Haunted

A Beautiful Lie

It only took a little while before the paparazzi figured out Maddox was back in therapy. Normally he would have tried harder to keep it a secret and prove he was completely fine but without a job to do Maddox didn't care. He just kept his head down whenever he was out in public and only ever talked to his fans about it when they got worried he might try to kill himself again.

All the rumors about Complexx and the band being out of control were starting to quiet down. Adam and Cole had finally admitted they were married and no one believed it would last. Jimmy and his girlfriend got engaged which none of the fans seemed to care about. They were too busy wishing Zack and Collette would break up. Since Zack was the youngest one in the band, all the fans were really protective and thought Collette was way too wild for him.

Tyler also wasn't getting much attention, even though he'd been the one to go to rehab and face DUI charges. Brent wasn't so lucky. Rather than decide he was better, most of the fans just seemed to accept that he was on drugs - and they figured that's why Maddox was back in therapy. The world seemed to just be waiting for the band to fall apart, figuring Brent would overdose and that would be the end of Complexx.

"The sad part is Brent's never been healthier," Maddox looked out the window as he talked to Dr. Moore. "He's never actually done anything worse than pot and he's trying so hard to prove that and like no one cares. I'm afraid he's going to get sick of it and give up, you know?"

"He might," Dr. Moore nodded. "But if Brent is really doing this for himself then he won't worry what everyone else thinks. He can't be responsible for how they interpret his actions."

"That's so much harder than it sounds," Maddox sighed. "Seriously, you have no idea what it's like when the whole world is watching you and just praying you'll fuck up. Brent is so obsessed with how his fans see him, I don't know."

"It sounds like you're worried about him."

"He's my husband, of course I'm worried," Maddox turned away from the window. "I know, I know. Talk to him or let it go."

"And tell me why you think you're fixated on this," Dr. Moore smiled.

"Everyone says I need a project," Maddox sighed. "I think that's true, but I'm not ready to go back to writing songs. I did Jessica's song, and I can sing around the house and stuff but it's still hard. I don't know what else to do."

"Be patient with yourself. If you're passionate about it, the idea will come to you. You already know how I feel about staying busy."

"Yeah, I do," Maddox nodded, looking at the clock on the wall. "Time's up."

"So I'll see you next week. Enjoy your weekend, Maddox. Have those conversations we talked about."

"I will," Maddox agreed as he left her office. Steve was waiting outside the door.

"You excited?"

"Yeah, actually," Maddox nodded. He and Brent were going to pick up their new puppy that day.

Brent was the one to do all the research and pick out this dog. He'd insisted they needed a big dog to go with their new house and Maddox had expected him to fall in love with something bigger than him. But Brent's choice completely shocked Maddox.

"Hi," Brent was waiting as soon as Maddox pulled up. He had a huge smile on his face, almost like the one he'd had on their wedding day.

"I'm having second thoughts," Maddox joked. Brent's face was priceless.

"Wait, what?"

"Kidding," Maddox grinned and kissed him.

"I hate you right now," Brent squeezed his hand and they went inside.