Chase and Madelyn: A love story

Chapter 29

Chase's POV:

It was the morning of the interview with me, Madelyn, JD, Rudy, and Madison. Maddie and I were getting ready in our hotel room and were going to meet the others in the lobby in 30 minutes.

"You ok?" I asked Maddie who appeared jittery.

She nodded and continued to put on her mascara.

"I know you're nervous, it's ok." I reassured her. Maddie didn't respond so I walked over to the vanity where she was sitting and put my arms on her shoulders. She tilted her head back to look at me and gave a soft smile.

"You'll do great." I said.

"Thank you." She replied. Maddie was never talkative when she was nervous, so I tried to fill the silence with my own voice, attempting to distract her from the anxiety.

It was 8:30 AM and we were all tired. Maddie and I greeted Madison in the lobby once we were dressed and ready.

"You look so pretty!" Maddie said to Madison who was wearing a sleek black jumpsuit.

"Says you!" Madison joked. They both looked very beautiful. Maddie was wearing a short emerald green mini dress and had her hair down and curled into beach waves. I loved when she wore her hair down, it looked so luscious and golden. Within the next fifteen minutes, Rudy and JD joined us as well.

"Ready?" Rudy asked.

"Yup." I replied. We piled into the van that the interviewer sent us and headed to the talk show's studio. There was a publicist in the van who prepped us on the way there.

"Alright guys, so they're going to start by congratulating y'all on season 2 and ask how it was for each of you. Then they will ask individual questions, we will figure those out when we get there. Madelyn, Chase, I assume that there will be a question or two about your relationship and how it was on screen compared to off screen. It'll be about 20 minutes long. You'll take pictures at the end. Also, just a few tips for everyone, think before you speak, this is live television, and smile! Please remember to smile, that's very important. Got it?" She said quickly.

I turned to Maddie who looked overwhelmed and gave her a smile. She smiled but it quickly faded from her face when she thought I stopped looking at her. We had been doing zoom interviews over the past year which never had high stakes or publicity preps ahead of time.

We arrived at the studio and were escorted backstage. We had about 30 minutes until we were live. I held Maddie's hand as we walked in. A couple producers introduced themselves and let us know what the questions would be. As expected, there were questions about me and Maddie's relationship. I thought it was weird how every interviewer wanted to know about that. A few makeup artists touched up everyones faces and we were offered snacks and water. The guys and I sat on couches and chairs backstage waiting for our call.

Maddie and Madison were in the bathroom and I could see them walking back to us from down the hallway. Maddie looked very anxious, she was picking at her nails and rubbing her hands together. I didn't want to pry or force her to tell me how she was feeling because I didn't want to make it worse or have a fight before a live interview. As they got closer, Maddie stopped walking suddenly.

"Are you ok?" Madison asked her. Maddie didn't respond and just stared straight ahead.

"Maddie? What's wrong?" Madison asked again. Maddie put one of her hands on her head and the other one gripping Madison's shoulders. I could tell something was wrong. Her face was pale and expressionless. I stood up and walked the few steps over to her.

JD saw the look of concern on my face and asked "What's going on?"

Suddenly, Maddie's legs gave out and her body became limp. I got to her just in time. I held her and wrapped my arms around her as she leaned into my body and I guided her to the floor. I supported the back of her head in my palms and carefully placed it between my legs. Her eyes were open, but she wasn't awake. Maddie had fainted and was unconscious. I made sure her body was rested as comfortable as possible on the ground and gently tapped her cheeks.