White Sound - Chapter Ten

Josh flinched at the sound of Calvin’s deep bark as it ripped him from his deep sleep. He cursed when he saw how late it was. There was a loud knock at the front door and Josh groaned in frustration. He dragged his feet across the loft as Calvin trotted ahead of him, his nails clipping the wood floor. Josh opened the door and didn’t even know how to react to who he saw standing there.

“Hey,” Madison said quietly.

He rubbed his eye, still very disoriented. “Madison?”

She nodded and looked down.

“What’re you doing here?” he asked groggily.

“I, uh…couldn’t sleep. Can I come in?”

He let her in and tried hard to focus. “What’s going on?”

She sat down on his couch as if she lived there and Calvin joined her, moving around on the cushions clumsily before settling next to her. “I’m sorry,” she said, seeing how tired and confused Josh was. “I didn’t mean to disturb you, especially so late.”

He cleared his throat, slowly feeling more awake. “Don’t worry about it. I knew you couldn’t resist me for too long.”

She forced a smile but it quickly disappeared, and this didn’t go unnoticed by Josh. He made Calvin get off the couch and sad beside Madison, rubbing her back in that way he did that she would never admit to liking.

“You wanna talk about it?”

She sighed. “I just wanna sleep.”

He straightened up. “Here?” She couldn’t be serious.

Madison was starting to feel stupid for even coming over. “I’ll just…” She sighed again and stood up. “I’ll just go.”

He didn’t let her get far, grabbing her wrist and turning her around to face him. “You can take my bed,” he said. “I’ll sleep out here.”

She looked at him, eyes heavy and pleading.

He raised his eyebrows in surprise. “You want us to…share the bed?”

“Relax, hot shot,” she said, feeling slightly annoyed by his naivety. “I’m exhausted, alright? Keep your hands to yourself, and we’ll have no issues.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said. He watched her take up her slippers and chuckled. “Did you seriously wear those on the New York streets in autumn?” She gave him a stink eye before pulling her gray hoodie off over head, effectively shutting him up.

Josh stared, mesmerized by every little movement she made. He had never seen so much of her skin before, and he was fighting to keep from drooling. She really was stunning, even in something as simple as a form-fitting tank top, and no one would ever compare; he was sure of it. Her hair fell in messy curls as she put the hoodie neatly on the back of his couch. He could tell by the way she walked to the bedroom that she exactly what she was doing to him, and he followed her like the sucker he was.

She was already making herself comfortable under the covers on the left side of the bed when he walked in with Calvin loyally behind him. He really liked the way she looked in his bed. A wave of nerves and self-consciousness suddenly rushed over him when he noticed Madison looking and him and wondering why he was just standing there awkwardly in the doorway. This wasn’t exactly what he had been thinking when he planned on having Madison in his bed.

“What’s the matter?” she asked.

Josh ran a hand through his hair and looked around the dark room. “It’s nothing,” he said. “It’s just that I usually sleep in just my boxers.”

She cleared her throat and shifted a bit. “Why’s that?”

He moved forward and sat on his side of the bed. “It’s the most comfortable for me,” he explained. “My sense of touch is very sensitive, as you know. So I feel the most peaceful with nothing but the sheets against my skin.”

She smiled a bit at the way he talked about his sensitivities. She was constantly forgetting that he had ever been deaf and she was still fascinated by it. He was a character, to say the least, and she admittedly found that endearing. He was getting under her skin, and she found that she didn’t mind so much. He was more understanding towards her than any man she had ever met, and she more than appreciated it. He pushed her buttons just enough to keep moods light without being a complete burden. He more was like a playground crush pulling her pigtails than anything else.

She looked at him and found that he was looked at her like she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. She wondered what went through his head when he looked at her like that. She smiled. “You can sleep in your boxers if you promise to behave.”

“I think I can control myself.” He winked at her and then proceeded to remove his shirt.
Madison couldn’t help but stare as more and more of his smooth skin became visible to her. His prominent back muscles rolled as he stood to toss the garment into the hamper by the dresser. Josh didn’t feel the least bit self-conscious and he could feel her eyes on him. He pulled down his shorts to reveal a pair of Captain American boxers.

“Nice undies,” Madison teased.

“I’ve got a nice butt, too,” he said. “In case you were wondering.”

“In your dreams,” she snorted. “Speaking of which, I’m about ready to pass out over here. Come make yourself comfortable so we can get some sleep.”

Josh took a flying leap on the bed and Calvin was close behind. Madison chuckled at these idiot boys she would be spending the night with. Any worries about losing more sleep went fleeting as Josh crawled under the covers and Calvin made himself comfortable at their feet.

Josh looked over at Madison and the way the yellow street lamps outside lit up her face like she was some kind of angel. He found her to be so irresistible, even with tired eyes and messy hair, that he found himself leaning in before he could even begin to think about it. He kissed her briefly, and then wished her a good night.

He knew this wasn’t normal. He knew that sharing a bed with someone you didn’t have much of an intimate relationship with was odd, and he knew that he had indirectly promised Madison that he would wait while she got her life together. But when he looked at her and he looked at her lips and all of their perfection, waiting seemed out of the question. He liked kissing her, and so he did.

Madison watched as he turned his back to her and she kept watching him until she saw his breathing even out. She had never seen him in such a relaxed and peaceful state, and she suddenly felt like she could watch him for hours, the way his body rose and fell in an oddly tranquil motion just a bit hypnotizing in a way. She sighed, wondering what it would be like to share a bed with him every night, inviting him to her apartment and letting him strip down to his boxers for both his benefit and hers. She thought about being the one to kiss him first, and doing it over and over again. The idea gave her butterflies. He was a good kisser, and she wasn’t about to deny it. She knew how he felt about her, the way he looked at her. Maybe, after spending more time together, she could let herself feel the same way.

---

Josh woke up to the bright invasion of the sun flooding into his bedroom. The sky was free of any clouds and Manhattan was already wide awake. He rolled over the check the clock on his nightstand and nearly yelped when he saw Madison lying beside him. He had completely forgotten about her spending the night.

After that brief shock, a beaming smile crossed his face. He watched her breathe gently and slowly, adoring the way her body moved. Her mouth was closed and the breath from her nose jostled the stray hairs around her face. She was dazzling, especially like this, so at ease.

Calvin perked up when Josh slid out of bed and pulled a pair of black basketball shorts from his dresser. He didn’t want to take Calvin out for their morning walk just yet because he didn’t want to leave Madison alone in the loft, so he went into the kitchen and prepared to make breakfast.

---

Madison stirred as she finally began to wake up. She wondered for a moment where Josh was, until she inhaled and breathed in the smell of coffee, eggs, bacon, and sausage. Calvin came bounding onto the bed and she giggled as he buried his long nose in her hair.
Josh appeared in the doorway then, in all his shirtless glory. “Hey, take it easy, little man,” he said.

Calvin ran to his owner and put his paws on his chest. Josh rubbed him down affectionately before dismissing him out of the room.

“Did you make breakfast?” Madison asked, getting out of bed.

“Just for you,” he said. “Pancakes, bacon, sausage, eggs too ways, and toast. No meat for you, though,” he added.

“Wow,” she said, genuinely impressed. “How long have you been up?”

“It’s almost noon,” he told her. “You’re quite the bed bug.”
She stuck her tongue out at him and paraded past him into the kitchen. She liked the way his loft smelled. Even with the breakfast aroma invading the place, she could still smell the faint paint fumes. She had already admired his paintings on the walls, but she saw stacks of them leaning against the wall by his easel and just couldn’t resist. She waited until Josh was setting two plates at the small kitchen table to start fingering through his art.

His style was colorful and unusual, just like him. He painted everything from landscapes to cityscapes to portraits. She moved on to the second stack and only passed two paintings before she stopped and did a double take. It was a painting of her, of all things. It was beautifully done, and he captured all of her features perfectly. She looked at the painting behind it only to see herself again, and the same thing after that. It was the fourth painting that really surprised her. It was her, absolutely bare-naked, with her back to the viewer and looking off to the right. With her eyes closed and mouth open slightly, it was quickly becoming obvious that Josh had quite the vivid imagination, as he had never seen in her that way personally.

“What do you think?” he asked suddenly, startling her.

“When did you…when did you start…painting me?”

He shrugged. “Not long after we met.” He smiled in his usual, lopsided way. “I think of something beautiful and I just have to paint it.” He scratched the back of his head, suddenly feeling a bit shy. “But it could never compare to the real thing.”

Josh caught her smiling before she had the chance to try and hide. He decided right then and there that his next challenge was to try to capture that beautiful smile in a painting.

They sat across from each other at the kitchen table and ate like they hadn’t eaten since the day before, because they hadn’t.

How long have you been a vegetarian?” Josh asked after a few minutes.

“About three years.”

“What made you want to do that?”

“I’ve just always been a huge animal lover,” she told him. “But my family is full of meat lovers, so it was easier to do once I started working and I could do my own grocery shopping.”

Josh took a sip of his coffee and then said, “Well, I think that’s really cool. You’re a dedicated person for sticking with that.”

She thanked him as she finished off her scrambled eggs.

“So,” he began again, sounding more serious now. “How are you feeling? I mean, we can’t just pretend that we didn’t almost get killed yesterday.”

“Right,” she said slowly. “Honestly, I probably wouldn’t have it through any of that had you not been there. I think you really helped me move on a little bit from what happened to my mom. So…thank you.”

He smiled. “No problem. And hey, you can spend as many nights here as you need.”

“Yeah, you’d like that, wouldn’t you?” she joked.

He smirked at her just as his cell phone rang from the kitchen counter. He took a strip of bacon with him and took a bite as he went to answer it. “Hello?”

“Were you planning on telling me that you and the bookworm were held up at that bank yesterday?” It was Tom.

“How do you even know we were there?”

“Please, anybody with eyes could spot you two swapping spit in the background while they were interviewing police officers.”

Josh swallowed. “…Oh.” He put a hand over the speaker and turned to Madison. “Our little, uh…smooch was on TV yesterday.”

She blushed deeply as he went on talking to Tom.

“She’s there, isn’t she?”

Josh cleared his throat. “Yeah, she’s here.”

“Ah, so you finally-”

“Look, Tom,” Josh quickly cut him off. “I’ll meet you at Sarabeth’s tomorrow before class, okay?” He hung up before Tom could say anything more and finished off his bacon.

“What was that about?” Madison asked, finishing her coffee.

“Nothing,” he said. “Just Tom being an idiot, as usual.”
She nodded, completely understanding. “So, any plans for today?”

“Well, Calvin and I both need some good exercise,” he said. “So we can walk him and then I’ll probably head to the gym.”

“Can I come?” she asked.

He was a little surprised. “Really? You don’t want me to take you home?”

“I mean, I’d like to join you,” she said. “If you don’t mind.”

“I don’t mind at all,” he said. “As you long as you think you can resist me working out and flexing for a good hour.”

She grabbed his coffee from across the table and took a long sip. “I’ll try to contain myself.”

Josh chuckled as he got to cleaning. “You know, you could take Calvin for a quick walk if you want,” he suggested. “He’s a little charmer, just like his daddy.”

Madison laughed at the way he talked so affectionately about his dog. “Sure, sounds good.
Josh set up the bathroom, assuming Madison would want to shower when she got back. He would never admit it unless she asked, but he had a small collection of women’s body washes, shampoos, and conditioners under his sink. Madison wasn’t the first to spend the night, after all, but never had he ever let a girl do the walk of shame. He was a natural gentleman.

---

Out on the street, wearing her hoodie and a pair of Josh’s shoes, Madison looked down at Calvin walking obediently beside her and began talking to him. “So your daddy’s some guy, huh?” He looked up at her curiously. “He’s handsome for sure,” she admitted. “Like, really handsome.” She was talking to a dog, after all, and there was no point in keeping secrets; she was sure he wouldn’t tell. “And he’s kinda funny, in his own, stupid way.” She sighed. “And he’s sweet, and caring…and those eyes.” Calvin looked at her again as they stopped at the corner and cocked his head. “Shut up,” she said.

---

“Hey,” Josh said cheerfully when Madison and Calvin returned. “How was the walk?”

“It was good,” she said swiftly, unhooking the dog’s leash. “Do you mind if I use your shower?”

“Got it all set up for you,” he said. “And we can head out right after that.”