[Maddison Lancaster]

Call me friend but keep me closer
And I'll call you when the party's over

---

Even though she had been the one to get closer this time, she was taken off guard when Tomas closed the gap. She hadn't been prepared, she hadn't expected to feel his lips on hers. He didn’t have to answer her with words. His kiss, the way he pulled her closer to him, said everything she needed to know.


Maddie felt the tension melt from her body. She leaned into his kiss desperately, feeling like this was a dream after years of thinking about this exact moment. But this was no dream. His fingers trailed her face, leaving a warm tingle in their wake. After a long moment indulging the need between them, Maddie pulled back. Already, she felt the desire to close the gap again, but she had to breathe. Her head was spinning, she wasn’t thinking clearly.

”Oh shit..” She cursed, quietly, realizing sparking in her eyes. Tomas was serious. This wasn’t some fantasy now, not some daydream that would never come to fruition. She liked him, and he seemed to share the feeling. Maddie had been infatuated with Tomas for so long, but she’d never stopped to consider what would happen if he actually liked her back. It never seemed like it was in the realm of possibility.

He’s your brother’s best friend, you dumbass. She took a shaky breath, wanting nothing more than to crash her lips back against Tomas’s, but she was acutely aware that she had to be careful with him, she couldn’t fall back on her usual habit of moving at lightning speed with reckless abandon for the future. That was not an option here.

”We should, um-” do that again right now ”Talk…”

Talking is not what Maddie really wanted to do, but the rational side of her, the side that knew Tomas could never just be another one night stand to get him out of her system, that side was screaming to slow down and think about what they were doing, and what it meant.

---

@tomas

[Deleted]

Tomas felt Maddie’s body relax into him, she leaned into his kiss and it took everything for him not moan in complete ecstasy. She wasn’t pulling away from him, she was kissing him back. He could have stayed in this moment forever. When she pulled away, he groaned in protest- why was she stopping this, he wasn’t ready for this to be over. His hand was pressed against her lower back and he traced lazy circles against her blouse, wishing he could touch the skin beneath.

He gave a quick soft kiss to her lips, then her jaw, her cheek, and her lips again as she swore under her breath. He really didn’t want this to end, he couldn’t bare the though of crashing back to reality. He knew it would come with a hundred questions and to many complications. Couldn’t they just stay like this for a moment longer, pretend the entire world didn’t exist.

He heard her take a shaky breath, other than parting their lips she was still flush against him and he could feel every breath, every movement of her against him. He didn’t kiss her again even though he was desperate to. She was going to bring them back to reality, he knew it needed to happen but he really wished he could ignore it - “we should, um-“…..”talk” he heard her say the words and he pulled back only slightly from her so he could meet her eyes, he didn’t move his hand from her back. He needed the contact with her, he needed to know this was real, not a dream.

“Do we have to?” He asked, he was smiling – he couldn’t not smile even if he tried right now. “Can’t we just keep doing….” He cocked his head to the side, not finishing his sentence but it wasn’t hard to figure out what he wanted to keep doing. He sighed a little with a smile “What would you like to talk about?” he figured there might be a lot of questions and even more things they needed to figure out now this was all out in the open. A moment of panic flashed through him, maybe she regretted this already. He swallowed nervously and waited for her answer.

Maddison Lancaster

[Maddison Lancaster]

Call me friend but keep me closer
And I'll call you when the party's over

---

Despite her effort to put a bit of distance between them, Tomas held her close. She was like putty in his hands, melting even further as he traced light kisses across her face before putting his lips squarely back on hers. His hand on her back was comfortably warm, and she was having trouble remembering anything outside of the feelings he was stirring inside of her.

Focus, Maddie. She steeled resolve, as much as she didn’t want to. She just wanted to get lost in those intense hazel eyes of his, to let him lead her into forgetting about the rest of the world and pretending like no one else existed.

”Yes, we have to.” She answered him in a gentle tone, regretting that talking was necessary right now. He had a huge smile, and she was certain that she did as well. She took in another steadying breath, and with great reluctance, moved his hand off of the small of her back so she could sit back on her barstool.

”What would you like to talk about?” The question hung in the air a moment, as Maddie collected her thoughts. She didn’t want to talk about anything, but they needed to. They couldn’t just jump headfirst, consequences be damned. No. Tomas was too important in her life for her to be reckless right now.

”I suppose the first topic… What are we doing, and what are we going to tell my brother?” She didn’t want to think about Mason right now, but he was an elephant in the room that they were going to have to address at some point.

---

@tomas

[Deleted]

As she moved his hand off her back he slid forward slightly on the barstool, not standing up completely but just closer to her as she sat back down, he wanted to respect her wishes and her boundaries – if she wanted to talk he would talk, but he wasn't going to stop wanting to kiss her again while they were talking. He figured it was probably a good idea also. If this was going to be even a fraction more than a kiss, they needed to figure out what was going on.

When she voiced her first two questions Tomas grimaced a little, neither of them were easy to answer. The first because he was terrible (as the events of tonight to attest) at verbalising his feelings, although hopefully it would be significantly easier now the kissing had occurred and he knew Maddie was maybe onboard with continuing the kissing. The second question was difficult because until they knew what they were doing, did they really want to tell Mason and open that can of worms. But also, did they want to lie to Mason?

Sighing Tomas thought for a few moments, he didn’t want to evoke a negative reaction from Maddie, but he also didn’t want to down play this to much and make her feel like she was just another notch on the bedpost – which she absolutely wasn’t.
“I think that I want to give this a shot,” the response was simple and honest, he had liked Maddie for a while now and if the kissing had told him anything it was that he wanted more of it. “I don’t know how you feel….” He paused, it was best to just rip of the band aid and tell the truth surely “but things have felt different for me for a while now and I want to see where that goes,” he hoped he didn’t sound to stupid saying it, he bit his lip for a moment and then threw in a “if you want that of course?” before he ran a hand through his hair, feeling this kind of nervous was an uncomfortable and unusual experience for Tomas.

The second question was far more complicated, “I don’t want to lie to Mason, but maybe we should do the figuring out of this” he gestured between the two of them “before we say anything?” he suggested and then grinned “I don’t fancy being punched before you're sure about me,” he joked, well he hoped he was joking, he wasn’t actually sure Mason wouldn’t punch him.

Maddison Lancaster

[Maddison Lancaster]

Call me friend but keep me closer
And I'll call you when the party's over

---

Maddie waited as Tomas mulled over the questions she'd brought up. She downed the rest of her glass of whiskey, hoping he wasn't going to tell her that he'd made a mistake or that he didn't want to betray Mason. He was going to take an exit, she was convinced. No matter how good that kiss had been, there was too much that could go wrong, too much they could ruin by getting together. She was preparing herself for him trying to let her down easily, for him to say he shouldn't have kissed her.

He sighed, and Maddie knew she'd been right. She glanced at Tomas as he spoke. She was surprised by what he said.

"This is not a new feeling for me." Maddie admitted, shifting in her seat to face Tomas more directly.

"It is what I want, but I won't lie to you, I'm scared." Since they were being direct, she figured it was the time to lay all her truths bare before him. "I'm a fuck up, Tomas. And I don't want to screw up our friendship. I mean, it this doesn't, if we don't work.. I couldn't stand to lose you completely."

More than worry about what Mason thought, Maddie was terrified that if they did this, if they dated and didn't work out, she'd lose Tomas from her life. She imagined he'd still be friends with Mason, but maybe he'd make excuses to avoid seeing her. Maybe she'd avoid him, out of shame or anger.

"As for Mason, well, i agree. We should figure it out before we tell him, but we can't really keep it from him. I'm sure he'll get over it. Eventually. But not if we hide it." She was certain Mason would protest them dating, but he didn't get a vote.

For once, maybe she would be the favored sibling and he'd be the third wheel when they all hung out. The thought brought a childish grin to her face and she laughed softly.

"Oh my god, he is going to punch you, isn't he?" She smiled wider. "It's a good thing you can take it."

---

@tomas

[Deleted]

Tomas has known that Maddie had maybe had a crush on him when they were children, but he hadn’t really contemplated the idea that it was still and thing until she admitted the feelings weren’t new. He wanted to ask how long she had felt this way and why she hadn’t ever said anything before, but he figured that they had just been friend for so long she didn’t want to jeopardize that if he didn’t feel the same way.

When she admitted to being scared, he felt his stomach jump a little, what was she scared of? Not of him surely? he knew Maddie had dated before but he hadn’t ever paid much attention until recently. When she admitted that she was a fuck up, that she was terrified to losing him completely if whatever had just begun ended badly, he could help but laugh out loud, he wasn’t laughing at her but at her implied idea that she was the only fucked up one in this scenario.

“You think that you’re a fuck up Maddie?” he stood from his chair and moved towards her, placeing a finger under her chin he tilted her head up to look at him, leaning down his planted a slow soft kiss on her lips again and he felt his heart spasm with excitement that he was able to do this again, that for now he could kiss her for real, “Ive been fucked up my entire life. So don’t worry, we can be fuck ups together,” he spoke softly now a smile playing on his lips. After a moment longer he stepped back and sat on the bar stool again, ready to resume the conversation.

“You are already focusing on this not working,” he wanted to reassure her that no matter what she wouldn’t lose him “But even if this all goes wrong- you and Mason are my family, I couldn’t cut myself off from you even if I wanted to,” he paused and then said softer “I promise you wont ever loose me completely.” He didn’t want to think about this ending before it had even began, but this entire thing was new territory and he had never felt like this about someone that was his closest friend already.

Speaking of old friends when she mentioned not being able to keep it from Mason he winced, he knew it was true. Sure they could try and not mention it but Tomas was completely sure that he couldnt keep his hands off Maddie if he was around her all the time, even with Mason there. He groaned and laughed at the same time, “Your right, Id rather he found out from us rather then walking in on something he shouldn’t,” his smile turned wicked at his thoughts of what he would do if he was alone with her right now. Then Maddie mentioned Mason punching him and he feigned mock shock as her smile widened, “Thankfully I have the accelerated healing because there is no way I dodge your brother reflexes, especially because I can only imagine how angry he is going to be” he bit his lip, he really hoped Mason could get passed it.

“So,” he tried to think of a way to work it “How do you want to do this?” that was poor wording of the question, it sounded like he was negotiating a business deal, “I mean…that’s not what I mean,” he fell over his words, “If this is something we are going to tell Mason about is that because you just want us to keep kissing in bars or do you want the whole cozy dinner, cocktails and pool…..” jeez he was completely embarrassing himself and he had no idea how to stop, couldn’t they just go back to the kissing now.

Maddison Lancaster

[Maddison Lancaster]

Call me friend but keep me closer
And I'll call you when the party's over

---

It dawned on Maddie that while they both knew each other dated, she could hardly recall any past partners of his. She was sure it was the same the opposite way around. She'd hardly ever been with one guy long enough to mention to Mason and Tomas, let alone bring a guy around when they got a chance to all get together.

How similar were their dating habits? She wasn't sure she remembered Tomas ever mentioning a serious relationship either, but maybe she just blocked it out, ignoring any implications of him settling down with someone else.

When he stood over her, tilting her head up towards him, the rest of the room seemed to fade away again. In this moment, it was only the two of them and nothing else in the world mattered. His lips met hers again, soft and reassuring. He wasn't running from her, and he wasn't pretending or playing around. This was more real than Maddie had been prepared for. Internally she was torn between elation and sheer panic. Everything she'd dreamed about was held out in front of her. Now she had to figure out how to not screw it up.

Tomas broke away and sat back on his stool, declaring they could be fuck ups together. He continued on about how she was focusing on them not working, even before giving it a real chance. He wasn't wrong, her mind kept going over the ways that this could go wrong. But what if it went right? That was a possibility she wasn't sure she was ready to consider.

What would that look like? A white picket fence and a house full of children? No, that wasn't either of them. Maddie wasn't cut out to be a mother, and she didn't think of Tomas as the traditionalist who would insist on the neat little nuclear family. But what would a life with them together look like? It had always been such a distant dream that Maddie didn't have a clear picture of it in her mind.

Tomas assured her that she'd never lose him completely, and gave a relieved smile. "I know it seems negative, to think about failing before anything else, but I just couldn't handle it if we messed up our friendship. Whether we work out or don't, you're still one of the two most important people in my life."

Mason was the other important person. Maddie honestly didn't know what he was going to say. He wouldn't be thrilled, but would he try to put a stop to it? Would he try to convince them that they were nuts and it would never work? Maddie was sure she was projecting her fears onto his imagined reaction. Maybe he'd surprise her and say he was happy for them. Maybe he'd seen stolen glances, longing looks they didn't think anyone noticed, and he'd seen it coming all this time?

No, that couldn't be it. Mason was just hopeless in the romance department as she had been. His last girlfriend had left him, yelling something about how unavailable he was and how he didn't ever notice anything she did. Mason not noticing something was funny, but Maddie hadn't pointed that out to him in the moment.

"Who knows, maybe he won't punch you. Mayne he'll be happy for us." She couldn't even say it with a straight face.

Watching Tomas trip over his own words was a new experience. He was always so put together, so confident in himself. Even though she joked and called him arrogant frequently, she liked that about him. However, thinking that she had the power to make even Tomas Callaway stumble over his words nervously was nice. She was out of her depth, but she wasn’t completely powerless in their dynamic.

”We should go about this the right way. Go on a real date, maybe a bit like the one you already described..” She looked over at him. ”We should take it slowly.” Maddie added, knowing that wasn’t what she really wanted to do, but that it would be for the best in the long term. If they let things get too heated too quickly, she feared that his interest in her (or even her interest in him) would burn out just as quickly. It was her habitual problem. She was all or nothing, no breaks, no slowing down until it crashed and burned.

---

@tomas

[Deleted]

Tomas raised an eyebrow when she mentioned Mason being happy for them, “I think the punching is much more likely, hopefully that will be all and then he will get onboard with it” he shrugged, no matter Masons reaction Tomas was going to date Maddie, he hoped she felt the same way, if she did Mason would soon come around, the guy would always give his sister what made her happy. At least he usually did, as did Tomas for that matter.

When Maddie mentioned doing this the right way Tomas sighed with relief, they were on the same page about dating then. Although Tomas didn’t think he would turn down a casual fling with her if she offered it. It would be a lot harder for him to control the emotional side of things if she wanted it to be emotionless.

He smiled when she mentioned going on the date he described “I will take you on any kind of date you desire,” he offered, happy that she had actually liked his original idea. Tomas was used to the odd date where women just wanted to be wined and dined at the fanciest place possible and then taken to bed, he had no problem with that: in fact that was his norm and he knew how to navigate relationships that were more physical then emotional. So when Maddie suggested taking things slow he felt his stomach lurch, he would take it as fast or as slow as she wanted but it wasn’t really what he wanted. He had spent the last two months dreaming about waking up to her, or….doing things with and to her that he would keep locked inside his brain forever, he would have to work extra hard to keep his hands off her if she wanted to keep things slow, he knew she would be worth it though.

“I guess I can take things slow” he shrugged and gave her a wolfish grin and leaned against the bar again, he realised he had a whole glass of whiskey sat there, but he was no longer interested in getting wasted “I will just have to tell you all my deepest darkest desires for us rather than acting them out with you,” he teased, now he knew what she wanted from him he could feel his confidence returning. Tomas could flirt, he could play and even though he would do exactly what Maddie wanted, he would do everything he could to make himself hard for her to resist.

“So, when should we have our first date? Or would you prefer we talk to Mason before that?” he asked her, changing the subject back to official dating business again.

Maddison Lancaster

[Maddison Lancaster]

Call me friend but keep me closer
And I'll call you when the party's over

---

Maddie laughed when Tomas commented he was more likely to get punched than for Mason to tell them that he was happy for them. She knew that he was probably right, and it’s what she expected. Maybe he wouldn’t actually punch him, but he’d most likely be mad about it. ”Well, hopefully he is reasonable and realizes he doesn’t really get a say.” Did he ever get a say in what Maddie did? Not really. She listened to his opinions, and if he made sense she would begrudgingly listen. Unless she really wanted to, and then she would do what she wanted anyway. Neither boy ever really pushed back too much against what she wanted, though. Not unless there was an important reason.

Tomas promised to take Maddie on any kind of date she desired. He looked confident again, pleased with himself. When he said they could take things slow, his expression turned mischievous. He commented that he’d just have to tell her what he desired instead of acting, and she could feel her pulse quicken.

”You’re so bad.” She shook her head at him, knowing that he was doing it intentionally, trying (and succeeding) to get a reaction from her. ”I know that you know that already. But still.”

She thought for a moment when he asked when they should go out. Should they go on a date before bothering to tell Mason? That idea had some merit to it. What if they found out they didn’t work, wouldn’t work? No, that wasn’t likely to happen. The way tonight was going it was clear that they were both, at the very least, infatuated with each other. Maddie absently bit her bottom lip again while she thought through it. If they didn’t tell Mason, it would look like they were hiding it from him, or even worse, lying to him.

”It should be soon. Maybe this weekend, Friday?” Maddie suggested, hoping he didn’t already have plans that would conflict. She was off Friday night, but she had to work Saturday late shift. Not that she couldn’t try to get someone to trade her or call out if she really wanted to. ”As for Mason, I mean, I could just text him and rip off that bandaid right now.” Maddie knew that probably wouldn’t be the best way to tell her brother, but if she sent him a text tonight, when she was pretty sure he was at work, there would be little chance that she’d hear an immediate lecture from him.

”I mean, that’s probably shitty I guess.” She groaned as she reconsidered.”We’re all due to get together for lunch or something soon anyway… We could tell him then?”

---

@tomas

[Deleted]

Tomas smiled when Maddie said that Mason didn’t have a say, at least he knew that she wasn’t going to change her mind based on something that Mason said and when she called him bad he winked and grinned, he was going to have so much fun with chasing Maddie. Tomas loved a challenge and he loved to flirt, he was going to especially love flirting with Maddie.

He watched her bite her bottom lip and it made his bloody rush and his heart pound; she was stunning and when he bit her bottom lip it drove him a little mad with lust, he wanted to bite her lip. How had it taken him so long to realise how incredible she was. He could curse himself for not realising sooner, for wasting that time.

She mentioned Friday for the date or the weekend, Tomas knew that if he did have plans he would move them. “Friday sounds perfect” he said, “we can always meet Mason for brunch the next day, if the date goes well,” he paused “Which it will.” he smiled at her, he could barely keep himself under control around her now, any date they had would be perfection, he already knew it. He threw his head back and laughed as she mentioned texting Mason with the news now, “He has a key to my apartment, if you want me to survive to make it to our date, I suggest we tell him face to face. Unless ofcourse, you want to stay at mine until date night, for my own protection of course, no other reason” he beamed and wiggled his eyebrows jokingly.

“I think the news is best coming from your mouth, then at least I take an defensive stance” he was imagining breaking the news now. He was also imagining the three of them hanging out after the secret was out. They would have to be careful not to rub it in Masons face to much, but he also didn’t want to pretend there was nothing happening. He wondered is Mason would tell Miranda and how she would take the news. He had met the Lancaster matriarch before but often it was a short and polite interaction, when they were teens she was usually drunk and he wasn’t sure how she actually felt about Tomas. “I hate to ask this, but how is your mother going to react?” he winced at the question, he knew Maddie and her mothers relationship was strained, but it was probably best he knew how to deal with it now .

Maddison Lancaster

[Maddison Lancaster]

Call me friend but keep me closer
And I'll call you when the party's over

---

When he agreed to Friday, Maddie felt both excited and incredibly nervous. They were really doing this, really going to go out on a date. With each other. She had imagined what it would be like to date Tomas for so many years, but she’d also convinced herself that it would never happen. Now, here she was, about to be actually dating him. There were butterflies in her stomach, her anxiety was starting to kick in. She wasn’t good enough for Tomas. He was into her right now, but how long could that last?

She couldn’t remember the last time she was actually nervous about a first date. It seemed a bit silly to be nervous when most guys she went out with never made it to a second date. She hoped Tomas would be different.

”Okay, Friday it is then.” She smiled at his confidence that it was going to go well, then she rolled her eyes at him when he joked about her staying at his apartment to ‘protect’ him from Mason. ”I’ll text Mason to set up brunch Saturday then.”

She agreed, it would probably be easier for her to tell her big brother. But she had imagined just telling him that Tomas had something to say to him and letting him handle it. That would be bratty and childish though, and she didn’t want Tomas to think of her as childish.

”Alright, I’ll be the one to bring it up then.” She agreed. ”I don’t think he’s really going to punch you. Well, hopefully not.” Honestly, she wasn’t sure how he was going to take it. She didn’t think he’d be thrilled about the idea of his sister and his best friend dating, but he was going to have to figure out a way to deal with it. Hopefully that didn’t involve using Tomas as a punching bag. It wasn’t like the two of them had never gotten into fights with each other before, they had both been angry and hostile kids, but Maddie was certain that those days were left behind both of them.

When Tomas brought up Miranda, Maddie was surprised. They didn’t often discuss her mother, just like they didn’t talk about his parents. She reached past him and picked up his abandoned whiskey glass, taking a sip while considering her answer. She placed the glass back down in front of him with a sigh. ”I expect that Miranda will be thrilled, actually.”

The last blow out between Maddie and her mother had been months ago now, had involved Miranda lecturing her about wasting her potential and settling down to start a family before it’s too late. Not that Maddie had any intention of ‘having a family’. But she knew that if Miranda found out she’d started seeing Tomas that she would be happy. ”Honestly, she probably likes you more than she likes me, anyway.” Tomas was charming, handsome, and successful. Maddie imagined that Miranda would be more than happy about them getting together.

---

@tomas

[Deleted]

A spark of electricity ran down Tomas spine when she agreed to Friday and he tuned into his internal thoughts for just a moment, marvelling at just how insane this night had been. Tomas didn’t believe in fate or destiny but sometimes the way things randomly fell into place made his head spin. He had come here to get completely drunk and probably fight someone fuelled by his parents actions and he had ended up kissing, professing his crush and making a date with his closest friend. The butterflies started trashing around in his stomach again. He needed to make sure he was a different Tomas for her, not a different person but not the guy who shows a girl a good time and then never calls again or lets things fizzle when the sound of her voice grew tiresome.

He was pretty sure he wouldn’t feel that way about Maddie though, he had spent more time with her and Mason over the years then his own family and he never bored of her, never wanted to see her less or push her away. If anything he was at danger here of falling to fast, a shiver ran over his skin, he had never fallen like that before for anyone – determined to keep everyone at arms length, maybe that why it would be perfect with Maddie, she was already passed his walls, he let her within them a long time ago.

The sound of her voice pulled him out of the ranting thought’s swirling in his head. He bristled, he didn’t really know how he felt about Miranda being pleased about him and Maddie dating. From what he heard about her from Mason she was pushy and always on at Maddie about settling down, she didn’t need that pressure any day of the week but if they were dating, he certainly didn’t want Miranda freaking her out about things. Not wanting to feed into those thoughts though he just smiled and sat up straight, arrogance gleaming in his eye, “Well of course she would be thrilled. I’m a rare find” he caught her green eyes “Who wouldn’t want to date a highly successful man who treats the world like a fight club and drinks alone after work because his parents extort his name for their own social climbing,” his tone was dripping in sarcasm but it was all in fun, what he was saying was true but none of those things would be revelations to Maddie, to her mother maybe but all she needed to know was Tomas was a gem and maybe he would get off Maddie’s back a bit. “Maybe Miranda will stop nagging,” he shrugged, hoping it helped.

Maddison Lancaster

[Maddison Lancaster]

Call me friend but keep me closer
And I'll call you when the party's over

---

To anyone who didn’t know him, Tomas’s sarcasm might come across differently. Maddie was well aware that there was a lot of truth behind his words. His parents really bothered him, and she knew they were fresh in his mind after the email he’d received.

”It doesn’t matter if she’s nagging or not at this point. I’ve stopped going around her and I don’t plan on answering her calls.” Maddie shrugged. ”I have no idea if Mason will tell her about it or not, but it doesn’t make any difference what she thinks.”

Maddie had been doing her best to cut her mother out of her life. She knew that she was still going to have to put up with her on holidays, for Mason’s sake, but aside from that, she wasn’t going to indulge her anymore. She needed to be rid of the additional drama.

”Friday seems like it’s so many days away…” Maddie mused out loud, a means to change the subject back to something more pleasant to think about.

---

@tomas
Sorry it’s short. Let me know if you want more to work with, or if you wanna wrap this one up or anything.