Beyond the Ordinary

Chapter 31

KATE 

I just turned towards him, trying to understand why he'd told me, but he just continued to stare ahead at the road, acting as if he'd said nothing at all.

We pulled into the driveway of my house and I reluctantly opened the door. Axel quickly grabbed my hand, his eyes saying things I couldn't understand.

"We should do this again," Axel said finally, smiling.

I nodded. "I'll pick next time. Maybe a movie?"

Axel laughed. "So cliché."

I rolled my eyes, feigning annoyance. "Fine, you pick then," I stated, getting out of his car.

He shook his head, smiling. "A movie sounds perfect."

I smiled back at him. "You pick the day, then."

He smirked. "How about after work on Tuesday?"

I laughed. "I'll see you then, Axel Blake."

I watched as he saluted me goodbye and backed out of my driveway, before disappearing down the street.

✡ ✡ ✡

"How was it?" My father asked once I'm inside.

"Amazing," I said honestly.

I took a seat at the kitchen island, watching as my father stirred some spaghetti sauce in a large pot for us to eat. After licking the wooden spoon clear of tomato sauce, my father grabbed two white bowls from the cabinets and filled them with the spaghetti before setting one of the bowls in front of me.

"This is actually pretty good," I stated, taking a bite carefully so I won't burn my tongue.

He chuckled. "I followed a recipe off of Google."

I smiled. "That explains why this is so good."

We continued eating our dinner in a comfortable silence until he wiped his mouth with a napkin and cleared his throat.

"So, tell me about Axel," my father said.

I smiled at the thought of him. "We had a lot of fun. He took me to a lake, then to a shop in town that his grandmother, Mya, works at, then we went and got ice cream," I explained.

He smiled. "I like him. He seems like a very nice boy."

I nodded. "He is. We have a lot in common."

My father got up to wash his dish. "When do you work next?" he yelled over the sound of the running water.

"Tuesday," I responded, "but Axel's planning on showing me around so you don't need to pick me up."

My father nodded, placing his clean dish beside the sink, upside down.

"Well I look forward to seeing him again," he stated finally.

I smiled. "Good, 'cause it seems that he'll be coming here often."

"You like him, don't you?" My father asked me, his dark eyes meeting mine.

"What?" I asked him, pretending that I hadn't heard him.

"It's okay, Kate. I'm not mad," my father said, taking a seat back down beside me.

"You're not?" I asked him, surprised.

"No, you can't help how you feel about someone. Just be careful, okay? If you end up together, don't let it interfere with your life," my father said, taking my hand.

"I won't, I promise," I told him, squeezing his hand for emphasis.

He smiled. "Good. Now, I have some news," he said, sounding excited.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I got a job," my father said, smiling. "But, it's full time so you will need to start taking the bus."

I smiled. "That's fine, I'm sure I could also ask around to see if one of my friends can drive me."

"Great! Maybe your friend, what was her name... Corinne?"

"Corey," I said, smiling.

"Yeah! Maybe you could ask Corey."

"Yeah, I'll let you know," I responded and brought my dish to the sink, washing it clean.