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“I’ll just take a glass of water for now,” I reply.
He nods and leaves. When I look back at Cece, she has a suspicious smirk on her face. “The King of Bad not drinking? Stop the presses.”
I laugh, shrugging. “You’re not on a date with the King of Bad,” I tell her. It earns me a curious look from her. “I’m just Maddox.”
“Interesting,” she replies, still holding her smirk in place. “Well, then, Maddox. What do you do for work?”
“I’m a musician,” I answer with a chuckle, playing along. “How about you?”
“I run a high-end nightclub in Malibu called Luxe. Ever hear of it?”
“Yeah, I think I have. I’ve heard good things about their management team.”
My comment gets another giggle out of her, and before I know it, we order, and our conversation evolves as the night goes on. I talk about forming the band with my sister and the guys, our tours, and everything that comes with our life. She tells me about being the stuck-up brat everyone assumed she was, being a wild teenager, and finally realizing that she wanted to be taken seriously by her father.
I tell her a little more about Jade and me growing up, which is a bit unnerving. Other than Derrik and EJ, no one gets this much private information out of me about my family. But I want to be real with her, and my nerves die off while I speak. She listens and tells me about her brother, who she loves, and helps out more than her parents since they’re busy with their own careers.
“He seems like a good kid,” I add once she tells me about the good grades he gets.
Her eyes brighten as she grins. “He’s the best.”
“Maybe I can take him up on his offer and play Fortnite sometime with him. And you.”
She lets out a laugh, wiping her lips with her napkin after just taking a bite of her enchilada. “This has been … eye opening.”
“What?”
“You, that’s what. This entire night I’ve been waiting for the King of Bad to make his return. To jump out at me, hitting me with a line so lame I’d be tempted to throw my drink in your face. And here you are, telling me about the nights you protected your sister from boneheads at concerts. Then, you offer to play video games with my little brother. Who is this Maddox?”
She has a point. I’ve given not only her but the world no reason to believe I’m anything other than a party boy rock star. A guy who wants nothing but a good time with any girl I can find and the nearest bottle of alcohol.
However, that’s not the real Maddox. That’s not to say I don’t love that guy, because I do. I love having a good time, slamming my drumsticks, or making the walls rumble with the bass from my speakers. But that’s only a small part of who I really am. I blast the King of Bad’s volume to one hundred, while the real Maddox stays in the background. Not because I don’t want people to know the real me, but because I value the ones who do. The family and friends that know the real me are who matter the most, everyone else can get the King.
“This is the real Maddox, Cece,” I tell her. “I know you don’t have any reason to believe me, but it is. And I don’t offer this guy to just anyone.”
She quirks an eyebrow. “The real Maddox talks in third person?”
I laugh, leaning back in my chair. “On occasion. But seriously, the King of Bad is just a role. A role I’m good at and love, I’ll give you that, but a role, nonetheless. I’d like to go out again. Show you I’m more than just a twenty-four-seven partying rock star.”
“Why should I say yes, Maddox?” she asks. It’s not a challenge, though. It’s an honest question. “Why should I believe that this isn’t you simply trying to get what you can’t have?”
Jade’s words return. Remembering to not be the rock star, but to be me. And then I remember why I told her I liked Cece. That’s as real as I can get.
“Because you don’t put up with my crap. Because you go toe-to-toe with me verbally, and as crazy as it seems, I like that. Because you’re amazing, incredibly gorgeous, and you shot me down time and time again when I was the rock star. But when I’m real, you’re real. I like that. You might not believe this, but … I like you. I want you to know the real Maddox.”
For a moment, she doesn’t say anything. Her eyes stay locked on mine, and I feel like I bared my soul to her only for her to shut down. Then, my confidence is truly shot when she pulls out her phone. “It’s getting late. I should be getting back home.” All I can do is swallow and nod. I shot my shot. I guess that’s the best I can do. “Walk me to my car?”
“Sure.”
After paying the bill, we leave the restaurant and head to the small parking lot out front. She takes out her keys and hits the fob button, unlocking the doors on her pearl white Lexus coupe. Before entering, she turns around.
“I don’t know what this is, Maddox,” she tells me. I’ve already resolved myself to knowing this date is a one and done. I told her the truth, and she didn’t believe it. “I don’t know if this really is the real Maddox, but I’d like to find out.”
My brows lift in surprise. “Really?”
She gives me a brief nod, a piece of her hair falling forward. Tucking it behind her ear, she replies, “Really. I’ll see you this weekend at Luxe, and we’ll figure something out.”
“Sounds good to me.”
Smiling, our gazes stay on one another, and I think we’re going to kiss. If I was my usual King self, I’d lean in knowing she wants to make out. But I don’t know if she wants to and I don’t want to be a King around her. She moves slightly toward me, but as quickly as she does, she steps back and opens her car door. Taking a seat inside, I hold the door for her and then close it, without trying to lean down to her to force anything. Then I offer a simple wave, and she smiles back, starting the car and driving away.
