Page 7 of Behind the Mask

A gasp escaped my lips. I automatically knew who it was. I knew I should go down there and talk to him, but I couldn't. So, I sent back the only reply I could. I saved his number in my contacts and typed out a reply.

Me: No.

The response was immediate.

Axel: Please, Olivia. I want...no, I need answers.

I released a breath and slowly got up and walked downstairs. I didn't care that I was only in a thin tank and a pair of shorts that barely covered my ass, it was almost midnight, and I was emotionally drained. I huffed. Of course the minute he came calling, I ran to him. I always listened to him no matter how much I didn’t want to sometimes.

When I walked outside, a chill ran over my body when I saw his truck parked in front of the house. I paused. It was the same old beat down Ford, and that surprised me. I figured he would have traded it in for something newer and more expensive.

I took a deep breath and made my way over to him. I opened the door and got in. Once I was settled in the seat, I closed the door and the heat from the vents cascaded over me. I didn't look at him, and I didn't realize we were driving somewhere until it was too late.

"Put your seatbelt on." He gritted out.

My brows creased. His voice had an unnecessary edge to it. Why did he call me out here if he didn't want to see me? I buckled in, crossed my arms, and looked out at the darkness. There were no other cars on the road but us, and all that passed by as we drove were trees. I had no idea where he was taking me, but with Axel, I knew there was no need to be afraid.

We pulled up to a small, yet familiar park that we had claimed when we were kids. It had a small pond that was buried behind a bunch of trees, and in front of those trees was a jungle gym that only had one slide. Axel and I loved to come here as kids because we loved how the pond attracted many ducks. He turned off the truck and everything went silent. I could hear the crickets chirping and the owls howling, and faintly, I could hear his ragged breaths.

Out of the corner of my eye, his hands curled around the steering wheel and his knuckles turned white like a blank piece of printer paper. I leaned my head against the torn up seat and closed my eyes. When painful memories flashed behind my lids, my nails dug into my palms. I tried with everything in me to remember I was alone with Axel and nothim.

"Why did you leave?" His tone was so soft that it forced me to open my eyes and look at him. He refused to look at me, though. His gaze remained on the jungle gym in front of us. I sighed and ran a hand through my hair, painful memories momentarily forgotten. How did he expect me to tell him everything when it was as violent as it was?

"I, um..."

He turned to face me, and a gasp escaped my lips. My heart ached for the pain I caused lingering in his baby-blues. How could I have hurt him as much as I had?

I grew angry. I screwed him up good, and the only person to blame was myself. Maybe, if I had gone to him in the beginning, things would be different. Although, he would have seen the self-destructive state I was in and that would have only broken his spirit.

Ugh. Why did he care anyway? It wouldn't change things. He wouldn't take me back when he found out what happened. He hadVanessanow, so why the hell did he care?

"Why does it matter? It was five years ago, and you’ve clearly moved on." I breathed in heavy pants, and without looking back I opened the door and walked away. I walked on the lit trail until I found myself sitting at a bench near the pond. It used to be that I didn’t fear what lingered behind the shadows, but as I looked past the lamp posts, all I could see was darkness, and that frightened me.

I knew there were monsters that were waiting to prey on the innocent, yet here I was sitting out here like a sacrifice. I leaned over and placed my head in my hands. I knew he was coming around the corner, but as his footsteps hit the pavement, I didn’t dare look up. His Axe cologne filled my nostrils as he took a seat beside me.

“Why did you come back, Liv?” He whispered, and it was the first time I had heard the nickname in years. It brought a chill I didn’t feel before.

I scoffed, slightly bold enough to pickle the beast. “I could ask you the same question,” I paused. “But we already know why you’re here, don’t we?” I kicked a loose pebble with my croc. I leaned back against the bench and crossed my arms to rid myself of the crisp, fall breeze. The moon emerged from the clouds and brought a beautiful glow along with it. I shivered when something warm was placed on my shoulders.

I looked at Axel and was taken aback by his features. His baby-blues were focused, but cautious. His strong, angular jaw ticked, but I assumed it wasn’t from annoyance, and his full lips called to me. Even after all this time, I still wanted him. I licked my lips and pulled the jacket tighter around me as the wind picked up.

His eyes darkened to fit the night sky. Briefly, an image from that night surfaced in my mind.

Brad’s beady eyes had held a dark promise, and his lips had curled into a cruel smile. It had always been Axel’s belief that Brad had an unhealthy obsession with me and while I chose to ignore it, he was right. If only he knew the truth, but courage was something I never had. That was all Axel.

He sighed and ran a hand through his freshly trimmed hair. “What happened to us, Liv? We used to tell each other everything, until…”

“Until I left,” I finished for him.

His fingers slipped under my chin tilting my head up gently like he used to. The color in his eyes returned as they pleaded, "Please. I need to know, it’s killing me."

His proximity was unnerving, his touch, his smell—it was all too much. The hardest part was leaving him, but not only that, it hurt knowing that I willingly left. I had him; he was mine. We were in love, had plans for the future, but everything changed. I kept everything inside so I could hopefully move past the nightmares and shame, but now he was asking me. He pleaded with me.

I licked my lips and closed my eyes trying to take deep breaths. The next moment happened so fast. He grasped my face in his strong hands and claimed my lips with his. His familiar scent wrapped around me, giving me a little piece of heaven that I missed so much. He pulled away shortly after, breathing heavily. His eyes held promise, and his lips were tantalizing. I immediately wanted them back on mine.

I leaned forward to take his lips, but he removed his hands from my face and stood up. I frowned. He kept his back towards me, but I heard a curse escape his lips. Axel was fighting an inner demon I had no part of. What we had just done was so wrong, but it felt so right. Every part of me belonged to him, even if he didn’t want it.

I stood up and cleared my throat. “Maybe we should-” I was cut off by his hot lips searing mine in a fiery kiss. He gathered me into his arms and moved his hips in a rhythm against mine. Every inch of him pressed into me as if we were one. Our bodies fit perfectly together as our heated moment of passion increased.

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