E I G H T E E N - "Not that obsessed."

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"I just can't believe jets happened." I whisper, my voice cracking.

The feelings that I've been storing for the past twenty four hours are suddenly washing over me and I don't know how to stop them.

The first tear of many to come runs down my cheeks and I hastily wipe it away.

Axel obviously spots it and a pained expression passes through his face. Putting an arm around my shoulders, he drags me into his body.

Not having the strength to fight back, I rest my head against Axel's chest and let out a sniffle.

Tears drip like icicles down my face, freezing my heart in pain.

"I just feel so helpless." I whisper, closing my eyes at the thought of Emma being pinned against her will.

Axel pulls me onto his lap and takes my face in his hands, wiping away my tears with the pads of his thumbs. "She's safe. She'll get through this and so will you." He says with such sincerity that the part of my heart doubting myself seems to doubt itself.

"I just can't get the images out of my head." I shake my head and let out a pathetic laugh. "I didn't even see or go through the damn thing. I'm sorry, I'm overreacting."

Axel pulls me tighter against his chest with his arms and I rest my head against his shoulder, letting out a sigh. The tears seem to slow down, relief runs through me.

"Don't you dare say sorry, nothing was your fault." Axel warns, his tone commanding. "In all honesty, it's a miracle that you found her." 

"Yeah, I had just finished coffee with Dean and I just saw her standing there."

Axel seems to tense at the name Dean, but I ignore it. Letting out a breath, he begins speaking,  "You can't blame yourself. I can see you doing it and I need you to stop, it's toxic to do that."

I begin to protest but Axel shushes me.

"Hating yourself is the worst kind of poison your mind can give." He whispers.

Nodding I lift my head off of his shoulder and smile. "You're right, thank you." I whisper back.

Gazing into his electric blue eyes, he stares back. I suddenly see what the other girls see, how they fall into his trap every single time.

Because without me knowing it, I've fallen into it too.

Axel leans up and places a kiss on my forehead before lifting me off of his lap and placing me back onto his bed.

Standing up and heading towards the TV, Axel looks back at me at me and smiles

"What?" I ask, suddenly feeling very self conscious.

"Nothing." He smiles, biting his lip.

Leaning down bellow the dresser that holds a TV on top, Axel stands up with a pile of DVD's in his hands. "Movie?" He asks.

"Is that even a question?" I laugh pulling the blanket on the bed closer to me.

Axel turns the TV on and settles down beside me, ready for our morning of films.

••••

Opening the door of our dorm, I'm immediately greeted with. "Cupcake! You're home! Did you have sex?"

"What? No! Damn you're nosy." I laughs as I sit down on my bed.

Rob is sitting on his own bed, facing me. His hair is all messed up and he's definitely not wearing his own clothes.

"You've had sex, however." I smirk as I laugh at him.

"Thank god you noticed! It was mind blowing, Cupcake." Rob falls back onto his bed and lest out a dreamy sigh.

"Wait, I thought you weren't obsessed with Drew?" I ask, my voice going high-pitched in mock surprise.

"Okay, I am. You're obsessed with Axel though." He points out.

I run a hand through my hair and bite my lip, smiling at the thought of his arms round me this morning. How he wiped my tears away and helped take my mind off of things.

"Not that obsessed." I smile weakly, knowing I'm not convincing at all.

"He's obsessed with you, with whatever you're doing. He can't stop talking about you." Rob confirms, looking at me with a knowing glint in his eyes.

"Really?" I smile, picking some clothes and walking into the bathroom.

"It's getting annoying." Rob shouts.

I can't even make a response that doesn't sound as sappy as I feel.

••••

"Hey, Boo." Emma greets as she lies on her childhood bed.

We're FaceTiming and thankfully I'm alone. FaceTiming in front of people is horrible and I don't want Rob to see me potentially cry.

I can't think about Emma without wanting to cry.

"Hey. How are you feeling?" I ask.

"Better. Mum and Dad are just cooking me food constantly and I'm just lying here in pyjamas. I feel like I've put on about three pounds in one night." She laughs.

"Damn, I'm so jealous." I say. "How are you sleeping?"

This is when Emma's entire demeanour changes. Her eyes become a little sadder and she begins biting her nails.

"Em?" I ask again, my heart pounding.

"I'm fine, I'm fine." She waves her hand to play it off but the crack in her voice tells more than her words do. "It's just the memories seem to come back."

"I wish I could make this better." I frown.

"You already are. Talking to someone helps significantly, especially when it's not your parents. Who, by the way, cannot leave me alone." She laughs.

I let out a laugh and shake my head. "My usual reply would be to say that that's you're smoking hot, but that would be weird because it's your parents."

"Yeah. Never say that unless I've got a smoking hot boy by my side." Emma winks.

"I promise."

We FaceTime for around an hour before Emma gets called for more food.

I'm so jealous.

Later that night, I lie in bed on my phone when a message come through.

Axel:
So, I'm thinking for the sake of your graduation, we should really have a sleepover?

••••
Author's Note:

Ooo, a sleepover?

What do you think is going to happen?

The scene with Axel in the morning wasn't actually supposed to be that long, it just flowed so I kept going :)

What was our thoughts on this chapter?

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Much love,

Jade x

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