Tear In My Heart ✔️

II. I Live In the Woods (edited)

We started off having light-hearted conversations, with Madison somehow making it past my defenses and not only making me smile but laugh too. But not light laughter, no. He'd managed to pull out deep belly laughter that made my sides hurt. I found myself opening up to him and telling him things about myself that I wouldn't usually tell a stranger who I'd drunkenly tried to seduce the night prior.

Despite my efforts, I also found myself falling for him more and more with every word that pushed past his lips. And I needed to get away before I didn't want to. "Well thanks for not letting me be the German construction worker to your sidewalk, but I really need to get going now. It's already"–I snuck a peek at my phone as I picked up my now empty plate with one hand and started walking toward the sink–" ten-freaking-twenty-two and my Nonna is probably worried sick and since she doesn't really know how to make outgoing calls besides 911, she's probably already filed a missing persons' report. So if you don't mind–"

"I can drive you home," he offered as he followed me to the sink and leaned against it while I started washing off my plate. My parents had raised me to never leave a mess for someone else to pick up. At the very thought of them, my heart sank as it always did when they managed to sneak into my mind.

"My car's just downstairs and as you can tell, I'm definitely not going to drive you to your death...well, I won't unless you turn on Beyonce. In that case, I can't guarantee anyone's safety, including my own, I love the queen."

I couldn't help but laugh as I guided the washcloth in my hand over the plate in the other and got rid of its filth. "Thanks, but no thanks," I declined as I put the plate on the rack and faced Madison. "I have to gather my thoughts and I kinda need the exercise." I patted my stomach in order to prove my point before continuing. "Alcohol plus bacon is fattening and I have football today."

"You play football?" Madison asked as he raised a thick eyebrow and I shook my head.

"No, not American football," I explained, forgetting that some American words meant something different than the Italian ones that were drilled into my head since birth. "Soccer as you'd call it, I guess."

"Ah, now that I can see."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, half-joking and half-serious.

"You're too leg and ab strong to be a football player," he said, examining my physique. "Plus, even though you're muscular, your arms aren't football player arms nor your shoulders football player shoulders."

"Wow, it's not even noon and my feelings have already been hurt. Please excuse me while I go hide in a corner and rethink all my life decisions," I dramatically frowned, causing him to smile which, like a chain reaction, subsequently caused me to smile as well.

"Toughen up. The real world is way more brutal than I am," he said as he gently punched my shoulders, the contact point sending warmth throughout the rest of my body so fast that it honestly scared me. "Are you sure you can make it all the way home on your own though? I mean, I don't know where you live, but we're already a good ten minutes away from the club, and that's driving. It'll take even longer to walk."

"I'll be fine," I simply said. "Thanks for the offer, but I already told you that I need the exercise, and if I do get too lazy to run it, I could get on a bus or get an Uber or Lyft or something."

"Too bad for you there aren't any buses or taxi services in this part of town."

I tried to hide my disappointment. Great. Walking, I lived another good fifteen to twenty minutes away from the club, but I wasn't going to tell Madison that. That would just make him push even further. "I better get going then. Thanks for the breakfast and good luck with life or whatever people typically say after a not-so-one-night-stand." As soon as those words left my lips, I instantly felt bad due to the way Madison's lips pulled down in a slight frown at the term "one-night stand". But instead of trying to take it back or fix it, I gave him a curt nod before I turned and made my way to the door. Without waiting for a response from Madison, I rushed out into the hallway and since the elevator was out of order, I opted for the stairs, hoping Madison wasn't following me. I knew I wouldn't be able to say no if he asked to take me home this time, so I'd be better off avoiding him altogether.