Page 74 of Fake Love

I didn’t answer. Instead, I just went to the couch and curled up into a little ball until I fell asleep. I got up about forty minutes ago and right away wanted to shower to get rid of the day.

So he walked me to his bedroom, and left me to have some time alone.

I’ve been here a few times, the last being our faithful rule breaking night, but in the times that I have been here, I never ventured past the living room. If it was any other night, I would venture out and take every inch of the place in, but right now I don’t feel like it.

After getting dressed and putting my hair up, I leave the bedroom and head to the living room, where I find Maddox sitting on the couch watching tv.

When I walk in, he grabs the control and turns the volume off, giving me all his attention.

“How are you feeling?” he asks, his eyes filled with concern.

I shrug. “Tired.”

There’s nothing else to really explain the day. What happened and there’s not much I can do about it.

“Want to talk about it?” Maddox offers, patting the cushion next to him.

Taking a seat, I shake my head at him. “Not really. I just don’t know why it’s hitting as hard as it is.”

Maddox scoots closer to me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and bringing me into his body. “Because you didn’t know what was going on, nobody really did. Your brain and body automatically went to the worst case scenario, and that’s completely fine.”

I think that’s what I hated the most, the not knowing. I didn’t know if it was a prank just to cause mass hysteria or if it was something that would end up on the news all over the world.

Leaning into Maddox’s hold a bit more, I position myself to see what he was watching.

The news of all things.

“Have they said anything?” I ask, nodding towards the TV mounted on the wall.

Maddox lets out a sigh. “Yeah. I guess someone caught the whole thing on their phone and posted it on Twitter. The video apparently got some of the license plate so the police are investigating.”

“And the men that died?” I ask.

It's horrible that someone had to die today, especially like this. I can’t even imagine what their families must be going through tonight.

“No names have been released yet, but there were both in their late thirties.”

So young.

Maddox and I sit like that, watching the silent tv for a few more minutes. I even start to doze off when a knock at the door scares me awake.

“I ordered something.” Maddox says as to explain why someone would be knocking at his door on a Sunday night.

He gets up from next to me and heads over to go grab whatever it is he ordered.

I continue to watch the news on mute.

He must have ordered something heavy because I hear two set of footsteps coming from the door.

When they get closer, I turn to see what was so important that he had to get it delivered at nine at night.

But I don’t see a random delivery man with him. It’s Selena, holding a white bag.

My best friend gives me a sad smile. “Maddox ordered you a new phone, so I thought I would pick it up and bring it over.”

If my feelings for Maddox weren’t conflicted already, they are going to be off the roof with this.

He saw I needed some and he called Selena. He called my best friend even when I didn’t tell him I needed her.

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