Moving In

Mi Casa

Chapter 17

"Axel don't," I command quietly my eyes snapping towards his before his lips would reach mine.

I won't let this be a repeat. Not now. Not ever. I won't let him hurt me.

"Why?" He asks softly freezing in place but now moving backward.

Instead of answering I press my palms to his chest and push him back. He allows me to push him away but a look of hurt passes through his face.

"I don't get it," he says unable to look away from me, "You kisses me back last time. Why not now?"

I try to stay strong but my adrenaline is up, making my voice waver and my hands shake in my lap as I speak.

"B-because I cant take the rejection again," I stumble my eyes finding everything in the car except him. expect his gorgeous eyes.

"Rejection?" Axel asks loudly reeling back as if he was hit, "When the fuck did I reject you?"

"You said it was a mistake. I cant take that again. I won't," my voice firms as I slowly bring my eyes back up towards his, reminding myself of the pain and the anger that followed.

"Blaze. baby no that's not what I meant," Axel says as he runs a hand down his face, tired obviously and despite the late hour I can't seem to find it in me to even think about sleep.

"Then nows a good fucking time to explain yourself to me," I say and have to check to make sure my voice doesn't sound pleading. Despite how much I want him to tell me that it wasn't a mistake.

" I am so beyond scared to admit I have feelings for you Blaze because you can hurt me. You can hurt me real bad by running away or just using me as a fun time-"

"Is that the kind of girl you think I am?" I interrupt feeling the tingle of anger prick at my skin.

"What? No!" he quickly corrects, "But I am so scared I will fall for you and only get hurt. That you won't feel the same."

I stay quiet unsure of what to say so that. Yes, I could have hurt him but to save his own heart he hurt mine.

"At the time, it was an 'in the moment' kind of thing and I had imagined kissing you hundreds of times, but none of them were because I wanted you to shut up or because we were fighting," he says as a grin stretched ear to ear at the memory.

"We do fight a lot," I manage out quietly feeling a small smile take over my lips.

"That's because you get me so mad at how easy you can read me. Blaze you are the first person outside of the family to even have a clue about my mother and I's relationship," he says his eyes such a beautiful crystal icy blue that I feel the goosebumps rise on my arms.

"What about pappa Grey?" I ask scared that his father is not a topic he would ever want to talk about.

What I do know about Papa Grey is from what I have pieced together, but from social media and word of mouth mostly.

"Only the boys and Hazel," he says quietly answering my question but I can see his resistance to the conversation he has yet to have with me about his father.

"Damn don't I feel special," I say with a smile and Axel chuckles quietly before loudly slapping his hands together surprising me.

"And just like that, you can make me laugh about something that has haunted me. You have such power over me. It makes me nervous. So I said what I thought would save me from getting fucked over and couldn't man up enough to talk to you about it," he confesses and my body releases its tension as I try to ignore my blurred vision.

I am not sure why I felt like crying, but all I know is this boy is making me feel things I swore I would never fall for and were only in movies.

"Man up is an offensive term that forces the expectations of masculinity onto men," I correct him sniffling.

"Can you save the equality speech for after I'm done pouring my heart and soul out here please and thanks," He says bluntly reaching up and cupping my cheeks forcing us closer.

My lips thin into a small smile but my stubborn heart is cautious and anxious about what hands hold it.

"I don't know if I believe you," I mumbled looking down at my knotted hands once more, but he easily pulls my chin up forcing our eyes to lock.

"I wish you would," he says softly, "but I get it. You don't have to believe me right now, but you can trust me."

I nod my head as he wipes away a few teardrops with his thumb, and his palms still holding my cheeks.

His eyes look over me once more, "Whose blood is it?" he finally asks and I pull away to look down at the bloodstained clothes.

A new set of tears fall, "Ace," I whimper out and Axel's eyes snap up to mine.

"What the fuck?" He says his voice raising, "Who the fuck would hurt a cat?"

I don't answer as he pulls away and I lean back into my seat, buckling my seatbelt once again.

But we both freeze when we realize two things.

One we don't know where we are.
Two its obvious I can't go home to where to.

"Axel," I begin and turn to him as he starts up the car, "I can't go back."

He glances at me, but before I can try and come up with some lie Axel jolts us back onto the road.

"Okay, so my place?" He asks his eyes staying onto the road but mine are glued to his Greek god profile. He is stirring us back to another neighborhood.

"I'm not sure about that either," I mumble, I still don't know who he lives with or where and we never really finished our talk-

"I won't do anything, Blaze," he assures me, "You just need a place to crash and collect your thoughts."

"Don't you have questions?" I ask cautiously as we turn to small homes.

"Oh a shit ton," He says with a chuckle, "But I don't want to scare you off just yet."

"Just yet," I repeat with a girn.

"I mean eventually I am going to get my answers, but I haven't been entirely honest with you either," he says with a sheepish smile as we pull into a driveway.

I look up at him confused before I look up at the home we just pulled in front of.

"Isn't this?" I asking pointing to the familiar front porch of a medium-sized home.

"You might have guessed that I don't live with my parents," he confesses opening the door up is door as I stare opened mouth at the house Hazel took me to game day, the house she said she lived in.

My door opens to reveal Axel holding out his hand for me, "Mi casa es, tu casa."

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