Yours, Forever

Chapter 8

Flashbacks, 2011... 11 years earlier

'If I had to sum up friendship in one word, it would be comfort.' ~ Terri Guillements.

"Hey Alvarez, come on in brother..."

Madison watched with delight, and a blush creeping up her cheeks, as Damien invited her best friend into the shed where he had been busy working.

Dropping the spanner she had been holding on the a work table nearby, and walking over to meet him, she smiled enveloping him in a hug almost immediately, as she said, "Hey Alvarez, what brings you by."

"Oh that's enough between you too." Damien said roughly, his hands on her back as he dragged her of Alvarez's arms, and both him and Alvarez chuckled softly, while she swooned uncontrollably.

It really amazed her how rather possessive Damien was of her, to the extent that he never allowed any of his or her male friends to come in contact with her, talk more of hug her tightly just the way she was doing with Alvarez.

"He is my best friend for goodness sake Damien. I met him before I met you..."

She pouted walking back to the table, and she heard them laugh as they began to talk too while she turned to watch them.

Watching the love of her life, talk to her best friend.

Here, she felt at peace and not scared at all.

Present day, 2022 (At Madison's Motel)...

"Oh Alvarez thank you so much for coming." Madison said softly, a painful smile on her face, as she sniffed back the tears she had been shedding ever since she began to tell him her tale.

When they had hugged tightly earlier, with different memories from the past barraging the both of them, as they'd laughed and talked about it, Alvarez had brought up the topic of how she had fared ever since their leave (He had left for the states with Damien too back then).

At first, she didn't want to tell him.

He could be here on behalf of Damien, for all she knew and she had bluntly told him that she didn't trust him at all, not to snitch on her and so she had kept quiet.

No way in hell, was she spilling out everything she had gone through, just for him to go back and tell Damien, so the two of them could mock her together.

Her heart squeezing painfully in agony and mortification, she had vehemently refused to say anything, standing her ground on her non insistence, and it had taken a whole lot of convincing as well as persuasion from him, to have her open up.

He had sworn that Damien knew nothing of his coming here.

When asked, how he had located her whereabouts, and where he had seen her then, he had bluntly told her the truth and nothing but the truth.

He worked as Damien's head security now, and so he had access to so many secret details in the curt.

When he had seen her yesterday at the hall looking lost, and running out in tears without even stopping for him to call out to her, he had gotten his way, and it didn't take him long to get her much needed information from the manager whom he had tipped and well here he was.

He had told her everything about himself, how he was earning a very good salary as Damien's head of security, and already opening up small start up security and personal aid companies amongst other things.

Alvarez had also gladly informed her that he was now a husband to a lovely woman who had his back always, and father of a young lovely child.

Tears tearing down her face, Madison had congratulated him telling him how happy she was for him, and also on how successful he had become.

She was really really happy for him, deep down she was so excited for him.

Back in those days, he had been but a poor friend, both him and Damien struggling to make ends meet, and now that he had almost everything given to him in a platter of gold, it was far off Madison's mind to feel any pang of jealousy at all for him.

If there was anything she felt, it was not jealousy instead it was pride.

She was so proud of him, so proud of her best friend.

After talking about himself, excluding talks of Damien, he had urged her her again to tell him everything that had happened to her too.

She recalled his words from earlier, "I don't understand Maddie, what's all this? You working as a waitress is just do hard for me to believe, that when I had saw you that night, I had tried to convince myself that it was not you at all, but I saw your name and there was nothing different at all from the Madison I used to know. The quirky, intelligent and always glassy eyed Maddie I knew and loved as a friend. My best friend, even till now. Whatever happened to you Maddie?" He asked and sniffing yet again, she had proceeded to tell him all about how things had changed from good to worse for her, in just a space of a short time.

Summarizing it quickly, making no mention of her pregnancy, her late child, amongst other secret details she had told him a brief story of how her father's empire had crumbled, shortly after their leave, and how she had been disowned from them all because of one great ill she had.

The ill being that she was pregnant, but she dared not say that at all.

She had told him every single thing, as they had sat down in the motel room binge listening to each other, and she felt so much comfort and at ease all the same time.

"It's nothing Madison. You're still my best friend and I would do anything for you."

Those heartfelt words went straight to her heart, stamping themselves deeply in her chest and she started to sob again.

"What is the matter Maddie. Stop it, I... We have to talk better. You're leaving here right?" He asked her pointing at her packed luggage and she nodded positively.

"Okay, why don't you just come to my house and..." She didn't allow him finish as I say, "No no I can't Alvarez. You've done a lot just coming here."

"Madison you know there's a lot we still need to talk about. You are leaving today or what or?"

"Leave?" She asked dumbfoundedly as she muttered , "I can't leave I have to pay for the dress and..."

"Just a minute." He interrupted, standing up and adding with a dismissive wave, "I'll be back."

Madison watched as he walked out of the room, to God knows where, her hands still clenched tightly and confusedly but at the same time she felt light.

Maybe all hope was not lost then...

She was to ashamed and embarrassed to ask Alvarez for any kind of help, but maybe she would swallow her pride and ego and just say something...

Maybe, just maybe!

.......

Thanks for reading. 💕