letters for me?”

“Sure, no problem,” I answered, taking a purple pencil and shading in an 'E'.

“Sweetie, Nick called me and said that he was staying with Kevin tonight,” Denise called.

“Thank goodness,” I whispered, then replied to Denise, leaving out that I already saw him today.

“Hey, cutie!” Joe yelled, shaking my shoulders, causing me to mess up a bit.

“Damn it, Joseph!” I yelled back.

“There are virgin ears here!” he whispered back.

Just then, his son Hunter ran into the room.

“Aunt Maddie!” he yelled.
I scooped the three year old up in my arms, kissing his forehead. “Now you have cooties, baby boy!” I joked as he grimaced, like always. “Where's your mommy?”

“She's probably out back in Mom's strawberry patch,” Joe answered.

“I asked your son, not you, Joseph. Stay with your daddy, sweetie. I need to talk to your mommy in private.”

I handed Hunter to Joe and walked to the back door. I saw Kelsey sitting with a big bowl of strawberries.

“Can I have some?” I asked.

“Not until you tell me what's wrong,” she stated.

I stared at her. “H-How did you know?”

“Oh, please. I've known you for, what, ten years? I know something is wrong, just by hearing your voice.”

I took a deep breathe. “Nick said some things. I don't know if he meant what he said, but he told me that he loves me.”

Silence filled the air. I looked up after about ten seconds. Kelsey was bewildered. She held a strawberry just inches from her lips.

“Kels? Did you hear me?”

“I-I heard. I'm just so confused.”

I told her about what happened this morning. She still looked as confused as I did.

“He needs to prove that he loves you before you, you know, get together,” she stated.

“I'm just scared. What if he is just saying this to get inside my head?”

“Maddie, Nick isn't the 'bad boy' that you still see him as. I know you have feelings for him, no matter how much you deny it.” I smiled slightly at her. “He came to see Joe and I yesterday evening. He stayed at our house until around five this morning when he left to see you.”

“Did he talk to you about me at all before you let him leave?” I asked.

“Yes. He told me he loved you.”