"Go out on a date with me?" Axel asked out of nowhere as we sat outside.
"Random much?" I replied, even though my heart skipped a beat.
We had just been talking about the future and all of the sudden the question flew out of his mouth. It made me excited, but I pretended I couldn't care less. I couldn't let Axel know about my feelings until school was done, so I was trying harder to hide them.
"Is that a no?" Axel asked, looking deflated.
He looked sad as he looked away and that hurt me. So even though I should be keeping my distance from him for so many reasons, I suddenly placed a hand on his shoulder. Axel whipped his head to look at me, surprised, and I looked away shyly. Love had a way of changing you.
"I would love to go on a date with you," I said honestly.
I looked back at Axel and saw that he was smiling. His eyes were gentle on me and my heart fluttered. Having someone like Axel be your crush was hard.
"You've changed," he suddenly commented. "In a good way."
"How?" I asked, curious.
"Weren't you scared to be with boys before? Now you're going on a date with one and you're not pushing me away." He smiled. "I think you're welcoming the idea of being with someone."
"N-No," I blurted out, face reddening. "I'm not."
"Still stubborn." His smile grew. "But fine, I'm happy you don't hate guys anymore. Being with one isn't such a bad thing, is it?"
I stared at him, thinking of the time I was anxious of being with a boy. They made me uneasy because of what Mom told me, but Axel taught me that they can be trustworthy. They can be your friend and great company, and even when it came to loving one, it wasn't so bad.
So, I said, "Yeah, being with a boy isn't so bad."
Axel grinned and I smiled. One day, I would thank him for teaching me to be less close minded.
*****
I didn't know why I agreed, but we were at a house party. I was wearing a fitted black dress and Axel was wearing a blue plaid top and jeans. We had just entered the house and my heartbeat accelerated as I realized this would be my first house party.
Axel had told me about it and said that with school nearing an end, it would be nice to go to a house party and see some of my classmates. Apparently house parties had a way of bringing people closer and because Axel sounded so eager, I had somehow agreed. A part of me regretted it now.
"Are you excited?" Axel asked next to me.
"Yeah," I lied, grinning.
To my surprise, Axel suddenly took my hand. He squeezed it and then to more of my surprise, he kept holding it. My heart was racing.
"It'll be great," he said, grinning. "I promise."
I couldn't help but smile and I nodded, trusting him. With Axel at my side, I knew this would be a good day.
The house was packed with people of all ages from my school. They were all chatting, flirting, and dancing, and most of them were holding plastic red cups I knew were filled with beer. Curiosity filled me as Axel led me to the kitchen.
He led me to the fridge and began to talk to the stocky guy who stood next to it. They began to chat and I looked around, listening to the music that was blasting. It was my kind of music.
"Zoey, do you drink?" Axel then asked, bringing my attention back to him.
"Yeah," I said.
"I knew- Wait, what?" His eyes went wide. "You do?"
"I mean, I don't do it often but I have before. Hannah and I do get bored here and there."
Axel stared at me, stunned. I wasn't surprised by his reaction because for the most part, I was a righteous person. This was one of the few things I broke the rules for, however.
Finally, Axel snapped out of it and asked, "Wow. So you want beer?"
I smiled. "Yup."
Axel smiled and shook his head. He looked excited however and that made my smile grow. With alcohol, I was ready to let loose.
*****
Hours passed by and Axel and I were drunk. I had drunken more than I should've and the same went for him as we just got lost in the music. The both of us were in the living room and we were dancing in the dim room, extremely close.
Axel literally stood and inch away from me and we were dancing with no restraints. I wasn't aware of what I was doing, but Axel and I were having a blast and that was all I cared about. Just being with him and being happy was all that mattered.
So without a second thought, I suddenly wrapped my arms around his neck. Axel grinned at me and then he put his arms around my waist. We continued dancing like that, staring into each other's eyes.
"Are you having a good time?" he asked, grinning.
"The best," I answered.
Axel chuckled and brought his forehead to mine. He closed his eyes and I stared at him, thinking that he was beautiful. My eyes went to his freckles and I smiled.
"I love your freckles," I suddenly said.
He opened his eyes and seemed to be surprised. But, he looked happy.
"I don't," he said softly. "But thank you."
"They're beautiful," I whispered. "Like the rest of you."
Axel closed his eyes and murmured something I couldn't hear. Frowning, I wondered what he said.
But before I could ask, he said, "I can't take this anymore."
His head moved away from my face and dropped it to the crook of my neck. His lips began to drag against my collarbone gently and I closed my eyes, feeling the sensation of it shoot through me.
He then began to kiss the base of my throat and moved up, causing me to freeze. I was surprised, but I was enjoying it too much to react. Every part of where his lips touched felt like it was on fire and I didn't want this moment to stop.
But then, Axel paused as he reached my jaw. He muttered something that I caught, surprising me. My eyes flew wide and without a second thought, I knew what I would do.
"Did you say you like me?" I asked, blushing.
He moved away and looked at me, looking serious. I stared back, unable to believe it, but I was fighting back a smile. This was too good to be true, but I had a good feeling about it.
"Yes," Axel said, serious. "I like you Zoey. Always have, always will."
I grinned and rested my head on his chest. I brought my hand to where his heart would be and lay it there, feeling his heart race. From that, I knew his words were honest. And that made me incredibly happy.
"I like you too," I told him, grinning as I began to trace a heart on top of his heart with my finger.
His suddenly grabbed my hand. Our fingers immediately intertwined and I closed my eyes. This was too good to be true. It was a dream come true.
"Really?" Axel asked softly.
"Really," I whispered back.
I pulled away from Axel and looked up at his gorgeous face. My eyes went to his lips and suddenly, I had this urge to kiss him. So, I leaned forward.
Slowly, I brought my lips to his. My heart was racing and my eyes were closing. But before I could kiss him, his hand suddenly flew to my mouth, stopping me in my place. I pulled back and frowned at him.
"Not yet," he said gently. "Let's wait."
I frowned and felt like making a tantrum, but I didn't say anything. Axel liking me was good enough, so I flew at him and hugged him. He hugged me back and I smiled, hoping that this was real. I hoped I wasn't hallucinating or dreaming as I felt indescribably happy.