"Baby! Oh, honey I've missed you so much!" Madison said, jumping on Zac when he came to her door to pick her up. She gave him a deep kiss. "You're so sweet to me. I got your flowers; they're so beautiful! I love you to death!"
"I know, I know, I'm the perfect boyfriend," Zac said, smiling. "Come on, we're going to be late. Do you have shoes on?" She nodded. He looked at her feet. She had small flip-flops on. "Damn, girl, you need to buy some real shoes."
"I don't like shoes and you know that." He rolled his eyes.
"Well you look beautiful anyway. Let's go." He brought her over to the car and opened her door for her. He got behind the wheel.
"Where are we going?"
"To eat."
"Where?"
"Does it matter?" he asked, looking over at her. She shook her head. "All right then. McDonald's drive thru�"
"Zac!"
"I'm kidding, I'm kidding�I wouldn't take you to McDonald's. Burger King, maybe, but not McDonald's." She gave him a look. "You'll love it, babe." He gave her a kiss. After he started the car, Madison laid her head against his shoulder.
"I missed you, honey."
"I know. I missed you too." Madison smiled, looking around to where Zac was driving. She knew the streets better than he did, but she still didn't know where he was going. When he pulled up to a restaurant she'd never been to before, she grew a bit confused. "Let's go."
He got out of the car and met her around the front of the car. She wouldn't let him open her door for her unless he got there first, so he never opened the door for her when she got out of the car. She always got out before he could get there. He took her hand and led her to the front door. When they got there someone opened the door for them and she went in first, him following close behind.
"It's rather dark," she said.
"Just a sec," he said, fumbling on the wall for the switch. "Here we go." He turned the knob and a dim light came across the room. A golden chandelier hung down in the center of the room, illuminating a small table with two place settings on either side. Madison's eyes widened.
"Oh my God, Zac�"
"Your table awaits," Drake said, dressed as a waiter with a white cloth over his arm and everything. He led them to the single table in the middle of the room and pulled out Madison's chair for her. She grinned excitedly and sat down. "Your menu, madam." Madison took the menu and opened it. She burst out laughing. You're getting what we give you, so don't even think about pondering over a decision.
"All right, then," Madison said. "I'll have the special." She handed the menu back to Drake, who nodded and walked away. "Zac, this is too much."
"Can I interest you in the house wine?" Taylor said, dressed as a waiter as well, holding out a bottle of wine. "A hundred dollars a bottle, but I might give it to you for a smile." He grinned at Madison who gave him a big smile. "That's good enough for me." He poured both her and Zac a glass of the wine. "I'm going to have to see some ID, though."
"Well I'm afraid my purse is in the car," Madison said.
"All right. We'll just suppose." Taylor left the bottle on the table and walked away. Madison looked at Zac, who was smiling.
"You set this up?"
"No. This is a real restaurant and Taylor and Drake really do work here." She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I talked it over with them and they decided it would be best if I did something like this instead of going to a real restaurant where we wouldn't be able to have a good time, what with my astounding popularity and all."
"Really?"
"Oh yeah. I'm so popular I can't go anywhere without getting mobbed. Why, we'd step out of the car and a hundred girls would just tackle me right then and there."
"I love how modest you are."
"It's a curse. I'm so modest it gets in the way of my daily life," Zac said, taking a sip of his wine. She smiled.
"So, what are we doing after dinner?" she asked.
"Eager to leave?" he asked, giving her a look. "What, is this not fun enough? Not romantic enough? Do we need Kenny G on a saxophone playing in the background?" He nodded to the doorman and in a moment Kenny G music was playing in the background.
"You're too much," she said. "No, I'm just wondering what's circling through that mind of yours, baby."
"Well, since my astounding popularity deters us from going anywhere public, we'll go back to my private hotel suite and watch a movie on the big screen, something worthy of our time, followed by extensive periods of, well, getting it on." She laughed.
"Do you think we'll be able to make it through the movie?"
"Probably not."
"No night on the town?" she asked, putting out her lower lip.
"No, I'm sorry. Once again, astounding popularity�"
"That's all right. As long as it's the best sex we've had, then I'll look past the fact that you haven't fulfilled my wishes." He groaned. "I'm kidding, baby. This town is boring anyway. There would be no place to go." Drake returned with two plates of food. He placed the first in front of Madison and the second in front of Zac. Madison eyed it suspiciously. "Who made this?" she asked.
"Some place that has take-out," Zac said, smiling. "Someone must have ordered it and picked it up because there's nobody here but Taylor, Drake, and Scott the bass player acting as our doorman." Scott tipped an imaginary hat at the two of them. "I'm sure it's quality."
"Well it's delicious," Madison said with her mouth full.
"And you say I have no manners," he said, shaking his head. "At least I have the decency to not talk with my mouth full while we're at a fancy setting such as this."
"How fancy can it be? We've got take-out, your brother is the wine man, your manager is the waiter, and your bass player is the doorman. And I have no shoes on."
"Where are your shoes?"
"In the car. I got tired of them."
"Maddie, baby, you're so not like me. That's why I love you." She smiled and stuffed some more food in her mouth.
"Oh!" she said, wiping her mouth and sitting up straight. "I didn't tell you. Guess who called me today?"
"Who?"
"My congressman! I don't remember his name but he's the guy who's in congress for this state or whatever, but anyway, he called me. I've been sending him a letter every day since I first saw your show way back when and he finally got fed up and called me. He wants to meet me. He'll be in town later this week and he's set up a meeting with me. Of course I dropped a line every now and then stating that I am your girlfriend and that I am indeed capable of many of the same things you are�"
"Really? What day is he coming?"
"Thursday."
"Hmm�Waiter!" Drake came running. "Where are we going to be on Thursday? Do we have a show?"
"No, we don't. Wednesday you have a show in Toledo and Friday you have a show in Detroit, but Thursday is free."
"Do you think we could be here on Thursday? Madison's meeting her congressman and I'd like to stand by for support." Drake looked at Madison who gave him a toothy grin before taking a sip of her wine.
"I suppose we could arrange that, only if it's not very long."
"I doubt he'll see us for very long," Madison said. "And I won't keep him. Once we're over he can turn around and leave." Drake nodded.
"Then sure, we can do it."
"Wonderful. You can go now." Drake left. Madison piled another pound of food in her mouth, making a mess. Zac shook his head.
That night, after what Madison would say was a night of 'hot sex,' the couple was nearly dozing. Madison had her head on his bare chest and he was stroking her long hair, thinking. The light was on so they weren't quite ready for sleep yet, but Madison was certainly exhausted. Zac, however, had other things on his mind.
"Maddie?"
"Hmm?"
"When am I going to meet your parents?" She sat up.
"We just got finished having passionate sex and you're thinking about my parents?" she asked, giving him a look. "I'd like to know where your mind has been since we got here." He shook his head.
"No, I was just thinking about it now. Honest." She eyed him. "I'm serious. When am I going to meet your parents?" She put her head back on his chest.
"Sometime next to never," she mumbled, closing her eyes.
"Never? Why not? You've already met my entire family, you spend Christmas with us, why can't I meet your parents? You don't even let me as much as peek inside your house whenever I come to pick you up�aren't they a bit curious as to where their daughter is most of the year? The must notice when you leave at night and come back the next morning."
"Zac, my family isn't like yours."
"That doesn't matter."
"Yes it does." She sighed. "I don't want to talk about them right now."
"Why not?" She turned away, moving all the way to the other side of the bed. He knit his brows, frustrated, and turned to her. "Maddie�"
"My parents are�different now. They've been different since my brother died. They don't notice when I leave and when I come back. They don't care about me anymore. Ever since their precious Sean died it seems like I don't matter. They've always liked him better, they never hid that from me, so when he died it seemed like I just kind of disappeared. They want nothing to do with me."
"Maybe if they knew the sort of things you've been doing�"
"No. They don't want to hear the word Korea ever again. It doesn't matter if I get to meet our congressman and discuss the war, it doesn't matter if my boyfriend happens to be the most powerful person in the United States, no! I'm not Sean and they blame me for his death."
"Mad, I�"
"I think I should go home." She sat up again. "And maybe you shouldn't come on Thursday. This is something I can do myself." She started to get dressed. Zac sat up in the bed and put his hands through his short hair. He rested his elbows on his knees and looked at her.
"You know, I had no idea it was like this. Don't blame me for being interested in you. It's like I know nothing about you! I know you, the girl who comes on tour with me, but I don't the real you. I don't know what you're like on an every day basis, I don't know who your friends are or how you do in school�meeting your family is a way to learn some of that." She paused, turning to him.
"I don't have friends, I get A's and B's in school, and on an every day basis I'm just the same as I am with you."
"So you're that horny every day?" She smiled. "How come you don't have friends?"
"I'm just kind of a loner at school and I don't really go out on weekends and meet people. I'm quiet and people don't get to know the quiet ones." She sat back down on the bed. "It doesn't matter who I am when I'm not with you. What matters is the kind of things I do when I'm with you. We make a difference together."
"Don't go," he said, giving her a hopeful look. "Please." She smiled and got under the covers again, cuddling up to him.
"All right. I'll stay here with you."
"You do know that you're violating the official rule of tonight." She raised an eyebrow. "You're wearing clothes."
"Oh," she said, unhooking her bra. "Excuse me." She got undressed quickly and threw the clothes she had on to the other side of the room. "Problem solved." He kissed her, his hand slipping under the covers to her stomach. He ran his hand over her smooth stomach but she stopped him quickly. "Don't do that."
"Why?" he asked.
"I hate my stomach."
"You hate your stomach? It's the best part of you!"
"It's the only part of me that has fat on it!"
"Exactly!" She gave him a strange look. "I love your stomach. I don't like girls who are so skinny you pinch 'em and you can't get anything. I love this." He pinched her stomach.
"Oh my God, Zac�you're insane."
"I'm serious, though. It's the best part of you. Well�besides your hair. It's the best part of the rest of you." She smiled.
"You really like my stomach?" she asked. He nodded. "You are so wonderful. I still don't know if you should come Thursday, I might just jump you with the congressman right there. I don't think he'll like it." Zac laughed.
"If you contain yourself, all will be good."
"Me? Contain myself? You were the one who was taking off my clothes before we even got in the door! If I hadn't stopped you we would have made love right there in the hallway!"
"Well, you're so damn sexy, babe."
"So are you." She kissed him again and moved on top of him, starting the next wave of what she would call 'hot sex.'