Love in the Heartland

by Diana Currie

  Nathan could see she was starting to panic. “Come on, Maddie. You’ve made it very clear how you feel about Los Angeles, but I was hoping that by being here you might change your mind just a tiny little bit,” he said with frustration. “I’m not asking you to love it here, just don’t despise it so much!”

  “Good. I’m glad to hear you have reasonable expectations because I’m never going to love it here. The only thing I love in this Godforsaken town is you!” she shouted.

  Nathan’s eyes bulged and Maddie realized what she had said. Her face turned pink as he stared at her in silence. “Do you mean that?” he finally asked.

  “Which part?” she whispered.

  “I think you know which part. Women say that to me all the time, I need to know if you mean it.” Nathan took a step towards her and felt his heart pounding inside his chest.

  “I know they do, that’s why I was determined not to say it before you did,” Maddie pouted.

  “Well, you blew it, Angel, because I know what I heard. You were speaking very loudly.”

  “I’m sorry about that. I don’t know what came over me.”

  “You’re upset; it’s understandable. We’re going to figure this out together, I promise. I’m not letting you get away from me,” Nathan said as he came to stand directly in front of her.

  “I love you, Nathan,” Maddie said shyly.

  Nathan smiled brightly and pulled her into his arms. “I love you, Maddie. I need you, I want you, and I love you.”

  Maddie looked up into his green eyes and knew that he meant what he said. She felt safe with him despite the mayhem that surrounded his life. She knew it was all an illusion; a false reality that she would have to learn to live with. It would just take some time to adjust to it. Even if there were cameras or questions to deal with back home it wouldn’t be the same media circus that Nathan dealt with in L.A. They would figure it out together. Maddie wasn’t throwing in the towel just when their relationship had hit such a momentous milestone.

  Nathan loved her. She was in love. With a movie star. Life was about to get interesting.

  Chapter Twenty Three

  It was surreal returning to the flat landscape of Texas after being in Los Angeles, but to her relief Amarillo looked the same when Maddie arrived Saturday evening as it had when she left a week earlier. She feared the worst kind of homecoming after finding her name and picture all over the internet, but luckily the only person waiting for Maddie at the airport was her mother. She hugged Sandy tightly and for the first time since leaving Nathan’s side, Maddie felt like she could breathe again. She missed him so much but it felt really good to be home too.

  Sandy was obviously excited to see her. “I want to hear about everything!” she gushed as they drove home from the airport. “How was the weather? Did he take you to his movie studio? What was that like? Did you meet any famous people? Was Nathan’s house as big as you thought it would be?”

  “Slow down, Mom,” Maddie replied with a small smile.

  “You seem sad. Was it hard leaving him?”

  Maddie sighed. “It was difficult saying goodbye at his house. He couldn’t ride with me to the airport because the paparazzi were parked outside the gates of his neighborhood when I left. Can you believe that?”

  “Really?” Sandy said with a tone that Maddie thought sounded like fascination rather than empathy.

  “Yeah. I was scared they could see me through the tinted glass so I ducked my head as the limo passed them all. It was humiliating.”

  “Let’s talk about something else then. What about his brother? What was Garrett like?” Sandy asked.

  “Garrett was… loud, fun, and mischievous. And I think he was on his best behavior!” Maddie laughed.

  “What kinds of places did Nathan take you to?”

  “A few restaurants and the beach. We had to lay low, Mom, so we wouldn’t get swarmed by cameras.”

  “But you did get caught at least once. Holly showed me the pictures,” Sandy said. “When she couldn’t get a hold of you she came to the house to see if we’d heard from you.”

  Maddie rolled her eyes dramatically. “Holly is acting sympathetic but I think she’s secretly thrilled about this.”

  Sandy chuckled. “Let her have her fun. If it was any other girl you’d be right there with Holly trying to find out everything you could about her. So how does it feel to be the center of attention?”

  “It’s unreal, like a dream. L.A. and Amarillo are polar opposites. Somuch commotion surrounded us as we left that club; that’s when all the pictures were taken. And I know the Internet is still melting down over the rumors that Nathan Foster has a girlfriend and that the girl is me, but I already feel so far removed from that world. Now that I’m home I feel completely ordinary again. It’s a strange feeling being me… but also being that mystery woman. It’s like I have an alter ego named Madeline and it’s her everyone is talking about.”

  “I love that they’re using your full name!” Sandy gushed.

  “Mom.”

  “What?”

  “Nothing,” Maddie replied knowing that Sandy didn’t like it when Maddie disparaged her full name.

  “You’re being such a downer! Didn’t you just spend a week in California? With your boyfriend? I hope you weren’t this moody with Nathan. I want to hear about his movie and the mansion! It must have been luxurious.”

  “I’m not moody; I just miss him already,” Maddie said. “I don’t feel like talking about everything I’ve just left behind.”

  “Well, fine then. I’ll ask Nathan myself next time he stays at our house. When is he coming to see you again?”

  “I don’t know, Mom. He’s starting a new project soon after he’s done with this one. It might be a while before I see him,” Maddie replied and turned her head to gaze out the window.

  She continued watching the flat farmlands that they passed along the way home. It wasn’t going to be easy living her normal life after witnessing Nathan’s wild and chaotic one. That fast-paced town would go on without her, and Maddie wondered how far behind she would fall being excluded from it. She had no desire to go back there anytime soon, but she knew a lot would be happening and even more would be said in her absence. The paparazzi wouldn’t forget her face even after it disappeared from their camera lens.

  As the next few weeks went by, Maddie felt more and more of the pressure that she’d known would follow her home. Holly was dutifully keeping tabs on the media’s interest in her relationship with Nathan and little by little information was being uncovered. Two weeks after her identity was made public, the media figured out the name of Maddie’s school. It wasn’t long before people started looking around campus to see if they could find this “Madeline” person who was making headlines. To some of them it was exciting having a celebrity’s girlfriend in their midst, but many others didn’t care one way or the other.

  Still, heads started turning on campus and she felt like there was almost always someone looking at her quizzically. Only a few girls had the nerve to ask Maddie if she was really the girl in the photographs. Holly acted as her unofficial publicist saying, “we don’t have a comment at this time,” or “the resemblance is striking but it’s not her in the photos you’re referencing.” Maddie followed Holly’s lead and it seemed to be effective in dealing with most of the whispering on campus grounds.

  Unfortunately, all her fellow classmates knew her name so there was no denying the connection between her and the famous actor while she was seated in class. A few people were interested and asked her if the rumors were true. Did she really know Nathan Foster? Was she dating him? Maddie simply admitted that it was her, but that she was out with a large group of friends when the photographs were taken. She was careful not to admit anything more than having spent that one night in Nathan’s inner circle.

  The attention Maddie was receiving was mild compared to the paparazzi, but it was still annoying to know people were talking about her behind her back. She reminded he
rself that in a month the semester would be over and she wouldn’t have to deal with it over summer vacation. She didn’t know yet what those months would bring. Her internship was over and she hadn’t made any concrete commitments to the medical research lab because she was waiting to see if Nathan would invite her back to Los Angeles. His next project would be filming through June, but then what? Maddie knew Nathan’s Tomorrow and Forever commitments didn’t pick up again until October when it was time to promote the movie’s release. Would Nathan want her to visit again? And more importantly, did Maddie want to go back there? For the time being she wanted to concentrate on finishing the semester and getting through finals with as little media attention as possible.

  There were far worse forms of attention than campus whispering, as Maddie soon learned in late April when her Facebook account was hacked. The offending party posted some fake posts about how she had “screwed Nathan Foster’s brains out the night before” and how “she had never known how good dick could taste.” Maddie was mortified and cancelled her entire account as tears streamed down her cheeks. She was shocked that someone could do such a cruel thing and wondered why anyone cared enough about her to do it in the first place.

  When she told Nathan about the hack, he was furious and said he intended to put a personal phone call in to Mark Zuckerberg immediately. That shocked and embarrassed Maddie further and she begged him not to do it. She convinced him that it was her own fault for using her campus email address as the username and “Nathan Foster” as the password. She felt naive and stupid for making such an easily preventable mistake.

  After the Facebook hack, Nathan told her that he would do whatever it took to make her feel safe. Maddie thanked him but she knew there was nothing he could do to stop the gossip. She felt cut off from the world without social media, but Holly couldn’t convince her to create an alias account. She was still mortified when she thought about those offensive posts that all her friends had seen; high school friends, Kyle and their cousins, even her biology professor. It didn’t seem worth the risk so she vowed to stick to cell phone only communication.

  It was less than a week later when she started receiving phone calls from tabloid journalists and internet bloggers who’d tracked down her phone number. They asked for interviews and she politely declined every time. The calls started coming so frequently that Maddie just turned the ringer off on her phone. She missed a few calls from Nathan because she couldn’t hear the ring anymore and that made him nervous when he couldn’t get a hold of her. When she explained to Nathan that she’d been contacted by the media he reacted even worse than after the Facebook incident.

  “I don’t know how they got my number,” she explained one night during their usual bedtime phone call.

  “Your Facebook hacker might have found it in the private account information. Don’t worry, I’ve taken care of it,” Nathan replied.

  “How have you taken care of it?” Maddie asked warily.

  Nathan was furious about the way Maddie was being hounded by the media. He’d been so sure that if they weren’t photographed again after that one night the paparazzi would dismiss the idea that he had a girlfriend and move on. There had been nothing to fuel their fire since that one time outside the Marmont and even then, there were other people with them. It was speculation at best that he and Maddie were out that night as a couple. As Melissa had reminded him, it took very little truth for the pap to run with a story.

  “Did you get your mail today?” he asked trying not to huff too loudly into the phone. He was running on the treadmill to adhere to his new grueling exercise regimen.

  “No, why?”

  “Go see if there’s a box at the door.”

  Maddie smiled into the phone. “Why? Did my boyfriend send me something?”

  “Perhaps. Out of necessity.”

  “Please God, don’t let it be another video game system,” she teased as she walked down the steps to the front door.

  “Not God… baby, just…” Nathan huffed and puffed.

  “Are you ever going to drop that joke?” Maddie asked lightly. “Why do you sound like you’re running a marathon?”

  “Treadmill… Gotta get ripped… Next role… US Marine.”

  “When does filming start on that movie?”

  “Not until the end of May. Meetings start next week. And I’m doing… ten days of boot camp… with real Iraqi war veterans.”

  Maddie was excited to hear more about Nathan’s newest project. This was the movie that he was so intent on being a part of that he almost turned down the offer on Tomorrow and Forever because of the scheduling conflicts. As luck would have it, the director of this post-war biopic was so invested in having Nathan play the lead role that they postponed production until he was available.

  She would ask him more about that project later; her attention was currently focused on the large box that she was carrying into the house. “What have you done, Slugger?”

  “Did you open it?” he asked excitedly.

  “I’m on it. Hold on just a second…” she said as she struggled with the packaging tape. “Oh my God, you’ve lost your mind.”

  Nathan rolled his eyes and reduced the speed on the treadmill for a two-minute cool down pace. “Why do you reject all forms of technology, Angel?”

  “An iPad, a MacBook Pro, an Apple Watch, and an iPhone! You realize I have no idea how to operate all this Star Trek equipment, right?”

  Nathan laughed out loud. “Star Trek? No, baby, it’s not futuristic. I’m sure most of your classmates have the same products. I’ll have an Apple Genius come to your house to set it up if you want.”

  “Thank you, I think. Why did you send me this, besides your compulsion for unnecessary gift giving?”

  “It started with the phone, but the salesman was very good at his job. I’m paying for the account so don’t worry about usage or data. I wanted you to have a new, secure phone number. Now you do. I’ve already programmed the Caller ID blocker. And there’s a note inside the box with your new number. Just be careful who you give it to.”

  “Wow. I don’t know what to say.”

  “Say as soon as you figure out how to operate the phone you will call me so we can do Face Time.”

  “Ok, I will. But why do you sound like you’re about to hang up?” she asked.

  Nathan stepped off the treadmill and wiped his face with a towel. “Because I am. I need to shower and then pack for my trip to Vancouver, remember? I’m meeting with the director of my new movie.”

  “Oh, right. When is that, tomorrow?” Maddie asked sitting down on a stool at the kitchen island.

  “Yes, but Stanley’s picking me up soon for the flight. I’m really nervous because my director’s introducing me to Andre Peters.”

  “Who’s that?”

  “The soldier with PTSD the whole movie’s based on. I’ve been in video conferences with him when we had meetings about production but this is the first time seeing him in person. His life story is amazing and he’s accomplished so much. I’m really nervous to meet him.”

  “Wow, you sound like a big fan,” Maddie mused.

  “I wouldn’t quite say I’m his fan per se. The man is an American hero. I’m honored to get the opportunity to meet him.”

  “Did they give the movie a name yet?”

  “Probably Shock and Awe, same as the book. Did you read it yet?”

  Maddie looked across the room to the small shelf in the living room where she placed the book when Nathan mailed it to her a few months ago. “Erm, no. Not yet.”

  “It’s an amazing story, Maddie. You should read it; then you’ll understand what I mean when I say I’m nervous meeting him.”

  Maddie smiled sadly. She knew there would be plenty of time for her to read that book and lots of others before she’d see her boyfriend again. He just wrapped up one project and was about to throw himself into another. She was excited for him; two big budget movies back to back. It seemed like his career was really taking o
ff. Her selfish side wondered what that would mean for their relationship.

  “I should let you get yourself ready for the trip,” she said trying to sound positive.

  “Alright. I’ll call you once the plane lands.”

  “Have a safe flight, Nathan.”

  “I love you.”

  “Love you too.”

  Maddie hung up the phone and searched through the cardboard box of Apple products looking for the note Nathan had mentioned. When she found it her eyes filled with unshed tears. Nathan had written down a few simple instructions and her new telephone number on a sheet of canary yellow stationary. Little gestures like that made Maddie think that perhaps they could make it together after all.

  In Los Angeles, Nathan set his phone down on the bed and thought about Maddie for a few more moments before heading into the bathroom for a shower. His mind soon drifted back to her as it often did when he was in the glass shower stall in his bathroom. He always remembered the excitement in Maddie’s eyes when they had shared that space and she dropped to her knees unexpectedly. Every day since then Nathan had relived the experience as the water cascaded down around him. He couldn’t help but feel her hot mouth on him again, sucking his length in deeply and teasing with a touch of her teeth.

  Nathan pressed one hand against the tiled wall and wrapped the other around his erection. His hand was a poor substitute for the woman who was quickly becoming the love of his life, but one that he was now settling for on a daily basis. He rarely masturbated before meeting Maddie; there always seemed to be a girl around when he needed one back then. Those were the old days; everything was different now and even when he brought himself to orgasm the only woman in his mind was his angel.

  The limousine was already waiting outside Nathan’s house as he jogged down the stairs with his luggage. Stanley was at the door and took both bags from him. “Are you ready to go, Nathan?”