"You must be Axel," my mom echoed, her voice barely above a whisper.
He tried to free himself from my grasp, but I held him tighter, heart racing.
"Mom, close the door. Axel shy," I said, eyes squeezed shut.
"Oh, sorry." My mom laughed softly, switching off the light and closing the door behind her.
"Axel…" I murmured, trembling.
"I… love you. Or maybe like… maybe love, maybe like," I confessed, my words stumbling over each other.
"You're confused. Don't..."
I pressed my hand against his mouth, but he pulled back just enough to sigh.
Little Axel, sensing the tension, crawled onto his chest, tugging at his clothes and nipping at him, trying to push him off me. His tiny teeth barely made a dent.
"Axelll!" I laughed, coughing as the puppy's cute antics filled the room.
"Woah, woah!" He grabbed Axel's paw and gently moved him off, setting him aside.
"Why don't you love me?" I asked softly, a lump forming in my throat.
"You got your heart broken a few months ago. What if I squeeze it, break it again?" His voice was low, almost painful.
"Calliah… I don't love. And I will not. Love is for the weak. You don't understand your feelings yet," he said firmly.
"I do… I've been thinking about you every day," I whispered, clutching his hand.
"Calliah… my life… my world… it's darkness. I can't let you light it. This isn't me. Everything I do is for a reason. If you truly knew me… you'd regret it."
"I won't," I murmured, holding onto him. "I promise."
"Then marry me?" I asked, daring.
"I can't. I don't love you, Calliah. Never will. I will not."
"Uh??" I stood, heart hammering.
"I'm deadly serious. I won't love you. And I won't marry you."
"Why?"
"You're too… annoying, stubborn, maybe even ugly," he said, taking a deep breath.
"If you marry me… maybe then we could find love."
"CALLIAH," he grabbed my hands, eyes intense. "I can't love you. Is that too hard to understand? Find someone else. A mafia guy… anyone… but not me."
"Really?" I whispered, voice breaking.
"I have a dark past. A life you cannot survive. Please, don't act foolish again. Think… think about what love really means. And the foolish things you've done."
He didn't look back as he left, walking straight to his car. Josh was half-asleep, and Axel didn't even glance at me again.
I cried, sobbing until morning. Little Axel jumped onto the bed, licking my tears away.
"He doesn't like me… am I really annoying and ugly, Axel?" I asked the puppy, hugging mf close.
Morning sunlight filtered into the room. My eyes flickered open to see Kacey asleep on my bed and Axel… asleep across my chest. I gently rubbed the puppy and laid him down.
"What are you doing here?" I muttered, standing.
"Nothing," I replied, still shaking off the remnants of sleep.
Grandma opened the door.
"Where were you last night?" she asked sharply.
"Uhmm…" I scratched my head, trying to piece together the foggy memory of the pool, the party, and Axel.
"Uhmm…let me guess went with Axel?"she asked
I grabbed my phone, seeing her messages.
"And you?" she asked Kacey.
"I slept in Calliah's room. I was lonely. Stop worrying. Calliah and I aren't kids. Besides… why are you searching for us?"
Grandma sighed, exasperated. "Just get ready for your date. And Calliah… take that thing off with you." She pointed to Axel.
"Ah… that's why you were here," I muttered, rubbing my eyes.
Kacey left, yawning.
I stood alone, trying to make sense of the night. "What happened at the pool? Who took me home? Was I drunk?" I asked myself.
Axel barked at me, impatient.
"Woah, woah, woah…" I whispered, following him as he guided me around, making sure I got dressed in my new outfit.
Questions for readers:
What if Axel explained everything that happened last night to Calliah?
Do you think Calliah is really ugly, or did Axel just say that to push her away?
Read on to see who Axel really is…
Xoxo