Discovering Madison Wendover

2 - Jonas

Madison Wendover. 

I can't get her out of my head. 

Ciara had told me there was a moving crew she'd arranged for a friend, but that fell through. She reminded me that I owed her and insisted on my promise that I'd stay for the entire move. She was planning on helping, as well, but called this morning to let me know that she was at the airport heading back to Ireland for some family emergency.

I owed her. Owing Ciara is problematic.

The Original Favor had taken place seven years ago when Ciara bailed my friends and me out of jail. We'd been at a frat party and we were stinking drunk. I have no memory of this, but I'm told the three of us decided to remove our clothing and ring the doorbells in a nearby residential neighborhood. We woke up the next morning on our living room floor. Ciara was sitting in a chair watching us as we regained consciousness. She filled us in on all the details. We called bullshit. She produced the bail receipts and showed us the naked footage people had posted online. We insisted on paying her back for the bail money, but she refused, letting us know that there would come a time when she needed a reciprocal favor. I've been dreading that day.

When Ciara called to let me know the time had come for payback and it involved moving a friend into her apartment, I thought I was getting off easy. Even when she told me I'd need to buy groceries and stay until every box was moved in, I felt nothing but relief. It was a bonus that I didn't even need to go far to help. I live in the same apartment complex, so I did the grocery run and drove back, parking in front of the designated apartment so I'd be able to load the fridge and be ready to unload the truck as soon as it arrived.

I was feeling pretty smug that The Favor payback was so easy until I discovered what Ciara didn't tell me. The friend I would be helping was Madison Wendover. 

I knew her the minute she slid down from the moving van cab. My gut clenched as I closed my eyes, willing myself to stay put. 

Maddie and I had met the year before The Original Favor. I'd fallen for her the moment I saw her. She was just over five feet tall. She had intense blue eyes and a smile that stopped my breath, but it was her hair that captivated me. There were so many shades of gold, brown, and auburn shifting through it. Ciara told me it was inherent in Maddie's family. All the women had hair like that. 

I worked my ass off, trying to get Maddie to notice me. And she did. I was Ciara's friend. We planned classes together. We had lunch in the cafeteria at "our" table. We hung out. We went dancing. We partied. But always with Ciara, Davin, and Brady. Never alone. Until the night before The Original Favor. 

We were at Ciara's apartment playing games. Maddie walked to the kitchen to get a drink and I followed. We talked. I flirted. Then I stole a kiss. I thought I had nothing to lose. Instead, I lost everything. Maddie reacted immediately, her anger sizzling between us as she punched me in the gut. Her screams had Ciara running into the kitchen. Ciara yelled at me and kicked my friends and me out while she attended to Maddie. 

"Dude! What did you do?" Brady poked me in the chest as we walked to our car. 

"Um...I kissed Maddie?"

"You just kissed her? That's all?" Davin looked at me suspiciously. 

I held up my hand defensively. "I swear. I stole a kiss. A tiny one. It wasn't even five seconds before she punched me and started screaming."

"Crazy. They're both crazy." Brady shook his head and Davin nodded.

And that was it. Ciara let us know we weren't welcome to come back, so Brady, Davin, and I went to the frat party the next night without Ciara and Maddie. And got smashed. And naked. And arrested. 

I have no memory of calling Ciara, but it's fortunate that I did. She was the only one I knew who could afford to bail us all out. She had come, paid for us all, then let us each know that at some time in the future, we'd be paying her back. It would be on her terms and on her timeline. 

Ciara is terrifying.

Brady, Davin, and I finished school, got jobs, and lived our lives. Ciara never brought up the incident again. I think we all thought The Favor was forgotten. It wasn't. So when I received her phone call last week, letting me know I'd be canceling any plans I had and helping a friend move in today, I was actually pretty happy to help out. Especially if it meant my part of The Favor had been repaid. 

She didn't tell me I'd be helping Madison Wendover. 

I think she didn't tell me on purpose. 

I'm left wondering if this is some shitty trick of Ciara's, throwing Maddie and me together while she makes up some family emergency in Ireland. The emergency could be real. It could also be a complete fabrication.

It's been years since I've seen Maddie but with that hair, I'd know her anywhere. 

That being said, it's clear that she has no memory of me. The kiss from our college days that I still remember isn't even a blip on her radar and neither am I. She thinks I was grumpy and rude because I didn't want to help her, not because my ego was bruised.

Still, she likes my eyes and took a picture of my ass. But something about her just seems off. She wanted to be friendly. She wanted to talk. She was interested in getting to know me a little. But if I was a betting man, which I am not, I would bet that as soon as I start getting close, impenetrable walls will be going up. I don't feel any need to breach walls right now. 

I want uncomplicated, casual, and easygoing. I need no commitments, entanglements, or messes. I tried out the relationship thing. I even got engaged once. What I found was that women will cut out your heart and eat it for lunch. I like their company and I like sex. I don't like being gutted. So any weird ideas Ciara might have about Maddie and me are pointless.

Madison Wendover has been out of my life for over seven years, and I'm not about to break my lucky streak.