Don't call me Angel- Completed

Fifty Four

"MADDELENA GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE." I smiled as I closed my bedroom door. No more drinking out but a birthday to celebrate meant a house party. The first one here in LA and I had spent all day being told to stop helping. It took them all 2 hours before I was taken upstairs to my room and instructed not to leave it. I'd rolled my eyes but decided against fighting. I had a long soak in the bath, relaxed and breathed. 

I'd been keeping myself so busy this past month with getting the gardens sorted, I missed half of the conversations about tonight so I had no idea what to expect. Everyone had been right though. It was getting easier. Day by day. I didn't feel half as guilty now as I did leaving the hospital. I had bad days don't get me wrong but I'd be fine. We'd be fine. 

"Yeah alright." I rolled my eyes slowly walking down the stairs. Shaking my head at the 2 girls who's arms were crossed dramatically. "You guys are so dramatic." 

"You're taking the piss right? It's your birthday party and you're up in your room." Kelsie. Pip's closest friend who had barged into my life after the hospital stay and refused to leave. She's the girl who got Lu in the club. The only one who had any clue what was going on besides me. I don't know how Pip found a British friend, but she had. And the accent was a breath of fresh air. I was obsessed with it. "What were you even doing up there?"

The thing with Kelsie is she didn't treat me like I was delicate. She didn't tiptoe around me like everyone else was at the moment. I liked that. She was abrupt and harsh and didn't let me fool her. She didn't take my bullshit, nor anyone else's. It was brilliant. Definitely helped me loads. 

"Putting my hair up. It's pissing me off." I put the clip in again, pulling a few strands down at the front of my face. 

"It's cute." Pip smiled. "Lu's looking for you." 

"Oh where? I haven't seen him most of the night."  They smiled, pulling me forward. I felt the clip in my hair be taken out as I walked. "What are you doing?" 

"It's your party. You need to look pretty." 

"I looked fine with my hair up." I scowled as they dragged me through the full house. "You girls are acting real strange." 

"No we're not." 

"You're acting weird Mads." Pip giggled as we reached the kitchen. She spun me around, playing with my hair. "Okay. You're good. I think he's out in the garden." 

"The garden? Why?" I raised my eyebrows. 

"Dunno." Kels looked at her nails casually. "Something about your birthday present."

"He gave me my presents earlier." I crossed my arms. He had. He'd gone way over the top. He'd been buying things whilst I was in the coma and saved it all until I was better. I'd told him he'd done too much already. I really hope he hasn't taken it even further. "Honestly this man." I sighed, walking to the doors, pulling them open. "LUCA I SWEAR TO GOD IF THIS IS ANOTHER PRESENT I'M GOING TO RIP YOUR HEAD OFF." I shouted and I heard the girls laughing in the kitchen as I carried on walking. "I have no idea where yo-" I stopped as I hit the maze we had put in. 

It wasn't really a maze. More like a tall row of hedges to separate this area from the rest of the garden. Once you got through the first arch it was essentially a square with hedges running around the corners. It was just a nice place to walk. Especially on a night with all the lights we had put in.  In the middle was an opening where I had taken to sitting and just breathing since it got finished 2 weeks ago. It was so nice out here. Away from everything. 

I stared at the rose petals along the floor, not knowing what to do. 

"You're supposed to follow them Mads." I heard his voice, the chuckle in his it putting me at ease instantly. 

"I don't think I should." I smirked back but started following them anyway. He'd done things like this before. Small romantic gestures, the balloons when I left hospital, when I had my last physio appointment, last brain scan. There was always something like this. It wasn't a surprise anymore. 

I walked quietly, listening to my heels as the slowly moved through the gravel. 

"You're following them though I can hear you." 

"Yeah well as far as I know you're going to shoot me again and I left my gun in the safe." 

"Ah well that's not smart is it?" I chuckled at him and I knew he was smiling too. "I'm not going to shoot you again Mads." 

"I know." I giggled. "The boys would kill you themselves." 

"Limb from limb. I remember their promise." We both giggled as I stood before him. "Hi." 

"Hi." I walked over slowly, smiling at him. "When did you get changed? You weren't wearing this earlier." I pulled on his suit jacket. 

"You looked too nice for me to be in jeans and a tee shirt Mads." He put his hands on my hips, pulling closer, planting a hard kiss on my forehead. "Dance with me." 

"Now?" 

"Yes now." 

"Lu-" 

"Please." He batted his eyelashes, almost trying to convince me I would say no. He wrapped his arm around my waist, putting his hand in mine as music started playing in the background. Not from the house. There was a speaker somewhere. It was louder. Not so loud that I couldn't hear his staggered breathing. But loud enough that I was forgetting we weren't in our own little world here. 

Though, that was nothing new either. Being in our own world when I was alone with him. It was easy to do. Just looking into his eyes would send me into a daze. I'd hear everything he was saying, feel every touch. But everything else vanished. Even if we were in the middle of a shopping mall. It was just us.