by Nia Arthurs
It almost works. Almost. But the thought that he’s used to women falling all over him wakes me up. I refuse to be another one of his ditzy followers who loses all sense when he smirks their way.
I toss my head. “You’re fine? Okay. Prove it. Go back in there and tell Seb that we’d like to go to dinner with him and Maribella. Tonight.”
His eyes narrow. “You’re more cunning than you look.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
He sighs heavily. “The truth is Seb and I were best friends. A long time ago.”
“That much I gathered.”
“Back then, we made some stupid decisions. The kind that still keeps me up at night. Seeing him tonight reminds me of that.”
I want to ask him what exactly those ‘stupid decisions’ are, but I don’t push. At least he answered instead of trying to dodge me again. “Okay.”
“I’m sorry.” He glances at the gallery. The music from inside dances on the wind. Bright lights cast shadows on the sidewalk. “I made you leave before we were ready. Would you like to go back inside?”
“It’s fine. I’d already seen most of the art anyway.”
“You want to go home?”
“Sounds like you have another idea.”
“How about dessert.”
“Excuse me?”
He chuckles and steps closer. “I meant food. What were you thinking just now?”
“That you were suggesting something else,” I say boldly, moving toward him too.
“You’re that kind of girl?”
I pause, thinking about it. “I guess you’ll just have to wait to find out.”
One corner of his lips perks up. “I’m looking forward to it.”
I back off first. There’s only so much of Axle’s piercing stare that I can handle without combusting into a squealing, giggling teenaged girl. A woman has to know her limits.
“So,” I turn toward the rows of cars, “which one’s yours?”
“That one.” He points to a jalopy that looks older than my great grandparents.
My smile cracks. “Er, how… quaint.”
Axle laughs.
“What?”
“Not that one.” He puts his hands on my shoulders again and leads me to the car beside it. A much nicer, newer model.
“Oh.” I let out a relieved breath.
He studies me with an amused grin. “Were you planning to abandon me if I didn’t drive a fancy car?”
“Of course not. I’m not that shallow.”
He opens my car door and rests his chin on top of it, admiring me as I slip inside. “Either way, I’m honored to give you a ride.”
“Why?”
“Because the first time we met, you accused me of being a stalker and didn’t want to tell me where you lived.”
I chuckle at the memory. “Jury’s still out on the stalker conviction.”
“Ouch. ”
“Come on.” I reach out and tug on the door handle. “I’m suddenly in the mood for some ice cream.”
“Coming right up.” Axle closes my door and then jogs around to slide into the driver’s seat. On the way to the ice cream shop, we chat about his work and my students at school.
Just as it did ten years ago, our conversation flows. Freely. Easily. It’s like I’ve known him forever when the truth is we’ve only met a handful of times.
It’s odd. I’m not usually this comfortable around handsome men and I’m especially uncomfortable around men as beautiful as Axle. But for all his good looks, he’s a sincerely humble, down-to-earth guy.
And I dig that.
We enter the ice cream shop. The menu is a bright display mounted above the counters. I mentally peruse the flavors.
Axle hangs back.
“Excuse me,” he says, frowning at his phone. “It’s Kolby. I should probably get this.”
I wave him away while I trot to the counter and smile at the attendant. Her tan brown skin, nose ring and short haircut grab my attention. She rocks the teeny ween afro like a boss.
“Have you decided, ma’am?” she asks.
I blink. It’s still strange to be called ‘ma’am’. I’m only twenty-five. Geez. “Uh, no.”
“Okay.” She wanders away and droops into a stool to play on her phone.
“See anything you like?” A deep voice says.
Assuming it’s Axle, I smile as I spin. “Hey… whoa. Who are you?”
The guy breathing down my neck is not Axle. Not even close.
He’s a stocky, body-builder type with cocoa brown skin and a baldhead. His bug eyes and heavily tattooed arms make him more suited to guarding the front door of a seedy bar than traipsing around a sugar-themed ice cream shop.
“I saw you standing here by yourself and figured a fine piece like you should have some company.”
“How… gallant of you.” I step back. “But I’m here with someone.”
“Who?” He glances around. “I don’t see nobody.”
“She’s with me.” A moment later, Axle appears and pulls me behind him. His eyes are blazing, his jaw rigid.
Seedy Guy barks out a laugh. “My bad.” He swings around and mumbles loud enough for us to hear, “Couldn’t find a black guy to put up with that attitude, huh?”
“Hey!” Axle steps forward.
I put a hand to his chest to keep him from lashing out at the heckler. “It’s fine.”
“No, it’s not.”
“All I want is ice cream. Please. Let’s not start anything.”
Axle backs off. “Alright,” he says through gritted teeth.
I hold his hand, not to be romantic but because I can still see the anger searing through his gaze. I’m afraid that if I let him go, he’ll barrel over to the creep and smash a fist into his face. I don’t want to spoil our night with a fight that Axle may or may not win.
“I’ll have an Oreo swirl,” I tell the server.
She glances expectantly at Axle.
I step into him, forcing his gaze to me. “Hey, she’s waiting for your order.”
“I’ll have the same.”
“You didn’t even hear what I ordered.”
“It doesn’t matter.” His eyes finally soften. “I want it.”
The tingles start again. I move away from him and accept the cone the girl offers, scarfing it down to cool myself off. Axle accepts his cone, but we head outside to eat it in the car instead of sticking around.
For a while, silence abounds in the darkness. Eventually, I glance at him. “What did Kolby want?”
“They wanted to know where I was. My parents were looking for me.”
I sit straight up. “Should we go back?”
“No way. I want you all to myself for a little longer.”
A sugary grin spreads on my face. “You know, technically, you were supposed to buy me and Kolby ice cream that day at the park. You never did.”
“I’ll make it up to him later.”
I look over thoughtfully. “I’m really glad I met Kolby again. That day, I remember being so stunned when this strange little kid climbed on my bench. He had the brightest eyes. Ten years later, I got to see those eyes again.”
“It’s kind of like Fate brought us back together.” Axle takes my hand. “And maybe this time, we both stick around.”
9
Axle
My eyes crack open. Sunlight streams into the room, brushing the air with a golden glow. I roll on my side, crushing my yawn into the pillow. When I sit up and glance around, my heart stops.
Wait… why am I back in my old room?
Before my brain can convince me that I’ve somehow travelled back to when I was seventeen, I notice my reflection in the mirror. A man with frazzled brown hair, grey eyes and a jaw in desperate need of a shave looks back at me.
Relieved, I fall into bed as yesterday’s memories flood my mind. Kolby invited me to town. I met Ember. Invited her to Kolby’s art show. Took her for ice cream then dropped her home.
; A smile creeps over my face. I prop the back of my head up with an arm and stare at the ceiling. Ember. The likelihood of us meeting again seemed impossible. Yet here we are. And this time, I didn’t let her leave without getting her number.
“Axle?” A gentle knock sounds at the door. “Are you up?”
I throw my blankets off and head to the door. The wooden floor is cold and pulls against the bottom of my feet. I twist the doorknob and stand back, allowing my mother into the room.
“Good morning.”
“Morning, Mom.” I rub the heel of one hand into my eye.
She gives me a watery smile. “You’re really here. When your father told me, I thought he was making it up.”
A prick of regret stabs my chest. I hate that I’ve put them through so much.
The sun highlights every wrinkle coating Mom’s eyes and mouth, every strand of grey in her hair. She’s getting older and for some reason, that shocks me.
“Come on, Ma.” I pull her in for a hug. “What matters is I’m here now.”
Mom leans back. “Why did you run away in the first place? I know we had our differences, but that last year you seemed to settle down. You were a wonderful brother to Kolby, a good son. It doesn’t make sense.”
“Ma…” I sigh and release her. Those questions are why I stopped picking up her calls. Mom has never accepted my decision to avoid this town and she kept trying to guilt me into coming back.
“What? Explain it to me.”
“There’s nothing to explain. I had school and then I found a job—”
“A job that kept you so busy you couldn’t even join us for Christmas? Do you have to work so hard?”
“Living in the city is expensive.”
“But even in college you didn’t—”
“I had to work a part-time job so I could pay for my apartment and groceries.”
“You’re just full of excuses, aren’t you?”
“Mom, look, you and Dad are welcome to visit me anytime. My place is a little cramped but that’s nothing we can’t work with.”
“Why should we have to do that when there’s a perfectly good room waiting for you here?” She surges forward, eyes pleading. “Tell me what happened to drive you away, honey.”
Her hands fist on my chest. I cover them and slowly put them down. “Mom, you’re overthinking this.”
“I’m not crazy, Axle,” she snaps. “Don’t patronize me.”
I wince. “I’m not trying to—Mom, is this what I have to go through every time we see each other? I’m busy with work so I don’t have time to drive up here. That’s it.”
“Okay, okay.” She shakes her head so her chin-length brown hair sways. Her hand stops at the hollow of her throat. “I’ll drop it for now.” Her smile is pained, tight-lipped. “Why don’t you come down for breakfast?”
“I’ll be there in a minute.”
She nods and leaves, closing the door softly behind her. I turn around and dig my fingers into my hair, squeezing my eyes tightly as a hollow feeling surrounds my chest.
I was honest when I told Ember I left town because I was running away, but what I didn’t share is that I never outran my demons. They’re with me here, in this room that is brimming with memories, just as they are with me at my apartment a hundred miles away.
After brushing my teeth, I head downstairs. Kolby lounges around the counter, stuffing his face with pancakes. Dad is reading the newspaper at the table. Mom is flitting between the stove and Kolby’s plate trying to refill his pancake tower before it disappears.
I smile at the sight and slip in next to Kolby. “Are you training for a pie eating contest?”
“Leave him alone,” Mom scolds me with a grin. “He’s a growing boy.”
“Exactly.” Kolby nods.
Dad’s newspaper crinkles as he folds it and sets it on the table. “Did your friend get home alright yesterday?”
“Huh?”
“Kolby said you left the gallery to give someone a ride.” Dad exchanges a look with my little brother. “A young woman.”
“Oh?” Mom sets a hand on her hip, intrigue glimmering in her brown eyes. “Someone we know?”
I cough. “No.”
“She’s stunning, ma.” Kolby shakes his head as if the mere thought of Ember affects him. “And she’s a good person. She’s kind, sweet, and smart. A real woman. I saw it from the day we met.”
Mom shoots me a curious look. “So Kolby knows her too?”
“Well—”
“We met at the park when I was a kid. Something about her just…” Kolby stares into the distance, “called to me. There was this light over her, you know?”
Dad chuckles and picks his newspaper back up. “Axle, sounds like you have some competition.”
“Please.” I snag one of Kolby’s pancakes. “You wish.”
“Give that back.” Kolby swipes the air.
I stick the pancake into my mouth.
While we fuss, there’s a knock at the door. Mom undoes her apron and gives us the stink eye, “Boys, behave.”
“All these years,” Dad chuckles, “and some things haven’t changed.”
I munch on the pancake and shoot Kolby a victorious stare. He sticks his tongue out at me, making me laugh.
“Look who’s here!” Mom yells, trotting into the room.
I grab a glass of water and spin, my grin slipping when my gaze lands on Seb. He steps into the kitchen, wearing a three-piece suit and a mischievous smile. “Hello, everyone.”
“Sebastian Trent.” Dad unfolds his newspaper and rises slowly, his jaw slack.
“It’s good to see you, sir.” Seb shakes Dad’s hand. “It’s been a while.”
“We were just having breakfast. Seb, would you like a plate?” Mom already has a dish in hand, one eyebrow quirked.
“That would be great.”
Seb takes the seat beside me. “Hey.”
“What are you doing here?”
“Thought I’d stop by since I don’t have anything pressing this morning.” He leans his elbows on the counter. “Kolby, your artwork last night was fantastic. If you ever decide to retire your football jersey, you can make a living with your paintings.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“Sir?” Seb scrunches his nose. “No need for all that.” He throws an arm around my shoulder. “Axle and I are like brothers, which makes you my brother too.”
“O…kay.”
I brush Seb’s arm off.
His smile doesn’t waver. “How old are you now, Kolby?”
“Sixteen.”
“Ah, sixteen.” Seb leans back and stares at the ceiling. “I remember those days. We were a handful back then, weren’t we, Miss Jill.”
Mom sets a plate of pancakes before Seb and slides over the syrup. “I’ll say. If I remember, you, Axle and Corey would zip all over town in that cherry red convertible your mom bought you, wreaking all kinds of havoc.”
“We weren’t that bad.” Seb winks.
Dad moves closer to us. “Where is Corey these days? Haven’t seen him around lately.”
“Last I heard he’d taken over his uncle’s trucking business. He’s always on the road, so it’s hard to keep in touch.” Seb glances at me. “We’ve all done a bad job of staying connected.”
Mom curls her fingers into the hem of her shirt. “Seb, maybe you can explain to me. Did something happen back then?”
“What do you mean?”
She cuts me a quick look. “I’m trying to figure out what chased Axle away from us.”
I stare at the counter, my jaw clenching.
Kolby jumps to my rescue. “Mom, did you wash my red jersey?”
Distracted, my mother glances at him. “Which one?”
“The red one with my number behind it. It’s my lucky jersey. I can’t find it anywhere.”
“Have you looked in the closet?”
“I did, but it wasn’t there.”
“Let me see.” Mom wipes her hands on the sid
e of her jeans and wanders into the laundry room.
Kolby moves to follow her, but stops to acknowledge Seb. “It was good meeting you again.”
He holds out his hand for Kolby to slap. “You too, little man.”
Kolby ignores his hand and shoots him a side-eye for the ‘little man’ reference. A moment later, he disappears through the door. Dad excuses himself from the kitchen too, leaving Seb and I alone around the counter.
The silence that descends is interrupted by the clank of his fork and the snap of his jaw as he enthusiastically chews his meal. I study my own plate, my appetite gone and my mind churning.
What exactly does he want from me?
We spent years without speaking a word to each other. I’ll admit, the distance was my idea, but I thought it was clear that we’re not the friends we once were. Seb is acting like nothing happened.
“This is good.” Seb points a fork at the syrup in his plate. “I rarely have breakfast in the morning. You know I took over my dad’s company, right? I always swore that I’d never be stuck in an office for a nine to five. Look at me now. I’m in an office twenty-four-seven.”
“Hm.”
Seb drops his fork. “You okay, man? Don’t tell me Ember dumped you already?”
“She didn’t dump—” I pause. Collect myself. Seb being here has thrown me off-balance. “Why did you stop by, Seb?”
“I told you. I had the time.”
“Cut the crap.”
He blinks, his brown eyes widening. “Whoa, why are you so pissed off? I’m just trying to catch up. I thought I was seeing a ghost when I saw you in the gallery last night.”
“That’s funny. I had the same reaction.”
He looks at me, bewildered. “Axle, did I do something to offend you?”
“Maribella,” I hiss.
“What about her?”
“You’re engaged?”
“Yeah.” Seb blinks as if he sees nothing wrong with dating and eventually marrying the woman he killed a man over.
“What about Diandre?”
Finally, he turns serious. Darkness blazes over his face. His eyes turn hard. “He has nothing to do with any of us.”
“He died, Seb.”
“It was an accident.”
“It wasn’t.”
