Could You Love Me

Could You Love Me {XXXIV}

"Tell me I'm your baby
and you'll never leave me"

CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR

"I wasn't expecting you to come today." Chase announced, escorting me inside the school, probably for the simple reason of what happened Monday.

"If I miss anymore school, I'll fail my senior year."

Chase's eyebrows shot up, his facial expression forming a mockery. "It's not like you were going to pass anyways."

I punched his arm, making him laugh, rolling my eyes as we came to a stop at my locker.

"I have to go find Imogen. Will you be okay for a few? I'm sure Axel will be here any minute." Chase questioned, leaving me to look up at him with a knowing look.

"Am I on a hit list or something? I don't need to be watched twenty four seven, Chase."

Chase rolled his eyes at my sarcastic wit. "You know we're just looking out for you O."

"Yeah I know." I smiled, shooing him away with my hand. "Go find Imogen."

It hadn't even been thirty seconds after Chase walked away that someone was already bothering me, and by someone, I meant Brad McCoy.

"Oktober." He stated, throwing a wink my way as he approached me.

"Brad." I replied as unenthusiastically as possible.

"Are you done messing with the criminals of Lakewood yet? Ready to come back from the dark side?" He questioned, making me narrow my eyes at him.

"No. She isn't." Axel replied before I could, stepping in between Brad and myself.

"I think she can speak for herself." Brad bit, looking down at me over Axel's shoulder.

"Yes, she can. But I'm doing it for her. Problem?" Axel's deep voice questioned, his jaw clenched.

Boy was he a sight.

"She's not your property Dawson. If I wanna get a piece of that then I will." Brad scoffed, making a mistake.

Fucking perv.

"She's no one's property but her own, but I can assure you that she is mine." Axel smirked, but it wasn't his usual charming one, it had anger written all over it. "Make one more fucking comment like that again and the only thing you're going to be getting a piece of is my fucking fist." Axel spat, getting shoved back by Tommy.

"Can't do anything on your own Brad?" Dean bit, shoving Tommy away from Axel. "Bitch boy has to handle everything for you?"

"This isn't over." Brad spat, gesturing for Tommy and his other jock to follow him, not before giving me another wink.

"Jesus, I leave for three minutes and there's another fight about to break out." Chase sighed, walking up to us with Imogen in tow.

"Just the cheerleaders trying to stir shit up." Archer replied nonchalantly, his calming facade evidently deceiving considering he was ten seconds away from knocking Brad's teeth out.

"Hey, it's okay." I said to Axel, who was still staring in the direction that Brad walked off in.

"I swear I'll kick his a-"

I cut him off by pulling his face down to mine, my lips silencing his rambling. It took him a second to realize I was kissing him, before pulling me into him softly, making the boys holler.

"Ass." Axel finished after we pulled away making me laugh.

It was only our second kiss but it felt so normal, like that was how it was supposed to be.

Us. Together.

Imogen was grinning at me like a madwoman as Axel slid his arm around my shoulders, kissing my cheek before walking me to class.

***

"Not so fast." Axel's voice called after me, picking me up by my waist and moving me to the other side of him, blocking my entrance of getting into Imogen's Jeep. "I'll take her." Axel nodded towards Imogen.

"Why of course." She replied, a wide smirk on her face.

I rolled my eyes, waving as she pulled off, before getting pulled by my hand to Axel's car.

"Kidnapping me seems to be your thing." I stated, after we were both seated in the car.

"It's not kidnapping if you're willing." He stated matter-of-factly, putting his arm around my seat as he backed the car out of it's parking spot.

Oh, that's hot.

"Who said I was willing?" I challenged, making him roll his eyes but smile nonetheless, his free hand intertwining with mine.

My heart picked up a few paces even though it shouldn't have. The simplest of things he did were enough to send me into overdrive, and though he was in no way, shape, or form like Davidson, Davidson never made me feel the way Axel did. Over a course of five months Axel's managed to get me to fall for him in a way I never knew I could fall. I was with Davidson for over a year and not once did he ever make me feel even an ounce of what Axel did, and I'd grown to love that feeling that Axel gave me, sadly.

"I care about you too." I blurted, making Axel look over at me for a second, a wide smile on his face.

"What?" He chuckled.

"On Monday when everything happened, you told me you cared about me, but I never said it back. I care about you too."

His smile was enough to make my heart melt and also enough to give me a mini heart attack. Being with that kid was not going to be good for my health.

I watched as he pulled into his driveway, from the looks of it nobody else was home.

Once we were inside I kicked off my shoes and set my bag down, practically running upstairs to Axel's cloud of a bed.

I was literally craving for it.

I belly flopped, allowing my face to sink into the pillows and the memory foam to engulf me.

"I'm starting to believe you use me for my bed and my mother's cooking." Axel stated, lying down next to me.

"You're not wrong."

Axel scoffed jokingly, pulling me into him, his arm ending up around my waist and my head on his chest.

I heard the TV turn on and him flicking through the channels, but the sound of his heart beating was making it easier for me to fall asleep.

After awhile I felt him start to get up, making me wrap my arm around his torso and my leg around his waist, causing him to chuckle.

"Don't leave me." I groaned, snuggling my way back onto him.

He was so warm and made me feel safe, I'd stay like that forever if I could.

"I'd never leave you." He whispered seriously, pulling his blanket over us, his fingers running through my hair.

I finally felt right in my life and I hoped that it would last forever.

***