Choose me

VI

Axel. Key. Wedding. Sam.
"I hate you!"
Valerie looked at Axel, his expression angry.
"I hate you, Valerie! You left me for a rich-"
Valerie began to sob. Axel never yelled at her, not once.
"I didn't mean to!" She cried.
Tears fell down her face rapidly, creating rivers on her cheeks. Then, as if he had never been mad at her, Axel wrapped his arms around her. Valerie froze, her breath was shaky.
"I-I loved you, Valerie," Axel whispered in her hair, "please, come back."

"AXEL!" Evelina shot up out of bed.
She looked at the golden key on the table. She felt her cheeks, they were wet. Grace flitted into the room, a worried look on her face.
"Are you alright, my lady?"
Evelina put her head in her hand. She took the key from the side table. "I'm going to see my family."
Grace nodded and went to the closet to take out a dress for her. Evelina changed into the blue outfit and calmly walked down the hall. She slipped outside into the garden and walked through the maze of hedges. She stopped at one of the flat stones and tapped it. The stone revealed a key hole and Evelina unlocked it. She carefully dropped through the stone.

"I told you to go away!" Axel roared.
He was about to slam the door but Valerie put her foot between it. She could feel tears forming in her eyes but deep down, she knew she didn't deserve to cry. She had hurt Axel and had been feeling guilty ever since. Instead of doing something about it, she wallowed in self pity.
"Axel, I'm sorry," Valerie said with a shaky breath, "I'm sorry I left you, I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I led you on and let you believe that I was single. I lied to you and you can't forgive me."
Axel avoided her eyes, "I hate you, Valerie."
The words stabbed into her chest. Valerie moved her foot out of the door in shock. Her hands shook and she felt her eyes well up again. Stop, you did this to yourself she silently scolded.
"I hate that I love you," his voice came back slightly angry, "I hate that no matter how much I resent you for what you did, the feelings still won't go away."
He opened the door wider to face Valerie. His expression was pained and Valerie's heart melted. Without thinking, she flung herself around him in a hug. His arms wrapped around her waist and he buried his head in her hair.
"Don't leave again," he whispered, "stay here with me."
The thought of staying would've scared Valerie half to death. It still did in a way. Valerie didn't like the real dimension, she liked the one with Sam. But Sam wasn't the reason she liked it there. It was the world itself. Valerie felt her heart sink. She didn't love Sam.
No, I did. She tried to convince herself, but he isn't the reason I want to stay. Her eyes filled with tears again. Axel cupped her face in his hands and noticed her melancholy expression.
"It's him, isn't it?" He said, his eyes growing hard, "you still love him."
He tried to push Valerie away but she grabbed his hand. "I don't Axel! I love the dimension, not him!"
The words left her mouth before she could stop them. They sounded both true and false. "What is this world," Axel demanded.
Valerie sucked in a breath, "it's like the Victorian times," she tried to explain, "I'm Princess Evelina there and I was getting ready for my wedding with Prince Samual. But the feeling of guilt keeps reminding me of you, Axel, and I can't ignore it."
He stayed quiet for a few seconds, his expression changed from angry to confused. Valerie didn't stop herself, she kissed Axel's cheek.
"What was that?" He asked, his cheeks coloring.
"My feelings toward you."