Frozen Hearts (MxM)

Prologue

Axel

Fifteen Years Ago

Standing on my tiptoes next to my older sister, I peer out the window above the couch, pulling down the blinds to get a better look at the big truck outside. It's in front of the house across the road that has always been empty. I wonder what it's doing.

I wipe away the fog trying to form in front of my face, watching as three people get out of the small car parked next to the truck. There is a man and a woman, and a boy that looks about the same age as me.

My sister, Presley, and I watch as the people start making their way over to our house, the boy walking behind the two adults, trailing his feet with his head down.

I turn around and jump off the couch. "Mommy, there are people coming."

A few knocks sound on the front door. Mom looks up from where she is feeding my little sister, Willow, at the dining table. She turns to my dad. "Sweetie, can you get that?"

Dad puts his newspaper down and walks over to the entryway. I come up behind him and peer around his leg as he opens the door.

"Hi," the woman smiles. She has long blonde hair and teeth so white they seem to glow. "I'm Louise. This is my husband, Dante, and our son, Cole. We're moving in across the road, we thought we'd introduce ourselves whilst the guys got all our furniture set up."

As dad smiles and ushers them in, my eyes catch on the boy—Cole—who's shuffling in behind his parents. He has dark brown hair that looks almost black, a few strands falling into his brown eyes. I smile at him when he sees me looking at him but he quickly looks back down at his feet. He seems a bit strange.

Dad moves everyone into the living room, where Cole sits down on the couch I was using to look out the window before. I hesitate for a bit before plumping down beside him.

"It's nice to meet you. My name is Dave." Dad looks at mom. "This is my wife, Mary, and little Willow. That's our eldest, Kaiden." He points to where my brother is finishing off his lunch at the table. "This is Presley.'' He gives my sister's shoulders a squeeze before looking at me. "And Axel."

I turn my attention back to Cole as the adults continue to talk. He's still looking down, playing with his fingers in his lap. "How old are you?"

His gaze flies to mine, eyes wide, kinda like he is surprised I'm talking to him. "Uh...I'm six."

"Me too!" I smile at him again, but he just goes back to looking at his lap. It makes me feel sad for some reason.

I duck my head, trying to meet his eyes again. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." He says. I'm not sure if he's lying or not.

"Do you want to be my friend?" This gets him to look up at me again, and for the first time since I met him, the corners of his mouth twitch up. It makes me feel all warm inside, like I've just gotten a reward.

"Okay."

I grin and throw my arms around him. Before he can respond, I hop up and pull him with me. "Come on, I want to show you my new skates."