A/N: I know I never do author's notes, but I've decided to do one. I'd like to thank everyone for their lovely comments! You have no idea how happy it makes me when I receive them. This chapter is for the lovely Ailish (You Electrify My Life) for being super supportive and amazing :)
Oh, and Meghan, I threw in our little lamb ;)
"This is gonna be so awesome." Meghan giggles as I slip on a pair of shoes. I glare up at my best friend who still manages to be taller than me, even though I'm in stilettos.
"It will be for you." I sigh. "I have to go get everything ready. I'll see you and Matt after the show then?" I confirm with her as I grab my bag full of sewing needles and threads of every single color you could imagine. That bag has saved my life so many times. The nervous feeling in my gut I always seem to get before Fashion Week, even though I've become no stranger to it, begins to build as I glance at the clock. It's one, only six hours until my show.
As I quickly rush down the stairs of my place in New York, I smile at Matt who's sitting in the living room watching TV. He warmly returns my smile before getting up from the couch to pull me into a hug. "Everything will be great! I'm sure your collection is beautiful." He says, pulling me against him.
"Thanks, love." I tell him. The nervous feeling starts to disappear as he plants a kiss on my lips. "I'll introduce you to everyone after the show. You and Meghan should leave around six, just in case there's traffic. Your tickets are on the counter." He nods and kisses my cheek .
I throw my stuff into the back of my car, exhaling nervously. It's odd, I usually don't get this nervous. Maybe it's because Matt's going to be there and I want to impress him. I pull out of the garage, Citizen Erased blasting from my speakers. As much as I love the song, I turn it down, needing the silence to review the show in my head.
Matt's POV
I return to the couch after the garage door closes. Maddy seems so nervous, though I'm sure she'll be fine. You can really tell she loves her job from the way she talks about it and by what she wears every day. That's one of the things I really love about her. She's so passionate about what she does.
Meghan walks into the room and sits down next to me on the couch. Something about her seems to be missing ever since Emmett left for Georgia to train with some of his old crew buddies. "I love watching Maddy's shows." She tells me with a grin. "The things she makes are amazing. It's a whole different experience too when the clothes are on a runway with music and models."
"I can't wait." I reply with a smile. "I've never been to a fashion show before." Meghan nods before looking down at her wedding band. "Do you like being married?" I ask her without really thinking.
"'You going to put a ring on it?" She teases, wiggling her eyebrows at me. I laugh back, blushing.
"Well not just yet, we've only been together for a few months now, but…" I trail off into a fantasy of being married to Maddy, surrounded by kids with her big, light green eyes. Smiling at the thought, I continue, "I've just never been married before. I was so close, but it all fell apart."
Meghan nods sympathetically. "I know. Didn't she accuse you of cheating?"
I nod. "Yeah. Meghan, the whole Miles thing," I begin. "Do you think she'd leave me if something like that happened again? If I was accused, I mean I'd never cheat on her, but –"
"Don't worry. I don't think she'd leave." Meghan reassures me. "Even though she's a bit trusting, I think she's learned her lesson. If she's changed from the whole Miles encounter, she'd probably ask around if someone said you cheated, but other than that, I think she'd trust you enough to stay. She really, really loves you."
"I love her too, more than anything." I tell her quietly. It's strange, I was with Gaia for so long and loved her dearly, but I love Maddy just as much and have only known her for about half a year.
Around five thirty, I stand in front of the mirror wearing a black blazer with striped pants and a tee shirt underneath. I fuss around with my hair, trying to look nice for Maddy and her friends. Fixing my jacket as I leave the room, I call out, "Are you ready?" Meghan walks into the hallway from her room with a nod. "You look fabulous." I laugh as she struts over to the staircase wearing a nice green dress and flats.
"I know I do." She smirks. I laugh as I follow her down the stairs, fiddling with the sleeves of my jacket before rubbing my nose anxiously.
"Can we leave now?" I ask her. She glances at the clock on Maddy's microwave.
"It's not even a quarter to."
"I know, but I have to pick up something."'
"What kind of flowers does Maddy like?" I ask Meghan as I look through the flowers at a small flower shop in the middle of the city.
"Roses." Meghan answers simply. "Like her middle name. Preferably pink, shocker there." She says, rolling her eyes.
Smiling, I find a big bouquet of pink roses. I hand money over to the man running the stand before heading back to Meghan's BMW. I glance at the clock, checking the amount of time we have. "Great, it's only six. We'll be there soon." I tell her excitedly.
Meghan gives me an amused smile before pulling out of the space in front of the stand where she had parked. After driving a few blocks, we're stuck behind a line of cars. "Shit, we've hit traffic." Meghan groans.
"How far away is Bryant Park?" I ask her, scanning the road ahead only to find the line of cars stretching endlessly.
She sighs. "About seven blocks. But at this rate we'll just be making it there." We sit there for a moment before the car moves forward. I look around at the street signs before realizing something.
"Wait, I think I know where we are." I announce. "We went to an after party near here. If we go down there and we might be able to get to Fifth without having to sit through this traffic."
"I hope you're right." She says as she takes a left out of the line of cars. I point her down familiar roads until we find a giant white tent sitting in front of us. "Great job Matt." She says, impressed. "And we have forty five minutes to spare."
We find an area to park the car before walking across a grassy area to enter the event. As we walk in, we're hit with a wall of chatter and excitement. I look around the room before spotting a familiar face. "Meghan!" I shout to her, placing a hand on her back and pointing to the man across the room. "Isn't that Michael Kors?" Her eyes follow my finger before she smiles at the man.
"Yeah, it is! Let's go say hi. I'm sure he remembers me and I know he'd love to meet Maddy's new beau." She says, raising an eyebrow. I follow her over to him. He seems to be dressed quite casually for fashion week, wearing just jeans, a plain white tee shirt, blazer, and sunglasses. I guess if you're Michael Kors, you can wear sunglasses inside and get away with it. "Michael! Hi!"
Michael smiles at her. "Meghan Neidhart, is that you? You look great! How've you been?" He asks her before pulling her into a hug and kissing both of her cheeks, a gesture that seems to be quite common here.
"I'm doing pretty well. How are you?"
"Great, thanks." He glances over at me, with a confused expression. "And who are you? You look awfully familiar."
"Hi, Mr. Kors, I'm Matt Bellamy, Maddy's boyfriend." I stutter nervously. I shake his hand awkwardly, though I'm returned with a smile.
"So you're Matt! Maddy's told me all about you! It's a pleasure to meet you."
Laughing, I say, "You too. I'm quite excited to see Maddy's collection tonight."
"I actually got a peek at some of the pieces. They're fantastic, as usual." He tells me. "I knew she'd do well. I had a really good feeling about her when I saw that gorgeous red dress at the FIT fashion show, eight years ago. The thing I loved about her was her designs were very feminine and girly while staying chic at the same time. Anyone can wear her clothes too, from a college student to their mother, which is very important." He says over the loudness of the room. "And she really loves what she's doing too."
"It's funny, I was thinking the same thing earlier today, how passionate she is about fashion." I exclaim over the loudness of the room. "I'm really can't wait to see her show."
Michael gives me a smile before placing a hand on my shoulder and saying, "I'm glad. I'm afraid I have to go, but I'm sure I'll see you after. Enjoy it." He gives Meghan a wave before he turns around to accept a hug from a tall woman with blonde hair.
"Austin!" Meghan shouts before running into the arms of a pale man with blonde bouffant. "How are you, dear?"
"Just fabulous. I can't wait to see Maddy's show tonight." Austin says in a very dramatic and animated voice. He looks over at me, his eyes wide with shock. "Oh my goodness, aren't you Matthew Bellamy? From Muse?" I nod. "I'm Austin Scarlett, it's an honor. Maddy just loves your music!"
"Cheers, mate." I tell him. "And I know she does." He stares at me, a pale eyebrow arched in confusion. "She's my girlfriend." I admit bashfully, feeling guilty that I've broken Maddy and I's deal twice tonight. Though I suppose it doesn't matter, since Michael and Austin seem to be friends of hers.
Austin claps his hands together with excitement and surprise. "Oh, really? She didn't tell me it was Matt Bellamy she was dating." He pouts. "She's going to get it after the show. I can't believe she didn't tell me.
"I'm surprised she didn't too." Meghan says. "Well we better go find our seats, we'll see you after."
Maddy's POV
"We're still waiting on Shira." One of the organizers announces to me as she checks her clipboard. "We're going to have to just use Jocelyn, then." She sighs as she places a finger against the earpiece in her ear. A tan girl with long, dark hair gracefully walks over to me with a smile.
Returning her smile, I say, "Hey girl, thank you so much for filling in." I walk over to the rack of clothes to my right. I pull out a sleek black dress and hand it to her. "You're going to be wearing this. After I get you into it, you have to go right to hair and makeup. We don't have much time left." She nods before leaving with the dress to get changed.
I sigh as I quickly move about around the crowded area. There's only twenty minutes left to pull everything together, which is really no time at all. "It's her who can't use liquid liner, right?" A familiar voice asks from behind me.
"Yes, Brad, dear. Now Adam, quit talking to Brad. We only have twenty minutes left." Panicking, Adam looks at his watch and follows me away from the hair and makeup area. "One of the models, Shira, hasn't arrived yet, so we're using Jocelyn instead." He nods.
"Is everything else okay?" He asks. I nod, relieved that everything else seems to be going smoothly. We walk over to Daphne who is lining up the models.
"Fifteen minutes everyone!" She announces. "Hey guys. Everything's going to plan."
"Great. Everyone's ready to go?" I ask her as I fuss with a model's silver leather jacket. I smile as I review the outfit. Jet black liquid leggings paired with a shimmery black top. Her light brown hair is up in a messy bun and her makeup is smoky and dramatic.
In what feels like no time at all, I'm tapped on the shoulder and told to get ready to start the show. I inhale deeply before checking the models one last time. I glance at myself in one of the many mirrors, my light, honey brown hair is somehow remaining curly despite the heat of the room, and my short gray dress looks fashionable and chic paired with my white cropped blazer. Smiling at myself in the mirror, I reassure myself that everything will be fine. As I step out to the runway, microphone in hand, and greeted by a loud applause, I looked through the crowd to find Matt and Meghan sitting in front of the runway to my right, beaming at me. Filled with a rush of confidence, I say hello to everyone and briefly announce my line.
I rush backstage to watch the show from the television backstage. Everything is going perfectly, and the audience seems to be enjoying it. I breathe a sigh of relief. "We did a fabulous job, as usual." Adam tells me with a smile.
"Thank you, dear."
"I think it really describes what you've been feeling lately. It's has some very sweet and romantic elements, yet remaining hard and confident." He sighs. "Only you could pull of something like that." He tells me shaking his head.
"Please, Adam, a million other designers can do that, it's not just me." I tell him. Adam rolls his eyes.
"Whatever you say."
I'm greeted with positive reviews and congratulations as I leave the backstage area. I smile as an excited face makes his way through the cluster of people. "Hey!" Matt shouts as he reaches me. "That was brilliant! Every piece was absolutely beautiful. Great job, love!" I throw myself into his arms, finally hearing the words of approval I'd been desperate to hear all day.
"Thanks, babe. I'm so glad you liked it." I giggle as we gaze into each other's eyes.
"Beautiful, beautiful job, Madeline!" A voice says from behind me. "Sorry to interrupt you two." Michael Kors apologizes with a wink. "As always, fantastic job. Every piece was immaculate." I laugh modestly before thanking Michael. "Did you enjoy it, Matt?"
"Yes, I loved it!" He shouts to him over the loud clamor. "It was brilliant."
"So I see you two have met each other." I grin. Matt nods.
"I met him a bit before the show. We had a lovely little chat about you." He says.
"We certainly did." Michael says. "I'm afraid I can't stay here for very long, but before I leave, would you like to help judge the Project Runway finale next season?" My mouth drops slightly at the opportunity to judge the most important episode of one of my favorite shows.
"You know I'd love to!" I exclaim.
"Great, I'll let Heidi know if I see her on the way out." I nod, filled with excitement as Meghan walks over to me, pulling me into a tight bear hug.
"Fabulous job, darling." She squeals, letting me go.
"Thank you dear." I say glancing down at her adorable military style flats. "I love your shoes."
She smirks before saying, "I found them in my closet. You made them for me in college." I think for a moment, not remembering making them.
"Did I now? I don't remember." I turn my attention to Matt who's looking nervously about the room. Realizing he's feeling a bit out of place, I say, "Let me just go get my stuff backstage and just say hi to a couple people, then we're all going out for dinner on me."
As I drive back from one of the London Fashion Week shows a couple weeks later, my eyes begin feeling heavy. I'm surrounded by blackness for a few moments before quickly opening my eyes again. I'm falling asleep at the wheel.
I know I can't drive the hour drive back to my house. I've been exhausted and jetlagged all day, barely able to stay awake. I suddenly remember the guys are around here playing some sort of festival and that they are staying in a hotel instead of my place. Not really caring if they'd let me stay there or not, I try to find the Hilton they're staying at. I glance at the clock, seeing it's nearly two in the morning. I immediately regret going out with a few other designers after the shows, even though I knew at the time how tired I was.
I let out a deep breath as I spot the Hilton. I quickly dial Matt's number, praying he'll answer.
"Hey, Maddy! Matt's asleep right now, he actually just finished up an interview. Do you need him?" A woman's voice answers.
"Kelly! How are you?" I ask sleepily through the phone.
"I'm fine, but you sound awful. Are you alright?" I yawn trying to find an area to park my car.
"Not really. I'm exhausted. I don't think I can make it back to my place. Can I stay the night with you guys?"
"Yeah, I'm sure it'll be fine. We're on the 34th floor, it's the only room up there."
"Okay, thank you so much!" After hanging up the phone and entering the parking garage. I enter the hotel through one of the garage doors. I make my way over to the elevator and lazily press the button for the 34th floor. The doors open a minute later to reveal a long hallway with a burgundy double door in the middle of it. I knock lightly, trying not to wake anyone. The door opens revealing Kelly's smiling face.
"Hey! You look exhausted! I'm sure it'll be fine if you stay in Matt's room. " She tells me as I walk into the suite. The place is as big as it is beautiful. Chris gazes mindlessly at the TV before he looks over at me.
"Hey, Maddy. You look terrible." He says, rubbing an eye with his finger.
"Well thanks, Chris." I yawn. He laughs as he scratches his head.
"Matt's room's over there." He says, pointing to a door on my right.
I thank him, then quietly open the door. Being as silent as possible, I walk over to Matt's bed where he's curled up in a ball, breathing heavily. I sit down next to him on the bed, causing him to stir. I hold my breath as his eyes flicker open. "Mads? Is that you?" He moans. Nodding, I begin stroking his hair. I lie down next to him, nearly falling asleep as my head meets the pillow. "What are you doing here?"
"I decided I would spare a few lives before I fell asleep on the car ride home." I mutter, half asleep. He giggles quietly, pulling me closer to him. He wraps his arms tightly around me as I begin to fall asleep.
Dom's POV
"Maddy's here." Chris announces as I sit down on the couch that morning.
"Really?" I ask, not having any idea of why she'd be here."Why?"
"She came here at like two in the morning. She nearly fell asleep driving home from one of the Fashion Week shows. You should've seen her. You'd think she was dead." Chris explains. I nod my head, understanding. We stare blankly at the television for a minute.
"Shit, I left my phone in Matt's room." I groan as I feel around my pockets. I wonder whether or not I should go in to get it, worried I'll wake sleeping couple, but I decide I'll be quiet. I get up from the couch and make my way over to the door.
"Don't wake them." Chris calls from the couch. I slowly open the door to find Maddy, still in a skirt and makeup, wrapped in Matt's arms. I have to admit, it's kind of adorable.
"Aww." I laugh at the sight in front of me. I poke my head out the door. "Chris, come see this." He slowly gets up from the couch and walks over to the doorway. He chuckles as looks into the room. I tiptoe into the bedroom, grabbing my phone from the dresser across from them. Smirking, I take a picture of the two of them, causing the shutter to go off. "Shit." I hiss as Maddy starts shifting on the bed, followed by Matt stretching his arms as he blinks his eyes open.
"What the fuck are you guys doing in here?" Matt yawns, putting an arm around an awakened Maddy resting her head against his chest.
"I left my phone." I say nervously, pointing to the device. "Sorry for waking you guys."
"It's okay." Maddy says quietly, dark makeup smudged around her eyes. She looks over at the clock next to her. "Shit, it's ten thirty. I still have to drive back. Are you coming, Matt?"
"Our next show isn't until next week, right?" Matt asks. Chris nods. "Then sure, I'll come back with you to our house. That we share, since we live together now." Matt says cheerfully, gazing into his girlfriend's eyes who is leaning forward to kiss him. I smile at the two of them, glad to see Matt so happy again. I glance back at the picture I'd taken a few minutes ago, two of my best friends in each other's arms.
"Are you guys going to get up some time today?" I ask them as they lie in each other's embrace.
"No." Matt yawns. "I'm never letting her go."
