A/N: So, I'm really proud of this one and I'm proud of myself. I was actually having trouble with this prompt (I literally came up with it, and had it planned out in my head a few days ago, but it didn't want to work),and I was actually thinking about throwing it out and coming up with something different. But then, I just started writing and it did take me a bit to come up with something I actually liked, but I did it. And I'm proud. 2018 me would've just complained and thrown it out, but 2019 me stayed with the idea until the end. So, maybe that's a glow up for me. Go me. So anyway, sorry for this little paragraph, and I really hope you all like this.
Day 6: Forehead Kisses
Title: The Appreciation of Forehead Kisses
Chimney knocked at Maddie's door and ran a hand across his forehead. He had a headache. He hardly ever got them, but when he did, they were hell.
And he honestly felt awful. They were supposed to go out and see a movie, but Chimney wasn't feeling up to it at all. He barely even felt like driving, but he wasn't going to cancel and then not even go over and see Maddie.
Besides, he didn't care about how awful he felt. He needed to see her. He had gotten used to seeing her every day, and he didn't think he could wait until the next day to see her.
Maddie opened the door and Chimney gave her a little wave. She didn't smile or wave back; she only frowned.
"Chimney, what's wrong?" She asked.
Damn. How did she know something was wrong with him just by looking at him?
"I just have a terrible headache. Today was awful," he said as he walked in.
Maddie shut the door behind them and she began to frown even more.
"Chimney, what happened?"
"We were getting calls left and right and we were short-handed. It was stressful."
"I'm really sorry, Chim… but why did you come over if you feel that bad?"
"We were supposed to go out tonight, and I wanted to apologize."
"You don't have to be sorry. I completely understand. You didn't have to come all the way over here to tell me that. You could've just called."
Chimney shrugged and gave her a small smile. "I know, but I wanted to see you."
Maddie's frown slowly turned into a smile. "Chim…" She said as she put her hand on his arm.
Chimney let out a sigh. "I really am sorry about tonight."
"The theater will still be there tomorrow, and the day after that. We can go another night," she said as she shrugged.
Chimney looked down at her hand on his arm before he looked up at her face. Maddie cleared her throat and stepped away from him.
"But since you're already here, can I make sure you're okay?"
He nodded, and he saw Maddie immediately switch over to "nurse mode".
"Go and sit down on the couch. Have you taken any medicine?"
"No," Chimney said as he made his way over to the couch.
"Chim," Maddie softly scolded. "How can you start to feel better if you don't take any medicine?"
"I didn't have time," he said, and it was the poorest excuse he had ever come up with.
Truthfully, he had had a lot of time. He had went home, took a shower, and had even ate a little snack. Medicine had been the farthest thing from his mind. He was just mostly in a hurry to get out the door, so he could go to Maddie's apartment and see her.
And Chimney definitely wasn't going to tell her that.
Maddie sighed and shook her head. "You need to make time for yourself," she said before she walked upstairs.
Chimney's head pounded as he looked at the tv. Some kind of documentary about technology was on, and it didn't seem too interesting. And Maddie must've not been into it either because the volume was almost all the way down.
He heard Maddie walk downstairs and she had a bottle of medicine and something else that he couldn't quite make out.
She walked over to him and took two pills out of the bottle and handed it to him.
"I have to go get a glass of water. I'll be right back," she said as she rushed to the kitchen.
Maddie came back shortly after and Chimney could finally make out the other item she was holding; it was a washcloth.
She handed him the glass of water and he threw the pills in his mouth. He took a few drinks of water, and he got them down.
"This is for you," she said as she folded it in half. "I don't have anything else, but I put it under the hot water, and the warmth of it might ease the pain a little.
She held it up to Chimney's head and he took it… and he accidentally grabbed Maddie's thumb in the process.
"Sorry," he apologized.
Maddie gave him a smile. "It's okay… but this might work better if you lie down."
"Maddie, I'm not going to take over your couch," he said.
"Chim, please. Lie down."
She obviously wasn't going to take no for answer, so Chimney did exactly what she asked. He slipped his shoes off, and laid back on the couch.
"See, this is better. You don't have to hold it up there. You can just lay here and rest," she said as she fixed the washcloth on his head.
One of Maddie's fingers touched the side of his face as she moved his hand away. Chimney let out a little breath, and she jumped back.
Dammit. He wished he wouldn't have reacted like that.
It was just that his heart raced, and he would get butterflies every time Maddie touched him. He didn't know how to make it stop. It seemed like it got more intense as time went on.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly.
"It's okay. I just wasn't… expecting it," he said softly.
Maddie kept her distance and Chimney silently scolded himself for being so stupid. He tried to think of something to say.
"You didn't have to do any of this. Thank you," he said as he turned his head to look at her.
Maddie's expression softened and she gave him a small smile. "You're always taking care of me, so I just wanted to do the same for you."
Chimney grinned at her a little and he moved his head so he could stare at the ceiling. He closed his eyes, and Maddie had walked over and grabbed the washcloth again.
She laughed quietly. "This thing's probably cooled off. I'm going to go run some hot water over it again."
"Maddie…"
She was gone even before Chimney could tell her that she didn't have to.
Maddie came back a couple minutes later, and she kneeled on the floor as she put the washcloth back on his forehead. She was very careful as she moved her hands away, and Chimney knew it was because she was trying not to touch him.
He was surprised to see that Maddie hadn't gotten up yet. She just continued to kneel right beside the couch.
Their faces were close, and Chimney was very careful to not move his eyes past her nose.
He wanted to kiss her. He had wanted to for the longest time, but he wasn't going to do anything about it. He had made a promise to himself; Maddie was going to be the one that would do the kissing… well, even if she didn't ever make the move or never even wanted to, then that would be okay too. The only thing that mattered to Chimney was that they remain friends no matter what.
"How are you feeling?" She asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Truthfully, the pain hadn't eased at all, but Chimney wasn't going to tell her that. She was already doing too much for him as it was. He didn't want her to worry about him.
"I feel a little better," he said.
Maddie tilted her head to the side. "I don't believe you."
Chimney's mouth fell open.
"How did you know?" He said, not exactly meaning for that to come out.
"You don't look any better at all… wait, did you just lie to me?"
He sighed and didn't answer her.
"Chimney?" Maddie asked.
"Yeah, I did. The pain hasn't eased at all. I just don't want you to worry about me. You're spending your evening taking care of me, and I know that's not how you imagined it.
"Don't you know that I worry about you all the time?" Maddie asked after a moment of silence.
She worried about him all the time?
Chimney's heart began to race.
"But why?"
Maddie's mouth fell open. "How could you ask me that? You're so important to me… and you definitely don't have the safest job. I worry about you all the time when you're at work."
Chimney's heart was beating so hard that he was sure it was going to fly out of his chest. He opened his mouth to speak, but he couldn't form any words.
"And I don't care about my evening. I don't care about not getting to go to the movies. My evening is turning out just fine because I still get to spend it with you. I don't mind taking care of you because I…. I know you would do the same for me."
Chimney could feel his heartbeat in his ears, and his head was pounding. There were about ten million things going through his head. Maddie was telling him all of these things, and he was trying to piece them all together, trying to figure out her feelings behind her words. His head was screaming in protest.
He was important to Maddie.
He knew Maddie cared about him, but he never realized that she cared that much.
He didn't know that she spent hours and hours worrying about him each day.
He didn't know that Maddie didn't care about her plans getting ruined… and that she was happy as long as she was him.
But he did know one thing: He definitely would've taken care of Maddie if she was in his position.
She was important to him, and he cared about her more than anything in the world.
Even though Maddie's job wasn't dangerous, he still spent all day worrying about her, hoping she was safe and happy.
Chimney was always the happiest when he was with Maddie.
God, she meant everything to him.
Chimney only hoped that Maddie knew all of that too.
Then again, she probably did. She was smart, and the look in her eyes when she looked at him gave it all away.
"Maddie," Chimney finally got out.
"I know you don't want me to worry about you, but it doesn't matter because I'm going to anyway… so please don't lie to me about how you feel because that'll only make me worry more."
Maddie stood up and grabbed the washcloth off of his head. She walked to the kitchen.
Chimney let out a frustrated sigh. He was sure he had hurt her feelings.
God, he could be so stupid sometimes.
He watched Maddie walk back over to the couch. She placed the washcloth on his head, and Chimney gently grabbed her hand. A few of Maddie's fingers touched his hair, and he swallowed hard, ignoring the butterflies in his stomach.
"Maddie, I'm sorry," he said softly.
She focused on his head where both of their hands were.
"I'm sorry I hurt you," he said before he let go of her hand.
Maddie finally looked at him, and she shook her head.
"You didn't hurt me. You just made me mad… a little," she said. "I just wish you'd see how much I care about you."
She kneeled, and Chimney let out a breath.
She was close to him again. Maybe she wasn't that mad after all.
"I'm sorry," Chimney said again.
Maddie's expression softened and she even gave him a little smile.
"I know, and I forgive you… besides, I don't think I could ever be mad at you for too long."
To Chimney's surprise, Maddie grabbed his hand and held it in her own.
"So, we're still friends right? He asked, a small smile creeping on his face.
"Friends," Maddie repeated before she laughed quietly and looked at their hands.
That answered confused Chimney. He honestly didn't know what she meant.
"Best friends?" He tried again.
"Chimney, I don't think those words can be used to describe what we are," she said softly as she kept her eyes on their hands.
"And I'm still trying to figure all of this out, but we're not just friends… we're more than that… at least, that's how I feel," she explained.
"That's how I feel too," Chimney whispered, barely getting the words out.
He couldn't believe that Maddie felt the same way he did.
Maddie looked at him and smiled.
"Now.. how's your head?" she asked again.
"It still hurts a lot," he said honestly.
Maddie raised her hand and softly ran her fingers through his hair. Chimney did everything he could to keep his body from jerking.
"Maddie?" He asked.
"Yeah?"
"I have to ask… how did you know I wasn't telling the truth, and when I first showed up… how did you know there was something wrong with me?"
Maddie smiled before she answered. "Well, being an ER nurse for eight years does help, but I know you better than anyone, Chim… and I knew something was wrong when I opened the door because you weren't grinning at me like you always do."
"Oh," he said.
Chimney could feel a blush creeping up on his cheeks. He was always happy to see Maddie, but he didn't realize that he made it so obvious.
He noticed that Maddie's eyes had moved to his cheeks, and that made him even more embarrassed. She just laughed a little.
They sat in silence, and Maddie continued to run her hand through his hair. Chimney was actually getting sleepy.
"How's your head now?" She asked. "And don't you even think about lying to me."
Chimney smiled. He deserved that one.
"It still hurts a lot, but thank you for everything you've done this evening."
Maddie smiled. "You're welcome… but there's one more thing I could try," she said.
"What's that?"
"I could kiss it all better," Maddie said before she shyly looked away from him.
Chimney's eyes widened, and he definitely wasn't sleepy anymore. He didn't know how to take that, but he was sure it was a joke.
He laughed a little, and Maddie turned to look back at him.
"That'd be great," he said playing along with the joke.
That was all he thought it was… just a joke… until Maddie moved her hands and grabbed the washcloth off his head. Then, she slowly began to move her head closer to his.
"Maddie," he whispered.
He looked at her, and he could tell that she was just as nervous as he was.
Maddie's hair brushed his face, and he felt sparks all through his body. He could even smell the faint scent of strawberry shampoo on her hair.
Chimney felt Maddie's lips touch his forehead… in exactly the same place his scar was… and he closed his eyes and tried to take some deep breaths.
Maddie pulled back, and she smiled at Chimney.
"How do you feel now?"
"It still hurts," he said honestly.
"Maybe I should do it again."
Chimney swallowed hard and slowly nodded his head.
Maddie leaned forward and kissed his forehead, not one, but two times. He was barely prepared for the first kiss, so he definitely wasn't prepared for the second one. He gasped as her lips touched his head again.
She slowly pulled back and looked at Chimney.
He chuckled nervously. "You're an amazing nurse."
Maddie laughed. "Thank you, but only certain people get the special treatment."
"Who are they?"
Chimney could've have sworn that he saw Maddie blush.
"Well, only one to be exact… the one that I call my boyfriend," she said as she shyly looked at Chimney's shoulder.
He was officially Maddie Buckley's boyfriend.
Chimney began to smile so big that his cheeks hurt.
Maddie moved her head closer to his again, but she hesitated a little.
"Chim," she whispered. "Am I annoying you? I mean… with the forehead kisses?"
"Of course not, Maddie… and besides, isn't this part of my treatment to get better?" He teased.
Maddie only gave him half a smile. "I was just wondering."
"You could never annoy me, Maddie. Ever," Chimney said.
"I know the forehead kissing might be a little strange, but I'm just trying to figure things out… not my feelings for you, but I'm trying to figure out what to do, and how to feel during these situations. This is all new to me, and I need to make sure I only focus on one thing at a time."
"You do what you need to, and I'll be right here… and Maddie?"
"Yeah, Chim?"
"You could kiss my forehead for three hours straight, and I'd enjoy every second of it."
Maddie smiled and blushed a little.
"So, this is fine with you, right?"
"It's more than fine," Chimney answered.
Maddie nodded and moved to kiss his forehead again.
Chimney closed his eyes and butterflies filled his stomach once more.
And Chimney realized that he had a certain appreciation for forehead kisses, especially when Maddie Buckley was the one doing the kissing.