The Step Sister vs. Cinderella

Chapter 28

          Axton glanced around at the crowd that engulfed him, his feet planted firmly against the ebb and flow of their movements. With the light from the crackling bonfire and the faint light from the half moon, he couldn’t see much of those around him. Just darkened outlines and the odd flash of colour when the orange firelight fell onto someone. He looked around again, hoping that Paige would return soon. The chattering of the hundreds of people around him mixed with the faint sound of thumping music coming from the handful of cars parked in the field was beginning to give him a headache.

            He raised the plastic bottle of pop, as Paige had called it, to his lips and took another sip. He was almost used to the feel of the bubbles exploding in his mouth. Paige had offered to find him beer or a cooler, whatever that was, but he had refused. He didn’t like how alcohol dulled his senses. Especially when he was in an unfamiliar place and additionally so given that he was accompanying Paige. He had already seen many men draping themselves over the ladies present here. Most of the women seemed to enjoy the attention. He hoped Paige did not. He didn’t think he would be able to stop himself from forcibly removing anyone who touched her.

            “Hello.”

            Axton looked down, a slight frown appearing at the way the girl in front of him had turned each syllable into a word. He hoped that was not the proper way to say the word here because that would mean he’d been saying it wrong the entire time. “Good evening,” he replied, inclining his head. “May I help you?”

            Her chuckle was low as she stepped closer to him, the firelight shining faintly through the halo of curls around her head, making her face impossible to see. She laid a hand on his chest and leaned towards him. “Why don’t we-”

            He didn’t let her finish, stepping away from her and blushing. The way she had leaned closer to him had caused…his face flared even pinker as he tried to forget the feeling of her chest touching him. “I must ask that you be more careful, my lady,” he said, bowing slightly. “There are many men who would take advantage of a young lady who was to…touch them so familiarly.”

            She didn’t reply for a moment, her body swaying slightly as she stood, staring at him. “Are you for real?”

            A sudden touch on his arm made him start, then relaxed when he saw that it was Paige who was twining her arm around his. “Yes he is. He’s also here with me so you’re out of luck.”

            The girl shrugged. “Okay. Bye.”

            Paige shook her head as she watched the stranger stumble back off into the crowd. Then she smiled up at Axton. “Sorry for leaving you but we had a little emergency with one of the girls on the cheerleading team. Her friends invited her to come here with them after her boyfriend said he had to work. Except she found him here, making out with another girl. After we pulled her off of him, we had to get her calmed down. Holly took her back to her place so she can rest.”

            After almost a full week of living in this world, Axton had gotten he gist of what Paige had said. Though there was always at least one unfamiliar term he had to guess at the meaning of. “Where are the other ladies?”

            She grinned. “Nicole’s found this guy and has been talking to him nonstop since they ran into each other. Seems like they’re really hitting it off. Allison and Jenna were talking guys with one of their friends from elementary school,” she replied before her smile went wicked. “And I saw Cate and Drew going into the trees together. I’m always glad when she gives me new blackmail material. Anyway, what do you want to do now? We can go join Jenna and Allison, we can mingle in the crowd, we can dance by the cars, or we can do whatever else you can come up with.”

            He smiled, squeezing her hand gently. “Would you be willing to walk with me, away from the crowd? I fear the noise has gone to my head.”

            She laughed. “If you were any other guy I’d think you had something else in mind. And I’d be happy to go for a walk. It’s a nice night and the stars are so much brighter out of the city.”

            Axton’s smile widened into a grin as he towed her along behind them, easing through the crowd, his eyes darting around to find openings big enough for them to slip through. It only took them a few minutes to break out of the last of the crowd, allowing the cool night air to wrap around them. He pulled her onwards, thankfully away from the trees she noted, and towards the fence that separated this field they were in from its neighbour.

            She giggled as he helped her over the wooden fence, glad they were both wearing jeans because she was certain without them they’d both have gotten splinters. She caught his hand once they were both back on the ground and she swung their joined hands, grinning at him. His face mirrored her expression, making her laugh. She hadn’t realized how loud and hot it was in the crowd until now. She could feel the soft breeze drying the slight sheen of sweat that had covered her back and the faint ringing in her ears told her she’d been too close to the speakers hooked up to the cars.

            He kept a careful eye on the ground, this field still filled with knee-high grass that made the ground impossible to see. Axton glanced back at Paige, her face only half visible in the silver light of the moon. He could see the flash of her teeth as she smiled up at the sky, stray tendrils of her hair being picked up by the wind that danced around them. He thought about catching the strands for her then immediately pushed the thought away as inappropriate for any man, let alone a knight. His attention was so focused on her that he’d stopped paying attention to his feet. The toe of one of his boots hit a hidden branch and he stumbled forward.

            Paige steadied him, one hand pressed against his chest to keep him on his feet as she laughed. “Are you alright?”

            He nodded, glad the night hid the flush that had crept up his cheeks. “I am fine. Thank you.”

            She giggled. “I think we’d better head back towards the crowd then. We don’t want you to break your neck and it’s actually a little cool out here. I left my jacket with the girls.”

            “Then we shall return,” Axton replied, feeling a twinge of regret that their time alone together had already come to an end.