Rise Like The Sun

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

MADISON

"Gee, what luck. My best customers are back," Macy says dryly, when Madison and Nick hurry into the booth of The Love Shack.

Nick turns to Madison, as she rubs down her seat and steadily ignores the dark scowls that Macy is sending her. "How sure are you that he's going to turn up?" he asks.

Madison narrows her gaze at him. "Are you doubting me?"

"Yes," Nick says, without hesitation. When Madison scowls, he adds, "Well, you didn't manage to get me expelled, did you?"

"I still might, if you're not careful," Madison bites at him, huffing. "And you're the only exception anyway."

She shakes back her hair as she seats herself, feeling a little dizzy for the barest moment. It takes her a few moments to catch herself and by then, Nick is blinking at her, with concern.

"You look you're about to pass out," he tells her. "Did you eat today?"

Madison thinks back to the thin, wilting salad she'd had for lunch and she nods furiously. "Yes, I did," she tells him defensively, not liking the way Nick looks at her. There's something within his face that she saw in that night on the rooftop, that she thinks about more than she likes to admit. "But that doesn't matter. What matters is that you do your part of the job. Ash should be coming by, soon, and if you don't knuckle up, we'll lose him."

"Knuckle up?" Nick repeats, spluttering with laughter.

Madison rolls her eyes towards him. "You have to do your job as the muscle. I did my part. Now it's your turn."

Nick tells her, "Stop objectifying me."

Madison has to bite down on her lip to stop herself from laughing. Nick orders from Macy and when he looks at her, she shakes her head because she's already had lunch today and she can't eat anything else for the rest of the day. Despite this, Madison is still hungry and the smells in the café are glorious. Nick eyes her carefully and she's stupid, she thinks, if that's concern flickering within the light of his eyes. Outside, the storm brews, cracking greatly as lightning shatters against the sky in long lines of yellowed silver.

As they're waiting, the conversation between them turns to the painting above their table. "It's ugly," Madison says. "There's nothing to say about it."

Nick shakes his head. "It doesn't have to be deep and profound for it to be a thing of value," he argues back, pointing at the painting. "Look at the colours. See how there's reds and blues on one side but then it gets darker when it goes towards the skeletons and the food? That's the artist starving for creativity and inspiration."

Madison peers at the painting before shaking her head. "No, the artist is hungry," she says. "The artist is saying that we shouldn't live in a world where money equals survival, see? That's the money burning up over there but it means nothing because he's starving for food, not creativity. That's not going to keep him living."

Nick is looking quizzical, nodding as he hums along. "You could be right," he says and something about Nick's opinion sends up a wave of warmth within her. Madison hopes that she isn't flushing. "What about the sky, then? If it's so calm – do you think it's the calm before the storm?"

"I don't know. Maybe it's, like, a trick?" Madison suggests. "Like everything looks amazing but when you reach through the cracks, they're pulling apart at the seams."

Macy clears her throat. "God, you're such nerds," she mumbles disparagingly, as she puts down Nick's food on the table. "Just kiss already."