Parallel Hearts

Am I happy?

 I fidgeted with my shirt once more as I stared blankly into the computer screen. I was trying so hard not to focus on the man in the screen, so that I wouldn't have to accept the whirlwind of emotions that just decided to cliff jump into my stomach.

Downing the rest of the wine in my glass, I tried to be cool. There had to be a way to kill these nerves.

"Woah, slow down!" I heard, followed by a laugh. 

That made me glare at my laptop, which halted the laughing right away. Okay, show time. Apologize to the man, Lauren.

"Axel." I said with a slight head bob.

Oh for fucks sake what is wrong with me?! This is going as if I were still in high school, as if he came up to me and decided that he wanted to talk to me. 

"Did you hear me?" 

I snapped back from my internal rant and smiled. 

"Not one bit. What did you say?"

He sighed and rested his head against his palm.

"I said you don't have to act like that. It's just me. Don't freak out."

His laughter caught me off guard, since the last time we spoke it wasn't so...nice. I'd basically thrown Garrett in his face and then told him to bugger off. Not one of my finer moments, i'll admit, but it had to have been done.

"How's your job? Still loving Chicago?" I asked, to be formal and all.

"It's great actually. Been going to more shows lately downtown. I've been hanging out with Chelsy and Derek too." He said but I interrupted.

"When you say hanging out with Chelsy and Derek" I left a pregnant pause to let him know I was serious. "You don't happen to mean listening to him and his band play new songs, right?" I asked, feeling jealousy coarse through my body. 

"Uh, actually yeah. I got to know the band members and they're all super nice. I'm seeing why you like them so much." He said with an arrogant smirk on his face. 

He's doing it to piss me off! Well it's definitely working. Hell, he didn't even know who they were until I talked to him about it.

"Axel." I whined as I drug out his name. "It's no fair how you guys are having all the fun." I said while crossing my arms with a pout. 

I was very aware of how childish I was being, especially since i'm now 25 years old. My mother has been constantly bugging me, saying how i'm supposed to be married with children already! Children!

"Right, as if you're not having fun in New Jersey with Garrett." He said in what seemed like a resentful tone. All I gave him as a response, however, was a grunt. 

"What? It's not as fun as you thought it would be?" He taunted.

"No it's not." I snapped at him. I faintly heard the sound of paws against hardwood floors, which means i've woken up Jet. "Everything is hectic, Ax. Garrett has been gone for a week and is hardly ever around." I say softly. All of this is really having a toll on my body. 

"Shit, Lee, i'm sorry. I was just kidding." He paused and I felt Jet jump onto the couch with me, distracting me for a moment and letting me calm down. "You don't think he'd like, cheat on you right?" He asked.

"Wha? No! He, he wouldn't do that to me!" I exclaimed. "He's not that kind of person, and he... gets it quite frequently. I'm not really one to refuse him." I stated awkwardly.

Talking about your sex life with a guy is awkward. It's even more awkward if this guy know you in high school and admitted to liking you. 

"Ew." He deadpanned.