Forever Burn

by Trinity Lemm

“I made you breakfast.”

  “You didn’t have to do that.”

  “Yeah, I did.”

  He kissed my cheek, causing me to give out a small giggle. He kissed it again and again and again, kisses traveling all around my face, sending love and electricity throughout my entire body.

  He moved me on top of him. My body rested against his, puzzle pieces fitting together perfectly. His lips touched mine, hands grazing the back of my thighs. I moved my hair to one side, trying to keep it from falling onto his face. His fingertips moved up my silk robe, skimming my sensitive skin.

  “Come eat breakfast,” I said, cocking my head towards the door.

  Axe played with my hair, a grin stuck on his face. He bit his bottom lip for a second, smoothly flipping me onto my back and positioning himself on top of me. He used his fingertips to gently push my head to the side and then brought his lips down, kissing my exposed neck. My hands rubbed his bare back, satisfied with the feeling. His back muscles tensed under my touch as he hummed against my neck. His lips worked against my skin for a minute, a bulge beginning to push up against my lower half.

  “Axe,” I said laughing as his lips traveled down to my collarbone that was hanging out of my robe.

  “Mhmm?” he hummed against me.

  “Breakfast.”

  He finally pulled away, smiling as he sighed. “Fine.”

  I cupped his face with both of my hands, bringing him in for one last kiss. I watched as Axe got out of bed, slipping on his boxers, but no shirt. He studied me as I lay there, his eyes inspecting me from head to toe, stopping at my bare legs. His sexy smirk reappeared, and I instantly knew what he was thinking, but I disregarded it.

  I got out of the bed and walked over to him, lifting myself up on my tiptoes to plant a kiss on his cheek. “Come out when you’re ready, birthday boy,” I said, heading out of the room and back into the kitchen.

  I pulled Axe’s plate out of the microwave. Two arms wrapped around my middle from behind me. I glanced up, feeling Axe’s chest against my back. He looked down at me, his wide frame making mine look tiny.

  “What’s for breakfast?” he asked.

  “Eggs and bacon and hash-browns.”

  “Yum,” he said, swaying me back and forth in his arms.

  “Here’s your plate.”

  He took it, giving me a quick kiss on the forehead. “Thank you for making breakfast,” he said, sitting down at the table.

  “It’s your birthday breakfast.” I felt bad because I had figured Axe would still be in jail for his birthday, and even though I had been planning on visiting him regardless, I hadn’t gotten him a gift. “Where do you wanna go today? Pick anywhere. I’m paying.”

  “You’re not paying.”

  “Yes, I am. It’s your birthday and I didn’t get you a gift because I didn’t know you’d be out. I’m paying,” I insisted.

  Axe’s entire body stopped, fork dropping mid-bite. His gaze slowly proceeded upward from his plate, eyes meeting mine, all seriousness intended. “You’re here. That’s the only gift I need.”

  I tilted my head to the side. “Axe. You always do everything for me. Let me do something for you.”

  He took a deep breath. “Okay, let’s go out. But we’re not doing anything that would require you to spend money.”

  I rolled my eyes, wondering what on Earth we could possibly do that didn’t require any money whatsoever. I turned around in my seat, glancing out the sliding back door that led to the balcony. The sun was out. No more snow on the ground.

  I got up and roamed out to the balcony, feeling the almost-April air on my face. It wasn’t cold, yet it wasn’t super warm either. It was somewhere in between, a good day for sweater weather.

  I overlooked the parking lot for a second, reminded of the time I saw Lucas walking around in the middle of the night. A small hint of panic overcame me at the thought, but I stopped it, instantly reminding myself that Axe was here, which meant I was safe.

  “You wanna go on a walk in the forest preserve?” I asked, making my way back inside.

  “You wanna go on a walk?” he raised a brow.

  I shrugged with one shoulder. “It’s nice out. And it doesn’t require money.”

  “Just you and me?”

  I nodded.

  Axe leaned back. “Sounds perfect,” he said, eyes brightening.

  We finished eating and got ready. I threw on a hunter green sweater and ripped blue jeans, completing my outfit with my favorite necklace. The one Axe had bought me.

  I was beyond excited to spend the day with him. It felt almost unreal that he was here, as if the entire day so far had been a dream.

  Axel walked out of his bedroom, dressed in a long black sleeve, black jeans, and a grey beanie. His brown curls stuck out of his beanie, framing his face perfectly.

  “Ready to go?” he asked, grabbing his car keys off the counter.

  “Yep,” I smiled, slipping my Adidas on.

  A short drive later, we got out of the car. The parking lot was empty other than a few other cars, which meant barely anyone was here today. Axe intertwined our fingers together and led the way, heading towards the trails. The leaves were beginning to sprout on the trees, making for a beautiful shade of green to be surrounding us, matching the green of Axe’s eyes.

  It was silent around us, other than the sounds of nature: the birds chirping, frogs croaking in the nearby pond, trees calmly swaying back and forth. It was serene; tranquil. The most peaceful place with the most perfect person.

  I was grateful that the trail was a paved one. I would’ve hated to be walking on a muddy trail.

  My tiny hand squeezed Axe’s big one. I leaned into him, resting my free hand on his bicep.

  “I love it out here,” I said, looking around.

  “Me too. I wish this was an everyday thing.”

  Our steps remained gradual, leisurely enough to take everything in. “We can come here more often.”

  “Yeah,” he paused, “I meant like an everyday thing for like…ever.”

  “Forever is a long time, Axe.”

  His gaze turned down to our feet for a second, studying each step we took in unison. “I know, but…” he trailed off.

  “You really wanna put up with me forever?” I laughed, watching him.

  He turned his attention back to me, our steps still continuing. His brows slightly came together, mouth turning upwards. “I’m up for the challenge.”

  I playfully pushed him. “A challenge? Maybe you are the challenge, mister!” I joked.

  His dimples appeared, the sight sparking a rush throughout me. I never usually liked talking too far into the future. It scared me, gave me false hope. But for some reason, it wasn’t bothering me right now. The subject felt more of a present topic than it did a future one, as if planning the future with Axe was a necessary thing and not just a hopeful dream.

  “Alright, alright. Maybe I am the challenge.”

  “Yep, you are. Considering the fact that you want to tell our future kids the story about Brooke.”

  He tilted his head back, laughing. “It’s a funny story.”

  “Mhmm,” I said, raising my brows.

  “Hey,” he nudged me, “you said our future kids.”

  He caught me. I looked away, blushing for a second. “I didn’t say that,” I denied.

  “Yes, you did,” he smirked.

  “No.”

  “Yes.”

  “Nope.”

  Axe stopped in his tracks, pulling me into him. He leaned in as he played with both of my hands. “Three kids.”

  I pulled my mouth to the side, trying to hide my smile. “Maybe four.”

  He lifted his eyebrows, his smile never fading. “That’s fine with me.” I looked away, giggling, unable to hide the happiness pouring out of me. “We can get started today,” he said, still moving my hands around. My eyes widened at his words, disapproving them. “Kidding,” he laughed, lifting both of our hands up.

  “I hope
you are kidding, cause I’m not gonna be popping kids out until I’m married.”

  He took one of my hands and spun me around as if we were slow dancing, stopping once my backside was to him. He wrapped his arms around my midsection, chin resting near my shoulder. “I love this conversation,” he said, rocking me side to side.

  I snickered. “Why?”

  “Because it’s relieving to know that I’m not the only one who thinks about these things.”

  To be honest, I guess I never really gave too much thought to a long-term future with Axe. I knew I wanted a future with him, but I never really thought about details until now. Partly because up until now, I didn’t really like talking about the future or getting false hope. I barely had time lately to think far into the future since I was so busy with fixing the issues that were currently occurring. And now that those issues were over, I felt like I could relax.

  I covered his hands with my little ones, melting under his touch. I observed our surroundings once more, taking in every detail of the moment, so that I could cherish it forever.

  I turned, looking up at him. “I love you,” I said.

  “I love you too.”

  “I’m really happy I get to spend your birthday with you.”

  “Me too,” he quietly said. “And I’m also glad I’m spending it out of jail,” he added, chuckling.

  “Believe me, so am I,” I laughed.

  We walked throughout the entire trail, hand in hand, heart to heart, talking about anything and everything that came to mind. One thing that I loved about Axe was that he was so easy to talk to. Not once did our conversations ever get dry. And on top of that, talking to him didn’t make me feel like an idiot or judged or hurt. He always made me feel wanted, made me feel like my opinion mattered.

  Once we got back to the car, we drove home in laughter, a perfect way to end our perfect day. Axe and I planned on watching a movie, hanging out for a while, and then cooking dinner before heading to ATA. We hadn’t been there together in over a month. The last time we were each there, we were broken up and I was hammered out of my mind.

  After numerous hours passed, I slipped on my long-sleeved, red laced bodysuit, completing the outfit with black ripped jeans and black bootie heels. There was a knock on the bathroom door as I finished curling my hair.

  “What’s up?” I asked.

  Axe leaned against the doorframe, watching me intently. “I just missed you.”

  I gave out a single chuckle. “I’ve been getting ready for like thirty minutes.”

  “I know,” Axe expressed, “but after being apart from you for so long, even thirty minutes feels like a lifetime.” I grinned, grabbing my necklace off the bathroom counter. He nodded once. “Let me,” he said, plucking the necklace out of my fingers.

  Axe pushed my hair onto one side. He rested the necklace around my neck, securing the clasp in the back, before leaving a precious kiss on my skin.

  “Are Gi and Ash back yet?” I asked.

  “Yeah, they’re in the kitchen.”

  I nodded, completing my outfit with red lips before following Axe.

  “Hey, bitch!” Gi exclaimed, already buzzed. She drew me in for a tight hug.

  “Hey,” I laughed, letting go. “Are you already drunk too?” I turned to Ash.

  He shook his head. “Nah, she’s just a lightweight.”

  Gi dropped her jaw open. “Am not!”

  “Yes, you are,” Axe said, strolling past them to pour shots.

  “Whatever,” Gi rolled her eyes.

  “So, Axe, big twenty means twenty shots tonight,” Ash announced, leaning against the counter.

  Axe chuckled once. “Yeah, if you want me to get alcohol poisoning and die.”

  “Please, don’t,” I said, grabbing a full shot glass. Axe’s smirk continued to stay on his face as he poured the rest, handing one to each of us. “Okay,” I started, raising my glass as my eyes stayed on Axe, “I just want to give a birthday shout out to my favorite person.”

  “I thought I was your favorite person,” Gianna interrupted.

  “Shut up,” I said before continuing. “Thank you for everything that you do for me. And thank you for going to jail for me,” I laughed. “I have no words to describe how much I love you. Happy birthday!” I finished. Axe’s charming smile illuminated throughout the room, satisfied by my toast.

  “Happy birthday!” Gi and Ash shouted.

  All four of us tossed our shots back. The stale liquor ran down my throat, causing my face to twinge in disgust for a moment before recovering.

  Gi leaned towards me. “We should invite Claire.”

  “Yeah, call her.”

  “You want me to text Owen?” Axe asked.

  Gi and I traded glances. “Yeah, why not,” I responded.

  As far as we knew, Claire and Owen weren’t dating. They occasionally hung out and definitely hooked up, but Gi and I both assumed that Claire wasn’t looking for another relationship for a while. I respected her decision, knowing how it felt to need some time alone. Plus, we all knew that Owen was thinking about going into the military, so it wouldn’t be a good idea for Claire to get attached to him now, just for him to leave. But we didn’t want to leave Claire out, especially now that she didn’t have Jason to hang out with while we were here at the apartment.

  Claire and Owen showed up together after another half hour or so. We all pre-gamed for a while, throwing shots down. The boys made us martinis and we threw those down as well. I threw down two.

  As we made our way up ATA’s driveway, I could feel all the alcohol kicking in. I was fairly drunk, but I was nowhere near as drunk as I had been the last time that I was at ATA. The same night that Axe saved me from Nick.

  The room was already packed when we got in. Strobe lights were flashing, music blaring. Axe led me by the hand over to our usual corner. He twirled me around in his arms, never letting me go. I bit my lip as I giggled, overwhelmed with pure happiness.

  We didn’t do anything super extraordinary today for Axe’s birthday, but from what I could tell, he still enjoyed it anyways.

  My body didn’t stop moving when I noticed a familiar head of long, fiery red hair across the room. Olivia stood next to the two blondes, whose names I had forgotten because they were so irrelevant. Her arms were crossed as she watched Axe and I, a dirty look on her face.

  Bitch.

  I smiled at Olivia as I brought my middle finger up high and proud, making sure she saw it. She shook her head and dropped her arms to the side before walking off, leaving me to feel accomplished.

  My eyes trailed over to the DJ. I placed a hand on Axe’s shoulder as I went up on my tiptoes, using him for stability. I brought my mouth up to his ear so that he could hear me clearly.

  “I’ll be right back,” I said. I could tell he was nervous to let me out of his sight, afraid after what happened the last time that we had been apart. But I walked off before he could argue, heading straight towards the DJ.

  “Hey, Tatum! What’s up?” he asked. I didn’t know him, but somehow, he knew me. Probably because of Axe.

  “Can I use the microphone for a minute?” I yelled over the music.

  “Sure,” he said, handing it to me as he stopped the music that was currently playing.

  Everyone ceased dancing and booed, pissed off that their vibe had just been killed.

  “Hey!” I said into the microphone, getting everyone’s attention over to me. “So, a lot of you probably don’t know me, but I’m sure you all know Axel,” I said, looking over in his direction. “It’s his birthday today, so can we sing to him?”

  “Hell, yeah!” everyone shouted. I picked out Axel in the crowd as everyone started singing, never taking my eyes away from him. I swayed back and forth as I sang along, feeling euphoric.

  When the song came to a close, I made my way back over to Axe. He enveloped me in his arms, lifting my feet off the ground. “Thanks, baby,” he said as he put me down.

  I hugged his midsection, squ
eezing as tightly as I could, relieved to be back in his arms.

  And this time, I wasn’t going to let anything fuck this up.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  The Trip

  Usually I was the first one to be up, but when my eyes drifted open, the first thing I saw were Axe’s. He grinned when he noticed I was up, playing with my long hair.

  “Good morning, baby,” he said.

  “Good morning,” I repeated, stretching around in bed.

  “So, I was thinking,” he started, rolling closer to me.

  “Yeah?”

  “Let’s take a trip.”

  I furrowed my brows, smiling. “A trip? To where?”

  He pulled his mouth to the side, thinking for a moment. “Chicago.”

  I dropped my head back onto the pillow, readjusting myself. “Chicago? Why do you wanna go to Chi?”

  He shrugged, green eyes still glistening. “I’ve never been.”

  My eyes widened as my mouth dropped open. “You’ve never been to Chicago?”

  “Nope,” he sighed.

  Wilmot was only forty or so minutes away from Chicago, so I had been there numerous times a year, every year growing up. It was a beautiful city, almost magical the first time you went. Filled with millions of people and thousands of tourists each year, I was surprised Axe had never been.

  “Okay,” I agreed. “When do you want to go?”

  He looked around for a second before covering my hand with his. “Next weekend? We can go for a few days over spring break.”

  “Sure.”

  Axel and I had never been on a trip together before. And now that I thought about it, the farthest place from campus that we had ever gone together was Amberly’s house.

  I smiled as he buried his face into my neck, his curls tickling my skin. I giggled, tracing the tattoos on his arm with my finger.

  “Did you wanna invite Ash and Gianna or anyone?” I asked.

  His head popped out of the crook of my neck. “Nah, let’s just have some us time.”

  I turned onto my side as Axe draped an arm around me, my backside facing his front. He pulled me in as close as he could before kissing my shoulder repeatedly, as if he couldn’t get enough of me.

  The image of Chicago popped into my head. Dozens of thoughts played through my mind, happy knowing that in about a week, I would be walking around my favorite city with my favorite person.