I Love You Just the Way You Are (Book 1- Rock Canyon Series)

Chapter 18 - Kellan

Chapter 18 - Kellan

Sleeping after my first real conversation with Maddie wasn't really an option. And, yeah, calling it "real" might be a bit of a stretch–it was the internet and she couldn't tell it was her archnemesis. Which... to be honest... is probably why I let myself forget that she'd kill me if she knew I was MangaGuy06.

But if you think, Maddie, that I'm going to let you go after getting to see a glimpse of the real you? Uh uh, not happening. Because you're every bit as awesome as I thought you were.

With the first hint of daylight I sprang out of bed and headed for the door. If I waited much longer I'd have to come down from the clouds and talk to my mother. Instead of hanging around for that fun, I decided to go for a long run, every cell in my body still buzzing with her smile.

In the middle of my jog, a lady in a minivan with two young kids in the backseat almost ran me over by the college campus. The woman leaped out in a panic to apologize, but stopped abruptly when she saw me laughing. Then she got this confused look and asked me if I was okay.

"The girl of my dreams talked to me yesterday for the first time," I said, my giddiness overflowing (and probably embarrassing). "Nothing can possibly go wrong now!"

She put her hands over her heart and made a smile-frown, telling me how cute that was, and then joked that she was glad that her distracted driving didn't ruin the second conversation between me and my girl.

My girl.

I laughed and waved at her kids, then jogged toward the café, figuring I'd grab a coffee for the walk home. I didn't think Maddie worked here anymore, because if she did I'd steer clear. I wasn't as respectful over the summer as I should have been, given her clear "NO!" every time I so much as hinted at us. Oh, well. Live and learn.

I checked my watch as I got to the door. 9:51am.

SHIT! She's streaming at 10!

I jerked my hand off the door, startling the people behind me. "Sorry!" I yelled, as I broke into a full sprint. I laughed as I dodged street signs and other pedestrians. I ran as hard as I could until it felt like I had barbed wire raking across my lungs. I stopped at an intersection to catch my breath. I marveled at how bright everything was today, at how the town smelled like spring, not fall. There was a coming to life in the way the place looked. It was as if Rock Canyon stopped being a dusty suburban town and turned into an oasis.

I brushed the sweat from my eyes, thought of Maddie, and checked my watch. It was 10:00 am. I was going to be late. Holding her smiling face in mind, I put my head down and took off, quickly closing the remaining distance between me and my computer; between me and her.

I was soaked a few minutes later as I bounded through the living room, blatantly ignoring my mother. She was probably past full awareness by now anyway–it was after 10.

Nothing gets in the way of Maddie, I thought while closing and locking my bedroom door. I crashed down in front of my computer, frantically tapping the space bar to wake it up. I had left the browser open to her Twitch channel, but evidently the page needed reloading. I cursed violently while waiting for an advertisement to finish playing.

Come on, come on, come on!

When it finally loaded, I saw her and started breathing again. I realized dimly that I was soaking my chair in sweat but I wasn't walking away, not when she was live. I saw the familiar Minecraft graphics that I remembered from playing the education version in middle school. Maddie was wearing a big headset which made her look even tinier and more precious than usual. I wasn't aware that was possible.