Trial And Error

Chapter Seventeen

Madison's POV

Madison savored the final sweep of the crowd, basking in the beauty of the night until her gaze settled upon an unexpected sight – a face that seemed oddly familiar. There, standing at the edge of the crowd, was Kian, adorned in her unmistakable uniform. Madison's eyes widened in astonishment, and she blinked rapidly, struggling to make sense of the situation. But when her eyelids finally stilled, the woman had vanished. Was it a mere hallucination, a figment of her exhausted mind's imagination? Madison rubbed her eyes vigorously as if hoping to dispel the illusion. Yet, when her eyelids finally ceased their fluttering, the woman had disappeared without a trace. Was it a mere hallucination, a creation of her tired mind?

"Dankeschön Berlin, you guys have a good rest of your night!"Madison waved graciously as she exited the stage, flanked by her dancers, and handed off everything to the dedicated crew. Her longing for a good night's rest was palpable because each passing day meant she was a step closer to reuniting with her friend. Four long months had separated them, but now it was the home stretch—just two more months until they would finally see each other again.

Their routine was well established by now. Madison would express her gratitude to everyone involved in the show, engage in a brief chat with Olivia, swiftly change out of her stage attire, and take a moment to connect with any fans lingering outside the tour bus. Tomorrow would bring a repeat of this routine, as it had for weeks.

Now, Madison sat in her dressing room scrolling through her phone. She saw the thousands of posts made by her adoring fans, making sure to repost a couple. Usually, she would have Olivia do it, mostly because the brunette decided to stay off of her phone after a performance. She started the very beginning of the tour and found it healthy. Admittedly social media could get a bit much, but lately, she's broken her rule because her fans were the only ones capable of distracting the musician.. Olivia tried her best to provide support, but there were limits to what she could do, and Madison couldn't blame her. After all, Olivia was deeply concerned about her husband, and they were both weighed down by worry.

The exhaustion stemming from her performances was beginning to take its toll, despite the month-long break following the first part of the tour. Then again it wasn't really a break because she was still grappling with the aftermath of her recent breakup. After leaving that night Nathan had bombarded her with ceaseless texts and calls. He had even made frequent visits to her home, pleading for a chance to talk to her. Eventually, Madison relented wanting to hear what he had to say, as expected he apologized and vowed to change.

She didn't know what to say other than that she needed time to think and process it all. What worried her most was how easy it was for him to say something so insensitive just to hurt her. Yet, a part of Madison couldn't shake the feeling that she might be overreacting, that she was somehow sabotaging herself. Taking away the chance of her actually being in a relationship. If she were to explain the situation to anyone who knew them as a couple, they would likely attribute it to the heat of the moment. She'd find herself agreeing because, in hindsight, it had been an argument, and both of them were undoubtedly exhausted.

At times, she had considered forgiving him, even the possibility of trying to mend things once she returned home. But inevitably, her mind would revisit the argument, replaying the precise moment when those hurtful words were spoken and his grip had tightened.

I wonder what Kian would say.

There it was again, her mind circling back to Kian. Madison hated missing her, she hated how it made her feel. You'd think after six months she would get used to the Marine being gone. But even after so much time, it felt like a shock to her system. You go from seeing and talking to that person every day to barely even being able to send a simple phone call or text. But it was Kian's job, and it required her to go "dark" during periods of time. Sure she'd receive the occasional letter, but it wasn't enough. She needed to visually see Kian, to know that she was okay.