Playlist - A Year Without Rain by Selena Gomez and The Scene

Axel

My plan was set in motion. Everything was moving smoothly. I fished out my phone and typed a quick text to the groupchat Chase had created.

I won't be racing tonight.

With that, I put my phone on mute.

Tonight I wanted to have a little fun with my toots. She had left me with a severe case of blue balls since she decided to randomly try to seduce me. If it wasn't for my sour mood that night, she would have found herself in very deep trouble.

I found myself grinning like an idiot thinking about that night. That was a cute attempt, but now she'll have to deal with repercussions that were much wilder, dangerous and beyond her imagination.

"Axel." The sound of my name never appeased my ears before, it was delightful.I turned to face the girl of my dreams, standing near the threshold of my doorway.

I swallowed my shit-eating-grin when I saw what she'd been wearing. She stood in a vintage floor length white dress with pastel flowers embroidery all over it. My baby had never looked so virginal and a temptress at the same time.

I controlled the urge to take her in my arms and have my way with her. Rough and animalistic love making.

She clutched the sides of the dress. "Can I come in?" I rolled my eyes at her silly question.

"I think we are past that, don't you think?" And because I was an asshole, I decided to intimidate her. "Come in," I told her. "Close the door behind you."

I stepped away from my initial position near the window and plodded towards the glass wall that separated the fireplace sitting area and the bar counter of my bedroom.

Why did love make you do crazy shit?

She looked reluctant, but to my delight, obliged. The door was shut behind her and we were left with the complete privacy of my bedroom.

I sat down on the top back rail of the plush armchair, near her. She had never been to my new bedroom before. I had just very recently moved into space. It was bigger, calmer and despite spending a huge chunk of my time designing it, it still wasn't mine. It belonged to my father.

That didn't sit well with me.

Keeping my thoughts aside, I focused solely on Astoria.

I didn't miss the hint of a light blush on her face. It immediately poured satisfaction within me—mildly—to know that she was feeling the energy that radiated between us. The evidence was written all over her face and the way she nervously shifted under my charging gaze.

"I got lost in one of the hallways. I didn't know you changed your room,"she stated, scanning the place.

I crossed my arms. "It was very recent."

The fire in her eyes returned. She stared at me with an almost accusatory gleam in her blue orbs. "How recent?"

I laughed. "Not very recent. It was before Washington," I clarified.

"You could've told me after Washington. We became friends, didn't we?" She spoke, chiding me along the way.

I stood and went over to her. Her breathing fractured as I approached her. Awareness of our closeness seared my insides, touching my soul. Her floral scent hit my nostrils which sent my brain into an overdrive. It was intoxicating. She was intoxicating.

The wave of electric current flowed between us. She averted her eyes from me, seemingly upset. For a girl, who had previously claimed that nothing could happen between us except a mere friendship, she was quite possessive.

Just the way I wanted her to be. I had figured, I couldn't break her strong will by merely making her feel jealous, no, her undoing will be her own thoughts. She'll let me back into her life at her own free will.

I was no stranger to the shift of dynamics between us. I could feel it, so did she. One of us was just adamant about not acknowledging it.

I wanted her love. All her emotions, thoughts, soul, I wanted everything from her.

My arm went to encircle her waist while my free hand held her chin. I forced her to meet my gaze through her glassy eyes. Her lips pursed, visibly parting.

"Had I known it would bother you so much, I would've mentioned it way sooner." Her gaze flickered to eyes, then my lips.

An astonished look marred her face. "I am not upset," she lied. "I felt left out. I bet your other friends have already been here."

Yes, but you'll sleep here, engulfed in my scent as I ride you raw.

"I am sorry, will you forgive me?"

She smiled. "Stop it. You don't need to apologise for it. Besides, I came to show you my dress."

My hands traveled to the exposed skin of her arms. Touching her felt natural and when she didn't seem to mind our intimacy, it reminded me of our past. The memories flooded my head.

"Dress, is it?" She nodded. "Come here." I took her hand and led her to the sitting area. "Give me a proper view," I told her. I reached out and took off her glasses. "That's better."

"Axel, you know I can't see properly without them," she protested. "It will be blurry."

"I don't want you to get conscious when you model for me." My mouth settled on a wolfish grin. "It's better if you don't see me turned on, It'll just make you scurry away."

She reddened. "What makes you think I can't handle you?" She took her glasses back. "I suggest you sit back and tell me how I look."

I chuckled, tucking some of the loose strands of her braided hair. I would love to someday pull on it as I drove behind her.

"Fine. Do as you please."

I sat on the plush dark blue armchair, feet plopped on the centre table and watched her with the intent to feast her every movement.

***
Astoria

Predator.

That's what he was. He was well aware of the tactics of a predator, because he got me right under his trap. I realised it too late. But, I would give him a good damn view of my dress.

He's very much a king in his chamber. He even looked like a king with his feet on the table and anticipation in his eyes. He couldn't wait for me to succumb to his will.

In your dreams.

With a purposeful stride, I stood in the middle of the sitting area. I twirled around for him, and struck some poses for him.

"How do you like it?" The cynical bite of my tone didn't go unnoticed even to my ears. "Turned on?" I blatantly egged on.

He chuckled, aghast. "You have no idea." He beckoned me towards him with a motion of his fingers. "Come here."

I smiled sheepishly at him. "No," I said. "You'll have to catch me first," I challenged.

He cocked his head at me. "What are we, five?"

"No, but it's fun to pretend, isn't it?"

"Astoria." A warning in his tone. "Don't make me come and get you."I said nothing, instead I slowly backed away from my position. "No, stop." And, I was off.

His bedroom was a luxurious apartment itself. I had the entire place to myself. I could make him chase me.

I giggled and held on to my skirt's life as I moved further into the room. I turned to see whether he was following, but before I could comprehend anything, a strong hand closed around my upper arm.

I shrieked, tugging away from him. "Axel, you cheat."

"Everything is fair in love and war."

I managed to pull away from him, but it was only momentarily. Something shifted between us. Axel's eyes no longer seem playful. As I am lightly heaving, I noticed the flex of his jaw and his fading self-control.

He pushed me against the nearest wall, took my neck in his tight grip. His blue eyes moved all over my face, he suddenly made me aware of the fact that he was a man on the edge of his wits. He wanted me. He wanted to conquer me.

He pulled my hips to his taut body, making me painfully realize how indeed turned on he was. A gasp left my lips, he curled my braid in his fist, tugging it.

A wild, hard kiss pressed against my parted lips. His tongue invaded my mouth, a shiver ran down my spine and reached all the way inside me. Jolts of current ran through me as Axel kissed the oxygen out of me.

I was drugged. His lips nipped mine and his tongue met every corner of my mouth. I felt hot, needy and aroused. Shy at first, but I finally returned his lips. My lips sucked on his bottom lip.

He growled. "No fucking way I'll let Chase take you to the dinner," he said in between slow, intense kisses. "You'll wear this dress for me. Only me."

He didn't give me a chance to respond. He tugged my braid, then gently stroked it. When he pulled away, U finally inhaled the much needed oxygen. He trailed kisses near the corner of my mouth, treading towards my neck.

He cupped my face, both of us panting. Neither knew what to say. I wanted to lose myself in his beautiful ocean eyes, but then the rude reminder of reality hit us both.

"Is that what you tell your girlfriends too?" I asked, meeting his eyes. "Why do you want me all to yourself when you can't even break with either one of them?" I tugged on the sleeves on his shirt. "Why can't I go with your friend to dinner? That's not fair to me."

"Because you are mine," he said, firmly.

"And you are the community boyfriend for each one of us?" I threw back at him.

His sharp gaze pierced right through me. "Don't talk back to me." His hand wrapped around my throat. "It was you who set the boundaries of our relationship."

"Why are you hell-bent on breaking it," I yelled. "I won't allow you to kiss me again. I want you in my life, just not at the cost of sharing you."

"This is my mom's dress," I told him. "It's special to me. I wanted you to see it first."

He ran a hand through his face. "Toots, fucking toots, go back to your cottage, and take off that dress. No one gets to see you in it." I looked away. His thumb lightly traced the bottom of my lip. "I'll come to get you around six. We'll go to your favourite diner, alright?"

I didn't utter a single word, only gave him a little nod. He lightly kissed my forehead.

I don't know what I was getting into with him. I just prayed there was a way to get things under control.

***

Three days later...

The time we had spent apart instead of talking things out like civilised people had come around to bite us both in our asses. We had missed each other's company immensely, and since the night Axel slept beside me, it had become his routine to show up when it's too dark for my grandparents to do anything, and fall asleep in my bed.

It was like old times, only this time we were grown up, teetering to the brink of adulthood and knew well enough about raging hormones. Axel have had sex before and if the rumours were any true, he was pretty good at it. I mean, he's got two girlfriends after all.

A twinge of jealousy swept inside me at the thought of his girlfriends. I know how possessive Jenna was when it came to him. The knowledge didn't sit right with me. She was claiming something that didn't belong to her, solely. It drove me completely out of bounds to acknowledge the fact that he was so far away from me yet being so close.

As I stared at his moonlit face, my fingers gently traced the length of his sharp jaw, rounding its way over his aristocratic nose, forehead, eyes and finally stopped near the corner of his well sculpted lips. They were a perfect shade of bare pink.

I inched my face closer to his until our nose was just milliliters apart. How I am going to miss staring at his face, arguing with him, laughing with him, simply just being with him. I was going to miss it all once I leave..

My lips trembled. Despite not being on talking terms with him, I was never apart from him. We were always in each other's presence whether we wanted it or not. He was my habit and now I'll have to leave it all behind.

The worst part of it, I couldn't muster up the courage to tell him the truth. He was living under a false sense of calm. In a way, I was deceiving him by hiding the news from him.

I wiped the tears that I hadn't realized had fallen and hugged his sleeping form. My head rested against his chest, the controlled rise and fall if his chest acted as balm to my racing thoughts, soothing me.

I fell into a deep slumber, praying that it wouldn't be so hard to leave him.

***
Two days ago...

You can't ignore them forever.

I heard the tumble of my racing heart beats as I waited for the inevitable to happen. My grandparents had finally returned from their quick trip to our hometown, Missourie.

The reason they left in the first place was because of my uncle, his gradually depleting health played an important role in their departure. I had a hunch of what was coming my way.

I just didn't want it to be true. Not now, when I don't want to be put in a position of inconvenience.

Reading the one paragraph over and over in my head, I heard heavy footsteps outside my bedroom door. Oh, right. My grandparents had called me downstairs to talk but I had stalled them, making up an excuse.

"Astoria." My door cracked open, revealing my grandma. "May your papa and I come in?"

"Yes, mama." The book that I'd been reading suddenly became interesting, but I knew I couldn't delay it anymore.

"We have something important that we'd like to discuss with you." It was the tone of my grandfather's voice that shook my core. Impending doom hovering over all of our heads.

I gave them all my attention. "We'll have to leave, right?" I blurted, abruptly. "I know you are going to say that. I just need time to wrap my head around it."

My grandma runs her caring fingers through my hair, caressing my face. "If there was an option, then we would've done everything to stay right here."

Don't cry. They're old. Be gentle with them.

"Biscuit, I don't want you to stress about it," My grandfather told me. "We'll find a way to make everything work."

I reached out to hug him. "Papa, I am fine. I promise. I'll get over it."

***

what do you think will happen next?

i'll update sometime this week. i had promised two updates a week, you'll get two updates. i just won't assign a date to myself.