Maddie tried to focus on the movie, but she was having a hard time doing so. Chimney was the only thing on her mind; he basically had been since the day they met.
And it was a little hard to keep her thoughts at bay and stay calm, especially since he was sitting right beside her. Maddie knew she had glanced over at him just one too many times. A part of her wished it was too dark in there to look at him, but the brightness of the screen had ruined that wish. A part of her wished that she didn't stare at him so much.
But she couldn't help it.
She also couldn't help the way he made her feel.
Her whole face lit up whenever he entered a room and her heart raced far too often when they were together.
Maddie moved her head to the right to glance over at Chimney, and to her surprise, he was looking at her too. He grinned at her and she gave him a small smile before she quickly directed her attention back to the movie they were watching.
Maddie really loved to watch him, and it definitely wasn't a sexual thing. She just really adored him and his smile. She also loved the way his eyes lit up whenever he found something fascinating.
She didn't exactly want Chimney to know just how much she loved looking at him because she didn't know how he would react, especially if she told him that she had every inch of his face memorized and she would think about him at night. Sometimes thinking about his smile was the only thing that got her through the terrible, sleepless nights.
Maddie's heart began to race when she could see Chimney looking at her out of the corner of her right eye. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw him offering her popcorn.
She smiled and grabbed a few pieces. She popped them into her mouth and desperately tried to keep her eyes on the movie.
Maddie put her hand in the bucket, but instead of grabbing more popcorn, she grabbed a few of Chimney's fingers. They both gasped and Maddie looked up at him. His mouth was slightly open and he was staring at her.
She realized that she was still awkwardly holding Chimney's fingers, so she moved her hand and rested it on her lap.
Maddie heard movement next to her and the next thing she knew, Chimney's head was so close to hers.
"I'm sorry," he whispered only loud enough for her to hear.
He immediately moved away and Maddie couldn't help but smile at that. He didn't want to make her uncomfortable.
Maddie moved her head closer to his.
"It was my fault, so I'm the one that should be apologizing. I'm sorry," she told him.
Maddie backed away and made herself more comfortable in her seat.
"My hand was there first, so it's technically my fault," Chimney whispered.
Maddie smiled and shook her head.
She heard Chimney sigh and she looked over. He was trying to give her the bucket of popcorn.
"A peace offering," he whispered as he offered it to her. "You can hold it."
Maddie smiled and reached for the bucket, but one of her hands landed on top of Chimney's. She glanced up at him and his attention was focused on their hands.
Neither of them moved; they both just sat there awkwardly holding the bucket of popcorn together while their hands touched.
She looked up at him once more and he was staring at her.
Maddie had no idea what was happening in the movie anymore, and she doubted Chimney did either.
The only things she could focus on were how warm and soft his hand felt under hers.
A loud scream echoed through the theater and both of them jumped. Maddie's eyes darted to the screen and one of the characters were about to get shot. She realized that she was the only one holding the bucket of popcorn now. She wasn't quite sure how Chimney had moved his hand without her noticing.
Maddie sat back in her seat and looked down at the bucket of popcorn. She really wasn't in the mood to eat now, but she didn't want to be rude and not eat any, especially since Chimney had just given her the bucket.
She glanced out of the corner of her eye and saw that Chimney's arms were crossed. A part of her immediately became afraid that he was angry with her, but the other reasonable part of her thought that he was only sitting like that so there would be no way their hands could touch again.
Maddie continued to eat the popcorn and tried to figure out the ending. She was usually good at that kind of thing; she could watch thirty minutes of a movie and actually be right about the ending.
But she wasn't able to do that any of that tonight. She was too distracted.
And during those few minutes of trying to figure out the plot, Maddie had become sure of one thing: she just really wanted to hold Chimney's hand. She wanted to feel the warmth of his skin and his fingers intertwined with hers.
Now, Maddie was still sure that she wanted to take things slow, but she figured that holding hands wasn't that big of a deal. It was just a little human contact. Besides, maybe she needed that after all.
Maddie knew it was a lost cause to wait for Chimney to make the first move. He was fine with them taking things slow, and he wouldn't dare try anything.
Maddie took a deep breath and exhaled before she balanced the bucket of popcorn on the chair beside of her. She positioned herself in her seat so she could easily grab Chimney's hand.
There was only one problem: his arms were still crossed.
"Chimney?" Maddie said as quietly as she could.
He turned his head to look at her and his expression softened. He gave her a small smile.
Maddie placed her right hand on his arm.
"Can I?," she whispered.
Chim nodded, but he also looked confused. He was agreeing to something and he didn't even know what Maddie was going to do.
He actually trusted Maddie that much.
Maddie gently pulled on his arm to let him know that she wanted him to uncross his arms. When he did, she grabbed his hand and held it with both of hers. She glanced up at him and the confusion on his face began to slowly fade away.
She grew nervous as he kept his eyes on her. Her heart raced so fast, she could hear it in her ears. She just wanted to take a second and feel his skin. Maddie wanted to make sure it felt right, that she was ready to take a small leap and hold his hand.
Maddie quickly realized two things: Deciding to trust herself and make the first movie was probably one of the best decisions that she had made in a while, and touching Chimney's hand felt right. In fact, it felt so right that images of both of them cuddled up on her couch crossed her mind.
Damn brain.
Maddie bit the inside of her lip like she was scolding herself for even thinking of things like that.
Of course, there was nothing wrong with it. Maddie knew that they would eventually get to that point, but her brain was making it really hard for her, especially when she wanted to take things slow.
Maddie glanced at Chimney and he was watching the movie. She loved the fact that he was so comfortable with her touching his hand; it was like they had done this many other times.
She looked down and wasn't quite sure where their hands would be when they held them.
There was her lap, but that was completely out of the question. Questionable thoughts were already swarming around Maddie's head, so she definitely didn't need any more. If Chimney accidentally touched her leg too much, she wasn't sure how she'd react. Her brain, on the other hand, would conjure up some images just to torture her. That was the last thing Maddie needed.
Then, there was Chimney's lap, but that was pretty much out of the question too. She affected him just as much as he affected her, and she didn't want to make the situation unbearable for him. It wouldn't have been fair.
The last and only option was the hard, plastic armrest that was barely long enough to fit their arms, but it would have to do. Maddie didn't want to make either of them uncomfortable.
She focused on his hands again and his fingers were spread out a little. Maddie gently grabbed his arm and placed it on the armrest. She placed her hand directly on top of his.
Maddie slowly interlocked her fingers with his. She smiled when she felt Chimney's fingers relax on top of her knuckles.
Maddie was so focused on their hands that she didn't realize that he had moved his head closer to hers. He began to whisper and Maddie gasped because of how close he was. She could feel his hot breath on her ear.
"Are you sure you want this?" He asked.
Maddie kept her eyes focused on their hands as she nodded. She knew that if she moved her head to the right, their lips would be close. Too damn close. And being that close to his lips was something that Maddie would have to mentally prepare for.
Chimney relaxed in his seat and started to watch the movie again.
Maddie didn't.
Maddie couldn't.
She couldn't get over how their hands fit perfectly together. Chimney's hand was just big enough for hers to fit in his comfortably. Maddie knew it was cliche, but their hands were like two puzzle pieces.
Of course, holding hands was just a simple thing, but Maddie would've never dreamed that she would actually hold another person's hand again and genuinely enjoy it.
She had lost all interest in touching others in a romantic or even friendly way. She just had too many painful memories, and she did her best to block all of it out.
She had honestly never desired to touch another human being so much until she had met Chimney.
And there she was… holding his hand.
Everything just felt so right.
Maddie didn't really believe in the whole "that special person is out there for everyone". She had stopped believing that a long time ago, but the recent events in her life, and meeting Chimney, made her wonder…
Was Chimney her special person?
Maddie had begun to ask herself that question a lot. Chimney was everything that Maddie ever wanted or needed. He was sweet, charming, funny, caring, cute, patient, and understanding.
Chimney was so good to her and Maddie appreciated that so much.
If he really wanted to, he could've stopped talking to Maddie and moved onto someone else. But he didn't do that nor was he ever going to.
He had already decided to be there for Maddie and wait for her until she was ready to be in a relationship.
And his patience, the way he was so understanding about her past and how she felt about their relationship… those were the things that made Maddie realize she was falling in love with him.
Maddie wasn't sure about a lot in her life, but she was sure about one thing: Chimney was definitely her special person.
Maddie also had begun to think that she was his too.
She was brought out of her thoughts when she felt Chimney's thumb lightly massage hers. At first, his thumb went up and down, but then he began to massage her skin in a circular motion.
Maddie looked over at Chimney and he was already looking at her. He immediately stopped caressing her thumb and gave her an apologetic smile before he lowered his head and looked at his lap.
He thought he had crossed a line.
Maddie needed him to know that he hadn't done that at all.
She glanced down at their hands as she started to massage his thumb just like he had hers. Chimney's head shot up and Maddie smiled at him.
Relief spread across his face and he gave Maddie the biggest grin.
Maddie heard movement in the theater and she stopped brushing her thumb over Chimney's. She looked ahead and noticed that the credits were rolling down the screen.
She let out a sigh. The movie was over and that meant that they would have to leave. She would have to let go Chimney's hand.
But she didn't want to.
The lights in the theater came on, but they didn't move. Both of them kept their eyes on the screen.
"So," Chimney said, breaking the silence. "How'd you like the movie?"
Oh, yeah. The movie. Maddie had forgotten all about that.
She chuckled nervously. "Honestly… I don't know. I really wasn't paying attention."
Chimney laughed. "Me neither."
They sat in silence, and during that time, literally everyone else had left the theater.
"So, umm, we should probably leave before someone yells at us to get out of here," Chimney suggested.
"Yeah," Maddie agreed.
She let go of his hand and Chimney cleared his throat.
He pointed over to the bucket of popcorn that had been long forgotten.
"Do you want anymore of that? He asked as he stood up.
Maddie shook her head and handed him the bucket. She stood up and they both began to make their way out of the theater. Chimney threw the bucket away in a trashcan right by the doorway.
They walked in silence and it was a little too awkward for Maddie's comfort.
"So," she started to say, but she closed her mouth because Chimney said the same thing at the exact same time.
"You go ahead," he said after a few seconds.
Maddie smiled. "I was just going to say that I had a great time… with you," she said as she glanced over at him.
"I had a really great time with you too… even if both of us didn't pay attention to the movie," Chimney told her.
Maddie laughed. "Yeah, I'm sorry about that."
"Don't be… because I'm not," Chimney said truthfully.
Maddie nodded.
"Instead of trying to watch a movie and then getting distracted, maybe we should go to a nice restaurant next time and just talk… and, you know, just focus on us," Chimney suggested.
Maddie loved that idea.
"I'd really love that," she admitted.
Chimney smiled.
They made it to the door and Maddie remembered that he was going to say something earlier, but he had let her go first instead.
He opened the door for Maddie and she walked outside.
"Chimney?" She said once they were both outside.
"Yeah?"
"What were you going to say earlier… when we both talked at the same time, but then you let me say what I wanted first?"
Chimney stopped walking and let out a nervous laugh. He shoved both of his hands in his jacket pockets before he began to speak.
"I was umm.. I was just going to ask…" He trailed off.
He lowered his head and looked at the ground. He let out a sigh.
"We held hands…" Chimney said after a moment.
Maddie was a little confused by the way he said it. It had come out like a statement. She slowly nodded.
"I was just wondering if that was just a one time thing… or is it something you would want to do more often?"
"I definitely don't want it to be just a one time thing," Maddie admitted.
Chimney grinned. "So, it's okay for me to hold your hand whenever I want to?"
Maddie smiled and nodded.
"Okay," Chimney said before he chuckled.
He began to walk again and Maddie quickly caught up with him. He moved closer to her and their elbows bumped when Chimney took his hands out of his pockets.
He gently grabbed Maddie's hand and interlocked their fingers. He glanced over at her and grinned before he directed his attention ahead of them.
They spent the rest of the walk in silence. Chimney's SUV was parked down the street from the theater. It was only about a two minute walk.
Once they made it to the SUV, Chimney let go of Maddie's hand to grab his keys out of his pocket. Maddie was surprised that he immediately grabbed her hand again after he unlocked his car.
Chimney opened the passenger door and Maddie saw pain flicker across his face.
"Chimney? Are you okay?" Maddie asked.
"That armrest in there wasn't very kind. My elbow's a little sore," Chimney explained.
The armrest. Maddie should've known that it was going to end up hurting one of their arms.
She climbed up into his SUV and Chimney made sure he was settled before he shut the door. Maddie put her seatbelt on.
It took a few seconds for Chimney to get settled in before he began to drive. Surprisingly, there wasn't that much traffic out, so they would arrive at Maddie's apartment in under fifteen minutes.
Maddie didn't know what to say and she guessed Chimney didn't either.
Chimney slowed the car at a stoplight and Maddie saw him rub his elbow while he waited for the light to change to green.
Maddie wished she would have checked out his elbow before they had got into the car.
"Are you sure you're okay?" she asked as she eyed his arm.
"I'm fine," Chimney told her.
She didn't care what he said; she was still going to make sure it was okay once they got to her apartment.
"I want to look at it," she told him.
Chimney laughed. "I really don't think you need to."
"But I want to," she told him.
He grinned at her and they sat in silence after that.
Chimney parked in a space that was the closest to Maddie's apartment. She unbuckled her seatbelt and looked over at him.
"Get out and take off of your jacket," she told him.
Chimney grinned. "Maddie, this isn't necessary."
Maddie opened her door. "Can you please just let me worry about you?"
She got out of the car and closed her door. She smiled when she heard the car turn off and Chimney opened his door.
She walked around the SUV and Chimney already had his jacket off.
She was glad that there was a streetlight only a few feet from where Chimney's car was; she could actually see to check out his elbow.
Maddie grabbed his left arm and moved it up and down.
"Does that hurt?" She asked.
Chimney shook his head.
She moved his arm side to side.
"What about now?"
"A little," he whispered.
Maddie brushed her fingers over his elbow.
"So, what's the diagnosis Doctor Maddie?" Chimney asked.
She laughed. "Well, do you want the good news or the bad news first?" She asked as she ran her fingers down his arm.
Maddie saw that Chimney was having trouble paying attention to her face instead of her hand.
"There's bad news?" He whispered.
"Yes… which one do you want to hear first?"
"The good news," Chimney answered.
Maddie smiled. "The good news is that your elbow will be just fine."
"I already knew that and you did too," Chimney said before he smiled.
"And the bad news is… the movie theater probably won't get better armrests for a long time."
Chimney laughed.
Maddie noticed that he had moved even closer to her and she tried to prepare herself for what he was going to do next.
"I just want you to know that… you worrying about me, even over something as simple as a sore elbow, means everything to me," Chimney said.
Chimney grabbed Maddie's hand and brought it up to his mouth. She let out a little gasp when his lips touched her skin.
He let go of her hand and stepped back. "Thank you."
Maddie didn't really know what overcame her, but she stepped forward and kissed him softly on the lips.
Chimney wasn't expecting it at all. He let out a groan as soon as their lips touched.
She quickly pulled back and desire coursed through her whole body.
Although the kiss was only a split second, Maddie was one hundred percent sure that kissing him would be her most favorite memory for the rest of her life.
Maddie closed her eyes. "Chimney…" she whispered.
She opened her eyes and her heart began to race as she looked at him.
Maddie didn't just want to hold his hand or kiss his lips… she wanted all of him. She wanted to kiss every inch of his skin. She wanted to feel the weight of his body on top of hers.
But she also knew that she wasn't ready for any of that yet.
"I should go inside," she whispered.
Chimney nodded. "Okay," he said softly.
"I just need you to know that you didn't do anything wrong. It's not you. It's me," she explained.
"Maddie, you didn't do anything wrong either," Chimney whispered.
"I just… if I invite you in, I don't know if I'll be able to stop myself if we start something."
"You don't have to explain yourself to me, Maddie. I want you to do what's best for you."
"I just wish I could let you come inside tonight though," she whispered.
Maddie desperately wished that she wasn't so broken, that she could easily do something without overthinking too much about it. It would make her life a hell of a lot easier.
But she was also glad that Chimney was so kind to her about all of it.
"But you will someday," Chimney said.
He walked over to her and smiled. "And don't ever feel pressured to do anything… because Maddie, I will be here and I'll wait until you're ready… no matter how long it takes."
Maddie began to tear up a little as she pulled Chimney into a hug.
She had prayed to God to give her something good in her life, and Chimney was one of the very many great things that God had given her recently. She would be forever grateful.
"Thank you so much," she whispered in his ear.
"I should be the one thanking you," he said.
"For what?" Maddie wondered.
"For letting me into your life and actually letting me stay."
Maddie closed her eyes. The fact that Chimney was thanking her actually made her sad. Who wouldn't want him in their life? Who would push him away?
The only answer Maddie could come up with was that whoever had hurt him was a heartless person.
Maddie had decided that she was going to love him, kiss him, and tell him all the things he needed to hear every day until every single feeling of pain and doubt he had would go away.
"Chimney, I never want you to leave."
He pulled away just enough, so he could rest his forehead against Maddie's.
"I will never leave. Ever," Chimney promised.
He raised one of his hands so he could place them on one of Maddie's cheeks.
"It's getting late, so I should go. Goodnight," he said as his thumb caressed her skin.
Maddie closed the very small gap between them and kissed him again. That kiss lasted a few seconds longer than the first one. She thought about deepening the kiss but quickly decided against it. She was trying to make sure she stayed in control of the situation.
"Goodnight," she said when they stepped back from each other.
Maddie began to walk away from him, but the sound of his voice made her turn around.
"Maddie?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you this earlier, but you look really beautiful tonight," Chimney said.
Maddie smiled and looked at the ground.
"You look really good too, Chimney," Maddie said as she looked up at him.
"I'll text you tomorrow?" He asked.
"Text me later if you want," she said, a smile forming on her lips.
He chuckled. "I'll definitely do that. Goodnight," he said once again.
"Goodnight, Chimney."
Maddie walked over to her apartment and unlocked the door. When she got in, she made sure everything was locked and the cameras were all okay. That took her about thirty minutes.
She hadn't even had a chance to take her coat off before she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She grabbed it and smiled when she saw that she had a text from Chimney.
She began to laugh when she saw that he had sent a random knock- knock joke. He sent those sometimes as a conversation starter, and Maddie loved it every time.
She sat on the couch and answered his text.
Maddie was honestly surprised that he had texted her so soon, but she didn't mind it at all. She was already starting to miss him.
And it seemed like Chimney was missing her too.