“Privately Maddy.  No offense Gabe.”

“Umm…Ok” I am hesitant to go with him.

“I can take her home Gabe, go ahead and do what you have to.”  He informs Gabe once I am walking over to him.

“You ok with that Maddy?”  Gabe asks me.

“Why wouldn’t she be?”  Trent says angrily.

“Do you really want me to list the reasons?”  Gabe spats back at Trent.

“Stop it guys.”  I look at Trent, “Give me a second.”  I walk over towards Gabe.

“Thank you for your concern but Trent can take me home.  I know you said you had stuff to do so please go ahead and do it.”  I put my hand on his shoulder.

“Maddy, you don’t have to go with him.  I can stay while you talk and then take you home.”  I see the pleading look in his eyes.  He doesn’t want me to stay with Trent.

“Go Gabe, its fine.  I assume you are picking me up for Great Adventures tomorrow?”  I try to divert his attention to something else hoping he will let this go.  The last thing I need is for them to fight.

I smile comes across his lips.  “Well, of course.  I will pick you up at nine.”

“Why does everything have to be so early?”  I whine.

“Rest up tonight Madgirl, big day tomorrow.”  He laughs.

I start my way back towards Trent who is resting with his back up against the wall one foot propped behind him looking completely annoyed.

“Madgirl?”  Gabe yells over.  I turn around.  “You have my number, call me if you need anything.”

“I will Gabe, thanks.”  I wave at him.

“About time, I swear you wouldn’t know he was my brother going after my girl all the time.”  Trent says irritated.

“Trent, I am not your girl stop saying that.”  I snap at him.

“You are more my girl than his girl.”

“I’m not anyone’s girl.”  I scream at him.  I notice a couple of people walking across the street stop and look at us.  At this point I don’t care.  “You sure didn’t seem to care back at Taps with blondie practically giving you a lap dance.”

“Mad, you know I have to make the fans happy.”

“Do you really think a blonde bimbo would ruin your career if you told her she couldn’t sit on your lap and whisper things in your ear?  Give me a break Trent.”

“I really don’t want to argue Maddy.”  Trent pleads.  I could see he is leading us to the river.

“I know Trent.  I don’t want to either.  What did you want to talk to me about?”  I try to stay on point.  No reason to relive the past.

“May I?”  He looks down at my hand.

“No”

“Come on Maddy.  I need to touch you when I talk to you.”

“You lost that right Trent.  My patience is getting short, spill it.”

“Fine” he stops us at a bench on the river’s edge.  “Will you at least sit down?”

I oblige him and sit down.

“I miss you.”  His blue eyes meet mine and I see the truth in his words.

“I know.  You told me that numerous times over the past year.”  I am curt and rude.

“I am sorry I never saw it before.  I’m sorry for taking you for granted.”  He apologizes.

“I don’t really want to talk about this Trent.  This week is hard enough being back let alone dealing with us as well.”

“Ok, I’m sorry Maddy.  I should have realized I am probably making it hard on you...” he sat on the bench next to me taking my hand now without my permission but I didn’t fight him, I couldn’t.  He knew why it was so hard to be home.  He had been the one there for me to comfort me with my nightmares.

“Thanks Trent.”  I squeeze his hand.

“How about we do something fun?”  A smirk comes across his mouth.

“I was just going to lounge around.”  I say.

“Not today.”  He pulls me up by my hand taking me over to his Mercedes.

“Where are you taking me?”  I ask.

“Surprise” he winks at me opening the door to his car.

I watch him make his way over to his side and it amazes how comfortable this still feels to me.

I awake hearing horns honking and a lot of traffic.  When I open my eyes I notice we are in a city.  Milwaukee?  Then I see Watertower Place.  He took me to Chicago.

“Why are we in Chicago?”  I ask Trent in an angry tone.

“Oh good you finally woke up.”  He says.  “You must have been tired you were asleep before we hit the freeway.”

“Sorry, I didn’t get much sleep last night.  Again Trent, why are we in Chicago?”

“I have to show you something.”  He pulls into an underground parking garage.

I see him swipe a card through the slot and the yellow gate opens.  He parks in front of a sign that says Resident Only.

I get out of the car when he stops and he meets me at the side grabbing my hand but I pull it away.  He looks over at me annoyed but says nothing.  We walk over to the elevator and he hits a button.  I stand there irritated, dressed in capris and a t-shirt. I take my ponytail out combing my hair with my fingers.  The elevator alone looks fancy and upscale.

The elevator stops and I follow him down to the end of the hall.  He enters his key and when I walk in I can’t believe what I see, a completely empty condo.  There isn’t a couch or table.  Not a rug or even paint on the walls.  It is a blank canvas.  I walk over to the windows and it overlooks the lake and just to the right you can see the Navy Pier Ferris wheel.  It is breathtaking.

“Trent, this is magnificent.  What a great place.”  I exclaim.

“I thought so.  I wasn’t going to buy anything since I am always moving around but I couldn’t help myself.”

“Do you mind?”  I motion towards the hallway to look it over.

“Not at all.”  He puts his hand out welcoming me to explore.

Down the hall there are two small empty bedrooms with a bathroom between them.  At the end of the hall is the master bedroom.  A king size bed sits in the middle between two windows with some dressers and nightstands all matching.  Other than that the room is bare.

I veer to the left and find the master bathroom.  There is a Jacuzzi tub along the wall that overlooks the lake with a separate shower that has showerheads on either side facing each other.  Marbled double vanities with separate mirrors on the opposite wall.   I see Trent’s favorite toothpaste on the counter along with his cologne.  In the shower is the hair products we both prefer but my loofa isn’t hanging from the shower knob just Trent’s washcloth is there.  A sudden pang of grief fills me.

To my right is a walk in closet with Trent’s clothes strewn about.  His suits are hung with precision according to color.  His button down shirts look newly dry cleaned hung up in groups of stripes, plain and plaids.  Pants, sweaters and shirts are stacked in the shelves built from ceiling to floor. His shoes are aligned at the bottom in the shoe racks from his few pairs of dress shoes to his twenty pairs of soccer shoes.  The whole right hand side of the closet is bare except for one dress hanging.  The dress I wore the last night I was with him.  Water is filling my eyes and I will it to stop.  Suppress those feelings Maddy I tell myself.

“It’s an amazing condo Trent.”  I walk out of the closet quickly trying to forget what I saw.

“As you can see though I am in desperate need for a decorator.  Know anyone?”  A smile creeps across his face.

“Don’t Trent.”  I warn him, my eyes narrowing.

“Don’t what?  Ask the best decorator I know to decorate my place?”  He sits on the edge of the bed and briefly I think how much it would cost to have a taxi drive me home.

“Don’t use the excuse of me decorating your condo to get me back in your life.”  I turn around pretending to be looking at things.  I can’t look him in the eyes.

“I am not going to deny I want you back.  I think I have made my intentions clear but I do need you to help me.  I thought we could go shopping today.”

“I have dinner with my mom tonight.”  I keep my back turned looking at his watches on the dresser.

“Cancel, god knows she has on you, oh wait, your whole life she has cancelled on you.”  The bitterness in his voice is evident.