Chapter Thirty-Seven
Max
I was finally starting to feel more like myself again. The memories were mostly back, the pain had subsided, and Madison was back in my life again. I wasn’t sure what was worse: lying in a hospital bed in pain or having her out of my life. It still frustrated me how easily I had given up on her and how determined I had been that I had been in the right. I would never do that again to her, or to me. I would never stop fighting for her. She was worth it. And, as the chief had told us, we both worked better together. We weren’t nearly as good at our job when we tried to do it solo.
The restaurant that I was taking Madison too was a fancy French restaurant called Quatre. As the name suggested, the food came in four sections: two starters, a main, and a dessert. I’d done a lot of research on the place, and everyone had raved about it in the reviews. It was food that people like us would never be able to cook. At our very best we could attempt a good bolognese, but if we wanted perfect dishes, we had to eat out. The restaurant was expensive, but I wanted Madison to know that she was worth it. I wanted her to know that I was just as happy with her at a burger joint as I was in a five-star restaurant. I’d even stepped out of my comfort zone and worn a suit and tie. I didn’t tell Madison that it was fancy, though. I knew she didn’t enjoy dressing up and I didn’t want her to feel any pressure to do so. I didn’t care what she wore, as long as she was with me. I braced myself for how she would tease me for dressing up. She usually saw me in my uniform, or else in casual jeans. We were actually fairly similar in that regard. I could still remember the first time
I pulled up to her driveway and knocked on her door. There was no more meeting at the restaurant or her arriving half an hour late to prove a point. Madison opened the door, and I stood back in surprise at the vision of beauty standing in front of me. In all the years that I had known her, I had never once seen her so dressed up. She was wearing a short black dress, with lace around the edges, and bright red heels. Her hair was loose and had been curled at the edges, and she might actually have been wearing a hint of makeup.
“Wow. You’re so beautiful, Madi. I . . . I’m shocked.” I felt pretty special knowing that Madison never dressed this way for anyone. She had done it for me and coming from her, it meant a lot.
She chuckled. “So am I. I almost changed my mind about a million times and put on some jeans instead. I have never been more uncertain in my life about what clothes to wear. But my sister would kill me if I didn’t wear this tonight. She helped me buy the dress and said that she was going to ask you if I wore it. I cannot believe that girls go through this all the time.”
“I better thank your sister then. You look beautiful no matter what you’re wearing, Madison. But I am still in a very happy state of shock to see you dressed like that for me tonight. Wow. You know, I always knew there was a sexy body hiding under that uniform,” I said.
She laughed. “You’ve already seen me naked. You know exactly what is hiding under my uniform.”
“I have? Oh, how strange, I don’t remember that. Well, you’ll just have to show me later, won’t you? It must have something to do with this screwy memory of mine. Sometimes I just have to be reminded of these things.”
She grinned. “I’ll have to. That can certainly be arranged.”
We walked to the car and made our way to the restaurant. She gasped when she saw where we were going. The bright sign was so big that it was impossible to miss. They had made sure that this was a sign that would be seen from everywhere. Despite the big sign, they had managed to make it look bold and inviting, rather than gaudy and tacky.
“Quatre?” she said as I parked the car. I could hear the excitement in her voice, and I was glad that for it.
“You know it?”
“Oh yeah, I definitely know it. But I’ve never been. It’s not the sort of place you just happen to stumble across on a Friday night. I’ve always wanted to go here, though. Everyone talks about this place. I’ve heard such good things. Thank goodness, I dressed up for this. I would’ve kicked myself if I had changed back into my jeans.”
“Oh, but we’re not going there. We’re going to a place down the road. Ah, this is embarrassing. The sign is so big. I should’ve realized you would assume it was here. Ah no, the place we are going to is just a small Italian restaurant, but nothing fancy.”
“Max, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to ruin the evening. I’m completely happy with a small Italian restaurant. It sounds fantastic. Please don’t feel bad.”
“I don’t. I’m just kidding. We’re going to Quatre.”
Madison groaned and swatted me on the arm. “You’re so annoying.”
“I am to please.”
“No, you aim to tease. Also, by the way, you look incredible. I can’t wait to get that suit off you. You know, because I have no idea what sort of body is hiding underneath.”
“Looks like we have an interesting night ahead,” I said.
The restaurant was absolutely beautiful, just as I had hoped it would be. It dripped of elegance. I could imagine that a lot of proposals were done at a place like this. It was hard not to feel romantic inside. Low lighting, brick walls, and soft music filled the air around us. We made our way to the table, and the waiter immediately brought us a bottle of wine that I had ordered upon making the reservation. When the waiter left, Madison picked up the bottle and gasped.
“No way; it’s my favorite wine. That’s so strange. What a weird coincidence. And it’s not exactly an easy wine to come by.”
“Is it?” I said and raised my eyebrows.
“Is it what?”
“Is it a coincidence?” I said and grinned at her.
“You did this?”
“I did. But . . . it’s not quite what you think. They ask when you call in if there is a wine that you prefer, and I mentioned this one. They said they would see what they could do, but I honestly didn’t expect them to have it. I didn’t want to say anything in case they didn’t bring it out for you. Although I figured if they couldn’t find your wine that they would find something similar. How’s that for great service?”
She beamed. “That’s amazing. I’ve never heard of a restaurant doing something like that. No wonder they’re so popular. It’s beautiful here, Max. I’ve seen some photos, but it really doesn’t do it any justice. You have to experience it for yourself. How did you get a reservation so easily? Isn’t it tough to get in?”
I actually had no idea how I managed to get one either. I think that lady luck just happened to be on my side. Apparently, there was a cancellation the day I called in. I grinned at Madison. “I must simply be that popular.”
“You must be,” she said and chuckled. “Well, here’s to a wonderful night. I’m so happy to be here. Better than spaghetti in a safe house, isn’t it?”
I laughed. “That sounds like the name of a really interesting book. Spaghetti in a safe house. Definitely something I would read. But no, this isn’t better. This is amazing, obviously. But nothing beats that time with you in the safe house. I will never forget that time we shared, as strange as the whole thing really was. It didn’t feel strange, though. It felt so good to be there with you.”
“Well, minus the threat of danger and it would’ve been perfect,” she said.
“Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that. Like I said, it didn’t feel like we were in any danger. I just felt like I was on vacation with a very beautiful woman. I kept feeling lucky instead of scared.”
“I felt the same way, Max. Like I was actually enjoying myself, which I knew I shouldn’t be. Isn’t it crazy to think how much we have been through together? It’s been such a rollercoaster ride of emotions. Don’t you sometimes feel like the past few months happened to someone else? My sister was saying to me the other day that she can’t believe how upbeat I’ve been considering I’ve had a gun pointed to my head twice. That’s when I realized I hadn’t actually thought about it much. It doesn’t really feel real, if that makes sense.”
I’d thought the same thing myself. Like I should be in a much worst state them I have been. I had even been in a coma, and I was acting like everything was completely normal. No wonder everyone at work looked at me like I was an alien these days. I had just jumped straight back into my working career like nothing had happened. “I don’t even have nightmares anymore,” I said. “Although, I was thinking the other day though that maybe we should see a counselor.”
“Really? I’m very surprised to hear you say that. You don’t seem like the counselor-going sort. Not that I know what sort that is, but it just doesn’t seem like you. You’re not exactly known for talking about your feelings, you know.”
I laughed. “I’m not. But, maybe it will be good for us to talk about it. I don’t want to talk about it all the time, and I definitely don’t want to think about it. But if we talk about it with someone, we can choose just that hour to concentrate on it, and then we can move on.”
“You know, that’s not a bad idea. I’ve never really thought about it like that. One hour of getting it all out a week. Yeah, I like that. We should do it. We’ve sure got some interesting stories to tell the counselor, that’s for sure.”
“Hey, maybe we should go together?” I suggested.
She laughed. “Wow, we’ve already moved on to couples counseling. That was quick.”
“What a weird relationship we have.”
“We’re in a relationship?” she asked with surprise.
I chuckled. “I thought we were.”
“We’ve never really talked about it, though. We really do need counseling. We’re terrible at talking about things that matter. So, you’re my boyfriend?”
I smiled. “Hey, that has a nice ring to it. Yeah, I am definitely your boyfriend. Do you think we should let everyone at work know?” The thought of calling a meeting for something like this made me cringe in embarrassment. I could imagine how much everyone would tease us.
“Oh, I think they have pretty much all figured it out. I think we’re very obvious,” she said. “I think they are more surprised that we took so long to get together. They probably think we were doing it all along.”
I smiled. “That’s true. I never thought about that. This is nice, Madi. You and me. Finally admitting to liking each other. You do realize that we could’ve been doing this a long time ago.”
“Oh, I realize. What idiots we are. Such a waste of time.”
“Nah, I still had a ball with you over the years.”
“Yeah, but imagine the amount of sex we could’ve been having all this time,” she said and grinned at me. A man at a table next to us turned his head towards us, and we both started laughing.
“True,” I said. “But now think of all the sex we have to do to make up for it.”
“Ah, smart thinking.”
“Well, what can I say, Madi? I’m not all brawn, you know. There’s a lot more to me than just my handsome good looks.”
“Like your ego?” She teased.
The rest of the dinner was wonderful. Each course was presented to us perfectly, like artwork on a plate. It was hard to imagine that anyone could come up with something quite so exquisite in the kitchen. And each one came with a different wine to pair it with. The food was just as delicious as everyone said it would be, and the atmosphere, service, and company were even better. It was an expensive restaurant for a reason, and one that I definitely saw myself coming back to. But it was a place I would only want to go back to with Madison. It was just too romantic to go with anyone else. I looked around the room and saw that I wasn’t the only one feeling that way. All the couples seemed to be looking lovingly into each other’s eyes. This was a place that could make you forget about any argument you might have had before.
“I’ve had the best time, you know,” Madison said. “And I’m so full. The food was amazing.”
“It was no pastrami sandwich, though,” I said and grinned.
“Do you ever think about that café? Going back, I mean.”
I’d thought about it often. I nodded. “Yeah. Part of me is dying to go back. They had the best food ever and the most amazing coffee in the world. But . . . the memories there are both good and bad. Part of me feels really ill at the thought of going back there.”
“We should go,” she said. “We were in such a good mood that day. Things between us were going well, we couldn’t get enough of each other, and you got your incredible pastrami sandwich. And like you said, the coffee was out of this world. And the poor waitress. I feel like we need to go back and tell her that everything is fine now. I hope she isn’t having nightmares about what happened. Also, it’s the place where we finally captured the boss. So, when you look at it that way, it really has good memories and not bad.”
I grinned at her. “You’re just saying that because you want that coffee again, aren’t you?”
“You better believe it.”
“Let’s go tomorrow,” I said. “I mean, you might as well just sleep over then. No point in going home and me having to come all the way to get you. Sleep over and I’ll take you for coffee in the morning.”
“I like the way you think.”