December Boys (BxB) | ✓

Chapter 6 - Lonely Eyes

The door opened, revealing a casual Axel on the other side. He stepped aside, his idea of a nonchalant way of welcoming me, I assumed. My feet were wobbly after traveling 30 floors on the elevator. The shiny little compartment had been slightly claustrophobic, and to add insult to injury I'd been stuck with a snooty looking woman the whole trip. Her perfume had been so strong I could still smell it, almost like it had seeped into my clothing. What was the deal with women aged 45+ and smelling like a bloody LUSH store? Who could possibly find that pleasant or attractive? As I stepped through the door and closed it behind me, I wondered if Axel could smell the woman on me.

Axel seemed to notice nothing. He barely spared me a glance when I entered his home. Soon enough he moved away from me entirely.

I walked straight into a very large, very shiny, and very empty place. Open plan solutions usually made rooms inviting, but Axel's apartment was bare and impersonal. There was a kitchen island with nothing but a lone glass, and Axel's living room consisted of a single leather couch, a coffee table, and a large flat screen TV. Aside from that, the place was empty. There were no plants, no decorations, not even a single bookshelf. Windows lined the entire northern wall, and an impressive view of the city laid open before me. It was a pretty sight, no complaints there, but instead of complimenting the luxurious apartment, the city lights just rendered it lonely. I found myself shivering as I stood on the hardwood floor, uncomfortable and out of place.

Axel opened his laptop and sat cross-legged on the couch. As I toed my shoes off and approached him, I noticed just how squeaky clean the apartment was. Axel didn't have much, but what he owned was spotless and in perfect condition. There wasn't a single speck of dust on any of the surfaces and his TV looked like it was bought yesterday.

"I've been working on the script," Axel said, clicking away on the keyboard. I took a seat next to him, making sure there was an appropriate amount of space between us. The leather couch made a soft sound as I sat down. It was hard to get comfortable when everything around you was untouched, I realized. How did Axel relax in this place? The shiny surfaces would drive me crazy - kind of already did - and I found myself wanting to make a mess of Axel's apartment. I was fantasizing about knocking his TV over when he spoke again.

"It's not ready, but you can read it if you want," he offered. I nodded slowly, adjusting my position on the couch.

"We should probably fill out the report first," I said. "Mr. White will have my head if I don't hand it in this weekend." I unzipped my backpack and pulled the report up. It was a bit crinkled after the way I treated it earlier, so I flattened it against the coffee table.

We filled it out in silence. There was so much silence with Axel that it drove me kind of crazy. It wasn't that he disliked conversations, as much as he shied away from them completely. It made me wonder if he only ever communicated in punches. Was that his only way of connecting with others? I realized I'd never actually seen him hang out with anyone else at school.

I signed the report and heaved a sigh of relief. Axel put his own name down, and I stuffed the piece of paper back with my other belongings. Something smelled foul, and I realized I might have left an old lunch in the bottom of my backpack... I zipped it back up and shoved that worry into the future. A problem for future Nao.

Returning to the present, I grew antsy again. Now what? I scratched the back of my neck, desperately searching for something to say.

"Uh, so yeah... The script..." I mumbled, fretting over the silence. Was Axel incapable of small talk? Did he ever say more than five words at a time? He was making this way harder than it had to be. I stole a glance at his face and was startled by the bruise again. It bloomed across his skin, extending down over his cheekbone. Had it gotten worse since I saw him earlier? It was an angry purple shade now. I couldn't take my eyes off it.