Page 52 of Love me, Maddie Mendoza

“Sure. But when you’re young and…”

I chuckled.Young and in love.

“Now, that you’re old and jaded, let me tell you: I hated the man,” I said finally. “And it wasn’t just because he called you a whore.” I didn’t mean to, but my jaw ticked just with the memory.

“He wasn’t your biggest fan either.”

And the silence that followed suddenly was too much. The tiptoeing around the subject was brought to another level and everything got too much. The words stuck in my throat were swelling, swelling to a point where I couldn’t swallow them down anymore.

“Are we going to talk about the madness of it all?” I risked.

She nodded and sat back in the chair. “You mean Pete and our house of orgies?”

Close.“Yes. He thinks we were going behind his back. I liked how it annoyed him, but…”

“He won’t say a word of that bullshit, Z. You all scared the bejesus out of him.”

I couldn’t stop the smirk. But it wasn’t the point I wanted to make, though, so I insisted. “There’s the whole…” I cleared my throat. “Zaddie.”

It was so ridiculous it was a miracle I could let it out of my mouth.

“Do you think anyone thought of other ways to name us?” She wondered.

“What?”

“Like…” She thought for a second. “Meek?” She shook her head not satisfied. After a moment, she snapped her fingers and pointed at me. “Maybe our last names?”

I cringed. “Kindoza or Meing?”

“No, ok, yeah, Zaddie is so much better. Although Kindoza sounds like a pastry I’d like to bake.”

“It sounds like an allergy medication.”

“That too.”

DJ Diego and his old music decided it was time for Taylor Swift’sYou belong with Me.I widened my eyes when Maddie almost jumped off her seat. For a second I thought it was the song she wanted us to dance to, but Maddie instead snapped her fingers, drawing my attention. “I blame Taylor.”

“Excuse me?”

“This song? With the best friends and neighbors and all?” she sang a little about being the one who understands me. I tried hard not to relate to a Taylor Swift song. “This whole scenario created Zaddie, Z.”

So it was Taylor Swift’s fault. It didn’t answer any of my questions, so I gathered a little courage. “Are we ok, Maddie?”

It sounded vulnerable out of my lips. Touched. And I regretted it almost instantly.

She was singing along about a smile, about wearing sneakers instead of high heels, which was funny when she was wearing the biggest heels I’d ever seen. My tone snapped her out of the music.

“We’re Zaddie,” Maddie said with conviction. “Have you seen a better team?”

No. I haven’t.

She was back singing again, wiggling her eyebrows, murmuring she belonged with me. I’ve never been so confused, and it was almost like she wanted me to be lost.

When I was about to give up on everything and just get more food, the music changed and this time around; she jumped off of the chair and dragged me with her.

Maddie shouted the first line ofYou’ve Got the Loveby Florence + The Machine as she twirled in my arms. It was always her first move. It didn’t matter what song. She always twirled in my arms and set the pace. It wasn’t a slow dance, but we were chest to chest nevertheless. Maddie’s hands were on me. One holding my heart and the other curled behind my neck. The song got us up on our feet. Maddie got her hands up in the air every time it asked her to.

My arms curled around her waist as we danced. She followed my steps, and even as I turned her in my arms, I heard her soft timber telling meIwas her daily meal. We moved together in perfect harmony. It was as silly as it was the first time we danced together, but this time, we couldn’t stop touching each other. Maddie turned around again, not leaving an inch between our chests. She dipped back her head. I anchored and brought her to me. She laughed easily. I used those times of weakness to move her with me.

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