Chapter 21

Chapter 21

"Axel..." his name fell from my lips.

"Wait, you guys know each other?" Dean said in delight.

"Yeah, um..." I began.

"Hey, Axel." A tall brunette in a body-con made her way towards Axel. "We were waiting for you." she wrapped her arms around his waist. "Oh, hi." She said to me in her sweet little voice.

I blinked in surprise, "Hi."

"So, uh, how did you two meet?" Dean asked.

"Oh, uh... let's not talk about me, let's talk about you! How did you two meet?" Axel asked Dean.

Dean chuckled, "Alright, mate, well, we bumped into each other in the supermarket." Dean smiled at me; Axel followed Dean's gaze. "Then we bumped into each other again at The Brunch Street."

"The Brunch Street?" Axel's brows raised, as if in surprise.

"Yeah, you know, the restaurant?" Dean replied.

"Yeah." Axel smiled and nodded, "So, yesterday?"

"Uh, yes," Dean replied with wonder on his face.

"How –" I interrupted.

"Axel, dude! Come on." A guy with two girls called out.

"One sec, Oliver!"

"Oliver's right..." the girl purred and made her way onto Axel's neck, lips running like a vampire on foreplay. "We should go." She whispered loud enough for me to hear. I felt a lump on my throat.

"You should go," I said to Axel, his head shot up in my direction, "Don't leave them waiting."

His face is unreadable but he kept staring at me as the girl continued peppering kisses on his neck. He swatted it when she started emitting low moans. I looked away, avoiding his gaze.

"Axel!" Oliver shouted over the giggles.

"Alright..." he said in a low voice then turned to Dean, "I'll see you around, brother." He man-hugged Dean and patted his back. He gave me a small smile and walked away, going to Oliver with the brunette's arm snaked around his waist.

Dean chuckled lowly. I didn't notice him walking next to me. "Axel really is something." He said then waved to them as they exit Corrigan's.

"Oh, he's something, alright." Their giggles echoing the hallway as they put their coats on.

Sam walked to us with our orders on the tray, "Here's your order..." he placed them on the table.

"Thanks, Sam," I said, he gave me a small smile then went back to the bar.

I made my way to the table, taking my seat, Dean followed suit.

"Let's eat?" he said with that charming smile of his, I can't help but smile back.

"Yeah." I nodded then we started having dinner.

"So, what do you do?" he asked as I was chewing on my food.

I swallowed it first then replied, "I'm an Accountant."

"Oh, so you're smart smart. You must've loved maths."

"No, not really. It's actually just basic math. It's more about the principles and procedures that make the Accountant." I took a sip of my drink, "I'm boring you out."

"No!" he protested.

"Nah, I'm just kidding. I'm actually boring me out. How about you, though? How did you start in the modeling business?"

He put the fork down and leaned on the table, "Well, I did ads when I was a kid –"

"Oh, so you're pretty pretty."

He laughed and shook his head, "I'm surprised you didn't look me up yet."

"Now where's the mystery in that?"

"You know, you're different."

"And I'm supposed to feel flattered how?"

"No... it's just that you're not like most girls."

"Oh." I paused for a while, "Well, believe me, we're one and the same. We're all different from each other, meaning we're all not like anyone."

He smiled and looked down, "I apologize. I forgot the trope, but you have to believe me when I say I get that."

"Oh, you do?"

"Yeah, you sound just like my mother."

"Really? Then I like her already."

"Yeah, she's a feminist."

"As every girl should be. But I also know there are still women who don't believe in themselves being equal to men, so, yeah." I smiled at him.

He chuckled and took a swig of his drink, "I like you, Lauren Grant." The sound of the glass clinking down the table was palpable to the sudden silence in my ears. His fingers circled the rim of the glass. I looked at him and he was already looking at me.

I felt myself smirk as I let out a huff of air, "Well, many people said I'm likable," I said sticking my nose up in the air. He laughed. "So, the modeling gig?" I continued.

"Yes, so, I was doing ads for OshKosh and Gap when I was a kid."

"Uh-huh." I nodded.

"It was around the time when we went to the Hamptons for the summer."

"Oh, so you're rich rich."

He shrugged, "We're comfortable."

"Bullshit." I chuckled, "That's what every rich person says."

He laughed, raising his hands in surrender.

"Okay, continue," I said.

"Right, so me mum has friends in high places."

I nodded.

"And after Secondary School, she said it would be such a drag to waste my potential in modeling that she called up friends and... here I am."

"Wow..."

"Yeah, I know it sounds so much like nepotism but if it's any consolation, I did work hard to get where I am."

"You know, what I'm actually surprised of is that she didn't push you to go to College, being she's a feminist and all."

"Well, she believed I'd have more success in modeling after I explicitly said Uni is bollocks."

I nearly spat my drink, "Oh, wow."

"I just know it wasn't meant for me. I wasn't cut out for it."

"And you're cut-out for the runway..."

"Well, I didn't think I was specifically cut-out for the runway, just not for Uni. She was a little surprised when we had the University talk because I was such a big nerd in Secondary School."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah, my favorite subject was Physics."

I grinned, "That's amazing."

He leaned closer, "The greater the distance, the lesser the force of attraction."

"Oh my God, that confirms it."

He laughed.

"Well, I just want to say that I'm glad it worked out for you. It takes guts to leave what you've been so used to and just take a leap to start something you're not entirely sure of. But I think it's what makes life memorable. All of our uncharacteristic decisions, all of the uncomfortable but good ones, make us who we are."

He sat back, defeated. "You don't know how much effort I'm putting on right now just to not kiss you."

My cheeks instantly felt hot at his comment and I watched as he slumped back on his seat, perplexed by everything at the moment. "I guess you'll just have to keep on putting that effort until the night ends." I raised my glass in a toast and downed the drink, taking pleasure in his awestruck face.

*       *       *

His pinky finger grazed mine as we walked towards my apartment. I looked at him suspiciously. He looked up, acting all innocent. I chuckled, wrapping my arms around my shoulders, hugging my coat tighter.

"What?" he said with a low breathy laugh.

"You know what."

"No, I absolutely don't." he denied but his wide grin failed him.

I raised my right hand, spreading it palms up, and raised my brows suggestively at him.

"Alright, if you really want to." He smacked his left hand on my right and intertwined his fingers with mine.

"Uh-hah, what?"

He brought his other hand to close my fingers around his, "Oh come on. Don't be such a killjoy." He smirked in satisfaction as we continued to walk.

"This is me," I said as we reached my apartment building.

"Oh, wow. I've never wished a walk to be any longer than it is but I do now." I chuckled, he stared at my eyes then his gaze fell on my lips then back up.

I smiled, looking down. I was never good at maintaining eye contact, it always made me feel vulnerable and I didn't like feeling vulnerable.

His free hand raised my chin, the other still holding my hand. "Say yes." He inched closer.

I looked at his eyes, searching and pleading. He moved closer, our lips a breadth away. "I'm not saying no."

His lips fell on mine and my eyes closed of its own accord. His hand moved to support my jaw and mine went to hold his back. Our lips moved in sync. Slow and sweet. A perfect first date kiss.

He pulled back and we were catching our breaths. He smiled, looking at our still-intertwined hands. He let them go and placed both his hands on the sides of my head. He moved closer and placed his lips gently on my forehead. I closed my eyes, savoring the moment, feeling the cold breeze sway.

"Good night, Lauren." His hair a brown mop of curly mess with the wind.

I moved a lock of hair away from his face, "Good night, Dean." I smiled and hailed a cab for him.

A cab stopped and he smiled at me as he got in. An unspoken "later" and somehow it was enough.

I walk into my apartment building, still feeling hazy from the kiss. I looked at my reflection in the elevator and found myself smiling like crazy. I must look like an idiot.

I got out of the elevator with my fingers on my lips. I walked towards my apartment with complete abandon. My mind kept replaying the kiss downstairs. I must be losing my mind.

I stopped in my tracks when I saw Axel leaning against my apartment door.

"What are you doing here?" He stood straight. I can see his jaw clenching even in the shadow of the night.

He marched down to me and grabbed my head with both his hands, crashing his lips to mine.

"What–" I protested against his lips but he kept on kissing me. I pushed him away. He stumbled but maintained his balance. He kept on panting as he stared at me, eyes glistening under the soft light.

"Just what the fuck did you think you were doing?" I spat.

"What? One model's not good enough for you, you have to get two?"

"Oh, wow!" I scoffed, "Says the one who's basically doing foreplay on a bar. And, not that it's any of your business, I didn't even know he was a model."

"The hell you don't. You were at the show. I invited you. He walked before me."

"And that's beside the point. It's not like we were exclusive. We're dating out of sheer obligation to the dare."

He walked closer. "What does it matter to you if I go out with a guy? It's not like you were alone tonight."

He took another step closer. I took a step away. "Why? Afraid to kiss me?" He moved closer.

"No," I said with a straight face as I took another step away. He chuckled, "Afraid I'd be better than Dean?"

"Oh, you'd be sorry if I had to answer that."

"Give it one more try then." He took another step.

I rolled my eyes, "No way."

"Why? Your goody-two-shoes can't kiss two guys in one night?" he pressed on.

Oh, no.

Nobody calls me goody-two-shoes.

I took a step closer to him, the air within me suddenly dropped all its inhibitions and wafted courage. I pinned him to a pillar. I looked at him up and down, my gaze closing in on his neck as his throat bobbed. Just hours ago, a tall brunette of a glass of water was breaking her neck just to kiss him right there. He's talking about better? I'll show him who's better.

I crashed my lips against his. He was taken aback for a moment but kissed back with equal force. It's not like the one I shared with Dean. No. This is so much different. This is hard and rushed and full of angst. His hands roamed around my back, stopping at the small of my waist, fingers just above my ass. My hands were all over his hair, pulling a little from the back.

He bit my lip and I gasped a breath but his lips covered mine again, barely giving me any time to breathe. I pulled away from his lips and trailed kisses from his mouth to his jaw to his neck. He let out a deep groan. I smirked. He didn't make that sound earlier at Corrigan's.

The air suddenly hummed with electricity. I continued kissing him to his collar bone, eliciting strained moans from him.

I rose and pressed my forehead against his. "Now who's better?"

I swiftly turned the keys and opened my apartment, leaving him a panting mess outside.