Rise Like The Sun

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

NICK

Nick waits outside of her house, having roared up beautifully on his motorbike simply to see her grimace at him and turn her usually practiced, pleasant smile into a genuine scowl. He's noticed that the smile she usually plasters across her face is fake but the scowl that she reserves for him is completely genuine. It's like when he saw her true face and feelings in that night, when he saw her mask break away under the dark night sky, where she seemed human, for once.

Sometimes Nick hates how he catches himself thinking about that night.

But he's not alone, he realises, as he turns his head to eye the man standing on the gravel. The man is in a government business suit, Nick realises. He's a suit. He reminds himself that he hasn't done anything wrong, lately, when the man looks at him, steely eyes staring at him in curiousity. He looks so familiar, Nick realises, his brows furrowing together.

"Are you here for Madison?" the man asks, his voice low and deep.

Nick nods warily. "Are you?"

The man lets out a sigh. "If she'll see me," he confesses heavily. Nick eyes him in confusion and the man explains, "I'm her father."

"Oh." Nick blinks.

Madison's never mentioned her dad, he realises. He can't think how he didn't connect the dots before. They have the same eyes.

"I've come to repent," the man murmurs under his breath and his lips quirk upwards humourlessly. "Are you her friend, then? Or something more?"

Nick almost chokes at the insinuation.

The thought of being anything more to Madison, in that way, makes him grow strangely hot all over. Nick shakes his head quickly, denying everything, as he turns uncomfortable, his cheeks growing a brilliant red.

"No, no, I'm not – I mean, we're not – ," he begins to say heavily, stumbling over his words as quickly as he can, his eyes wide.

Madison's father is eyeing him carefully but before Nick can continue to make a fool out of himself, Madison comes out of the house. She has a brilliant scowl perched at the edge of her lips, her gaze drawn disparagingly towards his motorbike and her lips turn down.

"If you think I'm riding that thing –," Madison begins, her eyes hard, before she breaks herself off, noticing her father.

It is then that Nick notices a change overcome Madison's features. She startles very slightly, her lips parting and something like longing flits across her face as she stares at her father. For his part, her father is attempting to smile bravely, his eyes bright as he lifts a hand to wave stupidly.

"Madison," he says, almost breathless, and wow, Nick has never heard so much love in one voice. "Sweetheart, it's so good to see –,"

"You don't get to call me that," Madison snaps at him. Her voice is taut and her eyes are too bright so she blinks fiercely. "You don't get to call me anything. Did you not get the message or do I have to ignore you some more? I don't want to see you! I have never wanted to see you. I do not need you anymore."

"Madison," her father begins, looking utterly distraught. "Madison, let me explain."

Nick feels uncomfortable, accidentally intruding on something that's way too private for his stupid ass. He wonders whether he ought to step away and then wonders why does this kind of thing always end up happening to him?

"You know what," Madison snarls out.

Though she's angry, Nick can recognise the slight nuances of her face, telling him that she's really not okay. She looks like she's shattering through everything and he knows that, in her wrapped up storm of fury, she doesn't remember that he's here.