Page 116 of You Started It

“Toronto is beautiful at night,” Axel says, coming up next to me.

I turn to him in surprise. “I thought you had to get ready for your performance.”

“It can wait.” He smiles, and warmth spreads through me.

“Wait,” I say, studying Axel as he stands close to the floor-to-ceiling windows. “Your fear of heights.”

He looks down and laughs. “I made that up. I was just trying to distract you from your own fears. It worked. Got you talking. And talking.”

A huff of air escapes me. “What could be scarier than being stuck in an elevator with your fake ex-girlfriend who decided to declare her love for you in a terribly written song?”

“I loved it,” he says, holding up the small piece of paper with the song lyrics.

“But?” I ask, nervously waiting for Axel to tell me it’s all too little, too late.

“Do you know why I love performing so much? Because until recently, it was the only time I ever felt free. Fearless. I don’t even get afraid of messing up anymore because it’s so easy to shake it off and pretend it’s all part of the act. The adrenaline, I imagine, is like being high. You know what else feels that way?”

“No?” I ask before sucking in my lips.

“You.” His lips curl into the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen. “Being with you is all those things and more. When we’re together it’s like my feet don’t even touch the ground. I get this dopey-ass grin on my face, and I keep trying to force myself to wipe it off but it won’t go away. Not whenever you’re nearby. Not when I can see your eyes sparkling back at me. A sparkle I know I helped put there. Watching you transform into the person you were always meant to be has been amazing, and soul-crushing, because I haven’t gotten to be part of it for the last few weeks.”

“How about now?” I ask, my voice quiet but drowning in hope. “Is the sparkle there now?”

“You tell me.” His mouth curves up in a half-smile/half-smirk. The way it always does before he kisses me. The electricity between us is fierce. Fierce enough to stop elevators.

“What up, Maple View?” Olivia’s voice booms over the speakers. I turn to see her on the small stage holding a mic. Everyone cheers back, but she holds up a finger to her lips to silence them. “We got off to a late start tonight with the snow and our star performer getting stuck in an elevator, but now that we’re all here, it’s time to get the party started! Axel!” Olivia yells. “Get that Arab booty up here and shake that thang.”

“Oh my god!” I say, cringing at her words, but of course, the whole class is under her spell. I don’t blame them. She’s almost as charming as Axel is.

“I guess I’m needed,” he says in that cocky way I’ve learned to love. Axel slips away, and I watch as he huddles with Finn and Diesel for a moment before speaking to the DJ.

My eyes meet with both Finn’s and Diesel’s as I approach the stage. They smile and Finn leans down to me. “You joining us?”

“No,” I say, shaking my head and pulling at my earlobe. “I, uh, did my part earlier. The stage belongs to the three of you.”

Finn nods with a wide grin as he steps into place.

The music begins and Axel, Finn, and Diesel dance together. They have the entire senior class enraptured by their performance. Seeing Axel doing what he loves again, this time with his friends at his side, fills me with so much pride and happiness, my face hurts. In a way, I’m glad I got stuck in that elevator. It saved me from getting up there tonight and taking the spotlight away from him. Dancing is his thing, and I don’t have to make it mine. But it isn’t lost on me that I did tell Axel I loved him, more than once, and he has yet to directly respond.

Maybe he won’t. And maybe that’s okay.

Maybe—

Axel hops off the stage and stands face-to-face with me.

“You’re incredible,” I say, grinning like a fool in love. Axel starts speaking, but the clapping and hollering around us drowns out his words. I shake my head, pointing to my ears, mouthing, “I can’t hear you.”

The music cuts out at the exact moment Axel shouts, “I love you too!”

Silence follows for a moment before a collectiveawwsweeps the area. The next song begins, and the attention that was on us floats back to the stage as Finn and Diesel perform without Axel.

My mouth opens slightly as I stand in place, unsure of what to do or say next, sweaty bodies bumping against us.

“Jamie,” Axel says, snapping his fingers in front of my face. “You high again?”

I smile. “Maybe a little. Could you repeat yourself?”

Axel laughs and stands so we’re nose to nose. He tips his forehead to mine, staring right into my eyes. Finn and Diesel continue to dance on stage behind us while the party resumes around us. But Axel and I may as well be in our own world.

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