The Corner Store

Chapter 33- Enter Sophia Grace, ruin-er of moments.

AUTHORS NOTE: first of all, thank you to everyone who's been reading my book so far — I hope you guys are loving reading it as much as I've loved writing it!!!

I also wanted to know your opinions and comments on it? Anything to change or anything to add??

Also who's your favorite character! Let me know!!

Thank you so much for reading this far!! Only a few more chapters to go!

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On the quiet drive home, the melody of Axel's voice still lingered in the corners of my mind, like the echo of a dream I never wanted to wake up from. Axel was dropping us home and going somewhere else with Landon - he wouldn't say where. The car was eerily quiet except for the occasional sound of the blinkers and Cooper's headphones playing a depressing song.

Axel's hand rested over mine, a warmth that should have comforted me, but the silence in the car felt too heavy, too thick. His touch felt like a lifeline, yet every moment he didn't say something, the unease in my chest grew, an irrational fear whispering that maybe... maybe he'd realized he'd made a mistake.

Lara and I convinced Cooper to stay with us to talk and that we'd drive him home. As Axel turned right onto my street, the knowledge that he'd let go of my hand soon was setting in, and I was not too fond of it. I hated how empty and cold my hands felt when his fingers weren't intertwined with mine.

"Okay, we're here." Said Axel, stealing a glance at Cooper.

I didn't move; I waited for them to leave first. Lara said bye to Axel and Landon and headed inside, Axel urging Landon to go after her. Landon kept shaking his head, no, but Axel got annoyed and shoved him hard toward my house, and he almost slipped. Landon glared back at Axel, then straightened up, brushing off the moment as he followed Lara. I got down and sat on top of the car's hood. I needed my heart to stop beating like it was racing a mile a second. I also needed to talk to Axel about the song - my nerve endings still on fire from the memory of the singing.

I watched Lara say hi to the guards outside and open the door, allowing Cooper in. Landon stood outside for a second, unsure whether to go or not. Cooper came back outside and dragged him in by his hoodie strings.

Axel turned off the car and came around to the hood, leaning back against it next to me. I just knew that his heart was beating as fast as mine, and that he wanted to say so much, but was also tongue tied. We sat quietly for a while, just admiring the night sky. Although the night was chilly, the warmth of his presence kept me cozy.

Even though the ambiance around us was quiet, the silence between us wasn't awkward - it never was with him, but someone had to say something at some point.

Enter Sophia Grace, ruin-er of moments.

"The song's been stuck in my head." I let out, barely above a whisper.

With his back still against the back of the car, he chuckled.

"Good stuck? Or like 'please get out of my head' stuck?" He asked.

Why isn't he facing me?

"You know the answer to that." I say, looking up at the starless night sky.

There was a lingering feeling in the air that I couldn't quite put my hand on. He's usually very talkative, so him not saying anything is making me worry. Did he finally realize that he didn't want me after saying it to the world? What if he realized this whole thing was a mistake.

"I meant every word, by the way." He finally said, still refusing to face me.

I couldn't understand how he, with his light, with his easy smile, and steady hands, could look at me—a girl barely holding herself together—and see something worth holding on to. My cracks, my scars... how could someone as perfect as him choose someone who was still learning to heal?