It's Not Paradise Without You

Chapter 4

As London lay on her deck chair, hot midday sun soaking into her skin, she let her mind wander. Not to thoughts of shoes or shopping trips or malls far away in busy cities, as most often she did, but to Maddie. As a rule, she usually tried not to do this. Once she'd realized her feelings for her best friend she'd thought that maybe if she didn't let the blonde into her mind that the feelings would go away. The last thing she wanted was to slip up and ruin the one sincere friendship that she had. Now she figured there was no chance of that anyway. The girl who owned her heart was miles away, a distance that stretched further each day till she'd stopped counting.

So with a heavy sigh she let thoughts of Maddie intoxicate her, fill her head, and drown out everything else. She allowed herself to fall headfirst into fantasies she's tried not to imagine, about the way the candy counter girl's lips might feel against her own. It could have been the coldest winter day, and still with such thoughts coursing through her mind her cheeks would have flushed the brightest red like a midsummer sun burn.

Across the deck, Cody could hardly contain his excitement. Zack was starting to feel unnerved by how much his brother was grinning, hardly able to sit still, and the knowing glances he was sharing with Bailey who sat beside him, giggling as she sipped on her mango smoothie. It was barely past midday, three hours till they docked, and the air was filled with laughter and children's voices and heat. As Zack finished serving a cute girl at the other end of the bar he made his way over to his brother and Bailey, sweeping a damp cloth lazily over the bench as he went.

"Ok, spill! What is up with you two today?" he asked as he reached them, tossing his fringe back out of his eyes with a shake of his head. Cody glanced across at the brunette sitting beside him, and then back at Zack with a cheerful smile.

"Why, brother, what ever do you mean?". A long slurping sound filled the silence, Bailey taking a long sip of the thick yellow liquid in her cup as Zack glared his brother down. Cody would have cracked if the girl beside him hadn't stood up abruptly, grabbing him by the arm and yanking him off his own stool as well.

"Come on, let's go work on our essays so we're done by the time we dock." She instructed him, and the weaker twin nodded obediently, hardly taking in her words as his mind focused on the feel of her hand against his bare arm.

Two hours and 59 minutes later London was holed up in her room when a sharp knock came at her door. She tried to ignore it, reaching over to the stereo beside her bed and turning up the music. For a moment all she heard was the thudding beat and the sweet melody of the guitar filling her ears, and so let herself sink back into her fantasy. Hardly a minute later however the knocking came again, louder this time, someone's knuckles wrapping firmly against the hard wood of the door. Frustrated she pushed her eyes open and sat up, fingers trailing back through her neat locks of ebony hair – just as she'd imagined Maddie doing in her mind.

"What is it?" she called out, hitting pause on her stereo harder than was necessary and causing the small bedside table to wobble in the aftermath. After a moment a voice called back uncertainly from the other side.

"London? … It's Cody … We're docking, aren't you going to come out?". On the other side of the door Bailey tried to suppress a giggle at his choice of words. London sighed and let her head fall back down onto the pillow, pushing a dent into its gentle silk surface.

"I'm good," she replied, tracing patterns across her doona cover with her index finger and she tried to delve back into her mind, into a world of make believe where she had the nerve to take Maddie in her arms and kiss her just like she deserved to be kissed, and where the blonde would kiss her right back. There was a pause of silence that stretched out and filled her cabin in the wake of her music and the knocking outside. In the emptiness she squeezed her eyes closed and wished with all her might that Maddie was there.

That's all she wanted. It didn't matter whether or not she felt the same way; London just needed her best friend back. Bailey was nice and Cody kept an eye on her and Woody was dorky and Zack made her laugh, but even all together they didn't equal Maddie. She wanted her Candy Counter Girl.

It was at that moment, as London lay staring at the ceiling and wishing on everything she could thing to wish on, that the sound of footsteps echoed down the hall. Her ears pricked at the noise. She was an expert on shoes, and she recognized the sound of those worn out sneaker soles padding down the carpeted hall. At first she couldn't believe it true, but then that sweet voice called out to her from the other side of the door.

"London? … Its Maddie! … Surprise!".

London was up in a moment, at the door in another, and then pulling open the it open with such force it flung back and hit the wall behind it. A bemused looking Maddie was standing on the other side, hair messy from a nap on the plane, baggage sitting at her feet. A smile sprung quickly to the heiress' lips before she leapt forward, smothering the other girl in a tight hug.

"Why London, did you miss me?" the blonde giggled as she wrapped her arms around her old friend's waist. The feel of London's body pressed flush against her made Maddie's heart thud. She hoped her friend couldn't feel it. When the other girl finally pulled away she found herself suddenly feeling awkward, smiling shyly at the girl she'd known so long.

"But seriously… did you miss me?". London laughed nervously at the question, stepping back and motioning for Maddie to follow her into the room. She waited till she had her back to the other girl before answering, so the blonde couldn't read her expression.

"Of course I missed you! Bailey refuses to help me with my homework!" she said. Her expression, if Maddie had been able to read it, would have read I missed you more than you could even imagine. Behind her Maddie let out a loud laugh to cover up the smidge of hurt at the only reason why.

"You mean do your homework for you." She replied, heaving her suitcase into the room. London turned around, her eyes sparkly mischievously, dark hair whipping around her cheeks in the movement. Maddie had to bite down on her bottom lip so as to stop words spilling out of her mouth. Words like gorgeous and stunning and why are you so out of my league?

"So Maddie, how much do you know about that Lincoln guy? Apart from that he had no taste what so ever."