Just Hold My Hand

15 - It Can be Us, and Only Us

Liam's POV

I laid awake, staring up at the white ceiling. I could hear her soft breathing next to me, it was one of the most contented sounds I'd heard since all of this started happening. Even though we had just gotten home, I knew a whirlwind of a mess was about to hit all of us. Not only did Madi have cancer, but her brother was probably going to be coming back at some point and causing more drama between him and her mother, which will make Madi feel upset. Maybe sometime soon I can take her on a vacation. Somewhere to get her away from this. Even if it's just for the weekend.

She sighed, probably dreaming about something. I wanted to get up, but I didn't want to disturb her. This was probably going to be one of the most restful nights of sleep she would ever get.

The sun showed through the curtain and created a warm patch of light on her carpet. Her cedar closet doors and small spaces in between each wooden plank, and her white painted desk sat right next to it. There were shelves on one side, and drawers on the other. Her Apple computer sitting neatly plugged in and untouched on one of the shelves of her desk. There was a mirror sitting in the middle, towards the back of it, which she used to put on her makeup on some mornings. There was a gap between the drawers and shelves for her feat, with a long drawer above it, connecting the desk. 

I had never truly looked around her room. I had never seen all the things that represented her personality so well. It was organized, but not overly. There was a small pile here and there, and her desk wasn't the neatest thing. Yet somehow, there seemed to be a place for everything. Like if those piles weren't there, the room would feel strange, and not at all like her room. They were a necessity to it and something that this room needed to feel truly like a person's bedroom.

She turned over on her side, facing me. I had gotten so wrapped up in my thoughts I had almost forgotten she was there. I turned over to look at her. A few strands of her hair were hanging in her face, which happens to everyone with long hair when they sleep. I reached out and brushed them out of her face, looking at her perfectly shaped features. She opened her eyes and looked confused for a moment, trying to make out a clear picture of my face and who I was.

"Good morning, sunshine." She smiled that lovely smile that stretches beautifully across her face. Cute dimples formed around the corners of her mouth and her eyes were still closed. "How'd you sleep?"

"Pretty okie dokie, I wish I could sleep forrreverrrr." She stretched out that last bit, making it kind of sound like she was drunk.

"I know, me too." I paused. "But then we wouldn't be able to go for ice cream later this morning." There was silence while she processed what I'd just said.

"Wait, we're gonna get ice cream this morning?"

"Only if you wake up, sleepyhead." She grinned, her eyes still closed, trying to get a few more minutes of rest before her day had to begin.

"Fineeeee, but only cause I love you soooo much you silly billy." She giggled and sounded quite drunk, but it could be the pain medications she took at the hospital and when we had gotten home yesterday. 

I smiled as I rolled myself out of her cozy bed, "I love you too, Madison." She kept grinning at me, not able to process the things that were coming out of her mouth nor the words that were going into her ears.

Trying to wake myself up I pulled on a gray sweatshirt and a pair of jeans. It was still a little chilly this morning, and if we were going to eat ice cream I didn't want to get cold. I also had to make sure I had a sweatshirt so Madi wouldn't get cold if she didn't remember to grab a sweater or something. Yawning, I walked back over to the bed and pulled the covers off her.

"Nooooo" she groaned, trying to pull the covers back over her. I held on, making her roll right out of bed.

"If you want ice cream, you're going to have to get up and get ready." 

"Okayyyy, I'm getting up I swear." With that, she swung her feet over the edge of the bed and stood up. She stood there for a moment, trying to gain her balance after laying down for so long. Her head rush went away in a matter of seconds, but I could tell she was still a little uneasy about it.

She looked up at me, and her eyes melted into mine. She wasn't drunk on pain killers anymore, her mind was back. Her eyes looked scared. Worried for the future, and not even ice cream was going to take that away. 

"You okay, Madi?"

"I just want one normal day. Just today, and then we can focus on my cancer for as long as we have to, but today is going to be normal. Nothing special about it. Just us, having a normal day with no family drama or people trying to split us apart, that's all I want."

"Alright. Today, it will be us, and only us for a normal, ice cream filled day, got it?" She grinned.

"Got it."

"I love  you." It took her a moment to process. She actually heard me this time without the pain killers getting in the way of her loopy speech.

"I love you, too." I smiled, and she smiled back. "Now can we go get ice cream? I'm starving." I didn't say anything. I just smiled, took her hand, and we both walked down the stairs into the kitchen, ready to have our normal day filled with ice cream.