Page 67 of Blaze & Ajax

After grabbing anAmbienand putting the box back into the closet, I handed Ajax the pill and glass of water. “Take this. You’ll feel so much better.”

He grinned, popped the pill into his mouth without hesitation, and washed it down. To wait for the sleeping pill to kick in and keep him from being anerratic nutjob, I gave him a blow job as a distraction. Crazy how he could get it up again.

Finally, the pill took effect, and he passed out, clinging to me in a fitful sleep.

I’d been so tired that I hadn’t even woken up when Ajax left.

Fuck, I was exhausted, and my ass hurt like hell. What a night.

But then the worry hit me. Where did he go? Why’d he leave? Why didn’t he tell me he was going?

Honestly, I was a little peeved after his rambling about how much he loved me, then to just fucking leave without a word as if we’d just had some one-night stand.

As much as I itched to see him, I cleaned up the mess from last night, showered, brushed my teeth, and made some coffee.

I texted him a few times with no response. Then, my worry got the better of me, and I called him, but it went straight to voicemail.

“Godfuckingdammit!”

By late afternoon, I gave up and headed over to his place, now filled with more panic than worry.

After stepping off thebus, I headed toward Ajax’s apartment and stopped. I found his bike lying in the middle of the sidewalk, like he’d gotten home and just dropped it.

“Well, he found his bike,” I mumbled to myself.

I stepped up to it and took a closer look. The bike actually seemed fine except for some scratches on the paint. I lifted it up with some effort, but I managed to walk it toward the building and leaned it against the bricks. Hopefully, no one would steal the damn thing.

After dusting off my hands, I headed inside the building and rushed up the stairs as the apprehension filled me. Ajax still hadn’t answered his phone. Sure, he could’ve forgotten to charge it, but I didn’t think so. He was so off last night, beyond hisdrinking.

When I reached his apartment, I found his door slightly ajar. My gut twisted, worried something had happened to him.

I eased the door open and looked around. “Ajax?”

His studio apartment appeared neat—very neat. Everything was in its place and orderly, and the place smelled of lemony cleanser. Ajax tended to be clean, but not so much that you could bounce a quarter off the made bed. The place had changed, too, with lots of new decorations, from throw pillows, rugs, and pictures on the walls, which had previously been bare. The tiny table in the kitchen had two placemats and a flower arrangement.

He even had two brand new lamps sitting on top of new nightstands flanking either side of his bed.

What the hell?

Did he have that kind of money? Ajax worked two jobs, but I doubted it would make him rich. Not that I knew what he got paid, but I couldn’t imagine a mom-and-pop hardware store paid all that much. Alpha’s Rejects was always hopping, so I guess the tips could’ve been good if he split them with everyone else.

His place had previously been pretty barren and devoid of a lot of personal items, but now he made it homey and comfortable. What did that mean? It was like he was… nesting.

My eyes pinged on a picture on the table next to the bed. I lifted the frame and looked at the image of Ajax and me. I was sleeping with my head on his shoulder, and he was grinning into the camera. The picture was… sweet and so unlike us. Looking around again, all seemed to be in order. The most important thing was that there didn’t seem to be any signs of a struggle or that he’d been robbed.

A loud bang made me jump. My heart raced as I drew my attention to the bathroom, with light peeking through the cracked-open door. I walked forward and pushed the door open to find Ajax shirtless, wearing shorts, and holding a sledgehammer over his head before he slammed it over the tiled wall.

“Oh, fuck,” I said, wondering what the hell was going on, but I was relieved to see he was okay.

Ajax spun around, wide-eyed, and dropped the large hammer with a loud clang. Then he smiled brightly, as if I had brought the sunshine insidewith me.

“Baby!”

He lunged at me, lifted me off my feet, and spun me around the small space. When he sent me down, he gave me a sweaty kiss.

“God, you’re so beautiful,” he said, making my hammering heart beat even harder. “Have I told you I loved you?”

Too many times already, I thought.

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