Being Bleu

Chapter 6

----Bleu----------

             A couple of weeks after what happened with Axel and I in the Square, we were hanging out every day. He told me that day I broke down in front of him that he’d never hurt me, or take advantage of me like I thought he had done. He asked if I trusted him and I couldn’t lie to him, so of course I told him no. I trusted no one. I wanted to trust Axel; he was nothing but sweet and caring towards me. He would carry things around for me like a gentleman and say things that made me want to melt to the steaming hot New Orleans pavement. After that day, though, when I confessed that I didn’t trust him, Axel never touched me or even suggested that he might want to be more than just friends. Our hands never discreetly brushed against each other as we walked and he never tried to kiss me again. I knew it was a good thing that he was pulling away from me, but for some reason, I felt sad. Despite everything I said and how I acted, I found myself strangely attracted to him. I knew it was a bad thing-liking Axel; he was gorgeous and older and just plain wrong for me. Maybe that’s what I liked about Axel. He was wrong for me, yet oh-so-right.  Whatever I felt for Axel though, I couldn’t let him know. It would ruin the steady friendship we’d begun to create. I just had to suck it up and be friends with him.

                “Hmmm, should I go with Bubblegum Pink this time or My Pink Fetish?” I asked no one in particular. I wasn’t really expecting an answer from either Brad or Axel who were sprawled on the store floor, looking extremely bored. I guess they didn’t realize that my hideous roots showing through my hair dye was a tragedy to me. Men, I thought to myself, they didn’t care what they looked like, yet they somehow managed to look so perfect. It made me angry. I tugged at the beanie I had to put on that morning self-consciously, as if someone could actually see my evil dark roots under it.

                “You have a pink fetish,” Brad grumbled from his place on the dirty floor. I wrinkled my nose at him and rolled my eyes.

                “You have a comic book fetish. Nerd.” I replied, placing the bubblegum pink dye back on the shelf. I decided I was going to embrace my inner pink obsession that Brad had pointed out.

                “Do not!” Brad protested in a whiny voice. I pointed to the comic book he had his face buried in and his shirt, which was a very faded out looking t-shirt with cat woman on it.

                “Cat woman is hot,” He said, throwing the book to the ground. When I laughed, he exclaimed, rather loudly in the quiet store we were in, “At least it isn’t a foot fetish!”

                At that moment, a girl happened to walk down our aisle. She gave a weird look at us because of Brad’s random proclamation before walking away, leaving Brad, Axel and me laughing loudly. I found myself laughing more than I’d ever done when I was with them, and I was glad. That’s what I needed most in the world at that moment. Good friends and lots of laughter.

                We left the store quickly after I bought my hair dye and we made our way back to my apartment, where we usually hung out. We always walked wherever we went, though I don’t know why. I had a perfectly fine car we could take, plus, New Orleans what quite possibly hotter than hell. It wasn’t too surprising when we past Urban Outfitters that I turned around and  practically smashed my face into the glass, when I saw most beautiful dress I had ever seen. My fingers itched to try it on, but I was broke at that moment. I hated trying things on and falling in love with it when I knew I had no money. I was just teasing myself, staring at the blue lacy material that the mannequin was dressed in. I heard Axel laugh behind me and I turned to look at him.

                “You’re such a girl. You stare at things through the window, but you never buy it. Go try it on, Bleubird.” He said. I followed him into the store and quickly found my size. Brad and Axel reluctantly followed me to the dressing rooms and I flashed them a sweet smile. Brad just rolled his eyes and slumped down in his seat and I stuck my tongue out at him.

                I put the dress on, and was dismayed when it fit my frame perfectly. It made me want it even worse. The dress was blue and lacy with a back that dipped down really far. It was perfect. I stepped out of the dressing room so the guys could see it. Brad smacked his lips at me and Axel turned to slap him across the head.

                “That’s hot.” Brad blurted, but Axel said nothing. He just stared, which made me kind of uncomfortable. I couldn’t figure out if it was a creepy guy stare or the good kind. I shrugged it off before turning to face the mirror again.

                “I love it, but I’ll have to buy it some other time. I’m broke,” I said poutily. I stroked the lace lovingly, knowing that rent was way more important than it.

                “I’ll buy it,” Axel finally spoke up. On the outside, I pretended to be reluctant about him buying me things, when I was actually really happy. Wasn’t that something guys did for their girlfriends or girls they actually liked? I suppressed a smile as he bought it and handed me the bag, my fingers brushing his long, slender ones.  I didn’t know how long this “just friends” thing was going to last for me. Axel was just too perfect for his own good.

…^o^…