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By the time we’ve ordered, and our food is served to us, Winston and Stephanie are firmly planted in their silent treatment of one another. When Stephanie came back to the table, Winston was already sitting down, and I thought it would be beyond awkward. Maddox asked Stephanie about her channel, and then made conversation with Winston and offered him passes to the next Kings Court show. I don’t know if he’s seen petty arguments between two people before, but he took it all in stride.
While the Winston-Stephanie immature drama is going on, Maddox and I still connect like we did on our first date. He talks a little bit about his sister, and I get a sense of who he really is. Without the gravitas of the rock star life that encompasses him, he’s genuine all the way up to the point when Stephanie asks if she can take our picture.
“For my InstaPic,” she says.
He shrugs, agreeing, before throwing his arm over my shoulder. I lean closer to him, and he throws up rock fingers, sticking his tongue out. While she reviews the image before posting it, I glance over at him, lifting a brow. “What was that?”
“What?”
“The King of Bad came out there.”
He glances around for a moment before thinking about it by staring at the table. “Huh, yeah, I guess so.”
“So how do I know which is which?”
With his arm still around me, he leans closer. “I’m only Maddox with you,” he whispers. “You see through that sham of a kingship anyway.”
It’s teasing and lighthearted, but at the same time, he speaks with such sincerity. His emerald eyes stay locked on me, and I move closer to kiss him. Before our lips can touch, Stephanie kicks my leg under the table. “Get a room, you guys.”
I feel my face go red, realizing that we aren’t alone, but wishing we were. Glancing over at Winston, he awkwardly looks away, taking a drink from his glass.
“Sorry,” I tell them.
“It’s all good,” she replies. “At least one of us—”
I deliver a sharp kick back to her, urging her to stop whatever rude thing she’d probably spit out about Winston yet again. He’s quick to pick up on it and leers at her.
“Maybe we should call it a night,” I say just as the waitress approaches. When everyone reaches for their card, Maddox leans over me, handing her his card first. “No, Maddox. You’re not paying for all of ours.”
“I can get mine,” Winston says.
“Don’t worry about it, you guys,” he says, motioning for the waitress to leave.
“No, he can’t do that,” I tell her, and an awkward standoff between who’s going to pay for the meal begins. I see the worry over the server’s face, and just before I can try to offer my card, Maddox speaks up.
“You want tickets to the red carpet event for the Grammys?” he quickly asks her, and she nods, her eyes wide and a huge smile. “Charge my card, and they’re yours.”
Stephanie’s jaw drops in excited shock, while I glower in annoyance. “That’s cheating.”
“No, those are benefits.” His reply, though something he’d say as his rock star self, still elicits a smile from me.
“Fine,” I grumble.
After he gets his credit card back, we head to the exit. He and Winston fall behind as we make our way toward the valet area. “What do you think?” I whisper to Stephanie, glancing back to see Maddox talking to Winston.
“About what?”
“Maddox?” I ask. “I want to believe him. He’s saying all the right things, but do you think he’s being sincere?”
She laughs, waving me off. “Cece, if I didn’t know you two were barely on a second date in there, I would’ve thought you two had been dating for months. I don’t think you can fake however he’s acting.” I smile at her response. It’s what I’ve wanted to believe, but still a little afraid to do so. “Me, on the other hand—”
“Would you stop with that. You’re not even giving him a chance.”
“A chance? First of all, he was set up for you, not me. Secondly, we have nothing in common.”
“You don’t know that. You haven’t even tried talking to him.”
