"Once Upon Love" (A Modern "Cyrano de Bergerac" story)

10: Revelations

Hayden awoke with a start. Someone was crying! He couldn't figure out who or why for several moments—then he remembered the events of the day before.

He opened the door and found Madi sitting cross-legged on the hide-a-bed, flipping through Chris' texts on her phone and crying softly. "So loving," she whispered. Hayden sighed and turned back to his room.

He needed to call Mr. Danstor and he needed to look at train tickets. He couldn't stay in Syracuse any longer. He turned back to Madison.

"Madi?" he asked softly.

She looked at him.

"You loved Chris, didn't you?"

She nodded, "Chris is the first person for whom I have ever felt this kind of affection. I really, deeply loved him."

Hayden exhaled hard and rubbed the back of his neck. He didn't particularly want to ask the next question, but it was the deciding factor in where he would go next and thus inevitable.

"Madi . . . is there any . . . I mean—could you . . .um, would it be possible for you to . . . love--me?"

Madi's expression was so crestfallen Hayden almost thought he'd blown any chance of even the most distant of relationships with her. "Hayden," she said hollowly, "please know that I will always consider you a wonderful friend, but . . . how can you ask about love in a time when I feel like mine is laying unconscious in a hospital just now?"

Hayden's heart sank. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. He retreated immediately, trying to quench the sudden wave of despondency mysteriously materializing within him by focusing on packing. The last thing into his suitcase was the photo of him and his friends. Several minutes passed before Hayden realized he was staring at Madi and Chris in the picture. It struck him that he'd focused more on Madi than on anything else. He sighed and pulled the duffel's zipper over the picture. He grabbed his suitcase and left the room.

Madi had been busy, too. The hide-a-bed was folded away, her suitcase all packed, and the floors very neat. Hayden noted that she had not touched Chris' bag, but left it on the sofa. He sighed.

"Well, I need to go check out of the hotel."

Madi cast a furtive glance at the duffel. "What about . . ." her voice fell away.

"Already taken care of. His parents called, they're on their way into town. They said we could just leave his things at the front desk of the hotel, and they'll pick it up when they arrive," Hayden said. He slung Chris' bag over his shoulder. "C'mon." He put an arm around Madi and they walked together to the elevator.

Once the two were in the lobby, Hayden turned in his key and paid the bill, and left Chris' bag as promised. After that he called Mr. Danstor and told him he was taking the train back to Albany. Madi overheard this conversation, and when Hayden got off the phone, she was still staring at him.

"You're going back to Ballard so soon?" she asked.

"Madi," Hayden explained, "We have to go back. If you want, we can go to the train station together and you can come back with me."

Madi hesitated; why did a part of her feel she was about to lose something? Or perhaps it was something she'd forgotten to say to Chris--lost words between soulmates? Or maybe she was lost? Madi almost accepted, but she found herself replying, "No, I—I think I'll stay here a while longer. I can wait for his family to arrive." His cell phone was still in her pocket--she wanted to give it to them personally. She didn't want to give it over to the hotel desk clerk just yet. Besides, seeing Hayden reminded her too much of Chris. Perhaps the confusion would disappear once Hayden left.