✸ 𝐆𝐎𝐋𝐃 𝐑𝐔𝐒𝐇.

NEW NOTIFICATION FROM
@ theuselesshotlinepodcas

17:08  |  mon

hi maddy, the boys
have been wondering
if you'd come on the
pod? no worries if
not just please let us know
as soon as you can
please ☺️.

19:34  |  mon

hiii, i would love to!
where are you thinking?

perfect! is next wednesday
good for you?

sounds great, lmk the details
and i'll be there!

thank you maddy! i'll let the
boys know ☺️.

𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴,  𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 and 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦

Madeleine adjusted her necklace, trying to suppress a laugh as she watched Max rifle through sheets of paper. The Useless Hotline studio was a chaotic mix of old computers, office chairs , and an inexplicable collection of alcohol located in a cupboard. It was exactly as she imagined it would be.

"Welcome back to The Useless Hotline! Tiktok wasn't working out for us so we decided to set up this business instead." George spoke, dramatically pointing at the camera with a pen.

Max then took over, "we did, the useless hotline is a place where we help you with your queries no matter how weird, disgusting or embarrassing they are."

George leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk and flashing Madeleine a grin. "But today's episode is special, isn't it, Max?"

Max nodded eagerly. "Very special. We have the stunning, the talented, the incredibly patient - because she's agreed to spend an hour with us, Madeleine Quinn!"

The room erupted into a mix of cheers and George clapping dramatically close to the microphone, causing the audio levels to spike. Madeleine laughed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "You make it sound like I'm doing charity work."

"Well, you are," George said, his tone playful but his gaze lingering just a second too long. "Coming here and tolerating Max? Definitely charity."

"Oi!" Max shot back, pretending to be offended. "I'll have you know I'm the glue holding this operation together."

"Sure, mate," George quipped. "But if you're the glue, Madeleine's the glitter. She's what everyone actually wants to see."

Madeleine's cheeks warmed at the comment, but she quickly deflected with a smirk. "And you're what, George? The scissors that cut the glue?"

Max howled with laughter, and George held a hand to his chest in mock offense. "Wow. Coming onto my podcast and attacking me? I thought we were friends, Madeleine."

"Friends?" she teased, raising an eyebrow. "Is that what we are?"

George blinked, momentarily caught off guard, before breaking into a wide grin. "Well, I was hoping we could be more, but we can start with friends."

Max groaned loudly, throwing a rubber duck at George. "Can you not flirt for five minutes? We have a podcast to run!"

"I'm not flirting," George said innocently, though his smirk suggested otherwise. "I'm just... being polite."

Madeleine rolled her eyes, but her smile betrayed her amusement. "Right. Polite. That's what we're calling it now."

The trio dove into the episode, answering ridiculous listener dilemmas ranging from "How do I tell my roommate to stop stealing my socks?" to "Is it weird to name my plants after my exes?" Madeleine's comfortable energy and quick wit kept the conversation high, and George seemed to seize every opportunity to banter with her.

At one point, Max read out a listener's question: "What's the best way to tell someone you fancy them without making it awkward?"

George leaned back in his chair, shooting Madeleine a sideways glance. "Well, first, you invite them onto your podcast. Then, you spend an hour making them laugh and hope they don't notice how much you're staring at them."

Madeleine's laugh was a little too loud, and she shook her head. "Very subtle, George. I'm sure they'd never catch on."

Max smirked, clearly enjoying the dynamic. "I think the key is confidence. Just be direct. Like, 'Hey, I think you're amazing. Want to grab a drink sometime?'"

"Noted," George said, his eyes still on Madeleine. "I'll keep that in mind."

By the end of the episode, Madeleine felt like she'd run a marathon. Her cheeks ached from smiling, and her stomach hurt from laughing so much. As Max wrapped up the outro, George leaned closer to her, lowering his voice just enough for her to hear.

"Thanks for coming on. You made my day."

Madeleine glanced at him, her heart skipping a beat at the sincerity in his tone. She smiled, a little softer this time. "Thanks for having me. This was... surprisingly fun."

As the cameras stopped rolling and the crew began packing up, Max wandered off to inspect a suspicious stain on the couch, leaving Madeleine and George alone at the desk.

"So," George said, his usual playful demeanor replaced with something more genuine. "What are the chances I can convince you to grab that drink sometime?"

Madeleine tilted her head, pretending to consider it. "Hmm... I'd say the chances are pretty good."

George's grin was immediate, and for once, he seemed at a loss for words. Madeleine laughed, standing up and grabbing her bag. "But you'll have to work on your flirting skills first."

mol speaks...
this was meant to be chap 2
but i had no freaking ideas for
chap 1 so you now have this