Chasing Dragonflies (8 page)

Maddie huffed and brought a hand to her hip. Her voice pitching as she spoke. “Is that how you see me Trick? Some precious little flower?”

Patrick took a step back, as the force of her words hit him.

“Well let me tell you a thing or two Patrick Harper.” She pointed her index finger into Patrick's chest. “I might have been locked away for the past six years, but I am not some precious little princess that people have to tip-toe around and quite frankly I am sick of people treating me like am.”

“Hey, hey I'm sorry.” Patrick lifted his palms in front of himself. “I was just looking out for you.”

“Well I don't need anyone to look out for me, and when I do, I will be sure to let you know.”

“Okay, well, you do that. Sorry.” Patrick moved to walk away.

Seeing the sadness flash across his face she felt a sudden pang of guilt, she should never have spoken to Patrick that way as he was not a bad guy. She was just so sick of people treating her like she was some precious little thing that knew nothing about life. In fact she knew stuff a lot of other people didn't. Being locked away for many years made her see life from a different perspective than most.

Reaching out, she snagged Patrick's tattooed left arm. “Trick.” He didn't turn around. “Trick, please.”

He turned back to her then, hurt written all over his face. Asha had warned her he was a sensitive soul, but she had not seen this side of him until now. She had caused him pain, and that made her feel bad. Brushing her fingers up his arm, she said, “I'm sorry Trick. Honest. Everyone has treated me like I am so precious since I've been back. They act like they can't say anything around me, in case they upset me or maybe they might say the wrong thing. No one even mentions my dad,” she let out a bitter laugh. “Other than the media of course, they won't shut up about him.”

She dropped her arm to her side and shifted on her feet. “I just want people to treat me like a normal person. This thing... this horrible thing, happened to me. But I am a person. I may not be the same person I used to be and some things are new and confusing to me. But I'm working them out. You guys have to let me make a few mistakes. You can't wrap me in cotton wool and protect me. That's what my dad did for the past six years and look how that worked out.”

Without warning, she was suddenly being squished in Patrick's embrace. Tentatively she brought her own arms up and wrapped them around his back. It felt kind of awkward.

There was a clearing of a throat, her eyes darting to Dex, who was standing in the doorway. Patrick did not appear to notice, he carried on hugging her.

“Ah...Trick,” she patted his back to gain his attention. “Trick,” she called a little louder and he finally pulled back.

“I'm sorry Maddie, really I am,” he said, still with that sad look in his eyes.

“It's okay, we'll talk about it later yeah?” she nodded and gestured toward where Dex stood waiting for her attention. “I need to speak to Dex right now.”

Patrick finally pulled away and let her loose. Turning to Dex she apologised and invited him into the house.

“Ah I won't come in, thank you. I just wanted to let you know I am going to go and will be back in a day or two with the parts I need to get started on your car.”

“Alright, no worries, thank you. I should be here. I don't think I'll be going anywhere any time soon.”

“Cool,” he gave her a sexy grin. He really was a good looking man. “I'll see you in a couple days then.”

As he turned and walked back down the stairs she slapped Patrick on the arm. “Nice one you buffoon, now he definitely won't be interested in me.”

Patrick shrugged and walked off into the living room, she was sure she heard him mutter “good” under his breath. Bloody Patrick.

***

Later that evening, Maddie and Patrick were laying at opposite ends of the couch. Patrick sat with his feet on the floor and Maddie sat with her feet tucked under her.

“Want another piece?” Patrick asked reaching for the pizza on the coffee table.

Rubbing her stomach she replied, “Nah I'm good.”

“I'm never going to fatten you up if you don't eat anything,” Patrick laughed reaching over and giving her side a light squeeze.

Pulling the cushion from behind her, Maddie launch it at Patrick's head. Yelling, “contact” when it hit and collapsing into fits of giggles.

Patrick retaliated by grabbing a piece of pizza and moving onto his knees beside her he proceeded to try to force it into her mouth. Maddie sucked her lips in, not giving him access, trying so hard not to laugh. Her sides ached and her chest hurt, as it still did when she exerted herself. A remnant of the double pneumonia she had endured. Pulling her knees out from under her, she tried to push him away with her legs.

“Eat it, eat it, eat it,” Patrick laughed.

“No...” she made the mistake of trying to talk and her mouth was quickly filled with pizza.

As she munched on the piece of pizza, Patrick smugly put the remainder of the piece in his own mouth and took his place back on the couch. She had to admit, the pizza was good. Prior to coming back to the house, she could not remember when she had last eaten pizza.

“So do you want to talk about it then?” Patrick asked around a mouthful of pizza.

“What?” Maddie giggled. “Your bad manners?”

He let out a cackle, “You are cheeky, you know that?”

“Yeah,” she laughed, “I have been told that.”

“What was it like? Being locked away all those years?” he asked a serious look coming over his face.

Maddie shifted uncomfortably in her seat. It was not so much that she did not want to talk about it, but she did not know if anyone else really wanted to hear it. She let out a long puff of air.

“You don't have to talk about it, if you’re not comfortable.” Patrick reached across placing his hand reassuringly on her forearm. “It was just that you said earlier...”

“Yeah I know,” she looked up at him, his eyes so full of pity, she hated when people looked at her with pity. Oh well he asked for it. “Where do I even start? At first it was pretty bad. I hated my dad so much for keeping me locked up. He would say such hurtful things. You know about Tom right?”

Patrick nodded.

“Well he told me Tom was dead. Well actually at first he told me Tom didn't care I was gone and was running around with every girl in town. I didn't believe him. I thought Tom would come looking for me, of course he never did.”

She looked down to her lap and rubbed her ring finger. Remembering the weight of the engagement ring that Tom had placed on her finger and how much it had hurt when he did not come for her.

“Anyway,” she carried on, looking up at Patrick. “So a while after he told me Tom was dead, he said Frank had killed him, then he told me that he had killed him. I never knew what to believe. But I did believe he was dead. I guess I had to, thinking of Tom moving on with his life without me, was just too much to bear. He was the only boyfriend I had ever had and I loved him. We were engaged. That was part the reason...” she trailed off again.

Memories of those early months flooded her brain, tears formed behind her eyes but she wouldn't let them fall.

“Part the reason he locked you up do you mean?” Patrick prompted bringing her back to the present.

“Oh yeah, sorry.” She shook her head, trying to shake loose those bad memories.

“Was he violent with you?” Patrick probed.

“Some... he would tell me he had to discipline me. He never did anything to me like he did to Asha.”

Patrick face paled and she knew she had said too much. She knew he wouldn't be able to handle it.

“Sorry,” she whispered, reaching out and rubbing her palm on his exposed knee. “Maybe that's too much already? Maybe we can leave it there for tonight.”

His hand covered hers and he turned looking deep into her eyes. Not blinking, not moving, they sat there for several long moments.

When Patrick finally spoke, his voice was husky and thick. “I'm glad Asha was taken, not because of what happened to her, but if it weren't for her, you might have died out there.”

Maddie nodded, he was right. The doctors had told her that Asha had essentially saved her life. Had she been asked some six months earlier, she would have been happy to have died out there. For six long years, she had no life. Now? Now she was learning to live again.

Patrick pulled her into his chest where she rested her face, listening to his heart beating. She lifted her legs up on the couch and there they sat for the rest of the evening, watching television together in silence.

The next morning, Maddie was
just stepping out of the shower. Wrapping herself in a big fluffy towel, burying her nose into the fabric she breathed in the scent of the washing detergent. Freshly washed, fluffy towels, what a luxury. It was the small things such as these than made her stop and think about how lucky she was to be out of that hell-hole. “Oh towel, you are awesome,” she smiled as she stroked it over her face.

In the distance she heard a knocking and it broke her out of her trance. Where was that noise coming from? Straining to listen she heard it again. “Oh it's the door you idiot.” She reprimanded herself.

“Okay, coming,” she called out.

It was probably Xavier, he had text Patrick last night and said he would be around first thing. She must get herself a phone sometime. But then other than Xavier, she had no one to call anyway. There was always the phone connected to the wall in the kitchen. Her mind wandered back to seeing her mum, with the phone tucked between her chin and her ear while she worked away in the kitchen. She had been an amazing baker, her mum.

Another knock. Why didn't he let himself in? Better yet, why couldn't slack-ass Patrick get out of bed before lunch time and do something?

Wrapping the towel around herself and tucking the edge in at the top of her chest she scooted down the hall to the front door.

“Sorry Xave' I was in the shower,” she started saying as she grasped the handle and pulled the door toward herself. She stopped dead in her tracks, it was not Xavier standing on the doorstep at all.

“Ah Dex,” she whispered, her eyes widening as she took him in, the top of his shirt was unbuttoned, exposing a section of his bare chest. The weather had turned unusually warm for this time of year, the spring storms were starting early and the humidity was high.

“Hi, sorry did I get you at a bad time?” Dex offered.

Maddie bit her bottom lip and tore her eyes away from his bare skin that had momentarily caught her attention. Dragging her eyes up to his lips, that were turned up in a smile, then eventually his eyes. She was sure she had never seen a man so beautiful. In comparison Tom had been no more than a boy. Dex was definitely a man.

“No?” she asked confused by his question.

“Oh it’s just...” he trailed off as his eyes slid down her body.

Maddie felt a sudden rush of panic and her skin prickled. It was like one of those dreams when you wake up at school and you’re naked, but this was not a dream and she really was naked. Well almost. Heat rose to her cheeks and she heard a low chuckle coming from this stunning man, standing on her doorstep.

“I just got out of the shower, I thought you were my brother. I um... I'm really sorry,” she gushed, all her words coming out so fast, she could hardly keep up herself. She would not be surprised if he had not understood any of her mumbo jumbo. He must think I'm a complete idiot, she thought to herself, but judging by the look on his face and he was a man after all, he probably was not even thinking about what was coming out her mouth at all.

“Don't be sorry,” he said with a smirk.

“I didn't know you were coming today,” she offered, knowing how lame she sounded, but felt she should say something.

“Well I hadn't said I definitely would, so I apologise for catching you unaware.”

“No, no, it's hardly your fault.”

“I can just go out the back and get started, if you like? I was just wanting to let you know I was here.”

“Yeah, that's fine...sorry,” she offered again waving a hand toward the side gate. Her towel suddenly slipped and her hand darted back to save it before she exposed herself any further. This elicited another low chuckle from Dex.

“Okay,” came his reply, but he did not move, he just stood as if rooted to the floor, not taking his eyes of her.

“Okay,” she smiled back, feeling those eyes, burning through her towel and sizzling over her skin.

“Yeah, so...I better go do it then huh?”

Maddie let out a little giggle, she liked the effect she was having on him. “Yeah, I guess you should. I'll be making some coffee in a bit, would you like me to bring you one?”

“Yeah, that would be great, thanks...two sugars, no milk.”

“Okay,” she said making a mental note of his request.

“Okay,” he smiled, his eyes running down her half-naked body one more time, before returning to her eyes. “Well I'll just be out the back then,” he said as he finally turned and ambled toward the side of the house.

Maddie shut the door and collapsed against it in a fit of giggles. He was like a teenage boy, the way he had stood there eyeing her in her towel, obviously men never grow up.

***

“Black coffee with two sugars,” Maddie called out as she walked into the garage. It was hot inside, with very little ventilation, making her feel clammy and uncomfortable. Memories came tumbling in on her of long summer says locked away, begging her dad to allow her out into the fresh air.

As Dex moved from behind her car and came into full view, she quickly pushed those memories out of her mind.

“Thanks,” he gave her a wink, as he took the mug from her hands. “So where's your boyfriend today? Is he at work?”

“My boyfriend?” she scrunched her brows at him, surely he did not mean Patrick.

“Yeah what's his name? Rick?”

“Patrick—Trick, he is not my boyfriend,” she huffed out.

He raised an eyebrow in question at her. That annoyed her, and she gripped her mug tighter with both hands. She was not a huge fan of coffee, but she loved the smell of it. So she brought it closer to her face, breathing it in, taking a calming breath.