"I-" Maddison didn't know what to say.
She watched on with her mouth agape as Elias watched the video she had taken of Hugo and Lizzie. When she tried to snatch her phone back, Elias moved away just in time.
"I'll delete it from my phone," Maddison said as she bit her lip, averting her gaze.
Elias looked up at her.
"Delete it? Weren't you going to post it online?" He asked.
Maddison was a little surprised. How did he read her mind? She planned to upload the video anonymously to Quickshort, the fastest-growing short clip platform. Though it might not go viral, she wanted the world to see and laugh at Hugo and Lizzie.
"I am. How did you know?"
Elias smiled as he handed the phone back to Maddison. He didn't give her a reply. Instead, he casually walked back to his room as he let out a yawn. She watched him go, unsure of what to make of the situation.
He stopped in the doorway and turned back around to face her.
"If you do intend on posting it, remember to do it anonymously. You wouldn't want it to be traced back to you. Now would you? Good night, Miss Lane."
With that, he disappeared into his room and closed the door behind him. Maddison looked down at her phone screen. Recalling Elias's suggestions, she made a new anonymous untraceable account to upload the video clip onto Quickshort.
She made sure to edit the video too, so that she would not incriminate herself. Once that was done, Maddison headed to bed. With all that had happened, she slept soundly.
The next morning, she woke up to the sound of her alarm clock. Maddison felt energized as she prepared herself to tackle the day. With a fridge full of ingredients, she was excited to cook.
Referring to her handwritten notebook filled with recipes, Maddison picked one of them out and began working on her food. She kept a close eye on the clock, making sure she had just enough time to plate the food as well.
"Food for the heart and the eyes," She whispered to herself.
She knew Elias had a heavy schedule, so she also made him a lunch box to bring to work. When she was done, she took a step back to look at her masterpiece. It was a simple French toast with two sunny-side-up eggs, bacon, and a tall glass of vegetable and fruit juice.
Seeing how beautiful it turned out, Maddison took a quick photo of it. Then, she waited in the kitchen for Elias to have breakfast. He'd informed her yesterday that he would be up by 8 am to have breakfast.
But as that time came and went, Maddison grew nervous. The nervousness she felt soon turned into disappointment. Did Elias lie to her? Eventually, her growling stomach forced her to start eating on her own.
"What's taking him so long?" She muttered to herself as she glanced at the clock.
Minutes turned into an hour.
Maddison tapped her finger on the island countertop, wondering where Elias was. She peered down the hallway. His room door was closed.
[Maybe I should go and check on him.] She thought to herself. But as soon as she got to the door, she hesitated and walked right back to the kitchen.
After waiting a few more minutes, Maddison's stomach began to growl. Still, she held out. She wanted to eat it together with him. Even if they were meant to be a fake couple, she felt like it was only right for her to wait for him.
An hour quickly turned into two.
Maddison let out a sigh of defeat. Looking at the food she had painstakingly prepared, she didn't know what to do with it. A part of her wanted to throw it away.
[But that would be wasteful.] She said to herself.
So, she decided to eat it on her own. Just as she was about to cut into the yolk of the egg, the door to the penthouse pushed open. Maddison looked over in surprise as Elias walked in.
As soon as they made eye contact, a look of guilt flashed passed Elias's face.
"I'm so sorry, I had an early meeting today so I had some cereal and milk. I forgot to tell you," He apologized earnestly as he entered the kitchen.
Maddison shrugged her shoulders, "It's alright, it happens."
"Is that what you made?" Elias asked as he pointed to the food on the plate and the glass of juice.
Maddison nodded.
"May I?"
"But it's cold. I'll make you something else…"
"No, this is fine. I don't want your efforts to go to waste," He said with a smile before pulling the plate closer to himself.
He saw the look of disappointment on her face when he told her he'd already eaten. How could he let her down?
Maddison pursed her lips as she took a seat at the island countertop next to him. She watched intently as Elias examined the food before cutting a portion of it to try. Though the food was cold having been out for a while, the flavors melded perfectly together.
"Delicious," Elias commented with his mouth full.
She lit up.
"Really? You think so?" She asked.
He nodded, "I do. The french toast is really good. There's something you put in it that made it taste so good, isn't it? Something about the milk or the eggs maybe?"
"Yes, I used imported milk from Europe and fresh eggs from Japan. The quality of the ingredients made all the difference," She explained.
Elias pointed to the glass of juice, so she brought it to him. He took a sip of the juice.
"This is good too. A little tingly? What did you put inside?" He asked.
"Oh, just some vegetables and fruits. Mainly kale, spinach, pineapple… oh, and kiwi."
Elias dropped the glass from his hand, causing the remaining juice to spill all over the table. Maddison gasped in shock as she sprung onto her feet immediately. She grabbed a kitchen towel to wipe the mess but when she saw the look on Elias's face, she knew something was wrong.
He was grabbing onto his throat as he collapsed on the ground.
"Elias! Elias! Are you alright?" She asked in a state of panic as she turned him over.
His face was red and his body was breaking out in hives. He was having an allergic reaction.
"Medicine… bedside drawer," he struggled to speak as his airway was closing.
Maddison immediately rushed into his bedroom and pulled open the drawer. She recognized the allergy medicine and brought it to him at once. Elias took it from her and popped two pills into his mouth. She brought him a glass of water to wash it down.
As he drank the glass of water, Maddison examined the packaging of the medicine. To her surprise, the medicine was expired!
"The medicine's expired. We need to get you to the hospital," She said as she picked up her phone to call for an ambulance.
Moments after she made the call, the doors to the penthouse were pushed open. It was Jack and two paramedics. Maddison was surprised by how quickly they responded. They administered an injection into Elias's arm, before sending him to the hospital.
"Everything's going to be alright, Miss Lane. We'll take it from here," Jack reassured her as they prepared to take Elias to the hospital.
But Maddison refused to back down.
"I'm going to the hospital too."