My father gives my mother a look of disdain, his lips curling back in disgust.Wow, they really don’t like each other.
I wonder why they ever got married, if they were ever in love. Is this really what letting society win looks like? Staying with someone you hate all because people might talk about you if you divorce? I can’t stand that. I won’t. Not for my life, and not for the unfortunate person I might marry if I stay on this path.
An image flashes in my mind: lips curved up in a taunting smile, fingers curled around wooden sticks as dark brown eyes trail over me, dousing me in wildfire.
I can’t keep pretending this is what I want when the truth has been sitting right in front of me this whole time. I want adventure, and passion, and steel-toed boots on a dark-haired devil on my shoulder.
Axl has always been right there in front of me, and I chose to ignore him time and time again.
“I have to go,” I say suddenly, rising from my seat.
“Really?” My mother blinks at me. “But we just sat down.”
“There’s somewhere I have to go.” I shovel a few more pieces of fruit into my mouth, not bothering to swallow before I speak again. “Bye.”
“Manners, young lady!” I hear as I round the corner and grab my coat beside the door. When I step out, the blistering cold settles over my skin, goosebumps erupting. I practically run to the car with one destination in mind.
When I knockon the door, my heart is thumping out of my chest. My blood pressure is rising, and it continues to spike until the moment the door opens, a wild head of red streaks appearing behind it.
“Oh, Barbie,” Ledger says, rubbing his eyes like he got pulled from a nap. The smell of weed sticks to him along with his acrylic paint scent. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
My immediate reaction is to roll my eyes, combat his sarcasm with my own, but I swallow harshly instead. “Is Axl here?”
His brows rise, his smile turning soft. “Wow. Last night really was the start of a new chapter, huh?”
“Don’t be flippant,” I bite at him, my voice curt but wobbly. “I just… wanted to see him.”
I’m waiting for another ribbing remark, but there’s a softness in his eyes I don’t expect. “He’s not here. He went to eat with his dad.”
“Oh.” My eyes drop to the floor, and I get a whiff of Axl’s stormy scent coming through the doorway. I steel myself, trying desperately not to lean forward to get more of that delicious aroma.
“We…” He trails off and crosses his arms before leaning against the doorway. “We have a gig tonight. If you’d like to go.”
My gaze flashes up to his, but I try to school the excitement shining in them. “Okay.”
“Okay,” he echoes, his brows scrunching in. “Are you saying you want to go?”
I purse my lips. “Maybe.”
Ledger laughs, a boisterous sound that echoes in the empty hallway. “Whatever you say, Stace. Give me your phone, I’ll send you the address.”
Reluctantly, I hand him my phone and wait as he types. Hiseyes squint, and he lets out a frustrated sigh. “These buttons are so hard to press.”
“Hey,” I warn him, but then he hands me my phone back. A new message comes through a second later, and I look up to see him with his own phone in his hand. “You put your number in my contact list.”
“Sure did,” he says, popping his phone shut and putting it in his pocket. “Any friend of Axl’s is a friend of mine, so you better get used to it. I just thought we’d skip the usual run around.”
“Axl and I are not?—”
“Right, I know. Not friends, more than friends, I don’t care. Just don’t break my best friend’s heart, okay? He’s been pining long enough.”
I wish I could try to convince him that he’s just confused, but he’s not. The teasing gleam in his eyes shows that he knows everything. He probably has for a long while. Probably longer than I’ve even known myself. “I’ll see you later then.”
“Bye, Barbie.” He shuts the door, abruptly shutting me off from the electric scent lingering inside the apartment. I sigh, losing that scent, my single dose of sanity, as I travel back to my car.
Tonight feels big, in more than one way. I pull my phone out and dial the number of the next person I need to speak to, ready to end things once and for all.
Brent and I aren’t good together. We never have been. We’re both too dominant, too at odds with the things we want. Even if my mother wasn’t pressuring me to tie the knot, there’s a ton of other red flags that I’ve been ignoring simply because I couldn’t bear to admit that I wanted something else for my life. Something not as contrived.
