Survive

Chapter Thirteen

Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.

August 13, 2022.

Madison Stone's Point Of View.

We enter the confectionery, the same one that has white and pink walls with gold details, tables covered with white tablecloths and that on each table there is a gold vase with red roses.

"Hi Madison. How are you?" Emma, my mom's confectionery attendant says as soon as she sees me walk in.

"Hi Emma. I'm fine and what about you?"

"I'm good too. Thanks for asking!"

"Emma, this is my friend Andrey." I say and they greet each other.

"Would you like something to eat guys?" She asks and picks up the block to write down the orders. "Take the menu," she talks and gives the menu to us.

We look at the menu and choose what we want. Andrey chooses a berry cheesecake and I choose a piece of apple pie. We choose a table and sit at it to wait for our orders to arrive.

"Nice place. Your mother has good taste," he says as he looks around.

"Thank you!"

"What about your father? Is he the one who came to pick you up on the first day of school when we were talking in front of the school?" He asks and looks at me again.

"No no, he is my driver. "I told you before, didn't I?"

"Oh, that's right. You told me it on the day."

"But I consider him as my father, because he is more present in my life than my real father." I say and he looks at me with pity. "And you don't have to fell sorry for me. It's all right. I'm just telling you the truth."

"Oh, sorry, but..." he speaks and pauses, but soon speaks again. "It's not all right."

"What do you mean?"

"I meant that it's not okay not to have a father present. You can even live normally and forget that fact, but when you remember it, you can't deny that it hurts." Yeah, he's really right.

"You are right, therapist Butler." I ironize and he smiles, looking at me as if he is studying me.

"You don't like to talk about it. I get it."

"No, it's not that I don't like to talk about it. It's just that we are in such a cool moment right now and I don't want to spoil it by remembering something that makes me sad.. maybe some other day, we'll talk and I'll tell you more about it." And he gives me an understanding smile.

"Okay. Then let's talk about something else." He speaks and seems to really start thinking about something. "Uhm.. what can we talk about?"

"I have no idea." And we laugh.

"How about we talk about our tastes?" He suggests and I agree excitedly.

Some time later...

"I'll definitely be back to Amour for more of that cheesecake," Andrey says as we pull into the mall parking lot.

"You can come back, you will be very welcome."

"Thank you.. But what now? Do we go back to school or go somewhere else?"

"I think we'd better get back to school. Ashley, if she's not somewhere in the school kissing Ryan, is probably looking for us," and he laughs.

"Oh, yeah.. so, let's go back to school."

We arrive where Andrey's car is parked and get into it. Andrey starts it up and begins to make his way back to school.

"I'm sorry I didn't ask you to go to the dance with me," Andrey speaks as if embarrassed and I take my eyes off the scenery and place them on him.

"No need to apologize. In fact, we are together as if you had invited me, aren't we?"

"Yeah, it's true."

"So that's it. You don't have to apologize," and he smiles at me, being answered with a smile from me.

After a few minutes we arrive at the school. Andrey parks the car and we get out of it, heading towards the school entrance.

We enter the school and go to the court to see if Ashley and the boys are there.

"For a moment I thought we weren't going to get here," I say as we are about to enter the court and he laughs.

"Why?"

"Why? You know very well why. Every three steps we took, someone stopped us to greet you," I say and we come into the court, already looking for our friends.

"They greeted you too."

"Because I was with you."

"Sorry if I'm so popular," he gives me a cocky smile and I laugh.

"So humble you," I mock and look around, seeing in the crowd Ashley coming towards us with Ryan.

"Where were you guys?" Ashley asks when they get closer to us with that tone she loves to use.

"At the mall." I answer.

"Umm.." she narrows her eyes and switches them between me and Andrey, who does the same with her and Ryan.

"And what about you two? Where were you?" Andrey ironizes and they look at each other, making me laugh mentally.

"How about we go dancing?" Ryan asks and we laugh.

"I think it's a good idea, but don't think that I will forget to ask that later." Andrey says and then looks at me. "Do you wanna dance with me, Madison?" And I shake my head as I smile at him.

"Yes, I want to." And after what I say, Andrey smiles at me back and Ashely and Ryan make that noise that I think all friends make when they see their friend with someone.

"You guys are so childish," Andrey says and they continue making the noise.

The song that was playing before ends and a new one, which coincidentally is very romantic, starts playing. Then I look at the three of them, seeing that they look like three children giving each other tongue.

"Knock it off and let's go, because Ed Sheran's Thinking Out Loud started playing and I love that song," I say and pull Andrey with me, being followed later by Ashley and Ryan.

We enter the dance floor and Andrey and I stood facing each other. Andrey puts his hands on my waist and gently pulls me a little closer to him, making me feel the butterflies in my stomach fly quickly.

We start dancing at the same time as Ed Sheran's voice comes out over the loudspeakers scattered around the court.

When your legs don't work like they used to before
And I can't sweep you off of your feet
Will your mouth still remember the taste of my love?
Will your eyes still smile from your cheeks?

"You look so beautiful today," Andrey says and I smile, because by the look on his face, I don't think it's just me who's a little nervous.

"You've already told me this, but thank you, you look very handsome today too."

"Yeah... I know I said it before, but it's just that you look so beautiful that I needed to say it again," he says looking into my eyes and then gives me a smile, making me melt inside as we slowly dance.

Oh me, I fall in love with you every single day
And I just wanna tell you I am

We stare at each other as we dance and the urge to kiss his lips arises in me. I move a little closer to him and he tightens his hands a little more around my waist. I'm so nervous.

So honey now
Take me into your loving arms
Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars
Place your head on my beating heart

We get closer and closer, until I feel as if the butterflies in my stomach are about to burst out of me when he pulls me around my waist and finally kisses me.

I'm thinking out loud
Maybe we found love right where we are