"A rose-colored dream when she's loving you
with a cartwheel heart
never running out of room"
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
"Since you're taking the more scenic route, you should be there by dinner time." Kate announced to Imogen, handing her phone back with the directions on it.
"Yes ma'am." Imogen saluted, looking up at Chase who was taking the roof of her Jeep off.
"Speaking of dinner time." Chase spoke, jumping down. "Aunt Kate please tell me you're making my favorite."
"Already ordered the ingredients, Chase." She laughed, making Chase cheer and Imogen and I roll our eyes.
Chase and his food.
"Oktober," Alexander cooed. "Boy toys here."
I looked up to see Axel getting out of his car, carrying a backpack over his shoulder.
I glared at Alex, walking over to greet Axel as he approached us.
"Axel, nice to see you again." Kate smiled.
He smiled back, shaking hands with Rob.
"Alex this Axel and Axel, this is my idiotic cousin Alex." I introduced, watching as Alexander examined Axel, a protective look on his face.
Despite how annoying Alex was, he always had a way of protecting me since we were young, a trait I loved about him.
"Pleasure meeting you." Alex spoke first, smirking at me.
"Pleasure is mine." Axel replied, turning to me with a smile on his kissable lips.
"Well we better get a move on. Drive safe Imogen." Rob spoke, getting into his truck.
"You got it Rob." Imogen nodded, getting into the drivers seat and me quickly running to the passenger seat before Chase could. "Let's get out of the cold."
The mountains we went to every year were hot all year round with beautiful waterfalls and endless activities to do, which is why the drive was so far, but so worth it.
"Ready for this?" I asked Axel, turning in the seat so I could see him.
"Of course." He replied, a smirk on his face.
***
Imogen and I sang at the top of our lungs, the radio blaring as we sped down the road.
There was nothing in sight for miles but the scorching hot sun and a desert on each side of us, so there were no possibilities of cars honking at us for violating their ears.
"When do we get out of this desert?" Chase questioned, his eyes examining the scenery behind his sunglasses.
"Hopefully soon, I gotta fill up." Imogen replied, looking at her gas gauge.
"We have a mile left before we get out and onto the exit." I spoke up, brushing my blowing hair out of my face.
"Maybe we should stop and pick up a tumbleweed, for a souvenir." Axel joked, making us laugh.
So he makes jokes now, interesting.
Eventually we reached the exit, and Imogen pulled into the gas station.
"You pump, I'll get food." Imogen said to Chase as we all got out.
I let out a loud noise as I stretched, catching the attention of a few people around the place. I felt someone's fingers jab into my sides, making me yell with laughter, quickly spinning around to find Axel.
"If you ever do that again, I will slice your fingers off." I warned, making him laugh.
"Your violent threats are kind of a turn on, Blackwood." He smirked, making me roll my eyes.
"And your mind gets sicker and sicker everyday."
"Only for you." He retorted, throwing a wink as he opened the door to the store for me.
I grabbed a soda and a bunch of snacks, walking up to the front to pay. I reached out for my wallet just as Axel handed the cashier money, paying for mine and his.
"I was gonna get that." I stated, handing him the money I was gonna give the cashier.
He took it from me, sliding it into the back pocket of my shorts.
"Oh I know." He whispered in my ear, taking the bag then walking out to the car.
Shit.
***
"This place never gets old." Imogen sighed peacefully, falling down in the lush grass.
"Get up and carry your shit." I ordered, making her groan.
Once we got inside I saw Rob lying on the hammock on the patio, Kate making dinner, and Alex and Ella in the pool. Realization struck my brain when I remembered that there were only four rooms, meaning Axel and I would have to share a room.
Alone.
Nobody else.
Just the two of us.
Good lord.
"I hope you don't mind but you're kind of stuck rooming with me." I announced, walking up the stairs, my duffle bag over my shoulder.
"I don't mind. We've shared a bed before, haven't we?"
I didn't need to look at his face to know his cocky smirk was making a full appearance.
***
"We still have an hour of daylight left. I say we go swimming." Chase suggested, eyeing the pool in the backyard from the kitchen window.
The vacation house had an unbelievable view since it sat at the top of a hill. Miles and miles of green trees and lakes were all we could see, making it one of my favorite places.
We all ended up agreeing, walking upstairs to change.
Kate and Rob went out to buy some groceries, and Alexander and Ella went to the cabin a few houses down to see some old friends who vacationed the same time as us, leaving the house to ourselves.
"Yeah, red is definitely your color." Imogen grinned, looking at me as I finished tying the straps to my bikini.
"And black is definitely yours." I replied, smirking at the scandalous bikini she was wearing.
Since our rooms were right next to each other, and I knew how my friends were, headphones should've been on my list of items to bring.
I took my hair out of its ponytail as I walked out back, catching the amazing sight that was Axel's toned back, his black swim shorts bringing out his slight tan. His biceps flexed as he gripped a football in his large hands, throwing it in a perfect spiral to Chase, who caught it as he flipped into the pool. I watched as his abs tightened when he chuckled, his v-line peaking out through his shorts, making me almost have heart failure.
"Hot damn. You're one lucky bitch, sleeping with that." Imogen howled, matching my stare on Axel.
"And by that I hope you mean actual sleep." I replied, narrowing my eyes slightly.
"If you want to keep telling me you haven't got with that, then so be it. But I know you two have made out, at least."
I shook my head, walking down the cement stairs. "I'm just gonna go drown myself now."
I jumped in, feeling the warm water welcome me, at peace with life. All was right in the world until Axel dove into the pool, grabbing my legs by surprise, scaring the ever living crap out of me. I spun around in his arms to face him, getting ready to push him under when he caught my wrists.
Something caught his eye, making his eyes slightly narrow and his brows furrow in that cute way.
Cute way? ... Fix yourself immediately.
"I didn't know you had tattoos." He whispered, his thumb brushing over the initials on my wrists.
On my left was 'J.B' and on my right was 'D.B'.
"Yeah." I mumbled, hoping he wouldn't question me about it.
But my luck was nonexistent, just like it always had been.
"What made you get them?"
I sighed, taking my wrists out of his hands, falling back into the water.
"They make me feel closer to people I've lost."
***
"I'm drained." I stated, towel drying my freshly washed hair, walking over to the bed Axel was lounging on.
"I could use some sleep." He agreed, looking at me with that heart wrenching smirk. "But I don't think I'm going to get any sleeping with you."
Oh the dirty thoughts.
I scoffed, throwing my towel in the hamper, walking out of the room. I came back in a few minutes later, carrying pillows from the living room, jumping on the bed. I made a pillow boundary between us, giving us each and equal half of the bed, making him laugh.
"Seriously?" Axel questioned, thoroughly amused.
"Well since you wanted to complain about sleeping with me, it's either that or the couch. Your choice." I smiled sweetly, sliding under the covers on my side.
"You're something else." He whispered, turning the lamp off.
I didn't reply, since I was half asleep already, but a lazy smile took over my lips, then it was total darkness.
***