Madison Awakening

Jonathan has me tucked under his arm as we make our way back out onto the terrace just in time for James’ toast. The planner is rolling out the cake, as the DJ hands him the mic. Patrick is standing next to him swaying a bit but smiling brightly. Jonathan pushes us towards the front so James can see him and they exchange head nods, then he kisses the top of my head. I squeeze him a bit tighter to show my appreciation, then he slides behind me wrapping his arms around me. A hush flows of over the people as the mic fires up and the crowd begins to quiet, except for a few rowdy individuals to the left.

James clears his throat close to the mic. “Good evening my friends! Thank you for coming tonight to celebrate the true holiday this July fourth, the love of my life Patrick’s birthday!” Myself and the crowd erupt in hollers and cheers as Jonathan stays quiet.

James grabs Patrick’s hand, pulling him closer lovingly. “Partick, being your partner in this world has changed me for the positive. I am so blessed to have you in my life. Você me completa. Você é tudo pra mim. May this year be your best year. I love you.”  

As he turns and kisses his husband, purple, pink and white fireworks begin to soar above, the cake sparklers ignite in perfect sequence with the DJ playing Lana del Ray’s “Young and beautiful.” Everyone is cheering at the spectacle of it all. But Jonathan is wrapped around me as we look up at the fireworks quietly.

I’ve always loved fireworks. It was the first real sign of summer in Brooklyn, when they would go off every weekend at Coney Island. I used to go watch on my dad’s shoulders on the boardwalk. I shake my head to dislodge the thoughts of my father.

 I don’t want to go there.

“Are you cold? I can give you my jacket if you want.” He says as he tries to release me but I pull his arms tighter around me.

I shake my head. “No. I’m good. Your arms are doing the trick. What language did James use during his speech?” 

“It’s Portuguese. James is Brazilian and Welch.”

“But you guys met in France?”

Jonathan smiles. “Yup. Diplomats kids get around. The boarding school we met at is completely international.” 

I nod my head and look back up at the fireworks as they get to their crescendo.  Everyone on the terrace is still jamming to the DJ, but Jonathan and I have a cocoon around us. I feel peaceful despite everything going on.

As soon as the fireworks finish, James and Patrick come over to us. Patrick is definitely wasted, leaning on James for support.

“JJ, I can’t believe you’re still here. I didn’t see you for a while and then there you were.”  

I look down at my shoes knowing full well where he disappeared to and what he was doing. Jonathan laughs at James’ comment casually.

“I was around, but with this circus going on you just didn’t see me. But your speech was charming.  It’s amazing how far you’ve fallen into married life. You’ve come a long way from your early days my friend.”  

And they both laugh. Maybe James was a slut back in the day. I mean, he is rich and gorgeous. James pulls Patrick closer and pecks him on the cheek.  

“You are right. Marriage has softened me a lot. You might want to try it yourself.” James says, looking directly at me.

I can feel the heat rushing to my face. Jonathan laughs nervously and releases me from his grasp, which I appreciated.

“I hear you, friend. But I think I’m going to leave that world for you to navigate.” Jonathan says with a smile and gives me a wink. I use that as my cue to get us moved back to Jonathan’s for our private after party.

“James, thank you so much for having Ashely and I tonight. Everything was so beautiful and I had a wonderful time.” I gush, moving closer to Jonathan, leaning into him. Jonathan follows my lead.

“Considering I typically leave your parties after an hour, I can say this has definitely been my favorite. Thanks for having us.” Jonathan says. He releases me and pulls James into a hug.

As they embrace, James says to Jonathan, “Thank you so much for being here brother. And you look good. I haven’t seen you this happy since Delphine. Let the joy in. Eu te amo.” 

What or who is a Delphine?

“Eu te amo, James.” Jonathan replies, as they release. Jonathan grabs my hand then turns to me.

“Ready to go?” Jonathan asks. I nod with a bright smile and then turn back to the couple.

“Happy birthday Patrick. And thank you again James. I had a wonderful night.” Patrick gives me a limp wave and saunters off. Both Jonathan and James shake their heads, then turn back to me.

“It was a pleasure to meet you, Madison. I definitely will be supporting your fundraiser. Ashely made sure to give me all the information before she left. She was very passionate. You have a good friend. I hope this won’t be the last time I see you this summer.” And he looks at Jonathan then looks back at me. I keep a straight face knowing the answer is no and smile.

“I had a beautiful vacation here. I will definitely be back.”

Not an actual lie, but not really the truth either. I go to shake his hand and he pulls me into a surprise hug. When he releases me, he holds me by the shoulders and looks me directly in the eyes.

“I will see you soon.” James commands and gives me a kiss on the cheek.

“Okay, Okay. Can you let my date go?” Jonathan says as he slides me away from him.

James laughs. “Don’t worry, I won’t steal her. You guys get home safe. JJ, I’ll call you tomorrow.”

And with that, James goes to make his other goodbyes to the other guests lined up behind us.

Jonathan tucks me under his arm once again, as we start to walk towards the exit, weaving in between the plethora of guests that are still partying.  

“Michael is outside. Where are we going?” He says.

“Your place.” I say, pulling myself closer.

We finally make it down the steps just as Michael pulls up. I look to my left and see the ex, Antonella. She is smoking a cigarette, half leaning on one of the heat lamps.  She is not as pretty up close. When she turns to toss her cigarette butt, we lock eyes and her face scrunches up.

Yeah bitch, I know you and you don’t know me and I got your man. At least for tonight...

In my pettiness, I smile at her and move closer to Jonathan, as Michael opens the door to the limo then nod slightly.  Message sent.  I step into the limo and Jonathan follows, blissfully unaware of the silent exchange.

As I slide in, I feel the anticipation of what we are going to do but also the reality of time is bringing on some unexpected anxiety. It’s the countdown to the end of this fantasy I’ve been living the past week. Jonathan is checking his phone for messages, which gives me some time to decompress. 

Stevie Wonder’s “Always” is playing in the background and I close my eyes. Memories of dancing in the living room with my parents flood my mind. On Sundays, we would have dance parties after dinner. The bittersweet reverie of my parents together, jolts me and I pop my eyes open to find Jonathan staring at me.

“Where did you go?” Jonathan asks.

I kick off my shoes and start rubbing my right foot, trying to think of an acceptable answer.

“I was just listening to Stevie. I love this song.” That works.

“Did you really have a good time tonight? It’s just me. You can tell me the truth.” He says, grabbing my left foot and starts massaging it. I moan in appreciation and despite the faint light in the limo I can see him smile.

“I had an amazing time. I’ve never been to something so lavish. I get what you were saying about Patrick. But, James is really a doll.” I say, giving him my other foot to massage.  

Jonathan nods.“Good, I am glad. I know Patrick is an asshole, but I’m glad you got to see how great James is. When did Ashely leave? I didn’t get to say goodbye to her. She made quite an impression on James.”

“Yes, she did apparently. I didn’t expect her to turn into my PR agent, but she got me a lot of good contacts. She left when we were…occupied.” I say with a smirk. 

In response, he pulls my ankles and slides me onto his lap, wrapping his arms around my waist. I touch his face, breathe him in and place a soft kiss on his lips.  Jonathan deepens our meld and I am lost in the taste of him.

His hands begin to roam as I rack my hands through his hair, fully taking advantage of our cocoon again. When we finally come up for air, the car has stopped and we are at the glass castle again. I hear Michael get out and I look down to find my purse. I grab it off the floor, along with my shoes and slide off Jonathan’s lap causing him to groan.

I laugh. “Down boy.” 

“Laugh now. But wait till we get in the house…” He says with a seductive tone. 

A warning and promise. Little goosebumps cover my skin at his words. 

Jonathan opens the door and Michael meets him as he steps out with a nod . They have a quick exchange of words, then Jonathan turns out to help me out of the limo. As we walk down the path, the motion lights follow us to the door and the nervous/excited feeling builds. I take a cleansing breath once Jonathan unlocks the door then we walk inside hand in hand.