Intertwined | hiatus

prelude

p r e l u d e

I Knew You Once — Dodie Clark

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It was Saturday, November 19, 2011. It was the start of Thanksgiving break and we were laying on the grass in the backyard of his house. Staring at the stars in the late night sky. A halo of light cast over us from the kitchen windows and sliding glass door. A gust of cold air blew, making my numb nose burn. The dead orange and brown leaves rustling by the naked trees. The swings on the old swing set squeaked as the wind pushed them. We could hear my mother and his mother's muffled voices conversing in the kitchen. Other than our mother's voices, it was dead silent.

"Finally fourteen." Maddox broke the silence. He chuckled.

I turned my head to look over at him. He was still staring up at the stars. His short cola brown hair sprawled out on the grass and crystal blue eyes shining in the light. He grinned showing off his perfect teeth and bright smile.

I smiled back at him. "I know. I'm old. Like you."

Maddox rolled his eyes and started poking me in the side. "Not funny." He chuckled.

I began to giggle and I pushed his shoulder. "A-hole." He grabbed my hand and intertwined our fingers together, causing me to sober up. I felt my face heat up, grateful that the light didn't hit my face, and my heartbeat sped up.

A few minutes passed by with us laying there in silence. Maddox was still holding onto my hand, brushing his thumb across the top of my hand. My heart still beating fast and butterflies going crazy in my stomach.

"Hey, Maddox?" I asked softly.

"Yeah?"

"Can I ask you something?"

He nodded. "Sure."

I was quiet for a couple of seconds. "Do you-Do you think we'll always be together?"

He sat up, turning to face me and so did I. "What do you mean?"

I dropped my head, a curtain of long dark brown hair fell in front of my face. I pulled my hand from his placing it in my lap. "Like, do you think we'll ever drift apart? You know, not be friends anymore?"

He tucked my hair behind my ear and ran his fingers down my cheek to my chin. He lifted my head, making me look at him. "I will never leave you, Jo. You are my best friend. You've been there for me through the good and the bad. You know everything about me. What I love and what I hate, my fears, my deepest, darkest secrets." He stared into my eyes, smiling at me. "If I ever do leave, pull me aside a smack me across the face. Knock some sense into me." He chuckled.

He got up and sat down next to me. He wrapped his arms around my shoulder and pulled me close. He placed his lips on my forehead, letting them linger for a short while, then he placed his chin on the top of my head. "I love you, Jo."

I wrapped my arms around his waist and buried my face into his chest, taking in his woodsy scent of his cologne and the earthy scent of his soccer hoodie. "I love you too, Maddox."

We stayed in that position for a good thirty minutes before my mother slid the sliding glass door open. "Let's go lovebirds! It's late!" She shouted.

We both stood up, walking to the door side by side. "Come on guys! Let's go! You guys have to get to bed!" Mrs. Rutherford said.

I gave Mrs. Rutherford a hug and she kissed my cheek. "Happy birthday, Josephine." She rubbed my arms then squeezed my shoulders.

I gave her a crooked grin. "Thank you, Saoirse." She sent me a wide grin and kissed my cheek again.

She let go of my arms and walked over to my mother and began talking to her.

"Josephine, sweetie? Go wait for me in the car, dear. I'll be there in a minute." My mom said. She handed me the keys to the black Escalade.

Maddox and I began walking towards the car, we were still quiet.

I unlocked the car door and opened it. As I was climbing into the passenger seat, Maddox wrapped his hand around my forearm and pulled me back down and into a tight embrace. I was shocked for a moment, then I gave in and wrapped my arms around his waist. He buried his face in my hair and I buried my face in the crook of his neck.

"Happy birthday, Jo." He mumbled against my hair. He pulled back and placed another kiss on my forehead.

I closed my eyes and smiled. "I love you, Maddox," I whispered softly.

He pulled me back into another hug and chuckled. "I love you too, Jo."

The driver door opened and my mom hopped into the car. "Come on Josephine, your father and Jasper are waiting on us."

I stepped back from Maddox and gave him a soft smile. He looked at my mom and said, "Bye, Cami!"  Then he looked back at me and sent me his signature cheeky grin. "Bye, Jo. Have a great Thanksgiving."

"You too, Maddox." I hopped into the car and closed the door. I rolled down the window and he winked at me. "Bye," I giggled.

We waved at each other and he waited in the driveway until I could no longer see him in the rearview mirror.