The hairs on Madison's skin rose as she realized that she let those words slip. She knew she had to tell her family the truth soon, but it was not the time. It would ruin Melody's wedding and she dared not do that.
"Just forget it." Before her mother could have said another word, Madison ran up the steps and into her room. Just like she did when she was younger, she locked herself away from facing reality.
CHAPTER NINE
Madison laid on the bed staring into blank space all night, time flew by and it was finally morning. So, she got up and took a long shower before changing into something comfortable.
She took her laptop out from her suitcase and tried to pass the time with some writing.
‘Her eyes like polished glass, too mesmerizing not to stare at…’ She repeatedly pressed the delete button until each word was erased. ‘Her eyes tell of stories the stars count as few. She holds the mystery...’ She deleted everything again and closed her computer feeling frustrated with her lack of imagination.
She placed her laptop on the bed and searched her suitcase. She found something she did not have a use for since she had arrived, her cell phone. The battery was dead as usual, and she realized she had forgotten the charger. If phones were not of such importance in everyone's life, she would not have had one, but she needed it to contact her publisher and a few other people, though could have lived without it.
She threw the phone aside. ‘What was the point of a high-tech phone if the battery died?’ She thought before exiting her room frustrated. She was a bit moody and felt if someone spoke she would have exploded. Luckily, no one seemed to be home. Melody must have stayed over at Troy’s place.
Her father must have been at work as usual, even though it was the weekend. As for her mother, she did not care once the woman was not in any proximity to her.
She took a bottle of water out of the refrigerator and chugged it down. It was the only thing consumable that her mother stored inside of the refrigerator. She disposed of the empty water bottle, and then took a seat on one of the kitchen stools recollecting her thoughts.
She touched her face knowing that she was losing weight from her lack of eating, beneath her eyes were a bit baggy but looked unnoticeable enough. Her lips were constantly dry but her constant licking helped with that. All in all, Madison was fine enough to go about. But soon she knew it was all going to change.
She heard the sound of the doorbell and got up from the stool. ‘Who could it be?’ If it was those holy Christians who came to your door in the name of the Lord, she was going to strangle one of them, but surprisingly enough it was someone she least expected, Victoria.
"Hey." She said faintly looking at the beautiful woman in front of her. She was wearing a knee length, bright yellow dress that showed what Madison saw bare the day before.
"Why aren't you dressed?" Madison was confused. ‘Dressed for what?’ Victoria sensed her confusion and explained.
"Lunch with my family, remember. If you don't want to come, you don't have to."
Madison bit down her lip realizing that she completely forgot about that. "Give me ten minutes to get dressed." Victoria nodded and entered the house closing the door behind her. Madison ran up the stairs and into her room. Victoria decided to follow behind her with a smirk on her face.
She opened the door without knocking and saw a half-naked Madison searching through her suitcase. Well her mother could have waited a little while longer.
Victoria shut the bedroom door behind her and twitched the lock. She walked slowly over to Madison taking in the half-naked woman. Madison stopped searching through her suitcase. She looked at the beauty in front of her hoping she was thinking the same thing she was.
Madison knew that was the case when Victoria grabbed her by the waist. She used her index finger to travel beneath the lace of Madison's underwear. Her finger continued to tease the sweet flesh below Madison's stomach. Victoria then grabbed Madison's jaw positioning their faces together in a kiss.
A simple kiss. No tongue. Just lip on lip. But it felt like more. "You know if we don't stop now, I don't think we are going to make it for lunch," Madison said.
"Well, finally, we will have to make it quick." Victoria grinned...
****
Madison was in a house that she was in maybe once before. She could not have remembered the exact time, but she knew the surroundings were a bit familiar.
Victoria guided her to the dining room where everyone else already sat. She felt bad that she kept everyone waiting and blushed at the reason they took so long. "Good morning." She greeted everyone. She then saw that her mother was there also and mentally rolled her eyes. ‘What was she doing there?’
But instead of having a fowl expression she held her gleaming face. She wanted to make a good impression on Victoria's mother. Melody was also there with Troy and they all were dressed up. Then, she realized which day it was, Sunday. Which meant everyone went to the church including Victoria.
She took a seat between her sister and Victoria and everyone's eyes seemed to be on her. She was a bit self-conscious since she was only wearing a light blue above the knee dress. It was not inappropriate, but she felt like the odd one out.
Everyone held onto each other's hands as Victoria's mother said grace. Madison was an atheist, but she respected everyone else's beliefs unless they tried to criticize her own.
Prayers were over, Madison mentally sighed thinking of the last time she actually prayed. Well, she did not pray but to be surrounded by a group of strong believers of the works of God. She wondered how Victoria was still a believer in God. His teachings criticized the LGBT community. From how Victoria operated in bed she definitely was with a woman before. It meant she was a lesbian or even if she were a bisexual, it was still against her religion.
"Are you okay?" Melody asked her sister concerned since Madison had been staring at her lap for quite a while.
"Yea, just thinking," Madison said truthfully.
"So, Madison, how is life in New York? I heard you are a writer of some sort." Victoria's mother said. The woman looked at Madison with that look as if she were trying to read her. From what Madison had put together so far, Victoria's mother definitely knew that she liked women. But what she wanted to know was how the woman accepted it since she was a religious person. But she knew that everyone was not like her own mother. Who could not have accepted their own daughter?
"New York is as described. Busy. Loud sometimes and wonderful. As for my writing, I do not see myself publishing another book for now at least."
"Well finally. I thought you were never going to stop writing such trash." Madison felt a pang of anger hit her. But she took a few breaths calming herself down and faked her usual smile.
She felt a hand on her exposed thigh and knew that it was Victoria. The touch calmed Madison down instantly. "So, what do you plan on doing if you do not see a future in writing anymore?"
Victoria's mother questioned. It seemed that she was concerned that her daughter was picking up with a ‘no good.’ Well, only if she knew that there was no picking up at all.
"My book sales in the past have given me enough money to take my time to choose whatever I will be doing next. My accountant said that with my spending habits I could live out my entire life with the money I have now." It was actually true. The only thing that Madison spent a lot of money on was her health. Well, with the exceptional trips to Fifth Avenue.
"So, you are not looking for a job anytime soon?" That was when her mother butted in again. Her comment earlier already made Madison's nerves to be on edge. Madison nodded and focused on the empty plate in front of her. Everyone else had already taken whatever was offered. But Madison's appetite was cut for some reason.
"I do not need to as I said." She said through gritted teeth.
"Aren't you going to eat anything?" Victoria asked trying to change the topic.
"I think my appetite has been cut." She looked over at her mother. "But I will try some of the sa
lad." Victoria smiled and handed her the salad bowl.
Amanda eyed the two suspiciously. They looked too close, but as far as she knew Victoria was dating some guy, so she shook the thought out of her head.
"So, Madison, why weren't you in church?" A guy asked from across the table. He was Victoria's brother who was about ten years older. Madison did not really know him since he was never around while they were in high school.
"I forgot it was Sunday," Madison said truthfully and her mother laughed.
‘What was that woman's problem?’ "Do you have something you want to say, mother?" Madison asked, and the old woman could not have helped to roll her eyes at her daughter.
"Nothing." She said nonchalantly.
"If I am not a believer you do not have to be embarrassed to tell anyone. I am not so why should you?"
"You just seem to have lied there when you said you forgot it is Sunday."
"I didn't lie, not that it would have made a difference. You know that I stopped going to church as soon as you could not force me anymore."
"I made you go because I wanted to say that I at least tried to redeem your sins."
Madison took a deep breath. The table felt tense. "Mind explaining these sins to the table. I don't mind so go ahead." Madison tried to annoy her mother. She knew her mother would have never said anything, but she wanted her to. "Cat got your tongue mother?" Madison asked when the older woman did not say anything. It was evident of the redness that was forming on the woman's cheeks. Not of embarrassment but of anger.
"Madison." Melody nudged her sister in the arm. Madison ignored her. "My sins are none of your business and you can never change who I am. I think I should leave." Madison said knowing that she was causing a scene.
"Don't," Victoria said with her pleading, green eyes which made Madison's heart melt.
"Something is up with you two." Madison's mother said making her cringe. She would have never wanted to drag Victoria into the taunts of her mother's words.
"No there is not. Now if you excuse me. I have to check into a hotel." Victoria felt hurt that Madison did not consider the two as anything. ‘But what did she expect?’
Madison got up and left the room. Luckily for her, she decided to have worn flats because she really needed a long walk to cool her nerves.
CHAPTER TEN
"Madison." Someone yelled from behind her. She turned as she recognized whose voice it was, Victoria.
She crossed her arms and waited for the woman to catch up to her. What she did not expect was the woman to grab her face with her hands and kiss her. Their heads were then pressed together, lips apart as they both caught a breath.
"What was that for?" Madison whispered. Victoria felt a blush creep on her face.
"You are coming with me." Madison arched her eyebrow.
"And where might that be?"
"My apartment of course. I am not letting you stay in a hotel." Victoria caressed Madison's cheek which made the woman close her eyes in comfort.
"I don't want to inconvenience you."
"If anything I am being selfish. I guess I just want you to myself." The green-eyed beauty grinned and pecked Madison on the lips. They both smiled.
Victoria released Madison's cheek, letting go of the temptation to kiss her again. They were in front of her parents' house. There was a chance of Madison's mother unexpectedly catching them in a compromising position and it was not a risk either woman was willing to take.
Victoria intertwined her fingers with Madison's and led her to her car.
The drive was silent. Victoria took sneak glances at Madison as she drove. Madison was leaned towards the window, the wind hitting her face. All Victoria could have thought was how beautiful she looked.
"You know, it is pretty dangerous for you to be checking me out right now. I do not want what little time I have left to be cut short."
Victoria did not answer. She did not know how to respond without becoming a tomato, so she kept her mouth shut.
"You look beautiful," Madison admitted and that made a sparkling twinkle in her eyes.
"So, do you."
"Are you okay?"
Victoria nodded her head. "Why wouldn't I be?" She arched her eyebrows.
"Just my mother. She can be traumatizing at times." Madison joked but Victoria did not laugh. It was not at all funny.
"I should be asking you that question," Victoria said concern evident on her still red face.
"I am fine. I am kind of used to her taunts by now. I am sorry I caused a scene in front of your family." Madison apologized sincerely.
"There is nothing to apologize for. I do not understand how you put up with her. I think I would have gone at least a bit insane by now." Madison faked a laugh.
"Yea, not everyone is as tolerant as me." She heavily sighed. "I just wish she would accept me."
"You do not need her acceptance to be truly happy. I went a few years with my mother not understanding who I was, but she soon accepted me. She knew that if she wanted me in her life she had to at least tolerate the fact of who I am."
"My mother is not as outgoing as yours. Nothing would seem to change her mind."
"I think someday she will realize that she had been wrong all along about you, just be patient."
"Easier said than done."
"Well maybe, but you have put up with it for so many years already, a few more won't hurt."
Madison mentally sighed. A few more years was too long. "I guess you are right."
"I am always right, Hun," Victoria said playfully as she parked her car. They stepped out of the vehicle and Victoria guided her to the apartment.
Upon opening the door, the room was dark. "You are not a serial killer, are you?" Madison joked.
"Why would you say that?" Victoria switched on the light. Madison shook her head.
"No reason. Just an awful joke." Victoria nodded and went into the kitchen.
"Want anything to drink?"
Madison looked around. "Water will be fine."
Victoria then came back with two bottles of water. She drank a little before placing it down on the counter. "I am going to change. Make yourself at home while you wait."
Victoria disappeared in what was likely to be her bedroom and Madison sat on the couch. She just felt like recollecting her thoughts.
Then, she heard singing coming from inside the bedroom. "You are a great singer." Victoria was startled and turned to see a gleaming Madison through the glass.
"You scared me." She touched above her heart as the water poured down her back. Madison bit down on her lip taking in the woman's wet skin.
"I am sorry. I just heard you singing,"
"It's okay."
Madison leaned on the sink watching the woman in the shower.
"Want to join me," Victoria smirked staring at the woman's lips.
Madison cocked her head to the side. "I think I would rather watch."
"Pervert."
"Call me what you want. I know you like it." Victoria turned to hide her blush.
"No, I don't."
"Keep lying to yourself."
"Ok fine. I am hot, wet, and bothered. Will you please join me?"
"Well, when you put it like that. Who am I to refuse?"
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Madison was sitting down on Victoria's queen-sized bed. She watched the woman looking for something to wear.
"Can I borrow your phone?"
The woman's head popped up and she blushed a bit. Madison was completely naked and was not shy about being so.
"Um, yea." Victoria handed Madison her cell phone which was on the dresser.
"Thanks." Victoria smiled and tried to keep eye contact with Madison. But it was difficult since her great assets were in close view and bare.
"You don't have to keep staring at me like that, you know." Victoria arched her eyebrows as if saying, ‘what do you mean?’
Madison placed down the cell phone. She grabbed both of Victoria's hands and placed
them on her breasts. "Feeling better?" Madison smirked which caused the woman to blush.
Victoria stared at where her hands were placed. "Don't you have to make a call?" She said innocently but secretly loved the position they were in. Well, maybe it was not much of a secret to them both.
"It can wait a few more seconds." Madison bit down on her lip. It was a habit that looked so sexy on her.
Then, Victoria's cell phone started ringing. She groaned and dropped her hands from their position and answered it frowning.
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