Kiss Me Captain (Emily and Maddie) novel Chapter 53

[Emily’s POV]

The voice on the other end takes a breath. “My name’s Taylor. I’m the one who was outside your door last night.” My chest constricts. Maddie’s face has gone pale, her grip on the phone so tight her knuckles are white.

“I need to apologize,” Taylor continues. “I was eavesdropping. I heard your fight and I was worried it was going to escalate. I almost knocked, but then I realized you might’ve heard me and left. And just recently it dawned on me… that you’d think I was going to out you.”

Relief hits me so suddenly I feel dizzy. Maddie’s eyes meet mine, confusion and hope warring in her expression. “I wanted to call and tell you I won’t say anything,” Taylor says. “To anyone. I promise.”

Maddie finally finds her voice, though it trembles when she speaks. “Why? Why wouldn’t you tell someone?”

There’s a pause. Then Taylor says, so quietly we almost miss it: “Because I’m a lesbian. And the thought of outing someone against their will is terrifying to me. I know what it’s like to be scared of people finding out. I wouldn’t do that to anyone.”

Maddie and I stare at each other, the phone still on speaker between us. I don’t know what to say.

“I should go,” Taylor says. “I just needed you to know you’re safe. From me, anyway. I’m sorry I scared you.” The line goes dead.

We sit in stunned silence, the weight of what just happened slowly sinking in. Finally, I find my voice. “We got lucky. It could have been anyone standing out there last night, but it was someone who understands.”

Maddie sets the phone down carefully, like it might shatter. “We can’t count on being lucky forever.”

“I know.” The relief is overwhelming, but it doesn’t erase the fear coiled tight in my chest—the knowledge that we’re one overheard conversation away from everything falling apart.

We sit with this for a long moment, neither of us looking at the other. The room feels smaller, the air between us charged with everything we’ve been avoiding.

Then Maddie breaks the silence, her voice quiet but steady. “We need to talk about what you said. About loving me.”

My heart pounds. I force myself to meet her eyes. “I can’t keep running from this,” Maddie continues. “You put yourself out there and I just—I ran away.”

“You were scared,” I say, needing her to know I understand. I want to give her an out, a way to explain away what happened.

“Being scared isn’t an excuse for hurting you.” Her voice cracks, raw with emotion. “I hurt you and that’s not okay.”

“What are you saying?”

Maddie takes a shaky breath. “I’m saying I need to be honest. About what I said in recovery, about what I feel, about all of it.”

I wait, barely breathing. Maddie’s eyes fill with tears. “I meant it. When I said I love you. I meant it.”

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