Falling For The Playboy

I stared after him. I’d never seen him angry before and now that I had, well, I was shocked. He’d only ever been playful with me.

Putting one hand around Omar, we walked slowly out of the pool house. He threw his right hand around my shoulder and a feeling of nostalgia gripped me as I remembered all the times we’d walk just like this. Down in the streets, in school, and on church grounds whenever we got tired of the preacher’s long sermons. Granted, he was seriously drunk, I didn’t know how he had come to attend this party and I had no idea what I was going to do with him now, but I was grateful I’d found him -or the other way round- amidst all the hundreds of people in there.

I saw Axel standing outside when we finally got out. What was he still doing here? He was resting on a black car with his head down and he had his hands shoved into his pockets. His head came up when he heard our foot steps. He rushed towards me as soon as he saw that I was struggling with Omar, who had dumped his entire weight on me. I was practically carrying him.

Omar’s weight was finally taken off my shoulders and I sighed as I massaged the aching muscles in my neck.

We didn’t say a single word as Axel helped Omar across and into the car he’d been leaning on. It was obviously his. I didn’t object because I knew there was nowhere else for him to sit and standing when he was almost passed out wasn’t a good idea.

“Come into the car with me? ” he asked when he stood beside me.

“Why? ” I had my eyes on the door to the house, wondering what Laura was up to. Speaking of, I needed to call her. Looking for her wasn’t an option.

“It’s cold out here. ”

His voice was softer now. Even softer than usual. He wanted to apologize, I knew it. My stare shifted to the car. I had to go in anyway, Omar was in there.

I could tell myself that Omar was the only reason I was settling back in the plush leather seat of Axel’s car, but I would be lying. I turned in my seat to check on Omar and saw him sprawled on the back seat, his eyes closed in sleep. He looked so innocent and peaceful that my heart ached.

I miss you.

As I righted myself, facing forward, I caught Axel’s eyes on me and I looked away. I thought I heard him sigh.

“I’m sorry I went off like that in there. ”

I ignored him.

“Eva? ”

Silence.

“I said I’m sorry for speaking to you the way I did. ”

“Why did you? ” I frowned, remembering I had been willing to put up with his anger because I had wanted something from him as well. To help me with Omar.

His head fell back on the headrest. “I….. ” he trailed off, sighing. “I don’t know. I just kind of lost it when I saw you hug him. ”

He hugged me, I wanted to say but I stopped myself. It was Omar. I didn’t have to justify anything.

“Why? ” I asked instead. “You shouldn’t care. ”

“I know. ” he said, his eyes still on the roof of his car.

“So why did you? ” I should let this go. I knew I should, but I couldn’t help myself.

He shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe I just wasn’t expecting anyone else to be there. ”

“Or, ” Omar piped in from the backseat. “Because you like her. ”

“I thought you were asleep? ” I turned to him. His eyes were still closed and I briefly wondered whether he was talking in his sleep. But he couldn’t be; he’d been listening to the conversation.

“I was. ” he smiled a small smile, not opening his eyes, “Your not-so-quiet conversation woke me up. And he’s silent ’cause he knows I’m right. ”

“Wrong. I’m choosing to ignore your ass.” Axel’s eyes briefly lifted to the rear view mirror to glance at Omar. “You’re practically wasted so your opinion isn’t cogent. ”

Omar scoffed, but didn’t say anything further. Thanks to him, the atmosphere in the car was now ten times more awkward than it had been before.

Discretely sneaking a glance at Axel, taking note of how he kept his gaze straight forward and how awfully quiet he had fallen, I wondered if Omar was right. I mean, he didn’t have to have huge feelings or anything, but what if he had a tiny crush on me? Could he possibly?

And why was I so desperate to know if he did? Because I had a tiny one on him too?

“Do you have any suggestions as to what we’re going to do with him? ” I asked, changing the topic -both between us and in my head. Anything to take my mind off the destructive path it was headed.

Axel seemed to think this over, munching on his lower lip as his eyes narrowed in concentration. “We could take him to a hotel where he can spend the night. And then tomorrow, figure out what to do with him. ” he cut a glance at Omar. “Although I assume that wouldn’t be necessary. Someone had to have invited him to the party. ”

I nodded even though he couldn’t see me. He was right. I hadn’t thought all this over. We could drop him off at a hotel, go back to him tomorrow, and hopefully, catch up on everything that had been happening with him. It sounded easy enough. I’d been beating myself up over nothing.

He started the car, about to pull out from his parking space when a knock came at his window. He rolled it down and a guy shoved his head into the car.

“Hey, man. What’s up? ” Axel asked, leaning his hand on the steering wheel.

“You’re leaving? ” the other guy asked.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!

“Yeah, I have to. Something came up. ” Axel explained. “Will you let Dare know I’m leaving? ”

The guy nodded and then his eyes fell on me. “Who is she? ”

Axel put two fingers to the guys forehead, pushing him out of the car roughly. He hurriedly dragged his head back when he saw the window sliding up. “Tell Dare what I said. And shut the fuck up. ” the window slid shut.

He pulled out of the parking space, turning in the circular path the fountain provided, then drove out, honking when he passed the security man. He waved. They knew each other.

I glanced at him in surprise. I knew a lot of Ivacy High students that would completely disregard that man’s existence simply because of his post. I had seen two more sides to Axel tonight. This one and the angry one I’d seen back at the pool house.