Never Too Late = Chapter Ten

*** Formerly known as: Madeira Sparrow ***1

Chapter Ten2

After crying for a number of minutes (a number unimportant to the continuation of the story) on Dylan’s shoulders and in his arms, where he didn’t try to stop to me, where he didn’t mutter nonsensical phrases, I finally sputtered to a stop. He handed me a handkerchief and tucked my hair behind my ears.3

My smile was watery, but it was there, “A handkerchief?”4

“What? Are you making fun of me?”5

“Now, why would I do such a terrible thing?”6

“Because you, Madeira, are a terrible person.” He said it with complete conviction – not a glitter of mischief in his eyes not a quirk of amusement on his lips.7

My eyes narrowed and I glared, hard, into his eyes. I leaned forward, offering the handkerchief back. He took it, slowly, and I watched with great satisfaction as his eyes widened and his lips curled into a grimace. He looked down at his hand, then back at me. “Mature, Maddie, real mature. Now I have your snot all over my hand because you find it amusing to leave the handkerchief unfolded, snot side up.”8

I started to giggle, the laughter bubbling up and overflowing from a spring I thought I had drowned with my tears. “Like that was a first. And for your information, there is no snot in that rag whatsoever.”9

“It’s not a first, thanks to you and that warped sense of humor you had as a child and apparently still have. And if its not snot, what is it? There’s something warm and wet and slimy all over my hand.”10

“It’s lip gloss, genius, and it is not all over.”11

“How would you know?”12

I shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant, “Because I know everything.”13

“Oh yeah? Do you know what I’m gonna do next?” He tossed the handkerchief onto the floor.14

“Yep.”15

“What?” He started stalking towards me, slowly and deliberately. I backed up a step, then another. He kept coming.16

“Something… something I don’t know about.” I started to laugh again, then spun around and took off into the living room and around the couch. He was right behind me the whole way, but went around the couch the opposite way I had, and we collided. My hands instinctively grabbed at his shoulders to steady myself, and his hands reached for my waist. But our momentum was too much and we tumbled onto the couch – me on my back and Dylan on top of me, my arms around his neck and his elbows on either side of my head, bracing his weight from crushing me. His hair fell forward in thick dark waves and his eyes were fastened on mine.17

“I was right. I do know everything. I didn’t know we’d end up like this and I told you I knew I didn’t know,” I babbled, not entirely sure I knew what I was saying. I couldn’t help it if I was drowning in those tragic, tragic eyes of his. “Therefore –“18

“Shut up, Maddie.” Dylan cut in. And then he kissed me. Everything inside me stopped for a moment, so I fumbled for instinct and followed its path, finding myself kissing him back without the slightest hesitation – sweet and soft, slow and simple.19

It was a lingering kiss, gentle by nature, but with it ran an undercurrent of stronger, more vibrant promise. It was a connection I had never made before, with anyone. Not with Jeremy, not with Andrew.20

Dylan pulled away first, with a long sigh. He searched my eyes for something, of what I never figured out. Then he closed his eyes tightly and leaned down to bury his head between my neck and shoulder.21

“Don’t hate me for that. I’m selfish, that’s all. I don’t know how to stop myself from taking what I want when I’m given the opportunity. Just don’t hate me, okay?”22

I placed my hands on his face and brought it up so I could look at him. Brushing a thumb across his cheekbone, I whispered, “Dylan, I don’t think I could ever…”23

…Ever hate you. The words reverberated through my mind, the same words Andrew had spoken to me only hours before, words he had spoken to me throughout our lives together. Words he once found true, but anymore… who knew.24

My thumb stopped moving across his cheek as I trailed off… lost in memories.25

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[Fade In]27

“Andy…” my voice trembled through my delicate, eight year old frame.28

"What, Maddie? You’re eyes are all big again. What’s wrong?”29

“Please don’t hate me, Andy, please. I don’t know what I’d do if you hated me.”30

“Maddie, stop, what?” Andrew sounded much older than his nine years, older and more important, more mature.31

“My dad… he, he ran over Sp-Spri-Sprinkles and I’m s-so s-sorry. Don’t hate m-me, pl-pl-please!” I stuttered through my tears.32

Andy walked closer and used the cuff of his shirt to swipe at my tear-streaked cheeks. “Maddie, I know. My parents told me yesterday. It’s okay. And I could never hate you, Maddie. Never,” and he hugged me, as awkwardly sweet as all child hugs are.33

[Fade Out]34

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[Fade In]36

“Don’t hate me, don’t hate me, don’t hate me. Please, Andy, don’t hate me.” I chanted as soon as Andy arrived at my seventh grade locker.37

“For what, Maddie?” He asked as he took my books out of my hands, as he was wont to do.38

“I forgot to print out your essay for Benson’s.”39

“You’re kidding…”40

“No. And I am so, so sorry. If it helps any, I forgot my own essay, too.” I shut my locker and looked up at him, my eyes pleading for forgiveness. 41

He tapped his knuckle beneath my chin and smiled, “I could never hate you, Maddie, never. Besides, I knew you’d forget so I sent both of our essays to Jenna and she’ll have them for us next period.” Then he put his arm around my shoulders and we walked away.42

[Fade Out]43

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[Fade In]45

“Maddie, will you shut up already? I don’t hate you.”46

“Are you sure?”47

“I’m positive. Now be quiet and turn around before we’re accused of trying to cheat. We both need this license, badly, so stop trying to screw it up”48

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry.”49

[Fade Out]50

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“Maddie, what’s wrong?” Dylan had opened his eyes when I stopped mid-sentence, and now his brow was furrowed and he was scowling something fierce.52

“What? Oh… sorry. Sorry, Dylan.”53

“Sorry? You shouldn’t be apologizing, I should be. But I’m too damn selfish to bother.” Dylan was still on top of me, though not as close as before. He’d shifted to the side so that most of his weight was against the back of the couch. One arm was bracing his weight, while the other was draped across my waist. “Roll over, away from me.”54

I was confused enough, disoriented enough, to do as he instructed without wondering why. So I rolled onto my side, until I was nearly toppling off of the couch. I felt the cushion move beneath him as he shifted into a more comfortable position. Then he used the arm he had draped across my waist to pull me back against his chest, anchoring me to him.55

We stayed in that position for a long time, in silent wonder – Dylan holding me, and me holding his hand as it rested against my abdomen. Eventually Dylan started humming softly in my ear until we each feel asleep.56

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“Dylan?” Mrs. Strong leaned over the back of the couch and tapped Dylan’s elbow. He shifted, pulling me closer, mumbled something incoherent beneath his breath, then opened his eyes and blinked a few times. Looking over the back of the couch, he gave his mom a soft smile.58

“Mom, this is Maddie. Maddie Sparrow.”59

She nodded and smiled, “I remember.” She bent to brush Dylan’s hair back with her hand. “I’m glad you found her again. Even when you were young, I could tell she was special to you.”60

Dylan looked down at me, still smiling softly. “Yes, she was. She is.”61

She smiled down at us, and then squeezed Dylan’s shoulder. “You had better take her home. It’s late, and judging by the tear tracks on that pretty face of hers, she’s had a hard day.” Dylan nodded and his mom left the room quietly.62

He eased up onto his elbow and watched my face as I slept. He brushed my hair back and ran the rough pad of his calloused thumb over my bottom lip. Then he leaned down, hair falling forward, and he kissed me. Again.63

In the haze of sleep I returned the kiss until he pulled back and whispered, “Wake up, Sunshine.”64

I wrinkled my nose at the nickname, but slowly awakened to find Dylan’s eyes smiling down at me.65

“Time?” I whispered.66

“Late,” he responded, playing with my hair, watching his fingers sift through it.67

“Too late?” I whispered, shifting beneath him.68

“For you?” His eyes met mine, “Never.” And he kissed me, and I kissed him. Again.69

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Less than twenty minutes later we were sitting in my driveway. Dylan had insisted on driving me home and taking a cab after seeing me to bed.71

I stopped staring out the windshield to turn to my left and look at Dylan. “Aren’t you going to ask?”72

“Ask what?”73

“If I want to talk… about Jeremy, about Andrew, about you, about us, about whether or not there even is an ‘us’?”74

“You’ll tell me when you’re ready to tell me. You won’t wait for me to ask and you won’t tell me just because I’m impatient.”75

“Well, I am ready. Sort of…”76

“Okay.”77

“I’ll call Jeremy tomorrow, just to make it official that we’re over and all. And… I’ll talk to Andrew. Even if I have to hide in the trunk of his car…” I trailed off, again, and looked down at my hands, clenched tightly in my lap.78

A few moments went by before Dylan took a breath and asked, “Since you’re ‘sort of ready’ and all, what about us?”79

I sighed, blinking back sudden tears. “I… I don’t know. I won’t know until after my talk with Andrew.” I looked over at Dylan and studied his expression.80

“Do I have a chance?” He asked so softly that I almost didn’t hear him.81

“I’m not sure,” I swiped my thumb beneath my eyelids, catching a few stray droplets. “I would like to think so. I mean… Apparently, Andrew’s had feelings for me for a long time. And I never noticed. So what does that say about my feelings for him? I always just thought he was being sweet; I never really thought it could be anything else. And then… when I knew how he felt, that didn’t stop me from feeling the affects of you. So… I don’t know. After everything I don’t know if he could be anything more to me than he already is. Right now he’s just my best friend, my next door neighbor. But… I’ll have to talk to him to be sure.”82

Dylan nodded, then turned to look at me, “Do me a favor?”83

“What?”84

“Kiss me, just one more time. Just in case, you know, it’s the last time…”85

I nodded my consent, but Dylan didn’t make any moves toward me. Instead he climbed out of the car. I hesitated, but followed, and we went inside to call for a cab. We sat in silence until it arrived, then I walked him out onto the front porch.86

Before going all the way down the steps, he stopped, turned, and looked at me searchingly. I wasn’t on the steps, so our eyes were nearly level, his slightly higher than mine.87

“I can’t make you any promises other than these,” his voice was quiet, sincere, “I’ll never touch you in anger and I’ll always treat you with respect. I’ll never stand by and knowingly let someone treat you disrespectfully and I’ll never make you cry simply for spending time with someone other than me.” He reached up and tucked my hair behind my ear, letting his fingers trail along my jaw until his thumb and forefinger held my chin to steady its nearly imperceptible trembling.88

He took a deep breath and continued, “After you talk to Andrew, if you decide you don’t want what he does, then meet me by the river behind the cemetery tomorrow afternoon.”89

I swallowed back my tears, “What if you leave before I get there? What if I’m too late?”90

Dylan smiled, almost sadly, “Maddie, you could never be too late.” He shook his head, “It’s just not possible.”91

Then before I could form a response, and as the clouds slid away and revealed the full, brilliant moon, Dylan kissed me.92

I’ll spare you the hormonal, over-dramatic description of the nothing-less-than-perfect kiss and just say – everything trembled, everything weakened, everything tingled, and everything pulsed. As with every other kiss, Dylan left me thoughtless.93

And when the kiss really was over, Dylan really did leave. He didn’t walk away from me, though. He walked towards us – or the possibility of us, at least.94

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To be continued...96