Madison just came home from work, and all she really needs is a drink. Her job as a housekeeper at a fancy hotel is okay, well paid and only requires her to be very tidy, but it's just as exhausting. When the girl opens her fridge and only finds milk to drink, she decides to check out the grocery store around the corner to get some alcohol. Only losers drink alone, but today she doesn't care. She had a rough day and there's no one to share it with, so a bottle of wine will do, vodka at best.
However, when Madison opens her front door and steps outside, she lets out a little scream.
"Michael? What are you doing here?"
She knows Michael from the creative writing classes she takes twice a week, it's not high school but he still sits in the last row and pretends not to give a shit. They had talked once, maybe twice and now Michael is sitting on the floor next to her apartment. He isn't looking at her, so she keeps talking.
"I actually wanted to get some alcohol, are you coming?"
Of course this catches his attention, so she reaches out her hand for him to take and pulls him up. Since Michael is a lot taller and heavier than Madison, she almost falls, but in the end they're both standing and Michael even smiles.
"Let's go then, I'm really thirsty," Madison claims before she realises how this might sound.
The two of them walk to the store in silence, and they enter it in silence as well. Michael is just tagging along, sometimes Madison catches him looking like a sad kitten, so she gets a box of ice cream as well just in case.
"Do you like chocolate ice cream?", she asks him.
"Come on, who doesn't?", he shakes his head with a tiny smile.
Surprisingly, it warms her heart to see him smile like this, and instead of telling him to get lost, they pass every shelf of the store just to look at the products. Arriving at the liquor, Madison grabs a bottle of white wine and a bottle of vodka just because she can. She's off work tomorrow, so she might as well celebrate a little. She almost forgets about Michael, who's standing next to her in silence, so now she hands him the vodka and orders: "Get some orange juice, will you?"
Back at her apartment, Madison unlocks the door and immediately heads to the tiny kitchen. When Michael doesn't follow her, she goes back to find him still standing outside.
"What are you doing? Come in, weirdo," she laughs and he finally steps inside.
"Is there a chance you can cook?", she asks him and puts the alcohol in the fridge, "I'm starving, damn."
"Well, what's there?", Michael steps closer to have a look himself.
Only a few moments later, he begins to put ingredients on the counter, pans on the stove and starts to cook. Madison takes a moment to stare at his broad back and wonders what happened to the boy who always acts so cool and all of a sudden he sits in front of her apartment and goes grocery shopping with her. She wonders what made him sad enough to think of her from all the people he knows. She wonders what might happen if she asks him to leave.
"Why are you so sad?", she bursts out and his hands freeze on the handles of the pan for a second. This probably isn't the right thing to ask, but it's hanging over their heads like a big, black rainy cloud.
"You're very direct," Michael replies without looking at her.
That seems to be his way to end the conversation before it even started, so Madison drops it and leaves him alone in the kitchen so she can change.
