Mad Summer Love

What Envelope?

Maddox stood with her, surprised by the suddenness. “Summer, I am sorry I hurt you. Nothing turned out the way I hoped.”

She fought the urge to tell him her story and how her life could've turned out so different had he just stayed with her, but it was his story they were working on, not hers.

So, instead, she turned to him and gave him a half-hearted smile. “For me either.”

“I know. I know it's all my fault. I wish I could take it back, but I can't.” Maddox took a step toward her. “Seeing you again, talking to you...I never stopped loving you, Summer.”

Summer tried to blink back the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes. She tried to bite back her words, but they spilled out of her anyway. “I just want to know why you couldn't have at least told me it was 'for my own good' or whatever, especially after I left that envelope for you.”

“Because, I wouldn't have been able to. I would have caved. I didn't trust myself to make the decision.” Maddox paused. That was the second time she had said something about trying to see him. “Wait. What envelope?”

Summer's face fell. It must have been that unmemorable to him for him to forget. She shook her head in disbelief. “Nevermind. It doesn't matter anymore. I really have to go.”

She quickly hurried out the door and started running up the alley to the nearest street to hail a cab. She knew she should have given the story to someone else.

Maddox followed her to the street and grabbed her wrist, gently. “What envelope?” he repeated.

Summer didn't expect after the previous day's debacle that Maddox would actually follow her. When she felt him grab her wrist, she stopped, then turned around to look at him and sighed. “Do you really not remember?”

“I never received any envelope from you; I swear.”

Summer shook her head. “I knew he was shady. He said he was your uncle and that he would give it to you, but I'm guessing he never did?”

“I don't have an uncle, just two aunts.” He shook his head. “No one ever gave it to me.”

Summer sighed. She should have demanded to give it to him herself. She looked at her watch again. “Look, Maddox. I really need to go for now or I'm going to be late. Can we meet up later? I'll tell you then.”

Letting go of her wrist, he nodded. “Call and let me know where to meet you, I will be there.”

He was racking his brain trying to figure out why the envelope was hidden from him. One of his men would have just delivered it.

Summer hurried to try and hail a cab, which sometimes proved difficult. She was fully aware that Maddox was still standing behind her. “Are you just going to stand there and look at my ass all day or are you gonna help me hail a cab?" she asked him with a smirk as she tried to wave down taxis.

Maddox shook his head. “I can do both.”

He quickly put his fingers to his mouth and whistled, before she could react to the flirtation. A moment later a black limo pulled up.

“This is easier,” he said, opening the door.

Summer hesitated, looking between Maddox and the limo. “No, no. A cab is fine. Really.” She stepped away and continued to try hailing a cab. “Thank you though.”

“Summer, look around. Is this the part of town you want a cab to pick you up in?” Maddox put a hand on the small of her back. “Please?”

Summer's heart did somersaults at his touch. She didn't want to get in the limo, but he was right. “OK,” she caved and climbed in, sliding over for him.

Maddox slid in beside Summer, he was close enough to feel the heat off her body and it was making his heart race. “Where to?”

Summer scribbled out an address on a piece of her notebook paper that she tore off. “This is the address, if you'll hand it to your driver, please?" she asked, giving the folded piece of paper to Maddox.

Maddox took the slip and gave her a confused look. “Sure,” he agreed as he gave it to the driver. “You heard her.”

As she sat there, she had flashes of their Prom. “You remember the last time we were in a limo together?” she asked, giving him a half-smile.

He nodded. “I do. We're in the same one.”

Her smile faded slightly and she looked out the window at the busy streets going by. “Yeah, unfortunately, there's no need to celebrate this time.”

Maddox watched Summer as she stared out the window. Sitting there, where they once sipped champagne during what remains the greatest night of his life, made him wish they could go back to that night. It made him wish he could have foreseen the future and ran away with her. Nothing he did seemed worth it anymore.

He touched her hand to get her attention. “We have time. What was in the envelope?”

Summer sighed and turned to him, her hand unmoving. “Why didn't you ever return my calls? And don't tell me it was for my protection. I left several messages, crying. I know you could hear me crying as I begged you to call me back, Maddox. Tell me, did it not affect you?”

Again Maddox cast her a confused look. “I didn't get any messages. I thought you were so hurt that you forgot about me. Or. That's what I wanted to believe.”

Summer shook her head. “So, everyone was trying to keep us apart then?” It was a rhetorical question that needed no answer.

Just then, the limo came to a stop. “It is disheartening really,” she said as she got out of the limo, leaving the door open, figuring he would most likely follow her. Some old habits die hard.

Maddox took the cue and followed her. “I might know who.” He looked around. “Where are we?”

“You might know who, what?” she asked him, confused by his statement. “Clearly it was everyone. Mystery solved.”

There were a herd of kids coming down the sidewalk and Summer stopped, waiting for them to move before she proceeded on with Maddox at her heel.

“If only you would have gotten that envelope or my messages, maybe things would've turned out differently.”

Suddenly, she stopped and turned around. She didn't realize how close she was to him, but it made her heartbeat quicken again. “I really wish things would have been different.”

She looked him in the eyes, flashing down at his lips and back to his eyes. God, how she wanted to kiss him. “This is not how I wanted this to turn out.”

Right at that moment, came a voice from behind them. “Mommy, who's your friend?”