We went to Duke’s early to grab a bite and the line was pretty short. Axel wore a tight form-fitting black shirt that showed off his rippling, rugged muscles and a pair of form-fitting jeans, really emphasizing his cute behind. His cute longish hair was shaved down short, surprising me. He’d lost any of his boyish qualities and looked even sexier in a different way, he was mouth-wateringly sexy. I felt butterflies flutter in my stomach as I gazed upon him, his eyes met mine and widened in surprise before his face broke into a full smile. I couldn’t contain the smirk that formed on my lips from his contagious smiles.
“Hey,” he greeted us, speaking directly to me. “I wasn’t expecting you.” He smiled widely, clearly happy.
“Surprise,” I giggled, something out of character for me, the alcohol was getting to me.
“It is. My night just got a lot better,” he said making me blush. Axel let us all in, not checking our IDs or charging us. “I’ll see you later.” He winked at me, speaking quietly so only I could hear. I simply nodded, my flush still very present.
“What’s the story with the hottie?” Anne asked, turning to me as we spotted an empty table and beelined for it.
“He’s a friend,” I said casually but was unable to hide my blush. She smirked at me.
“A friend huh? I’d like to have him as a friend.” She winked making me choke and Jenny burst into laughter.
“Same here!” Jenny shouted out. I rolled my eyes at the girls and their foolishness. All the while knowing I had it good with a guy like Axel, not only for his strikingly handsome looks but for his thoughtfulness that I’d come to see. We all ordered some food and a pitcher of red sangria to share. We were having a great time, talking, eating and drinking. After our second pitcher, I cut myself off, knowing I was more than tipsy. The waitress came with our bills and I was shocked when she said mine was already paid for it.
“Sorry, I think there’s been a mistake,” I told her confused.
“No, Axel paid for you,” she explained with a vacant expression. I couldn’t hide the surprise from my face.
“That’s some friend you got,” Anne said loudly, laughing with Jenny. Anne always seemed to say whatever was on her mind, something I liked but at the moment was not enjoying very much. I gave her a pointed glare. They both continued laughing unfazed by my glare.
“Thank you,” I told the waitress still leaving her a tip. We went to the dance floor together and were having a good time all dancing together, when I felt a pair of eyes on my back. I turned with a smile, expecting it to be Axel but was shocked to find the eyes burning a hole on my back were Chris’s. My smile instantly vanished and I felt my throat constrict, all the fun I’d been having was gone. We stared at each other for a long moment, before I turned my back to him, needing to break the eye contact and mentally regroup. Axel, Jenny, and even Anne, had been doing an amazing job at distracting me from the pain. But seeing Chris just brought it all rushing to the surface.
“Are you okay?” Jenny asked worriedly, she always seemed to pick up on my emotions. I shook my head. No, I really wasn’t.
“What’s wrong?” Anne asked, both girls moving closer to hear over the loud music.
“Chris is here,” I alerted them, they looked around behind me and then nodded when they spotted him. They all knew we’d recently broken up but they didn’t know the whole story. I hadn’t told anyone about Chelsea and her role in all of this. They just knew he was a cheater. I no longer felt like staying here any longer. Fun time was over, I didn’t want to witness Chris getting into another girl’s pants.
“Do you want to go?” Jenny asked, reading my mind. I nodded my head, I’d ruin their fun if I stayed and I no longer had any desire to be here. I needed to get away from Chris.
“You guys stay,” I told them. “I’ll be fine.”
“Are you sure?” Jenny asked, watching my face to see if I was lying.
“Yeah, have fun,” I told them honestly. “I’ll talk to you girls tomorrow,” I promised.
They nodded and hugged me goodbye. I maneuvered my way through the crowd that had amassed and made my way for the exit. I could see Axel and I instantly felt a little better. He smiled at seeing me and I tried to smile back. I felt a strong hand grab my arm forcefully and jerk me back, surprising me. I turned to see Chris’s icy blue eyes glaring at me angrily. I froze, petrified in shock.
“I didn’t expect to find you here,” he said, his voice filled with rage, his breath stank of liquor.
“Leave me alone Chris,” I told him, trying to pull out of his firm grasp, he held me tight, not letting me move.
“We’re not done,” Chris said, ignoring me.
“Let her go,” Axel said angrily, his voice deep, loud and clear, his face twisted in anger. I had never seen anything but a smile on his face, this face was truly scary. I didn’t have a doubt in my mind that he was serious
