his plucked flower

Chapter 17: Frangipani

Axel laid on his bed, the sheets cocooning him from the world as he sobbed. His cold frozen heart shattered into oblivion. Every cell in his body was aching to touch her, feel her presence by him, and caress her small warm body.

The doorbell rung making him groan. They'll leave if I don't answer, he commented in his brain before bitting his lip to hold in a loud sob that would make it obvious someone was home.

The doorbell kept ringing in a horrible continuos chant. He felt as though his ear would bleed as he groaned loudly and stood up before quickly putting on a pair of black jeans and not bothering with a shirt.

His long strides quickly took him down the staircase as he repeatedly wiped his face from the constant tears that fell. He looked like a mess.

He quickly ran his hand through his hair before opening the door with a scowl. His hard gaze trapped on Selene who held her own scowl that was slowly deteriorating into confusion when the sight of his tears where visible.

"What do you want?" he growled in anger, angry not because she was there but because she got to see Lillian and he couldn't, angry because she disturbed his self-loathing, angry because she wasn't the one who messed up it was him.

Selene's hand reached forward in a flash, leaving his cheek lightly stinging. He inhales deeply in anger, but if Selene was scared she didn't show it insisted she was just as angry as he was.

Selene ducked under his arm and through the door as he groaned wanting her out of his large house. She looked around as he crossed his large muscled arms on his chest, his left foot keeping the door open.

"You haven't taken down the decorations from your birthday," she commented. His angry facade fell as he slumped.

"I couldn't, it was from Lillian," he said gruffly.

"Funny, because the story I heard made it seem like you didn't care about her." He frowned, knowing who told her the story.

"You heard the wrong story," he grumbled, his crossed arms tightening against his chest.

"So, you didn't lie to her, you didn't tell her your name was Dan when it wasn't," she commented with a raised freshly plucked eyebrow. "And nor did you tell her you loved her when you didn't-"

"I do love her." Axel closed the door and turned his body fully to look her straight in the eye. "I just- I didn't know what to do when I first saw her. I choked and told her my name was Dan."

Selene let a bitter laugh out that made Axel's stomach churn. "Like I'd believe that."

"You barely know anything. You just came waltzing in here as if you're not just a high school student. You barely know a thing about me or how I feel about her and you're acting like you do. You barely even know Lillian. Do you even know what her favorite food is? No. Do you even know what her favorite movie is? No you don't so just stop pretending."

"Those things are irrelevant."

"How about, her nervous habits. Like how she plays with her fingers. You don't even know about her past. I can tell you in fucking detail about it!" He throw his hands up in exclamation. "And here you are saying you know her like the back of your hand when you don't! So try and understand it from my side before you plant new things in her head about how horrible I am." His chest rose and fell as his arms drop to stand by his body, feeling exhausted from his anger bomb that just exploded on her.

Selene was conflicted, but she couldn't break her facade. "Fine then, tell me. Tell me everything then." She retaliated.

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