Taste of Love - By Stephanie Nicole Page 0,24

eat?" he asked, as he slowly approached the bed. Madison shook her head, so he tried something else. "Draw you a bath?" Again, a negative response.

Austin stood uncertainly by the bed. "You just want me to leave you alone?" It nearly broke his heart to see the look of defeat in her eyes as she nodded.

"Ok, I'll leave you alone, but I'm going to hang around for a little while in case you change your mind and need something." He caressed her cheek and kissed her forehead. "Besides, my cable's out and I need to catch up on a few shows."

She didn't even crack a smile; the blank look remained unchanged. Austin backed out of the room and quietly shut the door behind him. She was so broken, and he didn't know what to do to put her back together again.

By five that evening, Madison still hadn't emerged from her room, and Austin needed to get to the restaurant. As much as he hated to leave her alone, he knew she would be pissed if there was no one there to run her establishment.

Just as he was getting up to tell her he was leaving, he heard a knock on the door. He was surprised to see Cameron on the other side. "Sorry, she's not up to company right now," Austin told him with an edge to his voice, before he let Cameron say anything.

"I'm not exactly company," Cameron protested.

Austin snorted with disdain.

"Can you please just tell her I'm here?" Cameron asked, trying to keep the irritation out of his voice.

Austin sighed and moved aside to let Cameron in. "Wait right here, and I'll see if she wants to see you."

He walked down the hall and knocked lightly on her door. He could hear her sobbing in there, and it made him want to go out and kill Cameron for getting her pregnant in the first place.

He slowly peeked in when he heard her trying to calm herself. "Hey, I just wanted to let you know that I'm heading to the restaurant. Do you want me to stop by after we close?"

"No, I'm alright. I don't need a babysitter." She was starting to get irritated with him, even though she knew he was only trying to help. Then she realized what she had said...babysitter. Her eyes welled up with tears again.

"Okay, I understand. I'll tell Cameron to go too," he said, and turned to leave her bedroom, hoping he could get out quickly before she even noticed what he had said. "I'll talk to you soon, Madison."

"Wait!" she called, and sat up. Austin stopped and cringed before he turned around. "Cameron's here?"

"Yeah, he just got here. I'll show him out, so you can be alone."

"No, tell him to come in." Madison sat upright in bed, straightened her messy hair, and wiped the tears from her cheeks. She knew she still looked horrible, but it would have to do. "Call me later, and let me know how everything is at the restaurant."

Austin nodded and left her room. He glared at Cameron as he walked down the hallway. "Don't do anything to upset her, Music Man." He tried to stare Cameron down for a moment more before he grabbed his coat and walked out the apartment door, slamming it behind him.

Cameron shook his head, then picked up the bags that he had brought with him. He cautiously walked down the hall and entered Madison's bedroom.

"Hey," Madison said. Seeing the hesitant look on his face, she put her hand up, effectively stopping him from saying what she knew he was thinking. "Don't ask how I'm doing, that's pretty obvious. And don't look so scared, it's not like it's the first time you've been in here."

Cameron smiled, thankful for her breaking the ice. "I brought some dinner and a few movies. I know it's not the cuisine that The TigerLily makes, but greasy cheeseburgers, fries, and action movies always make me feel better."

"I thought guys were supposed to bring chick flicks to make the damsel in distress feel better." Madison smiled for the first time that day.

"Well, that's what I've heard, too. I tried to meet somewhere in the middle." He offered the bag of movies to her.

"Let me see how you did," she said, looking inside to see Mission Impossible 2 and Thelma & Louise . She had to admit they were two of her favorites.

"I thought maybe we could have a theme; Mission Impossible 2 for second chances, and Thelma & Louise