Forever Burn

by Trinity Lemm

  I saw him standing near the corner, bent over while he laughed. It was the same corner where he used to stand while he watched me, before we even knew each other. The sight made me smile. His eyes caught mine and before I knew it, his strong arms were around me, hugging the life out of me. He was drunk too, but he had made sure not to get too plastered, so that he was still coherent enough to take care of me if I needed him to.

  God, I loved him.

  “So, how’s it going between Claire and Owen?” Dylan yelled to me over the music, beer in hand.

  “It’s going pretty good, I think! I just sent him to go get her a snack to help sober her up!” I chuckled. Dylan laughed and nodded, taking a swig of his beer.

  Axe lightly held my hand and gave a slight bow. “May I have a dance?”

  “Absolutely,” I smirked.

  He pulled me in and kissed my forehead, swaying us side to side before spinning me around.

  My smile faded as Gianna frantically approached us. I assumed she would walk straight into Ash’s arms like she normally would, but this time, she didn’t. She just stood in front of all of us, running her fingers through her hair.

  “Have you guys seen Claire?” she shouted, looking around.

  My body stiffened against Axe’s. “I left her with you.”

  “I know, but I looked away for literally one second and when I turned back around, her and Owen were both gone.”

  I relaxed into Axe’s arm that rested around my waist. “Oh, she probably just went with Owen upstairs to get her a snack. I asked him to get her something quick to eat to help her sober up a bit.”

  Gianna eased up, relieved that there was a perfectly good explanation for why Claire was gone.

  “She’s fine with Owen, right?” I asked Axe.

  “Yeah,” he nodded. “I don’t think he’d try to pull anything. And if he did, then he’s gonna have a problem with me.”

  I felt much better knowing that Axe wasn’t worried about Claire being with Owen. It wouldn’t take long for them to get back, and we had full faith in Owen that he wasn’t the type of guy to take advantage of a drunk girl.

  The boys watched and laughed as Gianna and I danced around in the corner, bouncing up and down to the music. I let go of all the stress I had been feeling, focusing solely on the present moment. It felt relieving.

  But the stress returned when Owen came up to us, without Claire by his side.

  “Where’s Claire? I have granola bars for her,” he said, holding two up. Gi and I quickly glanced at each other, both wondering the same thing as panic started to take form.

  “We thought she was with you,” I said, concern running through my voice.

  “No, I left her by Gianna to go run upstairs.”

  Owen and I both looked at Gi, who shook her head, unsure of what to say. “No, when I turned around, she was gone. I just assumed she was with you.”

  Owen looked around, just as worried as us. Axe gripped my hand, trying to motion to me to stay calm. I gazed at him, and he softly touched my chin with his thumb and forefinger. “We’ll find her. Don’t worry,” Axe said. He turned to Dylan and said something to him. Whatever it was, it caused Dylan to nod and start looking around the basement. “We’ll all split up and look for her,” Axe said to the remaining four of us. “Ash and Gianna, you guys look around the basement. Owen, you go upstairs and check all the rooms. Tate and I will go look outside.”

  Everyone nodded in agreement and set off for their assigned destination. It was the end of February, so it was still cold out, but my drunken and worried body didn’t care. All I cared about was finding Claire. There were too many bad things that could’ve happened to her and even though I hated thinking about the possibilities, they all ran through my head anyways.

  She could’ve been taken upstairs by some guy and taken advantage of. She could’ve wandered around Fratville and gotten lost or taken or hit by a goddamn car. She could’ve passed out somewhere, drunk and alone.

  Axel and I started in the backyard of the frat house, checking everywhere and then moving to the front of the house. It was dark and Claire was wearing a dark outfit, which didn’t help. I checked my phone every few minutes, hoping to see a text from Gianna saying that they found Claire, but that text didn’t come.

  I covered my face with my hands. “Axe! Why can’t we find her?” I cried out, desperately.

  “Baby, we’ll find her, okay? She couldn’t have gotten far.”

  “What if someone took her?” I held a hand to my chest, trying to catch my breath.

  He placed his arms around me, and I melted against them. “We’ll keep looking until we find her, okay? We won’t stop looking until we do.”

  “Maybe we should check around Fratville.”

  “Okay,” he said. I could feel his warmth pressing against me, and up until that moment, I hadn’t realized how cold I actually was. “I’m gonna go run inside really quick and get a jacket for you. You’re freezing. Do you wanna come with me?”

  “No,” I shook my head, “I’m gonna keep looking out here while you’re inside.”

  Axe nodded. “Don’t leave the property, okay? You never know what creeps are wandering around. I’ll be back in two minutes tops.” He kissed my forehead and jogged back inside.

  I took a deep breath and began to look around again, checking behind and even under cars. I walked all the way to the front of the driveway of the house, checking every inch of the property. A small figure sat on the curb, swaying side to side. I squinted my eyes, trying to identify whoever it was.

  “Claire? What the hell! What are you doing all the way down here?” I ran over to her, crouching down where she sat.

  Her drunken eyes scanned my face. She looked like she had been crying. “I—uh, I—I, um,” she stuttered.

  “C’mon, let’s go back inside,” I said, gripping her arm to help her stand up.

  “No!” she yelled, pulling her arm back. “I’m—I’m waiting.”

  “Waiting? For what?”

  A car pulled up to the curb and the door flew open.

  “Claire, get in the car,” Jason ordered.

  My breath caught. I could’ve sworn he just said Nicole. The image of that night ran through my mind, making me uneasy.

  Claire struggled to stand up, but once she did, she slowly took a step, intending for it to be towards the car, but instead, it was to the side.

  I couldn’t help her, though. My mind was too occupied by the nightmare running through it. Connor’s face displayed in my head the moment he pulled up to the curb and told Nicole to get into the car. The moment he proceeded to pretend as if I didn’t exist, as if I was nothing to him, never was, and never would be. The adrenaline rushing through my body thinking about the memory mirrored the exact adrenaline I had felt that night. My breath faltered, starting to become heavy. I zoned out of the present as everything replayed inside my head, over and over and over again.

  I didn’t know what happened between the time Claire took that first step until I felt Axel grab my arm. He gently pushed me back behind him, turning his attention towards Jason, who had gotten out of the car to get Claire in. But before Jason could get to her, Axe was in front of her, his jaw working under his skin.

  “Don’t. Take. Another fucking step,” Axe breathed.

  Jason’s rage rested in his eyes, unaffected by Axel’s warning. He stepped forward, causing Axel to take one as well, until the two were face to face, chest to chest. Axe towered over Jason, but for some reason, Jason didn’t seem afraid. Or at least if he was, he wasn’t showing it.

  “Don’t make me swing,” Axe threatened, clenching his teeth.

  “Do it. I’ll gladly call the cops if you do and you’ll get fucking arrested again.”

  “Axe,” I said in a small voice, Jason’s threat making me nervous. The last thing I needed was for Axe to get arrested. Axe didn’t move, unimpressed by the threat, his vigorous gaze resting on Jason.

  I slowly made my way over to Clai
re, who was still having trouble standing. I wrapped her arm around the back of my neck and started to move her back towards the house.

  “Tate! Fucking bring her back here, now!” Jason screamed.

  I glanced back at them with Claire’s arm still draped around me. Axe was about to explode. I could tell he was trying his absolute hardest not to deck Jason in the face right then and there. But at this point, I almost wanted him to. If I didn’t think that Jason was so serious about calling the cops on Axe, I would’ve encouraged Axe to fuck his face up.

  “Leave,” Axe viciously warned.

  “No. I’m not leaving without Claire.”

  “Yes, you fucking are.”

  “No, I’m fucking not!”

  Axel gripped a fistful of Jason’s shirt in both hands, shoving him up against the car. It wasn’t until then that Jason’s rage resorted to fear.

  “I suggest you leave now while you’re in one piece. And I’m not gonna ask you again,” Axe boiled.

  I needed to get Claire back inside, but I wasn’t able to look away from the altercation. Jason winced and trembled, clearly afraid of what was to come next. Axe dropped him, causing Jason to scramble back into his car and drive off. Axel waited until the car was out of sight, then ran over to Claire and I.

  “Let me help, baby,” he said, noticing that I was struggling to hold Claire up. He took her out of my hands and picked her up effortlessly.

  “I’m proud of you,” I blurted out as we walked back towards the house, “for not swinging.”

  He took a deep breath. “I only didn’t because I knew you were watching. And I didn’t want you to see me like that.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I’m not… myself when I get into fights. I get very… aggressive and destructive and the last thing I want is for you to see me that way and then be scared of me.”

  “I’m never gonna be scared of you.”

  His soft eyes searched for mine in the dark. “God, I hope not.”

  I texted Gianna to come outside, informing her that we found Claire. She rushed out of the house, Ash following.

  “Claire, are you okay? Jesus! Where did you guys find her?” Gianna shrieked.

  “She was sitting on the curb, waiting for Jason to pick her up.”

  Gianna narrowed her eyes. “Jason?”

  “Yep.”

  “I hate that fucker,” she muttered with her tiny hands clenched into fists.

  “Don’t we all,” I said.

  At this point, Claire hadn’t said anything since before Jason pulled up. It was evident that she needed to go to bed. Gianna rubbed her forehead, annoyed by the new information that we had just given her.

  “So, you got her back before he showed up? Do you think he’s still coming?” Ash asked.

  “He did show up. Axe scared him off,” I said.

  Gi let out a heavy sigh. “I’m just gonna get her home.”

  “Good idea,” Ash nodded. “I’ll take you guys back.”

  The three of them left, leaving Axe and I standing alone. We weren’t sure if anyone had told Owen and Dylan that Claire was found, so Axe texted them, letting them know that they could stop looking.

  “You want me to take you home now?” Axe asked. I looked at the muscles bulging out of his shirt, getting the sudden urge to rip the shirt off.

  “No, I wanna go home with you.”

  Axe smirked, knowing what I intended. He cocked his head to the side. “Let’s go.”

  When we got back to the apartment, Ash still wasn’t back yet. The second the bedroom door opened, Axel’s lips planted wet kisses all over me. He slammed the door shut, then proceeded to glide his hands up and down my body, tugging at my clothes.

  Soon we were both completely naked, and I climbed onto the mattress as Axel followed. He put a condom on quickly. Thank God, because we did not need another pregnancy scare, even if this one was me and not some other chick.

  Within a few moments, I felt him between my thighs. I closed my eyes as he slowly slid inside of me. When my eyes peeked back open, he was already looking at me. He kissed me tenderly, grabbing at me as if he couldn’t get enough of me. His hips moved rhythmically against mine and with each thrust, a bolt of electricity was sent through my body.

  I could hear the apartment door open, followed by footsteps down the hall, but neither of us cared.

  My hands traced along his back, fingers digging into his skin. I looked deeply into his eyes. “I love you,” I said, out of breath.

  My words caused him to push into me harder, groaning as he did. “God, I fucking love you,” he replied, kissing my neck as another grunt escaped from his throat.

  I bit my lip to try to keep myself quiet, but after another minute, I couldn’t contain it. I moaned loudly, my insides tensing as I clenched my eyes shut. I pulled him closer against me, our sweat allowing us to glide effortlessly against each other.

  I knew he had always wanted to be gentle with me, and now, it was clear that he had been holding back before. My uncontrollable whimpers escalated to a satisfied cry as he pressed deeper and deeper, the intensity building inside of us both.

  After a while, his body became rigid, twitching as he pushed into me one last time before letting out a loud groan. He collapsed next to me, kissing me over and over again as our breathing settled down. My brown eyes studied his emerald ones, admiring them.

  “You’re amazing,” he said.

  I smiled. “After that, I think I know why so many girls went crazy over you.”

  “Well sucks for them because I’m crazy about you,” he said, gently moving my hair out of my face.

  My smile grew wider. “Sing me to sleep?”

  His eyes softened and he pulled me closer, singing a sweet melody until I was sound asleep.

  Chapter Nineteen

  The Storm

  I awoke with instant disappointment when I reached over and Axe wasn’t next to me. I lifted myself up on my elbow, taking a look at the digital clock on the nightstand. It was a little past eleven. At least it was a Sunday, so I didn’t have to worry about going to class. I was still naked from last night, sighing as I forced myself to get out of bed. I threw on some comfy clothes of Axel’s and walked out of the room, but even more disappointment washed over me when I only found Ash, no sign of Axe.

  “Where’s Axe?” I yawned.

  “He said he wanted to make you pancakes or some shit like that? But we ran out of the stuff he needed, so he went to the store.”

  “Gotcha,” I said, eyeing the bagel that Ash was slabbing cream cheese onto.

  “You want one?”

  “Nah,” I said, scrunching my nose. “I’ll just wait for Axe to get back.

  He nodded once, his focus shifting back to his bagel. The silence didn’t last long, overtaken by an amused smirk that slowly spread across Ash’s face.

  “What?” I asked.

  “I heard you last night.”

  My mind ran through the night prior. Spending the night with Axel was truly amazing, hands down the best sex I’ve ever had, but had we really been that loud? My cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

  “You didn’t hear anything,” I denied his remark, refusing to meet his gaze to avoid more awkwardness.

  “Oh, yes, I did,” he laughed. “You guys were so loud.”

  “You didn’t hear anything,” I repeated, scratching my head.

  Ash chuckled again, closing the container of cream cheese. “You know Tate, when I first made that bet with Axe—”

  “What bet?”

  He opened his mouth as if to say something, but then snapped it shut. His face went blank, regretting that he had said anything.

  “Ash,” I asked again, this time firmer, “what bet?”

  He moved his hands around as he spoke nervously. “Okay, listen, don’t be mad. But do you remember the night you met Axe?”

  I nodded, signaling for him to continue.

  “Well that night, after you rejected him when he aske
d you to come back to the apartment, he came back here and was pissed off and disappointed. So, I… ended up betting him that he couldn’t get you to sleep with him. That’s all.”

  My eyebrows shot up, stunned by the confession. Not only did the idea that I was originally a bet piss me off, but the fact that Axe had never mentioned this to me before just pissed me off even more.

  The apartment door opened, and Axe strolled through, whistling, hands filled with bags from the grocery store. Once our eyes locked, he knew that something was wrong. His whistling ceased as he slowly set the bags down onto the ground, waiting for me to speak.

  “I was a bet?”

  Axe’s eyes darted over to Ash, immediately heated. “You fucking told her?”

  Ash winced. “It was an accident.”

  “How the fuck is that an accident?”

  Ash pressed his lips together, stuck in regret. “Axe, listen…”

  “No, you fuck!” Axe yelled, taking a few steps towards his brother, but once I started speaking, he instantly stopped in his tracks.

  “So, let me get this straight. You bet Ash that you could get me to sleep with you?”

  Axe cringed at my irritation. “Yeah,” he admitted, unwillingly.

  I was speechless. I felt like the entire foundation of our relationship was a lie. “And how long were you gonna wait to tell me? How long did you think you could keep this a secret? Forever?”

  He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “Kinda, yeah.”

  I could feel the heat bubbling up inside of me. This was not a good way to start my day. I bit my lip in anger, nodding at the realization.

  “So how much?”

  “What?” Axe asked, confused.

  “How much did you bet on me? A hundred bucks? Fifty?”

  Axe winced again, not wanting to say. I drilled my eyes into him, not backing down. “Twenty.”

  My eyes widened at his confession. “Twenty dollars? You bet twenty dollars that you could get me to sleep with you?”