It all started with Maddie

Chapter 2

As it was getting closer to the winter break, Portia invited me to another party, and, excited that I would get to chat to her cousin again I eagerly excepted. This party was a lot smaller. Portia had told me it would just be a sleepover with her and Habiba, but when I arrived Maddie opened the door, grinning widely. Portia explained that her cousin had to stay at her's because of a last minute plan. Habiba turned up half an hour later and we watched movies all night. 

Portia and Maddie on the leather sofa that was next to the radiator, Habiba and I on the corner sofa in the middle of the room. Around 10:30pm Portia fell asleep and I knew she was a heavy sleeper, and so she would not wake until mid-morning. Habiba went upstairs to sleep at around 1:00am, leaving just Maddie and I awake to continue watching. Instead of both of us sitting on separate sofas, Maddie moved into Habiba's space next to me.

I never sleep at sleepovers, that is a general rule that has never been broken. I was unsure if Maddie followed the same rule. She didn't look tired, but then she had been drinking an energy drink earlier. As the movie began to finish, she turned to me and took the remote away, which caused me to frown.
"You aren't getting it back until you share that warm blanket with me." There was much more room on the sofa since Habiba had gone to bed. I watched Maddie carefully then slowly lifted up the edge of the blanket. She grinned and scooted under the blanket.

She was so close. Her warm legs were touching mine gently and she slowly lowered her head into my shoulder. Her hot breath hit my collar bone and the warm weight of her head nestled into my shoulder. I had to forcefully clear my head in order to not think too much about the situation, about how much i wanted to tilted my head to rest on top of hers and breathe in her scent.

Around 3:00am I heard her breathing change, I looked down and realised that she was asleep. Her arms wrapped around me loosely causing my breath to hitch involuntarily. She stayed like that for the next 6 hours, slowly shifting closer and closer in her sleep. I was flicking through the channels in hope of something that would distract me form the beautiful girl that was snuggled up to my side, but the only channels on were teleshopping and the more adult of channels, and there was absolutely no way that I would watch porn whilst in the same room as two other people and with one hugging my waist like a baby koala, so I settled for the teleshopping.

At 9:00 in the morning, I decided it was time to make breakfast. Several years ago Portia and I had come to an agreement that in the mornings after a sleepover, I always make the breakfast, as she always sleeps for hours, and I get bored waiting for her to wake up. I pulled the blanket back, and looked down at Maddie who was still clinging to my waist. Sighing, I had begun to slowly pull her arms away from around my stomach. The movement seemed to wake her, as I heard a small groan escape her lips.

"I'm sorry, Maddie, I need to make breakfast, let me go." The groan came again and she shook her head, nuzzling it closer into my neck.
"M-Maddie..." My voice was not going to function if she continued being this close. I felt her arms slowly unwrap from around me,
"Pancakes." I heard her say quietly before moving her head away from my neck. Against my will, a small sigh escaped my own mouth as she took her warmth away. I saw her grin, and so I quickly stood up to go to the kitchen before I embarrassed myself further.

Before entering the kitchen I turned and saw her all wrapped up in the blanket watching me with sleepy eyes. Her braids were messed up slightly from sleeping and her eyes were squinting from the lights, but she was watching me carefully. When she saw me turn her eyes widened and I could tell she was grinning, despite the blanket covering her mouth, there was that slight twinkle in her eye. My face heated up, and I turned back to the archway that led to the kitchen. It took me 15 minutes to make the batter, so I put it in the fridge to chill for an hour and returned to the sofa. Maddie pulled me closer and wrapped the blanket around me again.

"What d'ya wanna watch?" I mumbled to her. She nuzzled into my neck again, causing my breath to hitch. "Mmmm, don't mind. I'm cold though." She replied, scooting closer. I reached for the remote and flicked through the channels.
"Can probably fit in half before the batter's ready." I said before clicking on the top movie. Maddie was quiet for a while, her eyes closed but she wasn't sleeping, just leaning into my neck.
"When'll Habiba wake?" She asked quietly. I thought for a moment thinking back to the last sleepover I had with her.
"She went sleep at 1:00 so probably 10:30 but she's on a real bed not in a sleeping bag or a sofa, so could be till about 12:00." Maddie was quiet again, so I pushed on with a question. "Why ya askin'?" I thought she wasn't going to answer due to the time it took for her to reply.
"Portia'll sleep for another hour and a half."
"Maddie, why ya askin'?" She sighed and pulled away. I turned to her and frowned, her face looked sad.
"I... I'm, er..." She frowned and looked down angrily. Placing a hand on her chin, I pulled her head up again gently so I could see her eyes.
"It's okay, Maddie. You don't have to say any..." My voice trailed off when I saw the tears in her eyes.
"Portia said your parents lead a church." She whispered. My frown deepened, 'what does this have to do with anything?' I thought to myself.
"Yeah, so?" She closed her eyes and sighed.
"I got two dads." She said really quietly, a tear rolled down her cheek. I brushed the tear away and pulled her into a hug.

"When she wakes you should ask Portia about my view on the LGBT+ community."
"Why?"
"I got excluded from school in year 7 for a month because I beat up a girl in the year above. She had been beating up one of the new girls because she'd seen the new girl kiss her best friend. The bitch was in hospital for two weeks." Maddie's eyes grew wider but she remained silent.
"In year 8 I went to my first pride rally. Peter and Helen were out of town for that weekend." Maddie pulled away from my hug, and watched my face.
"In year 11 I started working as a barista in Rainbows, told Peter and Helen I was volunteering nights at an old people's home."
"Rainbows?"
"Yeah, it's the gay nightclub on Terrace Street." Maddie's tears stopped, and I brushed away the leftovers.
"What if your parents found out?"
"They already know about the girl I hospitalised, I was grounded for a month, then they congratulated me for protecting the 'meek and troubled'. I think they would force me to change job or move out if they found out I was working in a gay bar because they would be angry that I lied to them." I sighed and looked her in the eye.

"They would definatley throw me out though if they knew I was gay. And that I have been going to pride rallies since I was 12. That is why I started working, being a barista pays quite well especially when all the girls want to sleep with you and all the guys are your best friends and fierce protectors."
"You... You're...?" She asked quietly watching me carefully. I nodded and watched back, ready to protect myself, and fully prepared for the hugs to stop there.
"Does Portia know?" I nodded again.
"Is Habiba you're...?" I shook my head. Maddie nodded as if in approval.
"Does she know?" She asked, and I nodded again.
"You going to tell your parents?" I chuckled lightly and shook my head.
"Nah, imma wait till I buy a house. That way they can kick me out but I won't die on the streets. I got the money saved up, just need to find the right place."

Maddie was smiling again now. She hugged me again and settled her head against my neck again.
"I am too." She whispered. My heart skipped a beat and I moved my arm to wrap her up closer.
"Thank god." I muttered loud enough for her to hear. She giggled and nuzzled closer into my neck again. We stayed like that for the entire hour until the alarm went off to tell me to take the pancake batter out of the fridge.

Maddie groaned again but let me up due to the promise of pancakes. She eventually got up herself when she could smell the pancakes cooking. We sat at the kitchen bar eating our breakfast, waiting for the other two to wake and listening to the radio.

"How did you know?" Maddie asked casually, before taking a bite of her pancake. It was dribbling with lemon and sugar.
"Hmmm?"
"How'd ya know you were gay?" She repeated. I watched her for a moment and took a bite, thinking about how to answer.
"Umm, well it was only recently." Her eyes widened and a small smile began to play on her lips.
"I had my first crush when I was 12, but didn't realise I was actually gay until a few months ago." She said nothing more. The only sounds that filled the air was the radio and Portia's soft snoring that stopped the minute I started frying up the bacon for her breakfast.

Portia walked over sleepily to the kitchen bar we were sat at, and grunted a 'morning' to both of us. It wasn't until after her second bacon butty and first mug of coffee that she asked how we were. I couldn't help but glance at Maddie from behind my curls, but looked away when I found her staring right back at me.
"We are feeling fabulous." Maddie grinned, lifting her dirty plate to her face to lick off the lemony/sugary juices that puddled where the pancakes had been.
"Imma go get dressed." I mumbled before leaving the room, trying to get rid of the soft feeling in my stomach.

When I returned, Maddie's braids had been redone and so they were looking less fluffy then when she had woken up. Portia looked less dead as well, she was brushing her hair whilst sitting on the kitchen counter.
"When do you think Habiba'll get up?" Portia asked.
"Around 12:00." I reply. "Helen will probably pick me up before lunch." Maddie look up and frowned.
"You aren't staying till Sunday?" She asked.
"Sadly, no. Peter and Helen are going out to a meeting tonight and have a service here tomorrow, and someone's gotta look after my lil' brother. Also I'm not really allowed to miss church unless I have mountains of homework, or a friend over. And even if I have a friend over they are expected to go unless we are studying." Maddie was quiet for a while, but then grinned.

"How old is he?"
"My brother? Three." She squealed in excitement, and Portia just sighed.
"Shouldn't have said that." She muttered to me.
"What's his name?" Maddie asked ignoring her cousin.
"Edward." The sound that came out of Maddie was inhuman.
"That is adorable! Can I meet him sometime?" She asked. I turned back to her and nodded.
"Sure, let me know-" I was interrupted by a force plummeting into my chest. I staggered back and fell onto the sofa with Maddie laughing on top of me.
"Dear god!" I grunted at the impact.
"Thank you!" Maddie whispered in my ear. I glanced at Portia and saw her roll her eyes before walking out of the room to go get changed. Maddie rolled off me and sat beside me, holding my hand happily.
"Portia said she doesn't know anyone who feels more passionately about the LGBT+ community." I felt her fingers tighten around mine. "I'm pleased." She whispered, resting her head in my shoulder.

"If you want you can come over tonight and meet him." Maddie lifted her head and I could feel her watching me. 'Fuck' I thought to myself, 'Have I gone too far? Was I too forward?' But I could see her mouth slowly twitch into an upward curl, and her eyes glisten with happiness.
"Are you sure?" She asked quietly.
"Yeah, you have Ms Slater for religious studies, right?" Maddie nodded her head gently against my neck.
"Yeah, she set us the coursework last lesson. Why?"
"Peter and Helen would allow me to have a friend over so long as we got homework done. So you should be fine."
"I really need help with R.E." Maddie affirmed.
"Do you live in Manchester like Portia?"
"Nah, Liverpool." I pulled away from Maddie and looked her in the eye.
"Liverpool? Which bit?"
"Morrisons Estate. Why?" Shit, I thought to myself.
"I live on the corner of Woodford Road." Maddie's mouth opened slightly in shock, but then it turned into a grin.
"That is only one road over from mine! I'm on Saint Thomas Wood." She pulled me into a hug again. "I definitely need help with R.E."

I heard Portia coming down the stairs again, and Maddie reluctantly pulled away from me and stood up. She gathered up her bag and began to walk out of the room just before Portia came in.
"You didn't tell me she lived one street over from me." I hissed quietly at Portia as she came in. She just shrugged and filled her mug with another coffee.
"You were gonna find out."
"Yeah, because she would have seen me driving Eddie to daycare and freaked or accused me of stalking her!" I sighed. Portia just rolled her eyes and fell onto the sofa.
"Don't be so dramatic." She said with a sigh. I flopped down on the sofa next to Portia, and looked purposely at the wall.
"Why are you looking nervous?" I heard her ask me quietly. I turned and looked innocently at Portia.
"What?" She raised her eyebrows and watched me carefully. "Ugh, fine. Maddie is coming over tonight, I'm going to help her with her R.E coursework." A small smile played on Portia's lips.
"Sure." She said sarcastically. "That's what you are going to do." The emphasis on the 'that' caused me to frown and shake my head.
"I'm not gonna do anything until firstly I have my own house or until I can guarantee that I have the house to myself. It wouldn't be fair on her if Peter or Helen walked in. And secondly, I don't just want a fling, I want dates, I want this to be special." Portia's eyes softened and she nodded.
"I know you do, I want this for you too."

I heard Maddie come down the stairs and the shuffling of her bare feet on the laminate flooring in the corridor, and so stopped myself from saying anything else on the matter to Portia. She placed her bags on the spare sofa and looked at me with a slight frown.
"Are you sure I am allowed to come over?" She asked hesitantly. Portia looked at me and nodded ever so slightly.
"Yeah, I'll ask Helen now." I said before pulling out my phone.
"George may be coming over tonight." Portia explained to Maddie. George was Portia's latest (in a long line of) boyfriend. Maddie's eyes widened and she glanced at me before subtly crossing her fingers. I looked down at my phone when it flashed with a text message.
"Looks like you can come over." For the second time in the past half hour I was slammed into and pushed backwards on the sofa by a very happy Maddie. "Thank you." Maddie whispered quietly into my ear, causing a shiver to run up my spine. Her warm breath hit my neck and I breathed in her scent like it was unconsciously done. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Portia raise an eyebrow, wink at me and then leave the room quietly. My cheeks went hot with slight embarrassment but I felt my hands clutch to her small waist.

"What time is it?" I asked her, wondering how long we had until Helen picked us up. Maddie shifted on top of me slightly to look at her watch.
"10:30. My bags are packed, what do you want to do?" She replied. She looked up and grinned at me. I was locked in her gaze for a moment before I realised I was staring at her. Clearing my throat, I turned my head to look at the TV, Maddie slowly unwrapped her arms from around me and shifted again until she was snuggled up next to me.