CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN
"I hope my family wasn't too crazy for you." Axel spoke as we left the wedding which was then just a bunch of tipsy adults dancing around and grand-parents sitting because they've had too much wine.
"No of course not, I had a great time." I smiled, wrapping my arms around myself as the wind slightly blew, feeling goosebumps beak out all over my skin.
Axel shrugged off his suit jacket, wrapping it around my shoulders. It was big of course, but the heat radiating from it was phenomenal, and I smiled at him thankfully.
"I never got a chance to tell you, you look beautiful tonight." He stated, looking up at the stars as we walked, casually.
But there was nothing casual about the way my heart skipped a beat and my face burned from my blush.
The familiar feeling of a weight being lifted off my shoulders coursed through me, probably because whether I'd like to admit it or not, I'd been waiting all night to hear those words from him.
"Thank you. You don't look too bad yourself." I replied nonchalantly, though I was anything but calm.
He simply smiled down at me, opening the door for us as we walked back into the hotel.
"Get changed and meet me back out here?" Axel questioned, leaning against his door.
My eyebrows raised in confusion but I agreed none the less, walking inside my hotel room and shutting the door.
I quickly changed out of my dress and into a hoodie and pajama shorts, before washing off my makeup and tossing my hair into a sloppy ponytail.
Quite the looker, I know.
I walked back into the hall to find Axel posted up on the wall causally, on his phone, still managing to look good in his hoodie and shorts.
"I have something I wanna show you." He said, sliding his phone into his pocket and grabbing my hand, leading me down the hall.
When we got into the elevator he pushed the button to the top floor, making me quirk an eyebrow at him. He looked down at me with a bright smile on his face, his thumb tracing over the bridge of my nose where a cluster of freckles laid, automatically making me feel shy.
"You looked beautiful earlier but you look even more beautiful without the makeup. I like seeing your freckles." He admitted making my jaw slightly drop.
Had this kid drank too much wine? Or smoked a little something with his crazy uncle?
I remained silent, looking away from him so he wouldn't see my embarrassment, which only caused him to chuckle in return.
I couldn't get anything past him.
Finally the elevator dinged and the doors open, a little late to be saved by the bell but better than never.
I followed his lead, walking down the hall close behind him. The floor was kind of sketchy, it looked vacant, like no one was staying up there, the lights either out or flickering.
I jumped when the doors closed, making Axel laugh.
I punched his arm in return before holding onto it as we walked.
"Listen, if you're planning on killing me, could you do it somewhere less creepy?"
He laughed again, pulling me with him as he made a sharp left through a door, leading us to a flight of stairs.
"Why do you always assume I'm going to kill you?"
"Because you always kidnap me and never explain what we're doing." I retorted, following him through yet another door, the feeling of a cold breeze catching me off guard.
I looked around to see we were on the roof, and it was a pretty damn good view.
The lights from the city in the distance were the only thing you could see for miles, it looked like something out of a movie, and the forest was glowing from where the wedding was.
"How'd you find this?" I questioned, sitting down on the ledge, letting my feet hang over the side.
"I stumbled upon it while I was walking."
I looked at him with both of my eyebrows raised. "I'm not going to ask why you happened to be 'walking' around the creepiest floor of the hotel, I do not wanna know."
He laughed as he sat down next me, looking over the view.
We sat there and talked about everything in the world, which I never thought I would do with Axel Dawson. To think how just a few months ago I couldn't stand the sight of him changed to I couldn't stand not seeing him.
Gross.
"We should go back inside, you're shivering." Axel announced, looking down at my shivering figure.
"I'm fine." I dismissed stubbornly, my teeth chattering.
Axel rolled his eyes as he stood up, pulling me with him.
I shoved my hands in my hoodies pocket, trying to get them warm as we walked back down the stairs and into the creepy hallway once again.
The sound of a door creaking made me eerily catch up to Axel, my hands shooting out of my pocket to his arm on instinct when I heard deep laughter emerge from behind us.
I peaked behind us to see three tall boys that looked young, probably around our age, and reaked of smoke and alcohol with blood shot eyes.
Axel noticed them too and held my hand all the way until we were in the elevator, then let it go and wrapped his strong arm around my waist, holding me tightly to his side.
I pushed the close door button a million times but it was evidently broken it seemed, seeing as the boys stepped into the elevator as well.
I felt eyes on me and even though my subconscious told me not to, I looked up, only to lock eyes with one of them. He wore a sick smirk and had an awful lot of face tattoos for someone who didn't look a day over eighteen.
I shifted closer to Axel even though it wasn't even possible with his deadbolt hold on me, making his attention shift from me to the guy that was staring at me, his jaw clenching and his eyes darkening, only enhancing his the stone cold look on his face.
"Problem?" The guy questioned, and I felt Axel pull me slightly behind him.
Knowing his short temper I began to worry, especially since there were two other guys AND we were in a stinking elevator for crying out loud.
"Do we?" Axel responded, his deep voice harsh and confident, and in any other situation, I'd think it was extremely sexy.
But then wasn't the time.
The guy took a step forward and so did Axel, only to have me swing around him and attempt to push him back, grasping his jaw so he would look down at me.
"Don't." I whispered, making his narrowed eyes lessen, until the guy just had to taunt him some more.
"Yeah listen to your bitch."
If the bell didn't ding signaling it was at our floor, then I would've ended up nailing the asshole right in the face, but instead I had to quickly push Axel out, hitting the close door button on my way out so he couldn't run in and they couldn't run out.
Well thanks for working that time, shitty elevator.
"What the fuck Oktober?" Axel bit, hitting the closed elevator doors.
"They're not worth it." I tried to reason.
"I don't care! Do you honestly think I'm going to let him talk about you like that?" He spat and I shook my head, grabbing his hand to pull him away from the elevator.
"No but I don't want you fighting some random dude. He's not worth it." I repeated, stopping in front of his door. "Now go, I want to make sure you don't come back out." I ordered, gesturing to his room.
He wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me into his room with him, shutting the door behind us.
"I can't, Axel." I laughed, breaking out of his hold. "I'm rooming with Nina, remember?"
"Nina is passed out with my parents." Axel rebutted, pulling me back in. "You're staying with me."
I didn't argue, instead, I climbed into his bed and got under the blankets, the bed next to us was empty which meant Tyler and Justin were still at the wedding doing God knows what.
Axel shrugged off his hoodie, revealing his ripped body that I'd drool over if I wasn't so tired, though I'd seen it a thousand times.
He laid down in the bed next to me and turned the light out, pulling me close to him.
I didn't complain.
***