CONSUME

[11] exposed

***

The rest of dinner was painful. Austin spoke to me here and there, but Aidan was still clearly in shock from the way Axel so casually decided to spill our current biggest secret, and obviously I couldn't explain myself right then and there. Axel of course continued to ignore me. I'm guessing he was feeling really victorious right now, probably really thinking he did some great thing.

Mostly our parents were talking for the rest of the meal and I smiled along, but I was honestly so angry at Axel. His ignorance and itch to win at any and every argument had completely exposed us to Aidan, and I was annoyed, embarrassed, and kind of guilty. I don't know why, but whatever. I can't control what I feel.

At least now the worst part was over, and I was currently in the kitchen helping my mom and Anna clean up the dishes.

...By 'help clean up' I mean sit at the counter and eat some leftover dessert, while the guys all sat around the living room on the couches watching a basketball game.

Fuck gender rules honestly.

Why can't my dad clean his own damn dishes. What if I want to watch basketball too? I don't-- but what if I did?

I licked the remaining chocolate cake off of my metal fork, when I felt a tall body walk up behind me. I could just feel his aura.

I rolled my eyes and swiveled the bar stool chair around, faced with-- of course, Axel Conynghim, and a disgustingly blank expression on his face that made him look so horribly handsome it made me sick.

"What?" I mumbled, taking the fork out of my mouth and licking my bottom lip.

He watched me intently, "Nothing, I just wanted to talk to you."

"Okay?" I spoke with attitude, "Why would I want to talk to you?"

"You don't have to be a fucking brat about it--"

"Axel Conynghim!!" I heard Anna nearly shout in a stern voice behind me, and we both nearly jumped from her tone, "You watch your language and be nice!"

I felt Axel cross his large arms across his body, and I looked up at him to see his jaw clench and a vein nearly pop out of his neck. I couldn't tell if he was angry, or if he just looked so incredibly... big, at the angle I was watching him from. As if he wasn't already tall, being next to him while sitting made me feel so small.

My mom jumped in, "Please don't start you two. You were so good at dinner; Can we try and keep that amicable energy?"

I cringed.

"What does amicable even mean?" I puffed my upper lip out and looked away from her, annoyed. I hated the attitude Axel brought out in me. I swear his presence just irritates the fuck out of me.

"It means 'friendly,' or 'pleasant,'" Axel explained to me, "Obviously characteristics that you know nothing about."

"I am very much both of those things actually. Just not to you," I sucked my teeth followed by a deep breath, " And I already knew what the word meant."

"Then why'd you ask, genius?"

"I just wanted to see if you knew."

"Since when do you care about what I think?"

I turned my cheek to him, "I don't."

I felt him laugh. He laughed.

"You are really something else, Kammy."

I felt a smile creep up on my own face, kind of also finding our banter a bit ridiculous. But I suppressed my smile and mocked him, "You really are something else, Kammy," I bellowed in a deep voice.