by Trinity Lemm
The girls both looked over at me, waiting to hear my answer on if I would join in or not.
“I want to, but I’m still really hungover, so I don’t think drinking more will help,” I said.
“Oh, no worries! You don’t have to have any if you don’t want to. And you guys can borrow clothes or face wash or anything else you guys need.”
Amberly seemed so excited to hang out with us, and even though I didn’t feel so great, I didn’t want to let her down. After all, I didn’t know if she knew what had happened between Axe and I, but I was on her good side at the moment, and I didn’t want to ruin that.
“Okay,” I nodded. “Yeah, I’d love to.”
Amberly jumped up and down in excitement. “Oh my gosh, I’m so excited!”
She stopped jumping, glancing over at Axe with a straight face, and then Ash.
“What?” Ash asked.
“It’s officially girl time. So, unless you two magically have vag’s now, get out.”
Axe took a deep breath, shaking his head. He wrapped his arms around me, squeezing the life out of me.
“I’m gonna miss you,” he said, planting a kiss on my lips.
“I miss you already,” I said as he pulled away. We walked them over to the door, my heart aching as he looked back at me once, giving a wink before walking out.
“Do you guys wanna cook or order food?” Amberly asked right away.
“I’m fine with either,” I said, shrugging.
“Me too,” Gi agreed.
“You know what? Fuck it. Let’s go get a nice dinner. We’ll make Drew pay,” she laughed.
Gi and I chuckled as Amberly went upstairs to grab one of Drew’s credit cards. She returned with a smiling face, and we followed her out the door.
The restaurant we went to was very nice. It reminded me of the one Axel and I went to on our first date, except Brooke didn’t work at this one, so it was much better. At first, I thought I was underdressed, but most people that were dining here were wearing a nice shirt and jeans, so I figured I was okay.
“So, give us all the wedding details. Have you guys planned anything yet?” I asked, smiling.
Amberly looked down at her ring, filled with excitement. “It’s going to be on June fourteenth. Most people are engaged for a full year, but we didn’t want to wait.”
From what I remembered, Drew and Amberly seemed very happy together. They had the type of relationship that everyone wanted. Granted, I didn’t know either of them very well yet, especially Drew, but it wasn’t hard to tell how strong their love was. They had been together for about four years, so it was a good time to become engaged.
“Have you picked a venue yet?” Gianna asked.
“Yeah, we chose a really beautiful outdoor venue about an hour from here. And you guys are both invited, obviously,” she smiled.
I was excited to go to the wedding. It would be the first one that Axel and I attended together, but hopefully not the last.
After ordering, Amberly placed her elbow on the table, resting her chin in her hand. “So, tell me everything.”
“Like, with the guys?” Gi asked, unsure if Amberly was referring to them or if she was curious about our lives in general.
Amberly nodded. “I mean, they each tell me a good amount, so I’m pretty sure I know mostly everything, but I wanna hear your guy’s sides too.”
I crinkled my nose as I smiled. “They tell you everything?”
“Oh, yeah.” Her dusty blonde hair framed her face perfectly as she spoke. “I’m very close with both of them, which is why I wasn’t surprised when Ash came by today.”
Gianna’s light brown hair fell in front of her face as she looked down at her lap, embarrassed that she was the reason why.
Amberly took a sip of her drink before she continued. “And Axe did the same thing,” she shrugged.
I tipped my chin down towards my chest. “Axe came over too after we broke up?”
She nodded. “Yeah, it was right after he wrecked their apartment.”
I thought back to that day, uneasy at the memory. I knew that Axe had destroyed the entire apartment after I left, but I didn’t know that he had gone to Amberly’s after. I wondered what else she knew. Maybe she already knew everything.
“What did he tell you that day?”
“Um,” she gazed off, thinking, “he told me about the bet. He was super pissed that Ash told you. Then he told me how he fucked up and slept with some redhead and that you left.”
“Yep, that’s accurate,” I assured her.
“I’ve never seen him that way, honestly.”
I glanced around. “What was he like?”
“Broken,” she responded shortly.
“I was too,” I quietly said.
“Well, it’s over now. Everything’s fine now. And that goes for both of you guys. Don’t dwell on any of that past stuff. No relationship is perfect. Shit happens.” She scratched her head. “When it comes to those two, they’re both idiots. I mean, most guys are, but Ash and Axe in particular. I’m just surprised you two deal with them.”
“I’m honestly surprised that Ash deals with me,” Gi said, chuckling. “I can be a handful, not gonna lie. I mean, what happened today was partly my fault too.” She turned to me. “And thank you for helping me and taking me to Amberly’s to fix things. I didn’t get to thank you earlier.”
“You were there for me when I needed you, so it’s only fair to be there for you,” I smiled. She squeezed my hand quickly and then released it.
“I’m glad you guys came. And I’m glad we’re getting to do this. Not only is it refreshing for me to be around other females,” she laughed, “but it’s nice to get to know who my brother’s are dating.”
“Yeah, me too,” Gianna and I both said in unison. We looked at each other and widened our eyes as we giggled, weirded out by our identical thoughts.
Amberly smirked. “And I just want to thank you guys for being so good to my brother’s and for dealing with them, even when they’re complete, confusing assholes,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Ash is pretty straightforward for the most part. But Axe, on the other hand, is a little more complicated.” Her attention turned directly to me. “So, bless your kind heart for putting up with him and his bullshit.”
I had a feeling I knew what she was referring to when she called Axe complicated, but I wanted to hear her explain her reasoning. “You think he’s complicated?”
“Definitely. When he was younger, he used to try to hide all his emotions, bottle them up, especially when it came to vulnerability, like with stuff about our parents. He still tends to do that. But for some reason, he lets it all out when it comes to you.”
“Yeah, I feel like I know what you mean.”
She placed her hand on mine from across the table, a very serious look on her face. “Tate, I’m telling you now. He’s going to fuck up a lot. But I’m promising you, you’ll never find anyone who will love you more.”
Her words were reassuring, affirming that Axe did love me, and just how much he loved me. He had never had a real relationship before me, and although I only had one other than him, that one was nothing compared to Axe. My relationship with Connor was toxic, and even though Axe sometimes made mistakes, the way he loved me never changed.
It only made me more certain that I had made the right decision about giving Axe another chance. And for some reason, I wasn’t scared this time.
I nodded. “I really love your brother.”
“I know,” she smiled. “He loves you more than anything too.”
I replayed everything she had said over in my head as her and Gianna talked about Ash. My mind stopped on one detail that I had remembered regarding the day Axe wrecked the apartment. The video. The one that Ash had sent to Gi.
I waited until their conversation died down to speak again. “Is there a mall around here?”
“I think so. Why?”
“Do you think we could stop there? I really need to get something
,” I smirked.
Chapter Twenty-Three
The Jealousy
I sat in the living room, waiting for Axel to get back from class. I hadn’t told him that I was over, because I wanted my gift for him to be a surprise. I had attempted to wrap it, which took me a long while, but even with my wrapping job, it was pretty obvious what it was.
“Hi, baby,” he smiled as he walked in.
“Hi!” I said as I got up, wrapping my arms around the back of his neck. His hands rested on my lower back as he connected his lips to mine, holding them there for a few seconds.
“I missed you last night. How was it at my sister’s?”
“It was good. We went out to dinner and stopped at the mall and then watched movies all night.”
“So, she wasn’t annoying?”
I pulled my eyebrows together as I laughed. “No, of course not.”
He let out a breath. “Good.”
I bit my lip as I swung my arms back and forth. “I got you something.”
He tilted his head at me. “Baby, I’m the one that should be buying you gifts. Not the other way around.”
I walked over to where I had placed his present behind the couch, grabbing it and handing it to him.
His eyebrows raised as he held it with one hand. “Hmm, I wonder what it is,” he teased. “Tate, you really didn’t have to—"
“You don’t even know what it is yet! Open it.”
He lifted an eyebrow as he studied the wrapping job. “I think I have a pretty good idea what it is.”
I rolled my eyes. “Just open it.”
The small corners of his mouth turned up as he sat next to me on the couch, his thigh rubbing against mine. He slowly tore away the wrapping paper, revealing the brand-new acoustic guitar that I had bought him. It was a newer version of the one he had destroyed.
“A new guitar. I never would’ve guessed,” he joked.
I playfully hit his arm. “I did a great wrapping job.”
He laughed, still examining the gift. “Thank you, baby. You didn’t have to get me a new one.”
“Yes, I did. How else are you going to play songs for me?”
He shook his head, dimples sinking deeply into his cheeks. “I learned a new one actually.”
My excitement levels rose. I hadn’t heard Axel sing or play guitar in weeks. His voice was my favorite sound and I couldn’t wait another second to hear it.
He took a deep breath as we sat on the couch. His hands felt the strings, studying the new guitar and adjusting it before he started playing. Green eyes peeked up at me once more, dimples reappearing as his grin turned up.
The melody of “Wonderwall” by Oasis began to play, slow and steady. Axe focused on the strings, lightly strumming them with his fingers. His voice echoed throughout the room, a perfect mix of raspy and graceful.
These were the moments that I had missed the most. The ones where we were just sitting around, enjoying each other’s company, no matter what we were doing. I didn’t want the song to end. Listening to Axe reminded me of just how much I loved him, and each time he opened his mouth to sing the next part, it felt like the very first time he had ever sang to me. Butterflies fluttering. Smiles inevitable.
I threw my lips onto Axe’s the moment the song was over. He slowly placed the guitar on the ground as I swung my leg, straddling his lap. I rested my hands around the back of his neck as our lips moved together rhythmically. His lips parted, allowing my tongue to slip inside his mouth. Axe grabbed at me more intensely from my gesture, hands sliding up and down my back.
His mouth left mine, pulling away. “Stay here tonight.”
I ran my fingers through his brown hair, admiring his luscious curls. “I have class kind of early in the morning, though.”
Axe’s perfectly pink bottom lip stuck out, revealing his pouty face. “Please? I missed you too much and I didn’t get to spend a lot of time with you yesterday,” he said, burying his face into my neck.
His curls tickled my neck for a second. His warm hands gently moved my hair out of the way, face still nuzzled in the crook between my neck and my shoulder. I felt his hot breath against my skin, followed by slow, wet kisses. I sighed from the feeling, his soft lips exploring my skin, making my whole body feel warm. The tingling between my thighs was developing as the desire to move into his bedroom began to grow.
“I love you,” he hummed between kisses.
“I love you too.”
“Please stay. We can hang out all night and watch movies and cook dinner,” he said, finally pulling away from my neck to look at me again. I groaned when the good feeling went away, my neck already missing his lips.
“What else do you have in mind?” I asked, pulling my mouth over to the side.
His hands supported my back as he lowered me onto the couch, positioning himself on top of me. One hand ran along the side of my body, starting from the side of my breast and traveling all the way down to my hip. “Loving you over and over and over again,” he whispered, his lips retreating back to my neck. I moaned feeling him above me, suddenly bothered by the few layers of fabric between us.
I placed my index finger under his chin and gently pushed it so that I could place my mouth against his. He kept one hand beside my head to stable himself, the other hand digging under me to find my ass, squeezing lightly when he finally found what he was looking for.
“Stay,” he said again.
“Alright,” I finally agreed. “I just need to run over to my dorm to grab some of my stuff.”
“Okay. Do you want me to drive you?”
“No, it’s fine. I have my car with me.”
“Okay, babe,” he said, getting off me. He reached a hand out, offering to help me stand up. I gladly accepted it. “I’m gonna shower while you’re gone.”
I made a small pouty face. “No, wait for me to get back.”
His sexy smirk spread across his face at my words. “I was hoping you’d say that.”
A little while later, I finished packing my bag after leaving the apartment, making sure I had everything I needed to spend the night and get ready for class tomorrow morning. I sighed when I looked at Penelope’s side of the room, absent of her presence. She was still trying to avoid me, still mad about the conversation we had regarding Lucas. She didn’t want to accept that her boyfriend tried hitting on me, so instead, she denied it. I didn’t blame her, but it was frustrating.
I jumped when there was a sudden knock on the door, my shoulders rising and falling as I sighed, walking towards it.
“Hey,” Lucas grinned.
I forced a friendly smile. “Hey, um, Penelope’s not here. I thought she was with you actually.”
“No, she’s with Serena right now.”
I brought my brows together, my mouth forming a straight line. “Who?”
“Her new friend from one of her classes,” he said, waving it off.
“Oh, okay. Well if you knew she wasn’t here…” my eyes darted around, confused, “why are you here then?”
He shifted his weight back and forth. By the look on his face, I had a feeling of what he was going to say, but I really hoped that I was wrong. I didn’t have any more rejection in me to hand out to him.
“Well, I was just on my way to get dinner at the dining center. Do you want to join?”
I rested my weight against the cracked open door, making sure it was closed enough to let him know that he wasn’t welcomed inside. “I can’t.”
“May I ask why?”
“I just can’t. I’m busy right now.”
“Are you sure you can’t?”
“I’m sure,” I gritted through my teeth.
“Is being busy really the only reason?”
Once again, he was pushing my buttons. And this time, I was out of patience. “There are numerous reasons,” I said firmly. “One, you’re still with my roommate. Two, I don’t think my boyfriend would appreciate that. And three, I don’t have feelings for you, so dates or hang outs or wh
atever the hell you want to call them are not going to happen.”
His eyes narrowed. “Boyfriend?”
Out of everything I said, that’s the only part he paid attention to?
“Yeah,” I said with a straight face.
Lucas’s jaw twitched, outrage growing in his eyes. He went from zero to one hundred really quickly. “Are you back together with Axel?”
“Not that it’s any of your business, but yeah. I am.”
He rubbed his chin, shaking his head. “Unbelievable.” I rolled my eyes, taking a deep breath as I watched Lucas sizzle. “You’re seriously going to be with him after what he did to you?”
“Yeah,” I nodded.
“Why?”
“Because I love him,” I announced.
Lucas shifted around, unhappy with my response. “You shouldn’t be with him.”
The conversation didn’t need to be continued. Lucas didn’t approve of me being with Axel. He never did and he probably never would. But I didn’t care. It wasn’t his relationship, and I certainly wasn’t interested in his opinion.
I moved back, pushing the door closed, but a hand smacked onto the center of it, holding it open just enough for me to see the anger in Lucas’s eyes. It was strange how his personality had slowly gotten darker throughout the school year. When first semester began, he was understanding about my rejection, accepting it in the moment at least, before trying again another day. But now, it seemed as if his patience was running out while mine was. I didn’t know why he had such an infatuation with me, or why he seemed so unable of letting me go, especially when nothing had ever even happened between us.
“Leave,” I demanded through my teeth.
“You’re gonna regret this,” he breathed.
“No, I’m not.”
A devious grin came across his face as he lowered his hand from the door. He stood for a second as he looked at me, as if he was silently mocking me for reasons that I didn’t know. I carefully watched as Lucas slowly walked down the hall, away from my room, leaving me with nothing but an unsettled feeling.