Capturing Them

Chapter Sixty Four

Capturing Them
Chapter Sixty Four
Sang

I don't know how long we stood there for, just holding each other, but the clearing of a throat has me lifting my head and turning my gaze towards the stairs. Mr Blackbourne - Owen - tenses in my arms as we follow the sound, finding Axel at the top of the stairs with a tray in his hands with three steaming mugs of hot chocolate.

He's dressed in a white tank top and black pyjama pants. He's pulled his hair back into a low pony tail and his glasses are missing. I wonder at what point he got changed.

"Sorry to interrupt," he says.

"You didn't," Owen replied. His arms gently drop from around me. "I'll go and change."

My own arms drop from around him and I watch as he turns and goes into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. Looking back to Axel, I give him a small smile. "Did you put marshmallows in the hot chocolate?" I ask.

"Of course," he says with a small grin.

Turning, into my room and he follows. He sits the tray down into my bedside table as I sit down on my bed, leaving room for him and Mr Blackbourne. He hands me a mug and picks one up for himself before sitting down beside me.

"How are you doing, Sang?" Axel asks, cradling the mug in his hands. "A lot has been going on and I haven't had a moment to see how you're doing."

I turn my head and meet his dark brown eyes, the colour cola with whiskey brown flecks. "I'm doing okay," I reply. "In all honesty, what happened at the mall, the shooting and the things we've learned this week haven't been at the forefront of my mind. I've been easily distracted."

His lips tilt up. "I'm glad, not that you've been distracted but that what's happened hasn't been bothering you too much. With situations like these, not many can find themselves handling it okay." He pauses, his eyes moving across my face. "If you ever need to talk about anything, I'm here, we're all here. We'll listen to your worries and concerns."

I nod my head and take a sip of my hot chocolate, the creaminess of the chocolatey milk and sweet marshmallows sliding across my tongue. Cradling my mug in my hands once more I ask him, "How are you doing?"

"I'm doing just fine, don't worry about me, Sang." His reply is instant and I find myself frowning down at my mug. "What's that face for?"

Startled by his question I look back to his handsome face, my lips pursing. "How can you be just fine after splitting up with your girlfriend?" Maybe it wasn't something I should have asked, especially because it's not my place but I couldn't help myself.

I've witnessed break ups before, seen the affect it's had on people; crying, depression, even hate sometimes, especially towards the person that broke their heart. But instead, this evening, I've watched Axel, Brandon, Corey, Raven and Marc smile and laugh like it's just another day. And sure, maybe it is. Maybe they're just doing it to hide their sadness.

Axel sighs and doesn't say anything for a long seconds. Maybe I should apologise for asking a question that has nothing to do with me. It's unfair on him having to explain how he's really feeling when I only met him almost a week ago.

"Sang, what we had with Kayli...it's was good. We was happy," he pauses and I look at him from the corner of my eye, noting that he's watching me. "But then one day, we wasn't. Everything crumbled so quickly, it was like sand slipping through my fingers; I was unable to catch it."

"I'm sorry," I whisper, knowing how that feels. One day Mom was happy and healthy and then one day...she wasn't.

"It's not your fault. But I will be honest here." A gentle warm finger presses on my jaw and I allow him to turn my head, giving him my eyes. "You made us realise that Kayli wasn't something we wanted anymore."