❝𝐇𝐄𝐘 𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐋❞ - 𝐚𝐱𝐞𝐥 𝐤𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐜

25

-🥋-

chapter twenty-five

MADDIE

With my phone gripped in my hand, and my headphones on, I finish listening to the playlist I just received now from Axel's spotify account.

It was sent this morning, but I never checked my phone until now. Which meant when I was looking at Axel on the mats, he most likely thought I was only looking at him because of the playlist. When I was really looking at him because I had the opportunity too. And I'd take all of those.

After listening to "Talking to the Moon" by Bruno Mars, I just sit on the benches where my team has placed their bags. I don't know if there's tears of happiness in my eyes, or tears of sadness. Happiness, because this playlist shows me he's still with me, or sadness because it's sad love songs.

Glancing up from my phone, I spot Axel sitting on a bench a distance away from his dojo. While the rest of them all stand together, and while Zara's in the medic with Silver and Wolf, Axel's completely alone.

I toss my phone into my bag, standing up and making my way to the other side of the mat. Crossing my arms over my chest, I walk around the mats until I'm standing a few steps away from him. He's just looking down at the ground, a deep expression on his face.

"Hey," I clear my throat. As soon as my voice is heard, he snaps his head up from the ground, trying to find where my voice is coming from. When he finds me standing a few steps away from him he stands up, stepping forward until he's in front of me.

I look up at him. "I just got your playlist, and I listened to it all the way through."

He steps closer to me, his hand reaching forward slightly to brush our fingers together, a simple action that sends fireworks shooting up my arm. "I'm sorry. For it all."

I furrow my eyebrows in confusion. "Whatever you're sorry for it's okay. I don't blame you."

"I want to be there for you, but it's hard when I've never felt like this before," he replies. "I don't know how to react or what you do."

I step forward, completely taking his hand in mine and holding it between us. We're a fists distance apart, and I can see every movement in his face. "It's going to be hard, but I'll be here through it all because I care about you. You're Axel, and I care."

Axel looks down at me. "I feel myself slipping away, and I'm trying to stay. It hurts, Maddie, and I don't know what to do sometimes."

Without thinking, i reach up, resting my hands on his cheeks and cupping his face. He leans down to me, until our foreheads are resting on each other and our eyebrows are kissing. His hand is lightly brushing my waist, as both of mine hold onto his cheeks.

"I might not know what you're going through all the time. Or not know what you're feeling, but I'll try. I'll always try for you. You just need to let me."

Even if he still couldn't tell me the basic facts I'd told him on our beach walk in Barcelona, I was relived. Because it didn't matter if he couldn't tell me about myself, but he was finding himself. And to me, that was way more important than him knowing that I'm ten days younger than him.

Even if we couldn't tell me the nickname he gave me, that was fine. All that mattered is that he was coming back out of the dark place he was stuck in. He was slowly finding his way back, and I just needed to pray that Wolf wouldn't stomp the last traces of him out of him during this fight.