Hey guys. It's me again. Like I said, an update this weekend.

ABOUT MY NEW BOOK: I'm struggling to come up with a title. I'll give you guys a brief overview and any titles would be greatly appreciated. The main female character, Gracelyn (also known as Grace), is bothered by her brothers best friend, Phoenix. He's like a prankster type and she is quiet, yet sassy. Yes, it's one of those stories, but I'll try to make it as non-cliche as possible. There's more to it but I'll leave that for the actual story. SO HELP ME WITH A TITLE AND YOU'LL GET A DEDICATION AND A FOLLOW.

ALSOOO: One chapter left, an epilogue, and maybe a chapter in Maddox's point of view- it depends on where I am with my new story (and whether or not I have a cover) because I want to leave you guys with another story to switch over to if you please.

Happy reading. Next update- next weekend. 

Chapter 31: The Elevator

“Is she pretty?” Vivica asked me as we sat on my bed. I was all dressed and ready to go; I was only waiting for Maddox to come pick me up. Because it wasn’t much of a party, but a small get together, I decided to go with a casual look- a simple pair of jeans and a sweater, along with some sneakers. I went easy on the makeup, opting for eyeliner and mascara, and I let my cousin braid my hair.

I sighed as I unlocked my phone, going to Raven’s Instagram page. “This is her.”

My cousin stared at her and I could tell she thought the girl was gorgeous. She shrugged. “She’s not that pretty.”

I scoffed. “Don’t lie. She’s pretty. We all know it. She’s gotten asked to model.”

“So? Maddox doesn’t like her, though, right?” my cousin retorted. “He likes you! Not her.”

“Yeah, but he liked her—,” I started but Vivica cut me off.

“What happened to the confident Liv? Where’d she go?” my cousin asked. “Yeah, he dated her. So what? But he likes you now, and he’s made it clear that he likes you. And she knows he likes you.”

“But it’s at her apartment,” I told my cousin as I bit my lip. “The apartment where they spent most of their time as a couple.”

“So?” my cousin replied.

“Every time I’m going to look at a piece of furniture, I’m going to visualize them kissing on or near it,” I responded.

My cousin shook her head. “Here’s an idea: don’t do that.”

The sound of a horn honking sounded throughout the house and my eyes widened. “Vivica!” I hissed.

“A few tips- stay with your friends—,” she started.

“It’s only me and Maddox! Everyone else is busy or they just don’t want to go!” I explained as she grabbed the gift I got for Raven and ushered me down the stairs.

“Well, stay with Maddox,” she responded before opening the door. I stared at her before leaving the house with the gift in my hand. I approached Maddox’s car, trying to calm my nerves. He leaned over and opened the door for me, greeting me happily.

“Hey,” he smiled. “You sure you want to go through with this?”

“Yeah, of course,” I responded. I leaned over and kissed him, enjoying the feeling of his lips against mine for a few seconds before I pulled away and buckled my seatbelt. This caused him to grin, seeing as he’s always the one who initiates our kisses.

“What was that?” he asked me curiously.

“What was what?” I asked him, furrowing my eyebrows as I placed the gift bag in the backseat.

“You just kissed me,” he spoke, his grin not faltering.

“Yeah, I was there,” I nodded. “What about it?”

He smiled at me before slowly shaking his head. “Never mind. I’m not going to question it.”

“Good, because I don’t know what I’d say as an answer,” I responded.

“Anyway, what’d you get her?” he asked me.

“What you told me to,” I muttered in response. “Let’s just hope she still likes records.”

“She should,” he shrugged.

“So what’d you get her?” I asked him curiously. Hopefully, it’s nothing sentimental. Then I wouldn’t feel as special, seeing as he got me something meaningful for my birthday.

“About that…” he started, “Would you mind putting my name on that gift?”

“Sure, why?” I asked him as I reached for the bag in the backseat.

“I didn’t get her anything,” Maddox noted, scratching the back of his neck. I quirked an eyebrow and he shrugged. “I was going to, but then I didn’t.”

“You didn’t?” I asked him as I grabbed the envelope that the card was in.

“Yeah, I didn’t feel like going out and shopping for a gift,” he explained. “It’s too much work.”

“Oh,” I nodded, feeling a shot of happiness race up my chest. He couldn’t be bothered to get Raven a gift.

“And, I mean, I gave you the idea for a gift to give her, so technically I did help,” he explained as I scribbled his name on the card with a partially dead pen.

“I know, Maddox,” I responded with a smile as I closed the card and put it back in the envelope. I’ve never felt so happy to give someone credit for something I did.

+ + +

 “Are you ready?” Maddox asked me as we parked in the lot of Raven’s apartment building.

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?” I asked as I nervously fiddled with my thumbs. I reached in the back and grabbed the gift bag once again, gripping it with both of my hands.

Maddox sighed as he looked at me. “Olive?”

“What?” I asked him, tearing my gaze from the large building to him.

“You know that I like you, right?” he asked, earning a nod from me. “And you know that I haven’t liked Raven in a long, long time, right?” I nodded again. “And you know that you shouldn’t feel intimidated by her, right?” I nodded once more.

“Yeah, I know,” I told him when I realized he wasn’t going to drop the subject until I gave him a verbal response.

“Now let’s get inside,” he told me. “The sooner we get in there, the sooner we can leave.”

“When does the party end?” I asked him and he shrugged.

“I don’t know. I don’t think she set a time,” he responded. “But I think staying for an hour or so should suffice.”

I rolled my eyes at him. “Is that Parker?” I asked as I saw the familiar boy a few feet ahead of us. He was standing by the elevator.

“Maybe 30 minutes will do; she’ll understand,” Maddox told me.

Parker looked at us and hastily pressed the elevator button again. I saw the doors opening and Parker immediately stepped in, pressing the floor number. “Hold the elevator!” I called out, not really wanting to wait for it to return all the way to the first floor from the sixth. Parker immediately looked down at the ground. He exhaled unhappily when Maddox’s hand shot out and stopped the elevator doors from closing.

“Thanks for holding the elevator, Parker,” Maddox said gruffly. In Parker’s defense, I see why he wouldn’t want to be stuck with me and Maddox in an elevator. Maddox tends to get a little jealous.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t hear you,” Parker apologized flatly as I walked to the corner of the elevator. He stood on the wall opposite of the corner I was against with his hands tucked deep in his pockets.

“Sure you didn’t,” Maddox retorted as he stood beside me, sliding an arm around my waist. Parker noticed this and his eyes slightly widened as he looked at the doors, which were closing slowly.

“Hey, Parker,” I greeted in a slightly cheerful tone.

He smiled at me. “Hey, Olivia.”

Maddox blocked my line of vision by standing in front of me. I rolled my eyes as I looked up and him and he simply leaned down and kissed me. I heard Parker mutter a faint: “Are you kidding me?”

By the time Maddox pulled away from me, I heard Parker hurriedly exiting the elevator. I was a little spaced out. I was only focusing on Maddox’s lips, so it took me a moment to realize that we were on the sixth floor already. Despite the fact that Maddox and I were only kissing for barely half a minute, he still managed to jumble my brain. With a grin, Maddox looked at me, tucking a stray hair behind my ear. “Looks like this is our stop.”

Entwining our hands, he led me down the hallway. “Was that necessary?” I asked once I was sure I could form a coherent sentence.

“What?” he asked me. “Oh, the elevator?” he inquired when I gave him a flat look.

“Yes, the elevator,” I retorted with a roll of my eyes. My cheeks were still pink, and because of the fact that his large hand was wrapped around mine, I can predict that the color would be remaining until further notice.

“Well, you seemed to enjoy it,” he replied with a shrug as he smirked at me.

“Yeah, but Parker was uncomfortable,” I told him.

“Well, remember last time when he was told that we were together? At the mall when he was flirting with you?” Maddox asked me, earning a nod in response. “A week or so later, he told Winona that he didn’t believe that we were together because you seemed so shocked to hear me say those words.”

“So you kissed me to prove a point?” I asked him with furrowed eyebrows.

“Yes,” he nodded, earning a disapproving look from me. “And because I enjoy kissing you, despite the fact that you tend to bite my tongue.”

“I didn’t bite your tongue back there, did I?” I asked him with wide eyes. I don’t recall doing so.

“I don’t think so,” he shook his head. “Maybe my lip, but not my tongue.”

“Sorry,” I muttered as I bowed my head.

“Don’t be,” he informed me.

“Are you guys coming in? Or what?” Raven asked as she stood by the door with a smile on her face. I immediately blushed deeper when I realized that she probably heard our short discussion of my kissing skills, or lack thereof. I went through the door first, followed by Maddox, who had placed his hands on my hips. I looked at him once we were within a small crowd of people and quirked an eyebrow. He smirked at me.

“I had to prove a point with Parker. You had one to prove with Raven,” he told me as he propped himself against one of the living room walls, beside a set of balcony doors. The curtains were covering the window, however the moonlight still managed to shine through, creating a misty light on the carpet below.

I furrowed my eyebrows as I looked at him. “Did you choose this spot because of the mysterious lighting?” I asked.

“And because you look great in the moonlight,” he told me and I shook my head, my red cheeks burning as I glared at him.

“Shut up, Maddox,” I hissed.

“I thought you liked my compliments,” he grinned.

“Do you see how red my face is?” I asked him.

“Exactly!” he replied. “Red is a good color on you. It’s probably one of the reasons why I like it so much.”

I felt my face heat up again and I playfully glared at him. “Stop!” I chuckled as I covered my face with my hands. He grabbed my hands from my face and pulled me towards him, wrapping his arms around me. I buried my face in his chest, growing more and more awkward at his bursts of affection.

“Ah-hem,” Raven cleared her throat. I pulled away from Maddox and turned to see Raven standing there. “Why don’t you guys come and meet some of my college friends?”

I blinked a few times before nodding. Raven swiftly approached the group with a large grin on her face and Maddox looked at his phone. “Only 43 more minutes left.”

+ + +

We stayed for two hours, mostly because every time we tried to leave, we’d get dragged back for another event- cutting and eating the cake, gathering and opening gifts. I apologized again for having to leave so early to Raven. “I have an early curfew, I’m sorry,” I informed her with a smile and she nodded. I went to walk away, towards Maddox who was waiting impatiently at the door, but she reached out and touched my arm.

“I know I shouldn’t have to ask this, and it’s not really my place, but are you guys finally a thing?” she asked me with a small smile on her face. I felt the heat rise to my cheeks as I stuttered for an answer. After a few seconds, I nodded.

“Yeah, we are,” I told her.

“Good,” she smiled before looking away. “Well, I don’t mean to keep you waiting. Have a good night.”

“You too, Raven. And again, happy birthday!” I called out before nudging Maddox outside of the door and shutting it. I sighed in relief once we made it to the elevator, where we waited.

“That was exhausting,” Maddox exhaled.

I glared at him. “You didn’t even do anything! I was the one doing all the talking!” I retorted with crossed arms.

“That’s not true- I said my name at least twice,” he responded with a smile. I narrowed my eyes at him and scoffed. “When do you have to be home?” he asked me curiously.

I looked at my phone. “My aunt works the nightshift, like usual.”

The elevator doors opened and we slowly entered. He leaned against the wall opposite to me and furrowed his eyebrows. “Do you want to go to the cliff?”

I nodded with a smile. “Yeah, I do.”

+ + +

We arrived at the cliff and I got out of the car, immediately leading the way to the clearing, where we walked to the spot just in front of the gate. I dropped down, followed by Maddox. I went to grab his hand but he immediately moved it away. “What?” I asked with furrowed eyebrows. He was rubbing his hands on his pants as his face reddened.

“My hands are sweating,” he muttered as he continued to rub them against his jeans.

“Why? Are you nervous?” I joked and he averted his gaze. “You don’t have to be nervous around me, Maddie. I mean, I know I’m cool and all, but I’m just another person, just like you- but a little bit cooler.”

He gave me a flat look before rolling his eyes. “I have a question.”

“Ask away,” I told him. Is he finally going to ask me out? I mean, this is a good moment, right? We’re in our place- the cliff, and we’re alone. It’s quiet, and the moon and stars are decorating the sky. When is there ever a better moment?

“Can you help me with my pitching?” he asked and I sighed loudly, earning a chuckle from him. Why won’t he just ask me out already?

“Fine,” I muttered as I stood up, grabbing both of his hands and helping him to get up with a little bit more force than necessary. He told me to wait as he went to the car and got a baseball and a glove. When he returned, he had a grin on his face. He handed me the glove, helping me to put it on. I glared at his back as he jogged a few feet away.

“I’m going to throw it, and you’re going to catch it and throw it back,” he told me.

“Yeah, I know how to play catch!” I retorted loudly.

He tossed the ball and I caught it, throwing it to him. It fell a few feet in front of him and he walked over and picked it up. I continued to do this for the next few turns. “Do you think you can put a little more force into your throw?” he asked after what seemed to be the tenth time. Before, he’d move closer so he could actually catch the ball but then his pitches would be weak because he was too scared I wouldn’t be able to catch it and it’d hit me.

He threw the ball to me and, with a smirk; I threw the ball over the edge of the cliff. He stared as it disappeared behind the gate separating us from the rocky ledge. “Oops,” I muttered. Serves him right.

“You’re lucky I have another ball in the car,” he smiled in triumph as he walked over to his car. I groaned, ripping off the glove and placing my head in my hands. He didn’t return for a few moments and I began to grow suspicious that he got upset about the baseball and left me. Just as I was about to turn to look for him, he began approaching me. I stared at him in the light of the moon, which seemed to be growing dimmer and dimmer with each passing moment.

“Finally,” I noted as he tossed the ball at me. I caught it, rolling it in my hands a few times, waiting for him to return to his original position, only he kept moving towards me. I quirked an eyebrow as he continued to advance. “What?”

He was standing in front of me and it took me a moment to notice that his cheeks were pink. He slowly brought his arm from behind his back and revealed a bouquet. But not just any bouquet, it was a chocolate bar bouquet. I bit back a grin as I looked at him with furrowed eyebrows. “What’s this for?” I inquired. Knowing him, it’d be for something like ‘Best Potential Girlfriend.’

“Read the baseball,” he told me. I slowly raised the ball, squinting in the dark to see it. When I read it, the grin that I was suppressing broke out and I stared at it for a few seconds before it processed in my mind.

Will you be my girlfriend? The baseball read in his familiar writing.Cheesy- that’s the first thing that came to my mind. It’s like something you’d find on Pinterest, or even Tumblr. But, for some reason, it still sent butterflies to my stomach. As I looked from the baseball to Maddox, I narrowed my eyes. “Say it aloud,” I told him.

“What?” he asked me.

I waved the baseball around. “Ask me out loud.”

“Why?” he inquired.

“Because I want to hear you say the words,” I told him as if it was obvious.

“Do I have to?” he asked in a quieter tone.

“If you want me to be your girlfriend, then yes,” I responded with a nod. He sighed.

“Will you—?” he started but I cut him off. I want this to be perfect.

“Say my name before it,” I told him with a smirk and he sighed again.

“Olivia—?” he started but I stopped him.

“When do you ever call me Olivia?” I asked. “Say Olive.”

He sighed even louder. His face was bright red and he was trying to cover his eyes with his hair. “Olive, will you be my girlfriend?” he asked quietly. Deciding not to torture him any further, I smiled and nodded.

“It took you forever,” I retorted.

“So what’s your answer?” he asked, ignoring my annoying quip.

I sighed. “Yeah, I guess,” I shrugged.

He rolled his eyes at me. “Are you always this annoying?” he grunted as he shoved the chocolate towards me.

“Yes, I am always this annoying.” I grinned at him as I accepted the bouquet. “Do you always take forever to ask important questions?”

“I do always take forever to ask important questions,” he responded.

“Wait, haven’t you said something like that to me before?” I asked with furrowed eyebrows.

“I do always take forever to ask important questions?” he responded in a confused state.

“No, was it always and forever, Olivia?” I asked. “No, that doesn’t sound right.”

“Forever and always, Olive?” he asked me.

“That’s it,” I nodded in remembrance. “That’s cute.”

“I think I’ll say it more often then,” he told me as he wiggled his eyebrows.

I rolled my eyes at him. “So, what now?” I asked.

“We kiss?” he asked with a smirk.

“I’m not sure how this whole boyfriend-girlfriend thing works,” I told him, ignoring his remark.

“Well, I know that you kiss each other,” he told me as he took a step forward.

“Do we?” I asked him with a smirk as I put my arms around his neck, making sure not to mess up my chocolate bouquet.

“Yeah, we do,” he told me.

“Oh, that’s too bad,” I responded, removing my arms from around his neck, “Because I want to eat my chocolate right now.”

He glared at me as I plucked a candy bar from the bouquet. I grinned at him and held out the bouquet. “You want one?”

He rolled his eyes and I smirked, dropping down on the floor with a smile on my face. One word floated to the front of my mind: Finally.