by Trinity Lemm
My tired eyes fluttered open the next morning. I rolled over in the sheets, immediately satisfied by the sight of Axel next to me. I knew I needed to get up and get ready for class, but I couldn’t help but get sidetracked by him, studying every inch of him. His head was turned towards me, revealing his sharp jawline and messy hair. A couple of his tattoos poked out from underneath the blankets. He was still tangled up in the mess of the sheets, a clear sign of what happened in the bed the night prior. Twice. And once in the shower.
I slowly got out of bed, trying my hardest not to wake him up. I poured myself a bowl of cereal and ate quickly, then threw on my dance attire for class, tossing my hair up into a ballet bun. I tiptoed back into Axel’s room, quietly making my way around to his side of the bed. I bent down, placing a gentle kiss on his forehead. I took one last look at him, his chest rising and falling peacefully. He was such a beautiful sight. And suddenly, I was overcome with a massive feeling of hope that I would be able to wake up next to him every day.
After class, I headed back towards my dorm, stopping in a café that was connected to the bookstore. The café was pretty large, tables lined up and down for students to sit and relax or do homework at. I wasn’t a huge coffee person, hence why I had only been there a few times throughout the year, but I was certainly in a coffee mood now. I needed some, considering how late I was awake and how early I had woken up. Plus, dance class killed my already nonexistent energy levels.
I stood in line, patiently waiting for my turn to order. I wasn’t a big fan of hot drinks, and even though the early March air was still kind of cold, I wanted an iced coffee anyways.
I felt a tap on my shoulder, causing me to swing around, praying to God that it wasn’t Lucas again. But instead, an even worse sight stood before me.
Olivia’s red locks flowed past her shoulders, a bitchy smile plastered across her face.
Great. Just what I needed.
“Hey, Tatum,” she said, her high-pitched tone deafening me. “I heard you’re back together with Axel.”
I moved forward in the line as I shot her a look, curious as to why she was curious. “Yeah?”
She lifted her brows, scanning me up and down, a disapproving look coming across her face.
I narrowed my eyes at her for a second as I crossed my arms, turning back around in line. Hopefully, ignoring her would cause her to go away. I didn’t want to let her presence or her words get to me. I was sick and tired of people and things getting in the way of Axe and I’s happiness. Whether if it was one thing or another, one person or another, there was always something that was trying to get between us.
I ordered my coffee and within two minutes, it was ready for me. I gave a friendly smile to the barista as I paid and left a tip in the tip jar, then pushed past Olivia, pretending she wasn’t there. I obviously hadn’t forgotten about the morning I walked in on Axe and Olivia. It was impossible to forget something like that, but at this point, I felt like I had successfully pushed it to the back of my mind. I was determined to get things right with Axe this time and not let anything get between us. Including my negative thoughts. Ever since dinner with Amberly the other night, her words had been stuck in my head. Axe would fuck up a lot. But no one in the world would be able to love me more than him. He may have had flaws, but I did too. And it was up to us to work together to help each other break our bad habits and to accept each other’s flaws.
Olivia’s little annoying footsteps followed me out of the café. I sped up to get away from her, not turning around to meet her gaze, but it was her voice that caught my attention.
“Your boyfriend is really good in bed by the way! And just for the record, he said the same thing about me.”
I stopped dead in my tracks, slowly turning to face her. “What did you just say?” I seethed. If people wanted to say bullshit things about me, then whatever. So be it. But once they brought Axel into the equation, that’s where I drew the line.
She was still a good five feet away, but she leaned in towards me. “That your boyfriend thinks I’m good. And that I’m better than you,” she said slowly.
I gave a vicious grin, the bitchiest one I could manage. I stepped closer to her, until I was directly in her face. “Yeah? And that’s why he’s dating me and not you, right?” Her victorious smile started to fade, which only fueled my fire even more. “You know, I’m really not the type to slut shame or make girls feel bad for sleeping around, because at the end of the day, girls should back each other up and if someone wants to have sex without being in a relationship, then that’s their decision and I don’t judge them for it. But when you’re deliberately sleeping with a guy who you know has a girlfriend, then you kind of deserve it.” I gave another wicked smile, still face to face with her. I could tell she was starting to back down, not having expected me to call her out this time.
“Are you calling me a slut?”
“Do you feel like one?” I asked, emotionless. She looked away, unwilling to meet my gaze or answer my question. I waited to continue until she looked back at me again. “Stay away from me. And stay the fuck away from Axel,” I said, turning around and walking away, nonchalantly sipping on my iced coffee.
It was blatantly obvious that Olivia was jealous. When she first met Axel, she wanted to tame him. She wanted him all to herself.
After waking up next to Axe and studying every detail of him while he slept this morning, it was impossible to deny that he was irresistible. Easily one of the most attractive, if not, the most attractive man on campus. I couldn’t blame other girls for wanting him, but I could blame other girls for trying to take him. And the last thing I was going to do would be to let that happen.
I sipped on my coffee all the way back to my dorm, thinking about how great it was going to be to sprawl out in bed and take a nap before my next class. This was usually the time of day where neither Penelope nor I had any classes for a few hours. Sometimes we would go get lunch or each lay in silence and nap, but knowing her and how mad she still was at me, she wasn’t going to be in the room.
I took a deep breath as I made my way down the hall, slightly picking up my pace to reach my room faster. I twisted the knob, my enthusiasm dying at the sight. Everyone stopped and looked at me as I walked in.
Penelope was at her desk, while Lucas and Jason made themselves comfortable on the futon. Fire immediately coursed through my veins. Not only was I pissed that Lucas and Jason were here, but how the hell was I supposed to nap in peace now?
A tall girl sat in my desk chair, her straight blonde hair barely making it past her shoulders. Her big brown eyes lit up when I walked in, matching how perfectly straight her teeth were as she smiled. “Hi! You must be Tatum. I’m Serena,” she beamed.
“Hi Serena. It’s nice to meet you,” I said, trying my hardest not to explode all my anger out on this sweet girl who I didn’t even know. My eyes darted back to everyone else in the room, trying to divert my anger away from Serena. The only time Penelope was actually here while I was, she had Lucas and Jason over? I had been tolerating both of them all year, and now, I was out of patience. Having Lucas here was bad enough, especially since he was the whole reason why Penelope and I even had tension in the first place. But to bring Jason here too? After he put his hands on me and after everything he put Claire through? No, thanks. I wasn’t in the mood for the bullshit.
I gestured to the guys. “You guys need to leave.”
“Why?” Penelope questioned.
“Serena, I don’t really know you, but you seem sweet, so I don’t mind if you stay,” I said. “But I live here too and I’m not comfortable having them here.”
“Why do you even care? You’re never here half the time,” Penelope argued.
“How the hell would you know? You’re never here when I am.”
She opened her mouth to fight back, but Jason beat her to it. “What are you gonna do? Have your boyfriend come over and tell us to leave?” he mocked me, nudging Lucas as they both began to chuckle.
They looked at each other, trying to determine if they should leave or stay to see what would happen next. Lucas whispered something to his best friend, prompting Jason to turn back at me with venom in his eyes. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little intimidated by the way they were looking at me with such hatred, but I wouldn’t let it show. And I certainly wasn’t going to back down. They stood, sauntering in my direction. I moved to the side, allowing them to pass. Jason walked out first, but Lucas stopped, his eyes targeting me.
“Your boyfriend can’t protect you forever,” he said, jaw twitching before he followed his friend’s lead.
But what the hell was that supposed to mean?
Chapter Twenty-Four
The Blood
It had been a few days since I had kicked Lucas and Jason out of my dorm room, and Penelope was as pissed as ever. She purposely wouldn’t sleep in the room when she knew I was there, and I was tired of her bitching every time I was, so I decided to stay the night at Axel’s.
I used my key to walk in, laughter taking over me by the sight of Axe and Ash doing repeated push-ups in the living room. Axe was shirtless, his back exposed, revealing his defined muscles as the hem of his boxers stood out of his black jeans.
Goddamn.
“What the hell are you two doing?” I giggled, setting my bag down.
“Push-up contest,” Ash spoke, out of breath.
I tucked my curled hair behind my ear and tilted my head, watching the show. Axe’s muscles tensed each time he went down, his arms lowering him passed a ninety-degree angle. I bit my lip at the sight, enjoying the view. After another minute or so, Ash’s arms began to get tired, each push-up becoming slower, harder, a bigger struggle. But Axe didn’t seem to be having any issues. He moved at the same pace.
Ash dropped onto his stomach, groaning. “Damnit!” he yelled, out of breath.
Axe grinned as he stood up, laughing at Ash on the ground. He pointed at his brother. “Sucks to suck, bro.”
Ash slapped Axe’s ankles, and Axe jumped to escape his brother’s hands as he made his way over to me.
“Is that really what you guys do in your free time?”
“Hell, yeah.”
“I’m gonna fucking win next time,” Ash said from the floor.
“You say that every time,” Axe rolled his eyes. “How was your day?” he asked as he turned back to me.
“Boring,” I shrugged, lightly running my hands over his dragonfly tattoo. “How ‘bout you?”
“Boring,” Axe agreed. He checked the time on his watch, his face dropping at the sight. He studied my face and then grabbed it on both sides, leaving a tender kiss on my lips. “You’re perfect.”
“There’s no such thing as perfect.”
“Yes, there is. I’m lookin’ right at it,” he brought his eyebrows in, an irresistible smirk stretched across his face as he walked backwards towards his room, keeping his eyes locked on me. He slipped inside for a moment, reemerging with a white t-shirt in hand.
Axe tossed the shirt over his head, hiding the perfect lines on his abdomen, along with his dragonfly tattoo. “Ash, what time are you leaving?”
“I’m gonna take a quick shower and then leave shortly after.”
“Where are you going?” I asked.
He sat up, resting his arms on his knees. “I’ve got this internship thing at some company for one of my business classes. It’s only a few days long, so I’ll be back on Saturday.”
“Sounds fun.”
“Not at all,” he shook his head, standing up.
Axe mocked his brother for a moment, until Ash disappeared into the bathroom. The pipes croaked as the shower turned on.
“I’ll be back soon,” Axe said, throwing his backpack over his shoulder.
“What? Where are you going?” I cried.
“I’ve got a chem lab. It shouldn’t take too long.”
“How long?”
He shrugged. “About two hours. Two and a half tops.”
I made a pouty face, making it evident that I didn’t want him to go, but never would I ever ask him not to. I cared about Axe and I wanted what was best for him. And being the reason why his grades would suffer would make me a selfish girlfriend. The next two and a half hours may be boring, but I wanted him to succeed, which meant he had to go to his lab.
“I’ll be back as soon as possible,” he said. His hands dug into his pocket, retrieving his wallet. He pulled out a hundred- dollar bill, handing it to me. “Here, baby. You can go to the store and get a bunch of snacks and stuff for us to make dinner together when I’m back.”
I gave a small smile, lightly accepting the money. I hated when Axe spent so much money on me, but knowing that the money was for things for us to share, and not just him spoiling me, made me feel better.
He placed a hand on my hip, pulling me in to give me one more kiss on the lips. “Love you,” I said as he pulled away.
“I love you the most,” he replied, dimples accompanying his grin. He turned back to me with his hand on the doorknob. “Just call me if you need anything, okay?”
I nodded, sadness overcoming me as Axe walked out. He had been gone for three seconds and I already missed him.
I moved all my stuff into Axe’s room, making sure it wasn’t making a mess in the living room. I set out for my car, trying to walk as slow as possible, so that more time would pass. A few hours didn’t seem like a long time, but when it was a few hours of me waiting for Axel to get back, I knew it would feel like forever.
I made a short grocery list in the car before I started driving, trying to make sure that I wouldn’t forget any ingredients we would need for dinner. My car drove slowly, still waking up from its sleep in the chilly March air.
I casually scanned the aisles of the grocery store, checking everything off of my list as I hoped and prayed that I wouldn’t see anyone that I knew. I hated when that happened. It always caused some sort of awkwardness to rest in the air, especially when you ran into people that you knew, but didn’t know well enough to know if you were supposed to say hello to them or not. But on top of that, I hoped I wouldn’t run into Olivia, Brooke, Lucas, or Jason. Throughout the year, I had made a lot of friends, but I also met people who I did not get along well with. Which was fine, I guess. That was part of life.
I placed all the bags into the backseat of the car, too lazy to pop the trunk. It had only been about an hour when I arrived back into the parking lot of the apartment, which meant that Axel still wouldn’t be back for another hour and a half or so. Ash’s car wasn’t in its usual spot, so he had already left. I sighed knowing that I would be all alone until Axe got back.
I grabbed the few grocery bags that I had, happy that I wouldn’t have to make two trips out to my car. I trudged up the stairs, getting my key ready to use. Each time I looked at my key, it gave me a warm, fulfilled feeling. Knowing that Axe wanted me to have my own key, knowing that I was welcome to come to the apartment any time, made me happy.
I jiggled the key into the lock and opened the door, flipping on the light-switch as I stepped inside.
“Lucas,” I jumped, dropping the bags on the floor. I was taken off guard, immediately uncomfortable by the sight of Lucas standing at the beginning of the hall.
“Hey Tate,” he said, his smug smile only causing me to become more unsettled. I normally wasn’t afraid of Lucas, but right now, I was fucking terrified.
“What are you doing here?” I quietly asked, unsure if I wanted to hear his real answer or not. I remained close to the door, prepared to make a run for it if I had to.
He tilted his head to the side. “I came here for you, Tate,” he eerily said.
“How did you get in?”
Lucas reached into his back pocket, holding up a keychain and dangling it in front of his face. My keychain. My lost set of keys. I had thought this whole time that I lost them, but they weren’t actually lost. Lucas had taken them from my room. And then it dawned on me. The entire time that he had been with Penelope was really just his own way of getting closer to me. I wondered if he had taken any of my other things without me noticing.
A little bit of anger started to bubble up inside of me. I knew that Lucas had been interested in me all year, but I never knew how crazily infatuated with me he actually was. I never thought he would’ve taken it this far. I thought about all the times that I had felt followed throughout the year, all the times I felt like someone was watching me. At the mall. At the library. On the balcony at the apartment. Walking around campus at night. The way he would randomly show up places that I was at, passing it off as a coincidence. It all made sense.
“Have you been following me around all year?” I asked.
“Occasionally.”
“Why?”
“Why not?” he shrugged.
I was scared. I didn’t know what Lucas was planning on doing. And I didn’t know what he was capable of. The only thing I could think of to make him leave was to threaten him.
“Well Axel will be here any minute, so your ass better be gone when—”
“Don’t lie, Tate. I know Axel won’t actually be back for a while.”
Fuck.
My mind started racing, wondering how the hell I was going to get out of this one. Usually, each time I turned down Lucas, people were always around. And if they weren’t in the exact same room as us, there were people nearby. But right now, we were absolutely alone. No one could hear me if I screamed or needed help.
If I ran now, he would easily catch me. And then I would be fucked. I thought about Axel. The last thing he had said to me was to call him if I needed anything. Lucas would obviously see my phone out, but part of me hoped that Axel would answer quickly and hear enough through the phone to know what was happening, whether I was speaking directly to him or whether I was struggling.