Never That Far

2 | Promises Are Meant To Be Broken

Chapter Two

Promises Are Meant To Be Broken 

Around 9PM my door bell rang and I practically ran to the door, only to hear it open.

"Hey girly! I'll waiting for you to get down here before we talk, but i'm popping open the wine now!" Chelsy yelled from downstairs.

"Okay, i'll be down in a minute." I yelled as I threw on my Chicago Bears pajamas. 

It wasn't even five minutes later before I was finally able to walk down the stairs to meet Chels in my living room.

"God, you take forever to get dressed." She said as she sipped from her wine glass. 

"I do not. I got down here in less than 10 minutes." I stated proudly. I am faster than most girls.

She rolled her eyes and swirled the wine around in her glass. 

"Pour yourself some wine and start spilling, girl." She said as I brought out my favorite wine glass.

"Okay, this is a long story. Are you sure you're up to it?" I asked.

"Positive." She said with a bedazzling smile.

"It started out in high school." I paused. "You obviously know i'm not native to the mid-west. I'm actually from Texas. Houston to be exact. People there are definitely not as nice as they are here." Taking a sip of my wine, I continued. "I was a nerd. Like full on nerd with glasses and braided pigtails. I didn't have any friends. And I mean zero. But I was okay with that; I had my books and they made me happy. However, the popular kids would always make fun of me. I still remember them. They were terrible. I still know all their names. Darcy Summers, Amelia Zurich, Anthony Luis, Samantha Stevenson, and Axel Gains. AKA, my super hot patient."

I looked up to see Chelsy gaping at me like I was an alien of some kind telling her that i'm from another planet.

"Chels?" I asked, just to make sure she didn't go catatonic on me. 

"You were a nerd?" She paused. "Axel bullied you?! I'm going to beat his ass!" She said in a serious voice. I couldn't help but laugh.

"Yes, I was a nerd and actually he was the nicest of them all. Probably because I knew something no one else knew."

"And that was?" She asked with anticipation. I shrugged my shoulders.

"I tutored him in biology."

"Woah." Chelsy's eyes got real big. "Like did it ever turn sexual or anything hot like that?" My cheeks felt like someone had just set them on fire. I was blushing. But of course nothing happened.

"No! Nothing like that. Everyone did know that I had a crush on him. But when I tutored him, he wasn't rude or mean. He was nice. I got to know the real Axel." I looked over to her and laughed. She had another huge grin on her face and was now bouncing up and down on my couch.

"Did you guys secretly date? Or hook up once or twice? I mean, he's so hot!" She practically screamed.

I was about to respond but my phone started ringing.

"Who would be calling my house phone this late?" I asked.

"No idea. Let the machine get it and tell me more about Axel."

I nodded and started on about how we just really studied when I tutored him. But then I heard it.

"Wait. Shh.." I said and listened intently to the answering machine

"Wha--"

"Shut up!" I hissed at her, finally getting her to be quiet so we could both hear it.

Leave a message at the tone....BEEP

"Hey, Laur, it's Axel. I was just calling to see if you wanted to get together for dinner or drinks to catch up. Uh, i'll try your cell next, but call me back at 713-972-1921. Thanks, bye." 

"Oh. My. God." Chelsy said as I gaped at my answering machine then tore open my purse and retrieved my cell. We stared at it for a good 30 seconds before my ringtone went off.

Tell me i'm a wreck, you say that i'm a mess. How can you expect anything less?

"Answer it, Laur!" She screamed.

"No way! He was a jerk to me." I shot back.

"But he's here and so wants you! Answer the freaking phone."

"Make me!" I screamed as my phone beeped, indicating that I had a missed call.

"Oh hell, Lauren. Look at me." She said as my eyes tore away from my phone to her blue eyes. 

"He has changed. Fate brought you back together. You can't say that you shouldn't take this chance. Never let fear stop you from having an experience." She wisely stated. This idea she had, however, was not wise. Axel and I are two completely different people. 

"I can't just forget the past. What if they still talk all the time and this is just to tear me down again?" I said truthfully.

"I'm just saying talk to him. You don't have to sleep with him or anything. Just talk."

I close my mouth fast. Chelsy still think i'm a player, but the truth is I just go out with the guys and don't call them back. And I guess that means that i'm a challenge that people need to conquer. But i'm still a virgin and I have no problem with it. Im not waiting for anything special, just for someone I feel comfortable with.

"Hello, Lauren?" Chelsy asks.

"Hmm?"

"Promise me you'll call him? Or at least sometime this week." I sigh. I'm not going to get out of this.

"I will by the end of the week. I promise."

"Yay!" She screams and claps.

"Now get out of my house. I'm so tired. I'll talk to you at work tomorrow, okay?"

"Kay, love you boo." She said as she walks out the door. Thank god she doesn't live that far away or else I might be worried. My neighborhood is a safe place so I wasn't worried. 

Axel hasn't changed. Yet today, he told me he always thought I was pretty. But I was the loser that no one liked. So there is no way he would have ever liked me. Although he wasn't the one to make fun of me... I wonder...

I shook my head and went up the stairs. I left those feelings back in Texas where I thought I left him. I guess things are never that far away.