One Night Stand

by Corina Eichholz

  “A few weeks. He always goes back during the holidays for a few weeks to see his family, it’s really far,” she explained to me. It made sense, Axel did too.

  “Where’s he from?” I asked curious, making friendly conversation.

  “Germany,” Ashley said dreamily. I felt my eyes widen and my heart beat faster. There were too many similarities; this couldn’t be a coincidence.

  “What’s his name?” I asked, my voice shaky and my palms sweating.

  “Are you okay Leah?” Jackie asked, concern all over her face but I ignored her, needing to hear the answer from Ashley.

  “Axel. Axel Peters, he’s one hell of a hunk.” She giggled. I felt the blood drain from my face and my mouth drop as the room began to spin and I felt dizzy. Axel, my Axel, the guy I was falling in love with. Had fallen in love with, that Axel. I heard a ringing in my ears, unable to hear the words they were saying, as their lips both moved clearly talking to me.

  “Leah!” Jackie repeated, holding my shoulders steady. “Leah are you okay?” she repeated. The room stopped spinning. I regained control of my body and nodded slightly.

  “I thought you were going to pass out!” Ashley said with worry.

  “So did I. What happened?” Jackie asked, concerned as well.

  “I, um…” I started, not knowing quite how to continue. “I’ve been sleeping with Axel,” I blurted out, both Ashley and Jackie gasped in horror. I couldn’t look at them, I felt so ashamed and embarrassed like I was a joke.

  “We’ve been seeing each other since right after Chris and I broke up. We were just having sex, no strings attached,” I told them, sneaking a quick glance up at them and their shocked expressions. “He never said we were exclusive and I never thought to ask!” I cried out, mortified. “I thought we were. I didn’t know.” I winced, feeling guilty about what I had done and bad for Ashley.

  “Leah, when I said to get over Chris by getting under someone else, I hadn’t meant Axel!” Jackie joked, shaking her head at me. “He’s a huge player,” she continued. He was? That was news to me.

  “I didn’t know!” I whimpered. I wished that someone would have warned me. I guess I should have known, he was so sexy, he could have had anyone and I guess he did.

  “Everyone knows. He has a huge reputation,” Ashley added.

  “I didn’t,” I told them honestly. They looked at me with pity in their eyes, I hated that.

  “I guess you wouldn’t, you’re too young to know about him,” Jackie said, rubbing my arm soothingly.

  “He was a few years older than me and he’d already had sex with half the girls on campus in his year and mine,” Ashley revealed, hiding nothing.

  “He often slept with more than one girl in a day. He’s a complete womanizer,” Jackie continued.

  Axel, my Axel? This didn’t sound anything like him, how could I have been so wrong? But as history had proven, I’d been very wrong in the past and I wasn’t the best judge of character. What was wrong with me and my horrible judgement of character? I felt blindsided by the news. What was worse was that I didn’t even have the right to feel betrayed, when it was me who insisted we keep things casual. I had been stupid enough not to specify that we were to be exclusive! I was such an idiot, had I learned nothing from my past?

  “He had a few short lived girlfriends but he cheated on them all,” Jackie went on, making it all the worse.

  “Until the summer. Since then, he’s been completely single and very upfront that it was just sex,” Ashley relayed. That made it somewhat better but not much. I couldn’t believe he’d been sleeping with other girls during the same time we were together. And Ashley! God, I was going to be sick.

  “I’m such an idiot,” I croaked out of my constricted throat, trying not to weep tears of heartache.

  “It’s not your fault Leah,” Jackie said, hugging me for the first time in years. I sank down into her embrace, truly needing it.

  “He’s a huge player but he crossed the line this time; you’re just an innocent kid,” she said, angry. Usually her words would’ve stung but I was too busy mourning my heartbreak.

  I hadn’t seen the arrangement blowing up in my face this way. I thought the worst case, we would end things because he didn’t feel the same but we’d try to stay friends, I had never imagined this.

  “I’m so sorry Ash,” I said, tears filling my eyes, she’d been like an older sister to me and I felt like I’d betrayed her.

  “Don’t be, he’s a horny ass hat. He’s probably been sleeping with many more girls behind our backs,” she said and patted me on the back. That still didn’t make me feel any better. I couldn’t get over it. We’d spent more than half the week together and talked constantly when we weren’t together. When did he have the time to mess around with other girls? At least with Chris, the clues had been there and I could see how he’d been able to cheat on me behind my back. None of this made sense. Axel treated me so well, he seemed to genuinely care about me and feel the same as I did for him. Why would he put in all that effort, if he was screwing around with other girls? My heart hurt and my stomach felt sick with heartache and vodka mixing together. I’d finally been invited to spend time with Jackie and of course, it had to be ruined.

  “Not feeling great,” I told them, getting up to leave. “I’m going to go to bed,” I finished, they both nodded knowingly and I went to my room where I cried myself to sleep.

  Axel

  MY TIME BACK HOME IN Munich was moving slowly, I still had one week left until I would be back home with Leah. I found it odd that, what used to be one of my favorite times of the year, I wasn’t able to enjoy and I just kept thinking about going home to Leah. God, I was completely in love with her. I didn’t even go to the clubs or any bars with my friends while I was back, it seemed like a waste, when all I wanted was Leah. I had to tell her how I really felt, I couldn’t keep doing this. I needed her to know I was hers and she was mine. Things between us had been going so amazingly, the only thing that could make it perfect would be making it official. The second I got off the plane I was going to tell her just how I felt.

  “Axel my love,” my Mom said, sitting down on the couch beside me. “You’ve been so quiet lately, what’s troubling you my boy?” she asked, stroking my head soothingly like she would do when I was a child.

  “Nothing, I’m fine.” I shrugged, feeling bad, I hadn’t been my energetic self while I was here.

  “Axel, I know you and something’s wrong. Usually, I have to fight to keep you home and out of the bars the entire time you’re here and you haven’t gone out once. I’m happy to have you home but clearly something is going on.” She observed. There was no keeping things from Mom.

  “I just don’t feel like it, Mom,” I told her. “I met someone back home and I don’t know, I just don’t feel like going out anymore,” I explained. She smiled wide, clearly happy with this information.

  “Do you have a girlfriend?” she asked, excited. I’d never introduced any girls to my parents.

  “No,” I said glumly. “We’re not official but I really like her. I guess I’ve just been a little down because she’s not here and I miss her,” I divulged, feeling slightly embarrassed but it was nice to get it off my chest.

  “That sounds serious. You should tell her how you feel,” Mom told me. She was right, I needed to.

  “I will.” I nodded. “Mom, if things go right, I’m going to bring her here.” I smiled.

  “I’d really like to meet this girl Axel, she sounds special,” she said and kissed my cheek.

  “She is. I’m going to marry her one day,” I told her without thinking. But I didn’t regret saying those words, it felt right and if I had to spend the rest of my days with anyone, I wanted it to be spent with Leah.

  2 weeks later…

  THE WINTER BREAK CAME TO an end all too soon but my heartache hadn’t. I was still sad that I’d been wrong about Axel. He’d made me feel special, worth something, like I was important to him and made his da
y better but I was clearly dead wrong. Just like I had been with Chris. I wasn’t enough and never would be. Guys would always need someone else on the side.

  The much needed distraction of classes had resumed. I was thankful Jenny and Anne were back to pick my mood up. I’d finally come clean and told them what they had already suspected, that Axel and I had been friends with benefits for the last few months. What surprised them was that he’d also been sleeping around with other people and hadn’t told me.

  “Just another prick,” Anne spat with anger.

  “He could have at least been honest with you,” Jenny chimed in, equally as upset as Anne.

  “You just have to get back in the saddle Leah, there’s plenty of nice guys out there. You’ll find one,” Anne told me, patting me on the back.

  “You will,” Jenny agreed. “As the saying goes, you just have to kiss a lot of frogs to find your prince.” I wrinkled my nose in distaste; I didn’t want to go through that again.

  “I’m just going to take a break. All these men have exhausted me,” I sighed. I didn’t believe in men anymore or love, it all led to heartbreak.

  “Don’t give up. I actually have the perfect guy for you!” Jenny exclaimed. “I had thought things were going well with you and Axel, so I never mentioned this but there’s this super cute guy in my Macro class and he’s so into you!” she continued, surprising me, “He’s nice, smart, good-looking, and he’s actually a great guy,” she finished brightly.

  “If he’s so great, why don’t you date him?” Anne questioned. I looked to Jenny, curious as well. She blushed bright pink, making me think there was something there.

  “He made it clear many times he’s into you Leah,” she said, looking down. “And besides I don’t have time to date,” she lied, trying to justify herself. I worried a little that Jenny might actually like this guy.

  “Well, I bet he ain’t a looker like Axel was,” Anne said, changing the topic.

  “No, but no one is,” Jenny sighed dreamily. “But he’s very cute,” she defended. “Please, oh please, let me introduce you two,” Jenny begged. I wasn’t quite over Axel yet but I was lonely and wanted a distraction from the pain. I felt myself wavering and nodded my head.

  “Yay!” Jenny squealed. “Hunter has been asking me to set you two up for forever!” she said excitedly. Jenny quickly texted Hunter to set up my blind date before I had the chance to change my mind. Which was smart on her part because I was already regretting it. Fittingly, she set it up for the day after Axel returned, not that she knew that. Axel and I had made plans for me to sleep over at his place on the day he returned but there was no way in hell that was happening now.

  I WAS SURPRISED TO RECEIVE a text from Axel the moment his plane landed. I’d been checking the internet to make sure his flight got in okay. I wondered if he texted all his fuck buddies the same message. He texted he’d landed and then that he was coming to pick me up. I was about to message him not to bother but a selfish part of me couldn’t bring myself to do it. I was so horny, having not had him for three weeks straight. We often had sex three times in one day, so it was a pretty big deal. My body needed him; he was like a drug.

  I told myself it was okay to indulge once more. I hadn’t thought the last time would be the last time. I needed this last time to bask in it and enjoy every blissful second and get some real closure from the finality of it all. I put on the sexiest lingerie I had, wanting him to remember me and how amazing we were together. I wanted him to have as much trouble letting go as I was. I even put on a little bit of makeup, something I didn’t usually bother with, and a dab of perfume. I wore a cute sweater and leggings to cover up the secrets beneath.

  I was ready to have my last night with this man, I told myself. I was going to make him wish he never met me. Axel knocked on my door and I let him in, my breath catching at the sight of his rugged beauty. His dirty blond hair had grown and fell onto his forehead a bit, just the way I liked it and now, his clean-shaven face was gone and he had grown a well-maintained beard. He was all kinds of sexy and I silently cursed myself for not having canceled on him instead. This was going to backfire on me. Axel picked me up easily and kissed me, running his big strong hands up and down my body, caressing me.

  “I missed you,” he said, taking a break from our kiss and breathing in my scent. I smiled from his warmth and his words. Then I reminded myself not to get caught up in them. They were no doubt a lie, just a part of his act and pick up lines.

  “How was your trip?” I asked instead.

  “It was good; it would have been better if you were there. I thought about you the whole time.” He smiled sweetly. Laying it on a bit thick, I wanted to say but instead I chose to ignore his words.

  “And your flight?” I asked, not commenting on his admission.

  He was unfazed and answered me, “It was fine. Long, but I watched a few movies.” I nodded as he stepped into my apartment, picking my bag up from the floor and taking my hand in his, intertwining our fingers. “Come on, let’s go to my place, have some dinner and catch up.” He winked, kissing my head lightly. I sat in his car silently as he drove, something unusual for us. Axel inhaled loudly, clearly preparing himself to say something and making me anxious. I felt my nerves tense.

  “Leah, you’re not like any girl I’ve ever met,” he started, really getting my attention. “I meet a lot of girls at bars and you were just different from all of them,” he continued, not something I took as a compliment. “From the way you dress, the way you act, I was drawn to you and then the way you smiled at me, I knew you felt the same.” He grinned brightly, remembering our first encounter. I felt my body betraying me and got butterflies from his treacherous words. He probably told all the girls that.

  “Thanks,” I said, not sounding very thankful and I didn’t feel it either. “So what do you want to do for dinner?” I asked, completely changing the subject. Axel looked shocked and disappointed for a second before he hid his expression.

  “Chinese sound okay?” he asked, wary.

  “Sure,” I agreed and let the silence continue.

  The second we got inside I attacked him with a kiss, grabbing at him hard. Momentarily taken aback, he hesitated before meeting me with just as much hunger and lust. Axel lifted me effortlessly and put my back against the wall, bracing me there, as his mouth made love to mine. His hands holding me gently like I was weightless, I would miss that.

  He carried me to his giant bed and softly placed me down, looking into my eyes with such warmth that it hurt my heart that I’d never see them like this again. This all felt so real, it felt so right but it wasn’t, it was all just a lie. I decided for tonight, I’d forget all about our arrangement and indulge myself in my fantasies and pretend Axel did love me, like I loved him.

  His fingers slowly grazed my bare midriff where my sweater had risen; his light touch sent shivers and tingles coursing throughout my body. He pulled my sweater up and I lifted my body to help him remove it and he discarded it on the floor. Axel stopped to gaze upon me, his eyes wide and lips parted as he took in my sexy black lace bra. It was a new purchase from before I found out about the real Axel. He lowered his head to kiss my mouth and then continued to kiss his way down my neck, across my breasts and made his way down my stomach before pausing at my pants. He pulled my leggings off me and removed my socks, his mouth widening in hunger as he noted the barely there, see-through lace thong that matched the bra. I could see the lust in his eyes as he appreciated the sight of my body. He always seemed to appreciate the sight of me, a feeling I could never get enough of. I could get high off how amazing he made me feel when he looked at me, like I was all there was in the world. He placed a kiss directly on the center of my sex, I could feel the heat from his breath through the sheer material of my thong and gasped out in pleasure. He continued to kiss me through the small piece of fabric before moving to kiss the inside of my thighs, a very sensitive and erogenous zone. I was wet and dying for him to end this torture. It felt amaz
ing but I needed more, I needed him and to be filled to the brim with him.

  “Please,” I managed to beg through my moans. Axel lifted his head from my pussy to look me in the eyes and smirk at me. “More,” I pled. He slowly pulled my thong off and placed it on the floor with my sweater, lightly stroking my pussy, sticking one finger in and then another, pumping them in and out of me, being deliberately slow.

  “So wet,” he said, his voice husky. I could hear the desire loud and clear. He removed his fingers, causing me to groan in despair. He then replaced them with his tongue, moaning as he slowly moved his tongue, circling my clit with it and then added his fingers to penetrate me.

  “So sweet, you taste amazing, babe. I could eat you out for hours, forever,” he said, making me moan out loud in pleasure. It felt too good, I was going to come. He moved his tongue and fingers faster in synchrony and I came apart under his tongue. He pulled his fingers out and licked them up and down slowly, knowing he’d succeeded in making me come.

  Dizzy and still seeing stars, Axel threw off his shirt and pulled on a condom, his need winning out as he entered me completely, in one thrust. I cried out in utter pleasure. He filled me all the way with his massive erection. He moaned with me as he changed his pace to slow and kissed me lovingly. He was making love to me, making it all the more intimate than ever before.

  “I missed you,” he rasped out, as he made love to me. “I missed this. I never want to miss this again,” he said and then took my mouth back with his. Axel picked up his pace ever-so-slightly and within moments we were both at our climax and crying out moans of pleasure. He slowly pulled out of me and rolled over onto his side looking down at me. He looked down at me and I could see the love in his eyes, as he pushed the hair away from my face and kissed my lips, pulling me close into his side, holding me there warm and safe. I allowed myself to believe he did love me, just for the night.