Love Me Back (11 page)

“Did you have fun?”

“Yeah, it was ok.”  I prop myself up on my elbows so I could face him.

“I missed you.”  Trent says staring at the ceiling not looking at me.

“You should be asleep, it’s a big game tomorrow.”  I try to detour the conversation.

“Will you lay with me?”

“Trent, we aren’t a couple.  We shouldn’t.”

“Come on Mad, we are friends.  I won’t touch you anywhere if you don’t want me to.  I just need you next to me right now.”  He confesses.

“Ok,” I get up.

“Come here girl.”  A huge smile spreads across his face while he corners the blanket out for me to get into.    I snuggle with my back to his front and he swings an arm around my waist nuzzling his face in my neck.

After five minutes of quiet silence my eyelids start closing, sleep finally finding me.

“I love you Madeline Jennings.”  Trent whispers in my ear.

I ignore him pretending to be asleep.  That is a line I am unable to cross.  Trent wants me when he can’t have me but he doesn’t want me when he can.  He has the State Championship tomorrow and needs his rest.

Chapter 10 – Present Day

Gabe and I make our way out to the blue machine when Trent comes jogging over to us.

“Maddy, wait up.”  He yells over to me.

“What’s up Trent?”  I turn around Gabe following my lead.

“Can I talk to you for a second?”  He asks.

I look back to Gabe and then back to Trent.  “Sure”

“Privately Maddy.  No offense Gabe.” 

“Umm…Ok” I am hesitant to go with him.

“I can take her home Gabe, go ahead and do what you have to.”  He informs Gabe once I am walking over to him.

“You ok with that Maddy?”  Gabe asks me. 

“Why wouldn’t she be?”  Trent says angrily.

“Do you really want me to list the reasons?”  Gabe spats back at Trent.

“Stop it guys.”  I look at Trent, “Give me a second.”  I walk over towards Gabe.

“Thank you for your concern but Trent can take me home.  I know you said you had stuff to do so please go ahead and do it.”  I put my hand on his shoulder.

“Maddy, you don’t have to go with him.  I can stay while you talk and then take you home.”  I see the pleading look in his eyes.  He doesn’t want me to stay with Trent.

“Go Gabe, its fine.  I assume you are picking me up for Great Adventures tomorrow?”  I try to divert his attention to something else hoping he will let this go.  The last thing I need is for them to fight.

I smile comes across his lips.  “Well, of course.  I will pick you up at nine.”

“Why does everything have to be so early?”  I whine.

“Rest up tonight Madgirl, big day tomorrow.”  He laughs. 

I start my way back towards Trent who is resting with his back up against the wall one foot propped behind him looking completely annoyed.

“Madgirl?”  Gabe yells over.  I turn around.  “You have my number, call me if you need anything.”

“I will Gabe, thanks.”  I wave at him.

“About time, I swear you wouldn’t know he was my brother going after my girl all the time.”  Trent says irritated.

“Trent, I am not your girl stop saying that.”  I snap at him.

“You are more my girl than his girl.” 

“I’m not anyone’s girl.”  I scream at him.  I notice a couple of people walking across the street stop and look at us.  At this point I don’t care.  “You sure didn’t seem to care back at Taps with blondie practically giving you a lap dance.”

“Mad, you know I have to make the fans happy.” 

“Do you really think a blonde bimbo would ruin your career if you told her she couldn’t sit on your lap and whisper things in your ear?  Give me a break Trent.”

“I really don’t want to argue Maddy.”  Trent pleads.  I could see he is leading us to the river.

“I know Trent.  I don’t want to either.  What did you want to talk to me about?”  I try to stay on point.  No reason to relive the past.

“May I?”  He looks down at my hand.

“No”

“Come on Maddy.  I need to touch you when I talk to you.”

“You lost that right Trent.  My patience is getting short, spill it.” 

“Fine” he stops us at a bench on the river’s edge.  “Will you at least sit down?”

I oblige him and sit down.

“I miss you.”  His blue eyes meet mine and I see the truth in his words.

“I know.  You told me that numerous times over the past year.”  I am curt and rude.

“I am sorry I never saw it before.  I’m sorry for taking you for granted.”  He apologizes.

“I don’t really want to talk about this Trent.  This week is hard enough being back let alone dealing with us as well.”

“Ok, I’m sorry Maddy.  I should have realized I am probably making it hard on you...” he sat on the bench next to me taking my hand now without my permission but I didn’t fight him, I couldn’t.  He knew why it was so hard to be home.  He had been the one there for me to comfort me with my nightmares.

“Thanks Trent.”  I squeeze his hand.

“How about we do something fun?”  A smirk comes across his mouth.

“I was just going to lounge around.”  I say.

“Not today.”  He pulls me up by my hand taking me over to his Mercedes.

“Where are you taking me?”  I ask.

“Surprise” he winks at me opening the door to his car.

I watch him make his way over to his side and it amazes how comfortable this still feels to me.

I awake hearing horns honking and a lot of traffic.  When I open my eyes I notice we are in a city.  Milwaukee?  Then I see Watertower Place.  He took me to Chicago.

“Why are we in Chicago?”  I ask Trent in an angry tone.

“Oh good you finally woke up.”  He says.  “You must have been tired you were asleep before we hit the freeway.”

“Sorry, I didn’t get much sleep last night.  Again Trent, why are we in Chicago?”

“I have to show you something.”  He pulls into an underground parking garage.

I see him swipe a card through the slot and the yellow gate opens.  He parks in front of a sign that says Resident Only.

I get out of the car when he stops and he meets me at the side grabbing my hand but I pull it away.  He looks over at me annoyed but says nothing.  We walk over to the elevator and he hits a button.  I stand there irritated, dressed in capris and a t-shirt. I take my ponytail out combing my hair with my fingers.  The elevator alone looks fancy and upscale.

The elevator stops and I follow him down to the end of the hall.  He enters his key and when I walk in I can’t believe what I see, a completely empty condo.  There isn’t a couch or table.  Not a rug or even paint on the walls.  It is a blank canvas.  I walk over to the windows and it overlooks the lake and just to the right you can see the Navy Pier Ferris wheel.  It is breathtaking.

“Trent, this is magnificent.  What a great place.”  I exclaim.

“I thought so.  I wasn’t going to buy anything since I am always moving around but I couldn’t help myself.”

“Do you mind?”  I motion towards the hallway to look it over.

“Not at all.”  He puts his hand out welcoming me to explore.

Down the hall there are two small empty bedrooms with a bathroom between them.  At the end of the hall is the master bedroom.  A king size bed sits in the middle between two windows with some dressers and nightstands all matching.  Other than that the room is bare. 

I veer to the left and find the master bathroom.  There is a Jacuzzi tub along the wall that overlooks the lake with a separate shower that has showerheads on either side facing each other.  Marbled double vanities with separate mirrors on the opposite wall.   I see Trent’s favorite toothpaste on the counter along with his cologne.  In the shower is the hair products we both prefer but my loofa isn’t hanging from the shower knob just Trent’s washcloth is there.  A sudden pang of grief fills me.

To my right is a walk in closet with Trent’s clothes strewn about.  His suits are hung with precision according to color.  His button down shirts look newly dry cleaned hung up in groups of stripes, plain and plaids.  Pants, sweaters and shirts are stacked in the shelves built from ceiling to floor. His shoes are aligned at the bottom in the shoe racks from his few pairs of dress shoes to his twenty pairs of soccer shoes.  The whole right hand side of the closet is bare except for one dress hanging.  The dress I wore the last night I was with him.  Water is filling my eyes and I will it to stop.  Suppress those feelings Maddy I tell myself.

“It’s an amazing condo Trent.”  I walk out of the closet quickly trying to forget what I saw.

“As you can see though I am in desperate need for a decorator.  Know anyone?”  A smile creeps across his face.

“Don’t Trent.”  I warn him, my eyes narrowing.

“Don’t what?  Ask the best decorator I know to decorate my place?”  He sits on the edge of the bed and briefly I think how much it would cost to have a taxi drive me home.

“Don’t use the excuse of me decorating your condo to get me back in your life.”  I turn around pretending to be looking at things.  I can’t look him in the eyes.

“I am not going to deny I want you back.  I think I have made my intentions clear but I do need you to help me.  I thought we could go shopping today.” 

“I have dinner with my mom tonight.”  I keep my back turned looking at his watches on the dresser.

“Cancel, god knows she has on you, oh wait, your whole life she has cancelled on you.”  The bitterness in his voice is evident.

“She seems different since I came back.  I don’t know what the change is but I like it.”  I turn around facing him.  I can’t tell him not to talk about my mom like that; he lived that night with me.

“Probably some man again, should last about a month huh?” 

“Let’s agree not to talk about her right now.” 

“Will you cancel on her?”

“But I have Ian there too.”

“Perfect your mom can spend a night with a man she can’t have.  As much I would love to see that, I want to spend it with you that much more.”  He starts to stand up walking towards me.  “Come on Maddy.  I know you will give this place the touch I want.”

I bite my lip contemplating what to do. “Ok, but I have to be home no later than nine o’clock tonight, got it?”

“Got it.”

“No hand holding, no hugging, and no kissing.”

“Promise.”  He puts his hands in front of him then puts them behind his back as though they will stay there.

“Alright.”  I say begrudgingly.

“What are we waiting for then?  Let’s go.”  He starts to walk out of the room but I don’t follow.  He turns around at the doorway a look of disappointment in his eyes.  He thinks I changed my mind.

“We have to measure before we go out.  Since you kidnapped me.  I need a tape measure and pad of paper.”  I stand there knowing he doesn’t have that in his condo but to my surprise he doesn’t flinch walking over to his dresser. 

I gasp when he opens up the bottom drawer.  It is filled with all my things I must have left in his apartment back in New York.  My pajamas are on one side laundered and folded.  A couple of my interior design magazines, my idea book for his place in New York, along with pencils, note pads and a few tape measures.  My ponytail holders, nail polish and a small bottle of perfume lay in the drawer. 

“I couldn’t get rid of these things but didn’t want to give them back with the hope you would come looking for them.”  Trent sheepishly looks up at me.

“Gosh.  I don’t even know what to say.”  I bend down digging through my things not mentioning I have a box of my own.  “I grab a tape measure and a pad I had.  Let’s get started.” I quickly shut the drawer from my past.

We go from room to room measure windows and floors.  I try to figure out measurements for couches, chairs and tables; beds and dressers for the bedroom.  The tape measure springs back to Trent making him drop it in the living room and we both start laughing.  I forgot how easy he makes me laugh.  Once we had all our stuff, we head out to Michigan Avenue. 

After five stores and three arguments later Trent finally agrees with me on a couch.  He wants to make sure he can sink into it and I am set more about color and texture.  We compromise on a nice steel colored deep-set couch with a couple fabric decorated chairs.  Once we are done with the couch Trent didn’t really have any input except when it came to the beds.

I am able to talk him into going to a mattress store and he convinced me to lay with him on each one.  We giggle our way through the stiff as a board beds to the sink hole beds.  Trent never crosses the line until he has to pull me out of a bed with both his hands and when he brings me up there is so much force I end up in his arms.

“Sorry” I step back.

“Don’t ever be sorry for running into me.  I quite enjoyed it.”  He winks that crystal blue eye at me.

With most of the furniture taken care of it was getting late and I knew I didn’t want to furnish the rest of his place with items you can find from a furniture place, I wanted to go to flea markets and antique stores to fill his condo with unique items that suited him.  I wanted to put up pictures of his family he loved so much and frame his soccer achievements.  Those things would take time, time I didn’t know if I would ever get to or wanted to.

“You hungry?”  He asks me.

“Starving actually.”  I admit putting my hand over my stomach.

“I have just the place.”  He takes my hand leading me out of the store and I don’t pull away.  Noticing I don’t take my hand back he glances back with a smile on his face.

“It better be casual, look at me.”  I remark.

“You look gorgeous like always.”  He says without looking back at me.

“You’ve always been a sweet talker Trent Basso.”  I laugh.

“Did you say Trent Basso?”  A dark haired guy stops us in the street.

Oh great here we go again.

“Oh shit man, I am a huge fan.  I have followed you since college.”  The guy remarks hitting the blond guy next to him in disbelief.

“Thanks, that means a lot to me.”  Trent puts his other hand out to shake the guys hand but keeps my hand firmly in his. 

“I can’t believe you are playing for Chicago, how we got you I have no idea.”  The blonde chimes in now.