The Missing Boy

Chapter 13 - Infinite Miles

They walk home together. Axel hoped that the weird atmosphere between them would end by now, but the two still aren't speaking as much as they normally would. When the boys part ways to go to their homes on the opposite ends of the road, they don't say goodbye to each other. They barely even look in the same direction.

Axel goes to his room, ignoring his mother as she asks him how his day was, Miles, on the other hand, isn't granted the same opportunity to avoid his mother as she bombards him the second he enters the house.

"I saw you come home with Axel just now. Didn't I tell you to stay away from him Miles?"

"We go to the same high school Mom. We literally live on the same road. How am I supposed to stay away from him?" Right now Miles just wants to stay away from having this conversation. "I don't get it Mom. Why are you so bothered by him?"

"Miles, he was missing for 4 years. You don't know where that boy has been. Did you know he does drugs? Wait, you probably did because you came home smelling like weed. What if he was in a gang? What if he's running away from trouble? That trouble is going to catch up to him someday and I don't want you dragged into it." Miles rolls his eyes at his mother's speculation and notices how they both have a habit of rambling.

"He's not trouble Mom. He's Axel. He's still the neighbour you wanted me to be friends with when we were little kids and now we are friends. It took 4 years but we are actually friends now. He's my only friend and you know that Mom. You know how lonely it's been for me, how hard it's been and now that I've finally found someone to hang out with, you want me to stay away? No. I'm not going to let you take that away from me Mom. It isn't fair." Miles started crying halfway through his outburst and stomps upstairs to his room once done, ignoring his mother as she calls his name. He slams the door as a final emphasis of his anger.

••••••••••

Miles didn't realise Axel's vampire hearing was that good. Or he didn't realise that he was being that loud. Or he didn't realise that they lived that close. Either way Axel heard Miles' argument with his mother. He made his way to Miles' home, climbing up the side of the house in order to avoid a confrontation with Cassie. Now he's sitting on Miles' bed, Miles' head in his lap. Axel strokes his fingers through his curly bronze hair. He doesn't plan on stopping.

Being his friend or stroking his hair?

.....Both.

"I hate my mom."

"No you don't."

"Ok you're right. I don't. But still, I'm not very fond of her at the moment." Miles says, snuggling selfishly into Axel's touch.

"It seems she's not very fond of me." Axel mimics Miles' choice of wording. "But I suppose I get where she's coming from." He says sadly but truthfully.

No one in town knows what happened to Axel and he doesn't plan on telling anyone else about the 4 years but he can't help that people speculate and think the worst of him. Besides his parents and Miles, he hasn't been greeted with open arms. He was greeted with stares and parents pulling their kids closer towards them. And if they didn't have children then they would clutch their wallets and purses.

Axel isn't the boy the town remembers. And they resent him for that. He isn't the boy people want him to be. He has tattoos on his neck and fangs for teeth. The town he lives in is delicate but he's already been broken. People here are afraid to step out of line while Axel isn't afraid to bite.

Miles quickly sits up so he can stare at Axel and asks "You're not going to stop being my friend are you?"

"No. I'm way to selfish to let you go." Axel chuckles and rakes his fingers through Miles' curls. He promised he wouldn't stop stroking his hair. Or being his friend.

"Good because I am too."

When they look into each other's eyes, the world stops. It's just the two of them. And that's enough.

Miles is a centimetre away from Axel. He didn't plan on moving any closer to him. He didn't realise he had. But they are a centimetre apart now. And Miles realises then just how infinite the space between them is. That no matter how close he gets, it still feels like there's a million miles separating him from Axel. And maybe there are. Maybe Miles will never get close enough to truly know Axel. The things he's been through. The things he's currently going through. The things he will go through. Maybe this is as close as he is supposed to get. One centimetre away. With an infinite amount of miles between them.

Miles randomly remembers then that Axel is immortal. That Axel will live long after him and that there will come a time where he may even forget about the nerdy neighbour who once lived across the road. Maybe he'll encounter another nerdy neighbour. Miles thinks. Maybe he'll find another best friend who secretly thinks about him as more. Maybe he'll even find love. Miles doesn't want to think about this. He doesn't want to think of himself as temporary. But with the infinite years Axel can live for and the infinite miles between the two, it's hard for Miles to think that he has or ever will have any sort of significance in the vampire's very long life.

It's evident that Miles has widely underestimated how important he is to Axel.

"You're immortal Axel. One day you'll forget about me." Axel doesn't know where this comes from or why Miles thinks this. Axel doesn't want to think of a world without Miles. Not yet anyway. Not when he needs him so much.

"I could never. Because you Miles, are infinite."