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We turn to find Maddie with her hand propped on her hip and the DVDs in her hand. I almost feel like I've been caught red-handed stealing a cookie from the cookie jar when my mother specifically told me I couldn't have one.
“Winston thinks there's something between Lucy and me. I was trying to piss him off,” Grant explains.
Maddie seems to shrug it off, hopping onto the counter next to me. “Well, why haven't you made your move yet, Grant? What's holding you back?”
He moves to sit at the kitchen table. “Maybe I don't want to date Lucy.” His eyes are on the table, and I say exactly what I'm thinking.
“I call bullshit. You're just chicken because of what she said at the game.”
Grant shakes his head. “That's not it. Why are you ganging up on me, Maddie? Has Lucy said something to you?” There's a bit too much interest in his voice.
Maddie shrugs a shoulder. “I think she likes you and you should ask her out already.”
He shakes his head again just as there's a knock on the door. I grab a bowl and the popcorn, almost forgotten in the microwave, and Maddie leans over to whisper in my ear conspiratorially while I try not to think about how close her lips are to my skin.
“Do you think he's really too scared to ask? Or do you think there's something going on we don't know about?”
“Not sure. Grant asks questions and rarely ever gets asked any.” I turn the conversation back to her. “Do you get homesick often? Has this happened before? You know you'll be home soon, right?”
She rests her chin on my shoulder, it's digging into me a little when she talks. “I know. Maybe I wanted an excuse to hang out with you.” Maddie hops down and goes to meet with Lucy and Grant in the living room. I hear her greet Lucy, “What?! No camera? I'm proud of you, Lucy.”
I roll my eyes, finally entering the living room with a bowl of popcorn. Grant and Lucy are already sitting on the couch while Maddie pops in the DVD. I sit next to Lucy, giving her the popcorn so it's in the middle.
“Hey, Winston,” she greets.
“Hey, Lucy,” I reply. Maddie turns around and frowns. “What?”
“If I sit over here, I'll feel lonely and won't have access to the popcorn.”
“Come sit with me then.”
Maddie raises an eyebrow but walks over, taking a seat in my lap. I pull the lever on the side of the couch to make the foot come up. Maddie moves, so most of her upper body is on my right side.
“Happy?”
She nods as Grant presses play on the remote. Lucy looks a little uncomfortable, but doesn't say anything. As the movie starts, Maddie gets really comfy, which only distracts me. She'll reach for some popcorn and in between munching on that, she's got a hand at the top of my left thigh. As if sitting on my lap isn't enough distraction. Why did I even suggest this? I should have sat in the other chair by myself and let Maddie sit here. Her thumb keeps moving back and forth, driving me crazy.
I don't really want to draw attention to the fact that she's doing this and that I want her to stop, but if she doesn't, she might start feeling something beneath her. So when she goes for more popcorn, I place my own hand on my thigh to prevent her from putting hers there again. All I can seem to think about is what she said. That maybe she wanted to come hang out with me. Maddie consumes my thoughts until the damn movie is over.
“I'm hungry,” she states. “Why don't we all go out to eat?”
Lucy glances at Grant, who smiles and says, “Can you survive without your camera for that long?”
She slaps his shoulder and he laughs. “That sounds like fun,” Lucy tells Maddie.
“Great,” I cut in, pushing the foot back down. “Maddie, up.” I can't stand another moment of her in my lap. She was too cozy there, too touchy-feely, and enough is enough. When she stands up, I subtly take a deep breath of relief.
Grant offers to drive, so we head out to a restaurant across town. Everyone in fucking town must be here because we have to wait for a table and there's no sitting room left. We huddle in a corner, standing pretty close together. Maddie suddenly wraps her arms around my waist in a side hug, she tilts her head back to look at me. Absentmindedly, I put my hand on her lower back. I wish I could slide it lower into her back pocket, but I can't do that.
“Thanks for letting me hang out with you.”
The way she says it makes it seem like she means because she really was homesick. But I want an answer, damn it. I lean down, thankful she lifts herself on her tiptoes, and my lips brush her cheek as I ask, “Because you were homesick? Or a different, better reason?”
She grins at me. “Both.”
Maddie doesn't remove her arms until she and Lucy excuse themselves to the restroom.
“NOTHING GOING ON, huh?” I chuckle and shake my head at Winston.
