Bargain Wedding

Stars Burned Out To Cold Ambers

As they approached the dance floor, Jona walked to the side, so that a small circle formed while the three of them could dance, facing each other. But before Coco could join the circle, Axel came in the middle, crumpling the circle. There was now no circle at all. Just one couple and a third wheel.

The other woman was gone as if her purpose was to rile up Axel. Jona closely observed his wife's action, her twitterpated gaze, and her possessive hold as she leaned towards him and crossed her arms across his shoulders. "You are quite a dancer, and you look so good on me," Axel said with a voice that sent the older into a frenzy, nibbling on her lips subtly as her gaze wandered to Jona's lips.

The CEO was caught by surprise by the tone Axel used. He had his arms nowhere around Axel, but his girl compelled him to hold her as she leaned in more, ghosting her breath over his lips. Slowly, Jona held Axel's waist delicately, cupping her sides.

His arms moved up just a little, at which Axel's body stiffened while their eyes didn't lose electrifying contact. "Are you feeling alright?" Jona asked with a grin, trailing the hands back down to where they were.

Axel nodded slowly, but confidently. Liquid comfort rushed through her veins, every last worry melting away. Jona drifted his gaze at nothing and then back at her oval eyes.

She loved the touch, the soft skin against her. She untangled her hands from around Jona's shoulders and held the man's dorsal side of the hands that were resting on her waist. Slowly, she pulled them up again.

At the action, Jona's heart threatened to jump out of his chest. He was aroused by the action of the cherry-haired woman. The world could wither and stars burned out to cold embers, for all Axel cared. She could stay there forever with Jona, lost at the moment.

They might not have been able to dance together at the wedding for long, but they were making up for it. "I want another drink. Do you guys want anything?" Coco suddenly jumped on them, but the thick s****l tension remained unaffected.

"I will go with you," Jona turned to Coco and gently held Axel's palms to take her off the dance floor, but he was mistaken if he thought he could tame her.

He had to stop at the tug on his hand and when he looked back, Axel was pulling him with come-hither looks. "Axel?"

"Don't you want to dance with your wife? She is better than your..." Axel looked around, now realizing that the stranger was gone, and so she pointed with the jut of her chin towards Coco. "Your best friend."

Jona understood the situation they were in and what made Axel tick. Sighing softly, he stepped towards her, and with a gentle motion, he tucked her hair behind her ears.

Axel closed her eyes at the touch, whimpering meekly, which was only heard when Jona killed the space between them as he whispered into her ear. "I want to dance with my wife at an exclusive party for just me and her. Do you think you can wait?"

Axel nodded while opening her eyes and letting her husband usher her.

☘

They sat silently in the car while the driver drove them back to the hotel. Soft music was on, but Axel's mood was nothing like the music. She kept glaring out the window into the darkness and occasional lighting which fell onto her face, making her squint her eyes and scowl.

Coco stared at a text from Tetsuo and Jona's eyes remained fixed on Axel. The driver pulled up the car in front of the hotel. Coco handed a tip to the driver and the three walked out in the cold.

The lights at the hotel reception were on while the blue water of the lake was serene. The soft breeze made Axel hug herself and Coco patted Jona's back. The man turned and smiled softly while Axel remained silent. "Bye, buddy," Coco called out from behind.

"Bye, Coco-San. Good night," Axel replied in a low voice.

Coco dashed in while whistling a melody and Jona held Axel's hand to follow behind him. "Did you have a good time?" He asked after a long aching silence.

"Yeah. You?" Axel replied in a monotone and asked.

"It doesn't look like you did. What's wrong?" Jona asked instead, his eyes trained on the carpet of the lobby as they slowly trudged across it to get to the elevator.

"I did. I am just tired I guess," Axel replied and leaned her head against Jona's shoulder. This caused the older person to softly smile and wrap his arm across her waist as they entered the elevator.

Just as Jona pressed the button and the doors closed, Axel turned around so swiftly that Jona thought she was going to kiss him, but she ended up encasing him off-guard. She rested her cheek on his collarbone, compelling him to look around at the cameras.

As the elevator door dinged open, Jona tried to pull Axel away, but she wouldn't yield. Having no option, Jona picked her off her feet and carried her toward their room.

He entered inside with difficulty as it was pitch dark. Since the door had a card key, he had to plug it in the socket first to turn on the lights, but Axel needed to be put down first. As he proceeded towards the bed, his leg collided with the luggage, and he ended up tripping with Axel, on top of the mattress.

The younger squirmed. Opening her eyes, she only saw a dark reflection on top of her with a familiar fragrance. Axel's hands cupped Jona's face tightly as she began to pull him down. Jona breathed louder and tried not to touch his painful erection on Axel's body under him. "I don't want you to smile at anyone. How can you smile so alluringly? Anyone can fall in love with you if you look at them, and you go around smiling at people like that. I don't approve of it."

Jona didn't need to hide his grin in the darkness, so he beamed. He pried away from Axel's grip and heard her whine at the loss.

After successfully placing the card in the holder socket, he looked at the lit room and the floor with Axel's bag and her clothes scattered around him. When he walked back to bed, the woman had her eyes closed.

First, Jona removed her jacket and shoes. He would have made the girl wash up, but Axel needed her sleep. They had to leave early in the morning for a small hiking and then camp for the next day. Looking around, he shuffled to tidy up and prepare the bags for tomorrow.

He took out all the clothes Axel needed, setting them on the couch when his hand was as if electrocuted. In a reflex, his body jostled back, but then he heard a whir. Thinking it could have been a trimmer, he dared to pick the object up.

Realizing that he was never electrocuted, but felt the vibration, his eyes went wide, looking at a golden dildo.

He tried to recollect if he had ever actually touched a dildo before, but no amount of mental exercise rang any bell. A few questions shot through the neurons inside his head. What was Axel doing with a dildo? Did she use it? Why did she bring it here? Then he read the inscription of the dildo. "Where could you have gotten it?" He said as he read the words, again and again.

I feel how Jona Suzuki does.

His eyes fell on the gift card, and he understood.

Hanging the clothes in the cupboard, he quickly closed the bag and got out of the room, picking up his phone.

☘

Coco was on his way over to Tetsuo's room when Jona caught him in the corridor. "I-I was coming to you," the man stuttered.

"Give me a few minutes," Jona walked past him while holding the phone to his ears.

Groaning, Coco entered Jona's suite and when he looked at sleeping Axel, he grimaced and pulled his own hair. "We almost got punched for this?" He plopped down on the couch, waiting for Jona to return.

"Aimi," Jona's voice was bemused.

The cousin beamed out in frolic. "Brother! How is the honeymoon?"

"I am out with friends, Aimi," Jona replied wearily, to counter that this wasn't a honeymoon, looking at his wristwatch.

"You didn't invite me." The cousin complained.

"Did you really think that that was an appropriate gift for Axel? You two are the same age and how did you even get your hands over it?" Jona asked sternly.

He heard the girl chuckle lowly. "Brother, don't worry about it. I ordered it online. But wait, how do you know? It was for Axel to use in LA."

"Online, Aimi? I am going to have a chat with your father once I am back." He disconnected the call on his baby cousin, or at least he treated her like one.

Huffing out to regain semblance, he rolled his eyes before rushing into his room, thinking of Coco.

☘

"What is it?" He asked in a low voice, to avoid waking Axel. Coco remained where he was like a dead fish. "Okay, leave. I have to sleep." Jona took off his jacket and shirt in front of his best friend.

Coco smirked. "You know, Axel almost bled Eva and me to death tonight," he told Jona, who walked over to his cupboard to put the clothes and returned with a loose shirt flopping around his upper body.

"Why?" Jona asked indifferently.

"Why?! Dude! Don't you care about me?" Coco snarked in an offended tone.

"She has a temper and you are a trickster. I don't need to know anything as you are alive and she is asleep. We will talk tomorrow, Coco." Jona latched onto Coco's sleeve to pull him, but the man pried away.

"Because she was jealous." Coco's brows edged.

Jona stopped moving as he crossed his arms in front of his chest, tilting his head to recollect with brows furrowed in concentration. Coco smiled as if Jona had now picked the proverbial jackpot. The man was still dazed in his thoughts when Coco groaned and fell to the ground after Axel kicked him to the ground in her sleep. "Did you see that?" Coco complained, pointing his finger while rubbing his butt with another hand.

☘

Coco looked at the door that was banged by Jona on his face. While he was busy glaring holes in it with his eyes, his phone chimed. Taking out the device from his pocket, he read the text from Jona.

Sleep... if you don't meet me in the lobby at 5 in the morning, I am leaving without you.

"Jona!" Coco yelled and began to walk back slowly, towards his suite. "I hate you."

Forgetting that Tetsuo was waiting for him, he entered his room and sighed. No matter how hard he tried to get the two to hook up, his efforts went in vain.

When he entered his suite and laid on the bed with his head facing skyward and closed eyes, he recollected he had to go meet Tetsuo. Frantically, he ran out again.

☘

He got to Tetsuo's room and waited for five minutes after ringing the doorbell. When it wasn't answered, he felt dejected. While trying to meddle in his best friend's love life, his own had taken a blow.

I am sorry...

He texted Tetsuo and went back to his room, glowering.

☘

Axel woke up and looked at Jona's sleeping figure. The man was calm and stripped of all worries that she admired silently. Realization flowed in her mind as she recollected yesterday's events, not entirely, but she recalled Jona dancing on the dance floor while everyone ogled him.

A soft smile hooked to the corner of her lips as she remembered how Jona hyped her on her performance when he himself might even be a better dancer than her.

The alarm went off suddenly and Axel's heart threatened to jump out of her chest. She closed her eyes hastily and stopped smiling. Hearing Jona groaning softly and then snoozing the alarm, Axel continued to pretend. She could feel the dip in the mattress as Jona sat upright all the while her heart did the tango.

Her breath got knocked off of her lungs when she felt Jona's hand over her cheek and she could feel the warmth of his breath ghosting over her lips. "Axel," she heard Jona call out. Not wanting to make it obvious that she was awake, she slowly groaned. "Get up, sweetie." Jona's endearment caused her to open her eyes, but her cheeks started to burn.

"What time is it?" She asked, her voice heavy after a night of drinking and lack of sleep.

"Four-thirty, we are leaving in half an hour. Do you want to use the washroom first?" Jona asked.

Axel rolled up her hair with both her hands as she sat up and Jona turned on the lamplight to take a look at the girl. "Tired?"

Axel shook her head, "you can go first."

"Promise me you won't sleep again," Jona chuckled.

"Ugh! I ain't no kid," Axel suddenly stood up to cradle her feet in the slippers and dragged them towards the bathroom while she knew Jona must be smiling widely at her back.

☘

Half an hour later, they all found each other in the lobby. "Good morning, Coco-San," Axel greeted Coco and then bowed to Tetsuo, who seemed to have woken up on the wrong side of his bed.

"Good morning, buddy," Coco circled his arm around Axel's shoulders while Tetsuo only waved at her as the girl took a little walk with her husband's best friend. "How did you sleep last night? I hope you aren't hungover."

"I am definitely hungover," Axel chuckled. "But Jona gave me the tablets, so I will be fine."

"Where the hell is he?" Coco couldn't get to turn around when he felt a palm brush past his shoulder and Jona walked past him in an orange and blue-colored tracksuit and windbreaker, having black sunglasses rolled over his flawless face.

As their luggage was kept in the trunk, they stood patiently around the car.

Axel fumbled, wanting to sit beside Jona now.

On the other hand, Tetsuo wanted to be near Coco, but the latter was jumping in his place nervously.

The weather was balmy, perfect for a swim. They were to drive to a mountain where they planned to hike and then reach the base camp by night, so they could camp.

The plan for the next day was a surprise that Jona hadn't disclosed yet. However, he could predict that their day might be overthrown as he checked the forecast, and it showed it would rain.

☘

Axel was asleep while holding Jona's hand, and it was ten past seven when the driver turned off the highway, heading east. A soft crunching noise rumbled up from the ground as the car rolled down the dirt road. The younger jolted up as it happened and pulled her hand away. "Are we there yet?" She asked.

"You can catch thirty more minutes of sleep," Jona replied, looking at her dizzy state.

Axel opened her eyes wide and looked out through the glass windows. When she went hiking or mountain climbing before marriage, she prepared everything for it, starting from packing, checking the weather, and researching the safety measures to be taken. She didn't do any of it this time, and it made her feel... Liberated. She could rely on Jona for anything.

The car stopped finally and Axel looked at the trail. Her eyes then moved up to the peak. A smile found its way to her lips and she felt energized. "Let's get it!" Yelling out with a surge of energy, she jumped out of the car first while Tetsuo beamed.

"Which one did we hike last time, Akii?" Tetsuo asked as he followed behind and began to stretch his muscles.

Coco also neared while Jona began to take out the bags and flopped them over to his best friend.

All the while, Axel answered. "I think we did Santiago."

"Tell me you haven't eaten. I don't want to carry you this time," Tetsuo slapped Axel's arm, and she stammered, wanting Tetsuo to shut up and not embarrass her in front of Jona.

The cousin found Jona's gaze at them. "She gets sick at very high altitudes. But the trick is, don't give her food."

Jona smiled while Coco handed Tetsuo his backpack. He put some extra supplies in the car to use if needed, but he hoped they wouldn't. "Shall we?" He put his hand towards Axel, who tightened her grip over the strap of her backpack with one hand and gently held onto the offered delicate palm with the other.

They began to move at a fast pace. The inclination was not high at the beginning, but after a few miles, their speed slowed down as they broke into sweats.

"Axel!" Tetsuo called out the younger's name and a slight echo reverberated around them.

Jona and Coco chuckled, and the younger playfully ran ahead over a steep.

"Axel! Don't run," Jona called behind her.

"Let's see who finishes first," Axel challenged and began to zoom away with each passing second.

Jona reminded himself how competitive she was. He stepped between Coco and Tetsuo. "Well, you heard her," he winked and was brushing against the wind in the next moment while his hair bounced merrily.

Coco ducked down to check on his shoelace, wanting to follow his best friend, but Tetsuo grasped his hand before he could move on the path of the two ahead. "Hiking isn't about running a marathon, it's about enjoying the moment. Besides, you need to keep your energy to not fall sick."

Coco chuckled nervously, feeling stiff as he felt his hand gripped into Tetsuo's. "You talk like you have a lot of experience."

"This is what I do whenever I have a break from work," Tetsuo replied, looking to the other side where he saw fellow mountains and thick fog at a distance. "Do you see that?" He pointed at the clouds.

"They are beautiful," Coco admired.

"We are also walking into clouds right now. We just can't see what nature has to offer when we are pondering about it. We have a tendency to look away to find a dream, and we don't realize that sometimes we are living it, we just have to close our eyes and see."