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Madeline Ashton was not an early riser. She never had been in life, and she had no plans to be, especially in her afterlife. So when the light from the sun began to fill the room, bringing its signature warmth with it, Madeline couldn’t help but open her eyes, waking up with a soft huff.
When she finally awoke in the mornings, there was always a body next to her. One with red hair, reading a book with a coffee on the nightstand and adorning a pretty, lime green, silky negligée and a pair of glasses perched on the end of her nose, waiting for Madeline to finally open her eyes. It was always a treat to wake up to and made her less irritable when she finally had to concede.
So when she wakes up on this particular morning to an empty space beside her, her huff becomes more apparent and petulant.
Madeline somehow manages to drag herself from the bed, finding her pink robe with the fluff, to begin her hunt for said woman who is currently missing from her bed.
“Hel?” She calls out, as she tries to tame her bed hair in the bathroom mirror.
No answer.
“Hel?” She calls out again, a little louder.
Still nothing.
The blonde makes her way down the ornate staircase. Hoping her girlfriend is just busy and can’t hear her.
“Helen?”
Where the hell was Hel? She couldn’t help but wonder.
Her mind began spiralling very quickly, coming to the most dramatic conclusion possible – in true Madeline Ashton fashion, of course – Helen had finally had enough and left her.
Oh, God.
Madeline knew she could be a lot at times, but Helen was always very vocal about her own boundaries and what she could and couldn’t cope with in the moment. Helen was also the sort of person to talk through how she felt about things that were upsetting her. It was all that therapy.
Hel wouldn’t just up and go without saying anything, Mad tried to rationally reason with herself. She hadn’t completely convinced herself of the previous thought though and made her way back upstairs to feel sorry for herself.
The wardrobe was still filled with Helen’s skirts, blouses and dresses. It fills Madeline with a little less dread. In her indulgence of feeling sorry for herself, she presses her face to the soft fabric. The scent that is distinctly Helen and the fabric softener they use boosts her mood somewhat.
With her head and now the rest of her body in Helen’s space in the shared closet, Madeline finds a pretty pink box with a white lace ribbon tying it closed. It immediately piques her interest; especially when she knows that pink is not a colour Helen particularly associates herself with.
Not worrying about going through Helen’s things without asking, Madeline, without even thinking, reaches for the pretty box and brings it to the bed she shares with its owner.
The lace is soft, familiar, but she can’t quite recall why. She’s sure she’s seen it before, but can’t remember where or when.
As she carefully unties the lace and opens the lid, her stomach is assaulted with an intense flutter of butterflies. The contents in the box surprise her.
The first thing she finds is something she hasn’t seen in years catches her eye. It was the Playbill from Madeline’s Broadway debut. She was only a chorus girl, but she and Helen had been so excited that Mad was going to be on the stage. Helen had decided she didn’t want to perform by this point, but she was a very proud and supportive best friend. Hel had gotten her to sign it for her; the first person to receive the somewhat infamous autograph. Hand on her heart as she realises the significance of the box she has just invaded.
Madeline carefully puts the relic of her past back and roots around the box again. She finds some photos; photo booth strips of the pair, hand scribbled notes to each other, amongst other little things that piece together the puzzle that was the previous friendship of Madeline Ashton and Helen Sharp.
Mad is about to close and tie the box up, but finds a couple of Polaroids, and there is one that stands out.
Me and Maddie, best friends forever.
There are two young girls: one blonde, the other ginger. It’s slightly faded (it is a photo from the 90s, after all), but the huge smile on younger Madeline’s face is unmistakable, as a younger Helen presses a kiss to her cheek, foot popped behind her. It causes the blonde to gasp softly. Their arms are tangled around each other as they pose for the camera. They’re dressed in their university’s cap and gowns and Madeline realises it’s a photo from when they graduated.
They both look so young and happy, no idea what was about to happen to the pair of them in the next twenty or so years. Madeline sighed, a tear escaping her eye. This was when they were both so excited to become actresses together, even though Helen had studied for a degree in literature.
What is done is done she reminded her. Helen has repeatedly told her that she forgives her, and Madeline the same. Life was happier for them now. She feels some sadness for baby Madeline Ashton. In love with her best friend, but couldn’t do anything about it. If only her younger self could see Madeline now so she could tell her that it all worked out in the end. That she has Helen the way she has always wanted her, and now knows that Helen has always loved and wanted her this way too.
Madeline doesn’t hear Helen return home. She’s too busy trying to stop herself from sobbing over Helen’s little memory box and this photo of them.
It’s not until the redhead pokes her head through the bedroom door calling her name that she is brought back to reality.
“Madeline? Oh, you are awake.”
“Where have you been?” She couldn’t help sniffing.
A flash of concern graced Helen’s features, but she waved the bag she was holding at her.
“I thought it would be nice to have breakfast from down the road.” She says, softly, handing her a pink iced coffee with a straw and a smaller paper bag with a chocolate dipped croissant inside.
“What has you so emotional this early in the morning?”
Madeline realised she now had to admit to going through Helen’s things, but her girlfriend had caught sight of the open box and the photo.
“Oh, Mads. Darling.” She cooed as she immediately wrapped her arms around the blonde. She laughed gently, wiping tears from Mad’s cheeks before asking, “Where the hell did you find that? I haven’t seen that in years.”
Helen sat beside her again and plucked the photo from the other woman’s grasp.
“Hel. It’s not funny. I thought you were gone forever.” Madeline tried to bring the conversation back, even though Helen hadn’t been privy to it until this very moment.
“What on earth are you talking about? That photo is from nearly thirty years ago. We have discussed this, in depth, many times.”
“No. You weren’t there when I woke up this morning.”
“For fuck’s sake, Madeline. I went out to get you a fancier breakfast. I didn’t leave the fucking country.” Helen was trying to suppress her amusement at Madeline’s dramatics, to no avail.
“But you’re always there.”
“Mads, this seems like a huge overreaction, even for you. What’s really the matter?”
The blonde sniffed and picked up the box again.
“Hel, I had no idea you kept all these things. I had completely forgotten about some of them. The photo strip from that dress up party, the Polaroid from our graduation, a birthday card.”
Helen took a proper look at the photo she had taken from Mad.
“There are so many things here, including my first Playbill.” She gave the woman opposite her a watery smile.
Helen smiled back at her, reaching across so she could press her lips to Madeline’s cheek just like she was doing in the photo.
“Isn’t it funny how life pans out. I got sad thinking about how the two girls in that photo had no idea what was about to come next. Then I thought about how they’d react if they knew us now.”
Mad smiled, reaching for Hel’s hands. Helen smiled back at her.
“You do make me laugh, sometimes.” The redhead held the blonde gently by her cheeks.
Madeline pouted before joining Helen in her slight silliness.
“Come on, you. I actually went outside to get you that croissant. It would be nice to see you actually eat it. To know my romantic gesture wasn’t for nothing.” She laughed again.
It was that moment when Madeline realised she had completely forgotten about the chocolate pastry and pink drink that her love had brought home for her. She pressed a sweet kiss to the photo of them before returning it to the box and reaching for the sweet treat.
After a moment of enjoying, and definitely making a mess, Helen reaches over to push her hair behind Mad’s ear, before grabbing her hands, and looked at her with so much adoration that Madeline thinks she could combust.
“We’ve got a lifetime and then some to add more to it, Mads. I can’t wait.”