Lingering Denial

Chapter 3

Axel's P.O.V~

Already deciding to grab some drinks, the two guys in front of me began bickering again. Though, Lucas broke into a grin, getting up to greet his excited girlfriend as she rushed towards him. I watched trying to play the part, no matter how uninterested I was, before I caught her. My attention was immediately taken, as I watched her, tilting my head slightly. Where had I seen her before? That's it, the weird girl from yesterday. What a coincidence.

Such an innocent looking girl appeared out of nowhere, peeking between all the dangerous looking people, especially after I had not so prettily knocked someone out. She really did not fit in the picture, but did even I...? I seriously wondered why such a girl was there in the first place. I had to hurry towards her when I saw Liam cornering her.

Though I knew Liam wouldn't do anything, I couldn't confirm that he hadn't changed since then. He was dangerous, period. It's a good thing her friend pulled her away, before he noticed, or any of the others did. They wouldn't have been as nice as I was, and let them walk away so easily. Of course, then I would've have had to take the trouble of taking more on. Them aside, Liam would then take the opening to challenge me again, and I'm not sure if I could handle that. It was annoying enough going there, in that type of environment again...

Once her eyes caught me watching her, the different shade of blue from yesterday had me stare longer than I realized. Like an i***t. Was she brave or stupid, to walk into such a dangerous looking alleyway, and stay there until her friend pulled her away?Seeing her puzzled yet curious look on her face scrutinizing me, made me sigh in relief. She hadn't clicked on....yet. I silently watched the conversations happen, only briefly paying attention every now and then. I tried to not appear as intimidating for the sake of Lucas. That's when I heard her being introduced too. Aurora, huh. She was quite a pretty looking girl with a curious look in her eyes. It almost reminded me of my sister...

The conversations flowed effortlessly, allowing me to zone out easier. That's when I caught her peering at me again. My stoic expression was replaced by amusement as she tried to hide her blush.

~

Glancing around after a while, I exhaled. Music booming everywhere, crowds dancing, conversation and laughter here and there. Parties were fun but, they were home to way too many dangers. Taking care of the other two idiots when they were drunk wasn't really any fun either. Although, considering the situation, I knew Lucas wouldn't really drink all that much today. He most definitely wanted to take his girlfriend home, himself.

Isaac seemed to have a similar personality to Ava, so those two seemed to flirt with each other, every now and then. Nonetheless, as time went on, things got a bit more rowdy, and Lucas ended up most definitely not sober enough to drive. Well, there goes that idea of mine.

"Yeah! Axel here is a teacher, you should check him out!" Isaac blurted out, towards the two. And with that, I felt several pairs of eyes on me, "Self-defence." I cleared out, answering some questions here and there.

That's when I realized Aurora wasn't around. She probably went to freshen up. I sighed, irritated by her stupidity of going alone, in a club like this. Out of habit, I looked at my watch, recording the time, but I couldn't shake off the uncomfortable feeling I had. Deciding to excuse myself, I left to search for her.

~

Making my way to the restroom area, after searching countless faces and bodies, I suddenly spotted her nearby, in an almost secluded hallway. My eyes widened slightly as I saw her struggling; traumatic memories clouding my mind as I fought to push them away.

My jaw clenched tightly and before I knew it, I had rushed over and had him painfully pinned on the floor. "You touch my girl again, and I will personally break these arms off... Understood?" I lowly and dangerously growled, looking at the drunken man with disgust.

Seeing a flash of fear appear on his face, I saw him hastily nod, before running off, glaring back at me once he was a good distance away. Deciding to ignore him, I turned towards Aurora carefully glancing over her to make sure she was alright, a bit unsure of what to do.

I frowned slightly as I saw her eyes watering, flinching as I approached her. Slowing down my pace, I gently whispered, "Shh, it's alright... I'm here now." And with that comment, she leaned towards me, letting out the rush of emotions she was trying to suppress. I was right about my instincts with Aurora, and I hated being right about things like that. It was a faint reminder of how this world really was. Rubbing her back slowly, I couldn't help but feel a hint of protectiveness that appeared, at the resemblance of my sister.

When she had calmed down a bit, she leaned back putting on a brave face."I-I'm sorry about your shirt..." She sniffled looking down. "Don't worry about it..." He slowly reached towards her wiping a tear that had escaped, looking at her softly. Seeing how innocent and pure she was, she seemed just like a little dove...

~

Aurora's P.O.V~

I opened my eyes warily, as a waft of air rushed past me. However, once I did, I was surprised to find the Axel there. Shaken at how dangerous his tone sounded for second, I snapped out of it while trying to process what just happened and what nearly did.

I flinched a little as I noticed him approaching me, but at his gentle tone, I found myself leaning towards him for support as a few tears escaped. I hated feeling weak in front of others, especially ones that didn't know me at all, but I couldn't help but feel reliant on Axel, especially since he had just saved me. I was naive like that.

Apologizing, I looked up with a hazy view to find a hand being held out towards me. "Come on, let's get you back...It's crowded in here" It took me a while to process it, but I attempted to smile back, reluctantly following him, hand in hand. His warmth and the tingling feeling of it seemed to calm me down quite a bit, making me clench it tightly.

As we walked through the crowd, I realised they weren't attempting to flirt, much less talk to me any more. Looking back up, I noticed them glancing wearily at Axel as he glared at everyone with a dangerously cold look. The contrast between his intimidating and cold stature, compared with his gentle side was puzzling and I couldn't help but let inquisitive thoughts cloud my mind.

He clenched my hand back, giving me a sense of secureness and reassurance before their friends were soon in sight. A sudden wave of reluctance and nervousness overwhelmed me. I couldn't face anyone right now. I wasn't ready. Not yet... I tugged on Axel's hand gently, looking up at him pleadingly, I asked. "Take me out for some air?...please?"

As he glanced back to find me slightly shaken up, I saw his face soften for short moment, before he curtly nodded and lead me to the elevator that was nearby. Seeing as how quiet and hesitant my voice was, I was surprised that he even heard me.

~

Where were they going? My question was soon answered when I saw a glass door lead to the night, further down, at the end of the hallway we'd stopped at. I just needed to breathe, and the loud and eventful atmosphere wasn't helping, so I sighed in relief when I felt my face hit a wave of coolness. At the change of atmosphere, I automatically cooled down and walked in towards the edge of the patio. There was a few picnic like tables and benches with twinkling Christmas lights all around them, contrasting the view of the club.

The music that was booming inside, was now but a distant echo. Axel didn't say anything, letting me relax for a moment with the fresh cool air, which I was thankful for. Watching the scenery now, I couldn't help but admire it in awe, leaning against the railing. You could see all the city lights from up here, considering the club was in the middle of the city, but on the first three floors, while they were on the seventh. A few buildings in front of them were far enough to see a lot of the busy streets below. "Wow..." I found herself whispering out loud, without realising. It was truly fascinating. I closed my eyes, smiling slightly basking in the chill breeze as it hit my face, and loving the feeling of freedom I liked to call it, especially when it was at night.

It was truly a wonder as to how he knew about this place. That's when I remembered of Axel's presence beside me. Confused at how relaxed I was around him, enough to not feel self-conscious, I faced him. "So... How'd you find out about this place...?" However, my breath hitched in my throat, as I found him gazing silently at me, in wonder. He had his hands in his pocket and was silently standing slightly behind me.

Butterflies erupted in my stomach as he held my gaze, surprising me. "W-what..?" I whispered. With that he snapped out of it, shaking his head gently. "Nothing." He said before walking to the railing and facing the view. "Nice view."

I watched him questioningly before breathing out as soon as he looked away, trying to ignore the nervousness which began to bloom. "Our apartments are on this floor." His reply had shocked her, enough for her to forget my shyness, "You all live here?!" Axel looked towards me, startled by my outburst, before an amused smile appeared on his face. He nodded before I realised how loud I was. Blushing, I looked back at the view. So, they get to see this amazing view every day, huh...

Remembering about before, I shyly added, "Oh yeah, thank you...about today and... sorry for wasting so much of your time." Axel glanced at me, giving me a small smile, "It was my pleasure. Plus, it's better out here anyway..." I smiled back, my nerves tingling. Well, that was something she could agree on.

After a short while, I heard his voice again, "Oh, and I don't know if it's a habit of yours, but you should really stop wondering into dangerous places..." He mumbled under his breath, a stiff warning in his words. My gaze flicked over to him watching me seriously. I was surprised to find him change his tone so quickly, but he meant it. Speechless, I sheepishly nodded.

His words clicking in, my eyes widened slightly, before I curiously asked, "...You're the guy from the alley...aren't you?" His gaze snapped to me, scrutinizing me coldly before turning towards the view again, "I don't know what you're talking about." He dismissed.

Maybe I was wrong then... I mean, anyone could have grey eyes right...? I thoughtfully wondered, while watching him.

~

Time went on, with us chatting, mostly about our friends. Before realizing, I had found myself laughing, and him smiling here and there. He had definitely made me forget the previous events of the night. There were comfortable silences in the middle, but I couldn't deny that this was the best part of the night.

"Even though I just moved here myself, I've never seen you around before..." I trail off, inquisitively glancing up at him. He seemed to be in thought, almost seeming pained at the question, "I... moved back recently... It's my home town."

Before I could help myself, I blurted out, "Then, why did you leave in the first place...?" His gaze fixed on mine, and a thick silence ensued afterwards. A look of vulnerability flashed in his eyes for the first time, and I found myself unable to look away, searching for an answer. The way he watched me held deeper, more pained emotions than I could comprehend.

The ting of my phone snapped him out of it though. His jaw clenched, and another stone cold expression replaced his previous one before he looked away. I looked away, regretting for even asking, before I checked my phone. "Whoa, it's this late already. The others are asking where I am." I spoke out loud, checking the time, Axel checking his own.

It's almost one in the morning. Damn, now that I thought of it, a wave of tiredness hit me like a truck. He stood up nodding, "We should head back. Hopefully Isaac hasn't made much of a fool of himself" I nervously laughed a bit, thinking of what they would be like by now, "That goes for Ava too. They sure are two peas in a pod." I happily added, feeling a sense of pride for her finally finding someone she was interested in.

Reaching the crowd, Axel looked back at me for only a second before gently intertwining our hands and leading me through again. Watching our hands, I blushed a bit confused, but admiring how big his were; they almost completely enveloped mine. But they were warm.

~

Soon enough, we had reached outside the club where everyone was drunkenly messing around. Hazel hurriedly came up to me, more sober than Ava but still way too drunk. "Hey, where did you go? You okay?" She asked worriedly. I nodded reassuringly. Even though I didn't want to worry them, they would force it out of me later anyway, so I figured it wasn't the time.

I curiously looked over at Axel, to see him being crowded by the two guys, silently conversing with them. I was near enough to be able to catch a few words, plus the fact that Isaac was so drunk that he was 'whispering' way too loudly. "It seems like you two hit it off pretty well, huh?" Winking and nudging Axel, he grinned at him, earning a punch in the stomach by a very irritated Axel. Unknowingly, I felt my cheeks heat up, at the absurdity of it. Lucas and Hazel simply laughed at the two before focusing back to talking with each other.

I looked back at Axel, to find him watching me silently, before he grabbed the two guys away from their endless flirting. Lucas kept hinting to Axel to help him get his girlfriend to stay with him tonight but he looked like he wanted no part in it. Both Lucas and Isaac were obviously way too drunk.

I quickly got the keys from Hazel's pocket, as I was the most sober out of all of them. "Are you going to be driving them home?" My conversation with her broke as I heard his voice. I looked up to find Isaac still squirming over his shoulder. "Let me go! I wanna go with Ava!" Axel dismissively shook his head and told me to ignore him.

I giggled a bit at his behaviour earning a small smile from Axel, before sighing looking drained, "Gonna have to, I guess... There's no other choice. Don't worry though, we live together, so it's like a 20 minute drive away." Our gaze turned to Ava, to find her being just as weird, "Awww, you dooo? I wanna go with you toooo" She grinned back at him, beginning to whine a little. I struggled underneath, helping them get in the car before I collapsed.

"Oh! I know! Axel! Invite 'em to your fi-" Isaac began to shout before Lucas covered his mouth, while trying to play it off cool. "Your fish...tank?" Hazel drunkenly tilted her head in confusion leaning on the open window, while I looked at them thoughtfully, and with a calculating gaze. Axel looked momentarily wary as well, before looking irritated at Isaac.

Letting them go, he let them say their goodbyes to the girls, before asking, "Give me your phone." I was slightly confused, but gave it to him anyway, watching him as he took his own out and exchanged numbers. "Let me know when you get home, alright?" He said while beginning to drag the two away. "OK, goodnight," I nodded, smiling at his thoughtful gesture. Waving at them, I heard the others whine and say tearful goodbyes, before I got in the car myself. He stood at the side, waiting until the car had zoomed off, before going in.

~