Euphoria {Maddy Perez} (Book 1)

Chapter 21 (Recelty edited)

Blade lay in bed, the clock showing three in the morning, when he was suddenly stirred awake by Maddy's trembling and whimpering in his arms. He opened his eyes and gazed down at the small figure in his embrace. "Baby, wake up. It's just a bad dream." he reassured her, his gentle touch caressing her back and running through her dark, flowing locks. Maddy gasped and jolted upright, now straddling Blade's torso, tears streaming down her face. "It's okay. It was just a nightmare. You're safe, baby. I'm here." Blade whispered, pressing a tender kiss to the crown of her head, hoping to provide some solace.

Maddy nestled her head in the comforting curve of Blade's neck, drawing in his soothing scent that instantly calmed her frayed nerves. In his embrace, she felt an unwavering sense of safety, knowing that nothing could harm her as long as she was with him. "Do you want to talk about it, love?" Blade's gentle voice broke the silence, his hands continuing their comforting motions. Maddy nodded slowly, a whimper escaping her trembling lips as she did so. "I was back at the festival, back where Nate had his hand wrapped around my neck, but this time you weren't there to stop him..." Her words were interrupted by a sorrowful sob, and Blade halted his actions, pulling her even closer against his warm, protective frame.

After embracing Maddy in his hold for several minutes, his girlfriend's whimpers gradually faded into gentle snores. Despite this, Blade lay awake, holding her close. He was determined to have Nate pay for what he had done to her. With a soothing touch, he caressed her hair. The hours ticked by, and the clock now displayed 6 in the morning. Just then, his alarm jolted him from his thoughts. Swiftly, he silenced it, allowing Maddy a few more precious minutes of sleep, even though he didn't want to disturb her. Blade hoped she would stay home today, considering what had happened yesterday. However, knowing Maddy's stubbornness, he anticipated that she would insist on going out. Lost in contemplation, Blade's reverie was interrupted when Maddy began to stir in his embrace.

With squinting eyes, she lifted her head from his chest and gazed into his face. The fatigue evident in his beloved's chocolate brown eyes revealed his sleepless night. "Baby, why didn't you wake me up? It's already 6:15 am, and we need to get ready." Maddy remarked, glancing at the bedside clock before lightly tapping his cheek. "I wanted you to have a few extra minutes." he replied in a hushed tone. "Well, thank you, but it wasn't necessary, baby." she responded. "Maddy, why don't you stay home today? I can collect your homework from class and take notes for you." he tried persuading her, but she promptly declined. "Baby, as much as I appreciate that, I can't let you do it for me. I have to go; I won't let a trivial incident from yesterday affect me." she softly argued. "But Mads—" before he could continue, she gently placed her finger on his lips, silencing him momentarily. "No 'buts.' I'm going, and that's final." she asserted.

Blade exhaled deeply, not wanting to argue with her, so he simply nodded. "Okay." he said, mustering a small smile. "Thank you." She leaned in and placed a tender kiss on his lips before rising from the bed. Stretching her body, she glanced back at Blade, capturing his attention. "I love you." she declared, eliciting a smile from him. "I love you too." he replied warmly. Maddy made her way to the bathroom to prepare for school, while Blade remained lying in bed. He contemplated visiting the police station after school or perhaps during lunch, accompanied by Maddy, to present the video evidence and the marks.

The sound of the bathroom door opening drew his attention, and his eyes darted towards Maddy, who stood before him in a black skirt, a blue turtleneck, a black jacket, and glasses. "Babe, don't you feel hot in that?" Blade asked, curious. "Babe, I feel hot in anything." she retorted with a smirk. "Maddy, you know what I mean." he chuckled, though he was serious, appreciating her ability to bring a smile to his face, even in her current state. "Fine, jokes aside, I do feel a little warm, but it's just for a little while." she responded, now adopting a serious tone.