Page 36 of You Started It

“No.” I laugh. “The song you danced to. ‘Baby’ by Bieber. It’sold. Even I know that.”

“Good music transcends time. I don’t chase trends when I post on TikTok. At least not always. I choose songs that make me feel something. ‘Baby’ captures the innocence of first love.”

“Do you think there’s only innocence to be found in firsts?” I ask. Axel raises an acknowledging hello at a group of kids from our school who walk in a pack next to us. “Do you think we become hardened after our first loves break our hearts?”

“Yes. No. I mean, the right person will always give you those first-love flutters. I think. I’ve never actually been in love before.”

“Huh,” I say, trying to hide my surprise.

“Speaking of first loves, did something happen with you and Romeo on the ride?” Axel asks. The smell of funnel cake tickles my nostrils but my stomach is already full of so much crap. And maybe a few butterflies. The source of those butterflies is yet to be determined. Tonight has been a lot.

“I held his hand—just until the second loop was over. And then,” I say as we come to the front of the fountain.

“Then?” he asks. Most of our classmates are gathered by the front, with both teachers doing a rough head count.

“He stroked my hand with his finger when the ride was over. Clearly, he isn’t as committed to Olivia as he would have me believe.” I suck in my lips as my eyes flit to the sky. “While I think we’re making good progress, weareat the end of week two of school and they’re still together, which means we’re going to haveto keep this going.” I remove Axel’s bag from his shoulders and fetch the Steadicam and speaker. “Are you okay with that?”

“Yeah.” His tone is hard to read, but his eyes are focused on mine.

“We don’t have a lot of time,” I say as I notice most of the class has reunited and our teachers look ready to leave.

“Right. I want to change the song though.”

“Can you do that?”

He smirks. “I can do whatever I want.”

Axel hits his mark and I press Record once the music starts. Another older, familiar song by yet another Canadian artist plays: “Treat You Better” by Shawn Mendes. He’s really laying it on thick with the cheesy love songs tonight.

But there’s something different about this performance. For one, Axel mouths the words along to the song as he dances, and second, he keeps making eye contact with me, not the camera. His moves are deliberate. Whereas his last performance was kind of sweet, there’s an edginess to this one. Sharp angles and aggressive stomps.

His eyes never leave mine. His curls move in sync with his body. His gait goes from wide to narrow. Axel pounds his chest as he gets down on his knees and back up with ease, twisting his feet and turning. He somehow knows exactly how much to move to stay within the frame.

Our entire class and others stop what they’re doing to watch Axel dance in front of the lit-up fountains. Even Ben seems mesmerized by Axel’s performance. He’s a star. He belongs in front of the camera. He’s more than I could have ever expected. And then some.

The song comes to an end, and instead of remaining still until I finish filming, Axel walks right up to me, stopping inches from my face. I can feel all eyes on us, waiting to see what he does next.My heart pounds in my chest. Is this the moment…? Is he going to…? His breath is warm. His scent a bit musky from dancing.

Axel leans in and murmurs, his lips grazing my ears, “How’s that for adrenaline?” He pulls back before taking the Steadicam from my shaky hands.

“Time to go,” Ms. Weaver shouts.

As the class heads to the exit, Axel included, I remain frozen, watching everyone leave. My knees are weak and I’m finding it hard to stand upright, much less walk. And now, even though I met all my goals for tonight, I’m left with this overwhelming sense of disappointment.

CHAPTER NINE

Axel Dahini is aCEO. Aboss. Amain character. Apparently he’s also asnack. Basically, and in layman’s terms, what my classmates are trying to tell me when I pass them in the halls, when I’m trying my best to follow along with my lessons, and even in the bathroom stalls, is that he’s a catch. “How did you and Axel meet?” (a.k.a., how didyouland him?) is the most popular question, followed closely by “Does he move as welloffthe dance floor?”

I shrug off their questions and comments because, unlike Axel, I’m not comfortable with attention, and besides, that’s so not the point. The point is to make Ben jealous, and I can’t quite tell if he is.

Since that finger-stroking moment at the amusement park a couple weeks back, he seems to be avoiding me.Avoidingis putting it lightly. I haven’t even crossed paths with Ben since Wonderland. I wonder if he regrets it. Maybe he doesn’t remember it. Or possibly, and this is the explanation I find most feasible, Olivia is keeping him locked in a dungeon in her basement. But it’s not like other dungeons, because this one is painted baby blue and filled with balloons.

Ben stroking my hand on the roller coaster isn’t the only thing that’s been occupying space in my mind. I had a…um…dream about Axel. I bury my head in my pillow even though I’m alone inmy room. Ever since I dreamt of him and me doingthings, I can barely look him in the eye. Probably because my eyes are so focused on his lips, his strong forearms, and his chest, which he really needs to cover up. It’s like the buttons on his shirts don’t work.

There’s this raw animallike attraction building on my side, and if I don’t get it under control I’m bound to slip up and pounce on him one day—maybe soon (but only if it’s consensual, because I’m a respectful queen).

It’s the last weekend of September and Axel still hasn’t signed the contract. I asked him to come over after his shift but didn’t realize it was Saturday night when I asked him that and now it kind of looks like I invited him over for a date or, worse, a booty call. And that wasn’t my intention. (I don’t think.)

I sit up in bed and grab my notebook, staring at the contract I drew up for Axel and this whole arrangement. I don’t know why he’s so reluctant to sign it; it benefits him too. There are certain things I have agreed to for this partnership to be fair and equal, aside from the things we discussed in my car on the first day of school. Such as items one through five.

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