This chapter could possibly be rated M. I'm not really sure. You be the judge.
Disclaimer: I don't own The Suite Life of Zack & Cody.
Chapter Five
If Walls Could Talk
Maddie laughed merrily and nearly fell out of her seat. She, London and Xavier were having lunch together at Caffe Italia. It wasn't the most expensive restaurant in Boston, but Maddie loved it.
"I haven't had this much fun in years," she remarked to London.
"I know, isn't it great?"
"I sure is! I wish I could do this everyday."
Something in Xavier's matter changed at London's words. It was almost as if a sudden thought had entered his mind but he didn't want to voice it.
"So Maddie," said London, looking up from her menu, "Have you decided what to order yet?" She took another bite of the appetizer, Insalata Primavera.
"No I haven't, London," said Maddie, glancing back down at her menu. "Perhaps I'll have Parpadelle Alla Bolognese."
"That sounds good," said Xavier, taking a sip of his ice tea. "I think I'll have Penne Maremonti."
As they continued to talk, Maddie's eyes drifted towards the window. For some reason she expected to see Esteban there watching her, like in the movies. But he wasn't there. Maddie sighed and turned back to London and Xavier.
"So, were do you two want to go next?" London was saying. She was looking at Maddie.
"Uh, the mall, maybe?" said Maddie.
"Okay," said London.
The afternoon passed too quickly for Maddie's taste. It wasn't long before the limo was taking them back to the Tipton. She glanced over at Xavier who had his arm around her shoulders. Maddie wanted to shrug him off, but couldn't find the words to tell him so.
The limo came to a stop and London happily stepped out. She didn't seem to notice that Maddie and Xavier hadn't followed her.
"I thought she'd never leave," said Xavier, scooting closer to Maddie.
Maddie squirmed uncomfortably.
"Not I can do what I've been wanting to do all afternoon." He leaned in close to Maddie so that they were only an inch apart.
"No, Xavier," said Maddie, moving away from him.
Xavier stared at her in disbelief. "What do you mean, 'no?' No one had ever said that to me."
"Then let me be the first," said Maddie. "Xavier, I like you, but I don't love you. There just isn't that spark there."
"You mean that spark that happens whenever your around Esteban?" he asked coldly.
Maddie nodded.
"I love Esteban and I know he loves me," she said.
"I told you to give up on him!" Xavier yelled at her. "He's too old for you, Maddie!"
"Age has nothing to do with love," said Maddie, solemnly.
"Well it does here," snarled Xavier. "If you continue to love Esteban, I'll make it so you wished you had never laid eyes on him."
Trying not to show Xavier how frightened she was by his threat, Maddie straightened her shoulders and stepped out of the limo. Slamming the door in Xavier's face.
Maddie hurried into the lobby and spotted Esteban washing the luggage carts. Something in her wanted to stay in talk, but she didn't have the chance. Xavier ran into the lobby, scowling at Maddie.
"I won't let you treat me like that, Madeline Fitzpatrick!" he spat angrily.
Esteban looked up from the carts in interest.
"Don't you talk to me like that, Xavier Alford!" Maddie yelled at him, crossing her arms.
"Madeline," said Mr. Moseby, coming over to them. "Please stop the yelling or take it upstairs."
"We'll do that," said Xavier, seething. He glared coldly at Esteban before following Maddie to the elevators.
Probably just a lover's quarrel, thought Esteban. It happens all the time.
Upstairs, Maddie and Xavier continued their argument in London's suite which she so kindly let them use.
"Why don't you just give up already?" Xavier yelled at her. "The man's got a girlfriend already, for heaven's sakes! How can a good Catholic girl like you go after someone else's boyfriend?!"
"Esteban was mine first!" Maddie spat back.
"But if he loved you so much then he wouldn't have gotten another girlfriend!"
Maddie's heart sank. As much as she hated to admit it, Xavier was right. No matter how much his words hurt.
Maddie hummed softly as she rearrange the candy counter for the umteenth time that morning. London had told her that she had a new plan for how Maddie could get Esteban back. Maddie just hoped it would work this time.
"Hey Maddie," said London, snapping Maddie out of her thoughts. "Remember how I said I had a plan for you? Do you want to hear it?"
"Go ahead, London," she said.
"Well, when Mr. Moseby isn't at the front desk, I'll sign in as a guest. Then I'll make a phone call to Moseby and ask for some candy. I'll tell him I'm deathly ill and can't come down and get it myself. That way you can bring it up. In the meantime, I'll have a bunch of suite cases here in the lobby and Esteban will bring them upstairs. When you are both in the room, I'll slam the door and lock it. That way you both will be in the same spot and will able to work things out."
"That's a crazy idea, London," said Maddie. "Won't you be in the room?"
"I'll leave before you get up there."
"What about my shift? What if Mr. Moseby needs me? I'll get fired!"
"Don't worry! I've got that taken care of too. I'll call as soon as you finish your shift. Because when your locked in the room, you won't be missed."
"How will I get out in the morning? I have school!"
"I'll just unlock it," said London, nonchalantly. "This should all work out just fine."
"Okay," said Maddie. "I trust you, London."
"You do? Yay me!" London clapped her hands.
By nine o'clock, London's plan was in full swing. Maddie was already waiting in the suite, while Esteban was on his way up.
Maddie tapped her foot impatiently. Would he hurry up already?
The door opened and Esteban entered the suite. Strangely enough, the lights didn't work, (thanks to Zack and Cody) so he couldn't see Maddie waiting for him. Whistling a Latin song, Esteban set the suite cases down. He was about to leave when the door slammed and locked. Uttering a strangled cry, Esteban tried to force the door open, but to no avail.
"Looks like we're stuck," said a voice behind him.
Esteban spun around. Maddie?
"Miss Fitzpatrick," he said, suddenly becoming very formal. "What are you doing here?"
"Someone called from this room saying they wanted candy, but was too ill to come down and get it themself."
Esteban arched his eyebrows.
"That seems rather odd, doesn't it?" he asked. "If someone is sick, why would they want candy?"
Maddie shrugged her pretty shoulders. "I have no idea," she said.
A sudden burst of cold wind swept through the suite. Someone had turned the air conditioner all the way up.
"I'll fix it," offered Esteban, walking over to it. After a few minutes of playing with the nob, he announced that it was stuck.
"What are we going to do?" asked Maddie. "I have to get home."
"So do I," said Esteban. He looked around the suite. "I guess we'll just have to spend the night here."
"I'm cold," said Maddie, rubbing her arms. Her teeth chattered slightly.
"Maybe you should take this comforter," said Esteban, pulling the large blanket of the king sized bed. "No sense in both of us freezing to death."
"I can't take this all for myself," said Maddie. "Maybe we should. . ."
"Share it," they said together.
Esteban wrapped the comforter around their shoulders as they huddled together for warmth.
"You know," said Maddie, "This isn't so bad."
"It could be worse," said Esteban.
"To bad this is a single suite," remarked Maddie. "I'm so tired." As if to prove it, she yawned.
"Me too," said Esteban. "Maybe we should get some sleep. You can take the bed and I'll take the couch."
"But there's no blanket," Maddie reminded him.
"There could be some extra's in the closet," suggested Esteban. He stood up and walked towards the closet.
Yawning, Maddie made her way over to the bed and layed down. She listened to Esteban rustling around on the other side of the room for several minutes before she asked him if he was able to find another blanket.
"No," said Esteban, making his way over to Maddie's side. He looked down at her angelic face.
"It wouldn't be right of me to take this all for myself," she said, thinking out loud. "And it wouldn't be right to you know, share a bed. . ."
"It's only one night," said Esteban. Maddie stared up at him. "I promise I will not do anything to hurt you. You have my word."
"I'll have to confess it to a priest," said Maddie, "But as long as nothing happens, I guess we should be just fine."
Esteban grinned and climbed in beside Maddie. He was careful to keep himself away from her. Maddie rolled over on her side and smiled at Esteban. Her hand reached for his and he could have sworn she said, "I love you."
For several minutes they lay there in total silence until Esteban broke the ice.
"Maddie, do you regret being here?"
"No, of course not. Why would you ask that?"
"Because for the past two days it seems like you do not like me anymore. It's almost if we are not friends."
"We'll always be friends, Esteban," said Maddie. "No power on earth can take that away."
Time seemed to cease to exist as they layed there in the darkness. Maddie listened to Esteban slow and steady breathing for a few moments before closing her eyes. She was about to drift into sleep when she felt Esteban pull her into his arms. He seemed to be unaware of what he was doing and Maddie felt his arm snake around her waist. Maddie turned her head and their eyes met. In an intense, Esteban realized what he was doing and let go of her.
"Oh my goodness. . ." Esteban breathed. "Maddie, I'm sorry. . .I didn't mean to. . .I'm sorry."
"Maybe you should go," said Maddie. "It will be safer that way."
"Maddie, I would never hurt you," said Esteban, standing up. "I am so sorry."
I'm sorry too, thought Maddie. This was so wrong on many levels. What was I thinking? How could I do something like this to Esteban? I know it started out innocent. . .and nothing really happened, but still. . .I should have known better.
The following morning the warm sun shined through the hotel suite window. A soft breeze made the curtains float elegantly in the air, almost as if they were dancing. Maddie smiled to herself and sat up in bed. Esteban was still sleeping on the couch.
Stealing across the room quietly, Maddie went to the bathroom to take a shower. Maybe it was the actions from the night before that made her feel so dirty. Who knows. Maddie shrugged and stepped inside the bathroom. After a fifteen minute shower, Maddie changed back into the clothes she had been wearing the night before. When she was done, Esteban was awake. He smiled awkwardly at her.
"I am so sorry," he apologized. "I don't know what got into me. I shouldn't have touched you. I'm. . ."
"Esteban," said Maddie, "It's alright. You didn't harm me in any way. It was a simple mistake. People do worse thing on purpose more often then what you did. It doesn't matter to me anymore."
"But I'm sorry, Miss Maddie," said Esteban.
"And I forgive you. Did you have a good night sleep?"
"Si. What about you?"
"I feel much better," said Maddie. "I suppose we better get out of here before someone finds us."
"Yes," said Esteban.
"I have just enough time to get home and then to school," said Maddie, glancing at the alarm clock on the night-stand. "I'll see you this afternoon, Esteban."
"Goodbye, Miss Maddie," said Esteban, as she left the suite. "I love you."
When Maddie arrived at the Tipton that afternoon, Xavier had already checked out. She wasn't too sorry to see him go. Maddie liked Xavier, but not in the way she like Esteban. Speaking of which, where was he?
Maddie looked around the lobby and soon spotted him talking with Charlotte. Maddie scowled at the woman and made her way over to the candy counter. Why did Charlotte have to hang onto Esteban so? Why couldn't she just find someone else?
Life wasn't fair and it was about to get worse.
Maddie stood at the edge of London's balcony watching the stars above. It didn't seem like London's or Zack and Cody's plans had worked. Sure she had gotten to be with Esteban, and they hadn't fought or anything, but he still hadn't confessed his love to her. Even flirting madly with Xavier didn't seem to have any sort of effect on Esteban. Maybe it was really a lost cause. There was no way that Maddie could compare with that French heiress. Maddie had tried to win Esteban's heart and had failed miserably.
Maddie laughed softly. Esteban probably just thought of her as a kid. Amusing and unpredictable. He would never think of her as the woman she was growing into, even though Maddie's sweet sixteen was coming up in a few months. Maddie had hoped Esteban would love her by then. By the rate things were going, that was never going to happen.
"Thinking about Esteban again, huh?" asked London, coming out. She stood next to Maddie , a smile creeping over her face.
"What are you thinking about, London?" asked Maddie.
"I was thinking about how Esteban is holding a dance class down in the ballroom and has been doing so for several days now. He's trying to raise money for something. Anyways, he's probably down there wishing someone would come because I know that he has been doing pretty bad as of late. Why don't you go down there, Maddie? Didn't you once say you wished you could take dance classes but couldn't afford them?"
"Yeah, but—"
"Come on!" said London, forcefully. She grabbed Maddie by the arm and dragged her into the penthouse suite. Thrusting a pair of gold heels at her, London shooed Maddie out of the room.
Maddie felt a little embarrassed as she walked into the ballroom. Esteban was there, just as London said he would be. He had is back to her so he didn't see Maddie come in.
"Is this where the dance classes are being held?" she asked.
Esteban turned around. Suddenly he was unable to speak. He simply nodded.
"Put– put the heels on," he said finally.
Maddie did as she was instructed.
Esteban popped a CD into the CD play and music filled the room. It reminded Maddie of when she and Esteban had sung the beautiful duet, All I Ask of You.
"Do you know the first thing about dancing?" Esteban asked her.
Maddie shook her head.
"It's that when you dance you have to make people believe you are falling in love on the dance floor. There are all different moods in music and dances, but almost all of them are rooted in love."
This should be interesting, thought Maddie.
"Do you know the first mood?" Esteban asked her.
"Love?" asked Maddie, nervously.
"No," said Esteban. "We'll call it happiness. When you dance you must feel as though you are in a dream-like enchantment." He put his hand on Maddie's waist and took her hand in his other.
Maddie put her hand on Esteban's shoulder and tried to follow the steps.
Step, together. Step, together. She repeated to herself as she tried to match his steps.
"Very good," praised Esteban, as he spun Maddie around. The music changed to a faster beat. Esteban crossed the room in three long strides. This was anger, he told her.
"Then there's sadness. Follow my lead." Esteban moved slowly across the dance floor. It was almost as if he really was sad.
After leading her through different sorts of dance moods, a waltz began to play.
Unsure of herself, Maddie tried to copy Esteban's moves as they twirled around the ballroom.
"This isn't so hard," said Maddie, as she felt Esteban grip her hand more tightly. "As a matter of fact—" Maddie felt her feet go out from under her. With a startled cry, she crashed to the floor. Esteban was at her side in a minute.
"I'm afraid I'm not a very good dancer," she said, rising to her feet.
"Actually, you catch on rather quickly," said Esteban, slipping his hand into her's once more. "There are people who dance much worse then you. Like back in my country. Many people in my village couldn't dance."
"Where did you learn to dance, then?" asked Maddie, as they began to spin around the room again.
"From a gypsy girl. In return, I let her live with my family."
"You know," remarked Maddie, "This is kinda fun. I wasn't sure about coming here, but now I'm glad I did."
Esteban twirled Maddie around again.
"Can I ask you something?" said Maddie, rather quietly.
"Yes?"
"Something happened to you when you returned from Paris. Your so. . .so different. I thought you loved me, but now it doesn't seem like it."
"I do," said Esteban, drawing in a shaky breath. "But you don't love me."
Maddie looked confused. "What do you mean?" she asked.
"I saw you kiss Xavier after the performance."
"Oh that!" exclaimed Maddie. "He kissed me, Esteban. There was nothing behind it. I told him after we all went out to lunch the other day that I liked him, but not romantically. I also told him that there was only one guy for me."
Esteban groaned. "I wished you had told me that before," he said.
"What do you mean?" asked Maddie.
"Charlotte and I are to be married in a few months."
Maddie's heart sank to the deepest part of her stomach. Esteban's words echoed in her mind.
"M-married?" she said, feeling as if she could faint.
Esteban nodded. "I am so sorry, Maddie," he said softly. "I would never agreed if I had known you loved—"
Maddie tore herself away from Esteban and ran out of the ballroom. She flung herself on the steps of the Tipton. There her tears flowed freely. Maddie regretted every thought, every feeling that had been brought on by Esteban. Her whole body shook with uncontrollable sobs. In an instance she wanted to die.
His life would be better off without me, thought Maddie, angrily. The doors behind her opened and Esteban came out.
"Maddie, I never meant to hurt you—" Esteban started to say, but Maddie cut him off.
"Get away from me!" she screamed at him. "I don't want to ever see you again!" She took off down the sidewalk, Esteban right behind her.
How evil am I? How will Maddie get Esteban back now? Update soon.