Page 62 of Blaze & Ajax

“Okay.”

“Is it? Are you?”

“What?”

“Is it okay?”

I rolled over and combed the sweaty bangs from his face. “Yeah, it is. It was nice to just focus on us.”

He suddenly yawned loudly. “Good.”

His arm wrapped around me, and he nestled his face against my throat again, and soon his body went heavy and limp.

My stomach growled since we hadn’t eaten, but I was too tired to care.

I rolled over in bed and reached for Ajax, but all I felt was cold, empty space. How long had I been sleeping? My eyes cracked open, and I glanced at the old digital clock sitting on the nightstand, which read seven minutes until three in the morning.

Where’d he go?

I sat up, and my nose was suddenly awakened by the scent of cooking meat. Across the space, Ajax stood shirtless at the stove, cooking something sizzling on a pan.

“Ouch! Fucking grease,” he hissed, rubbing his stomach.

I yawned and rubbed my eyes. “What are you doing?”

He turned and smiled. “Hey, baby! I forgot to make you dinner, so I’m doing it now. Sorry.”

“Jaxon, it’s three in the morning.”

He frowned. “Is it? Well, we need to eat. Aren’t you hungry?”

“A little, but…”

“I’ve already cooked it. Oh, do you like hamburgers? Everyone likes hamburgers, right? Unless you’re a vegetarian. But I’ve seen you eat meat. No vegetarians here!” he chuckled.

Ajax moved around the kitchen like he couldn’t keep still, hopping around and grabbing utensils and plates.

“I make really good smashed burgers. Shit, I forgot the tomatoes.” He grabbed a fresh tomato and started slicing it thinly.

I just sat there, wondering what the hell was going on. Was Ajax always like this in the middle of the night? I’d only slept over twice, and while he tossed and turned, he never got out of bed. Was this why he always looked so tired?

I climbed out of the bed, walked over to him, and grabbed his arms to stop his rapid movements. “Let the meat cool, save it for tomorrow, and let’s go back to bed. You need your sleep. Tell you what? We’ll eat the hamburgers for breakfast.”

He looked uncertain for a moment, nibbling on his bottom lip. “But… I’m not tired. And I’m really hungry.”

I yawned again and sighed. Fuck it. We could just sleep in, and he always looked like he could use more food.

“Okay. Let’s eat.”

“Yes! You’re going to love these.”

He decorated my burger with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, ketchup, mustard, pickles, and cheese on a bun.

Ajax bounced on his heels, watching me, waiting.

I grabbed the burger and took a big bite. Itwasreally good. “It’s amazing.”

“Awesome!”

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