Page 53 of You Started It

“Axel, would you please fill me in on what we’re about to do? I have the sinking suspicion it’s not legal,” I say, crossing my arms.

“Sorry.” He stands next to me and shoots out an arm and points. “We walk past the dock, through the bushes, and hop the fence. Then ta-da. We’re there.”

“This is your well-thought-out plan?”

He raises his shoulders. “Yeah.”

“And did you bother to consider that we may come across some security guards?”

“Nah. They’re busy guarding the artists and the alcohol, not the bushes.”

“You think you’re pretty clever, don’t you?” I ask, biting back a smile.

“My mom tells me I am.” He smirks, clearly proud of himself. “Come on, we’re going to miss it.” He extends his hand and I not-so-reluctantly place mine in his.

Axel’s definition of bushes is more like full-grown trees, stacked closely together. The music grows louder and clearer as we weave our way through the dense forest. Once we make it through, we’re faced with a fence, but Axel was right; it’s not very high. Can’t be sure no electrical currents flow through it though.

“See?” he says. “Not a guard in sight.” He hops the fence first, then helps me. “The trick is to look natural. Just blend in with the others.”

I nod and follow him toward the spectators who legally purchased their lawn seats. Blue Rodeo is already on stage. Axel and I are easily the youngest people here. So much for blending in. We stand side by side and watch the concert under the cerulean sky, and I can’t help but admit, at least to myself, how much fun this entire date has been. Ben’s never orchestrated something this elaborate for me. I guess it’s why I came up with the bucket list. Part of me wanted to branch out and experience more. Maybe that’s why Ben really wanted to work that camp job. We both wanted more, but in different ways.

“So?” he asks over the music. “How does it feel to check another item off your bucket list?”

I turn to him. “Ourbucket list. And it feels good.”Really good.I smile, while tucking my hands into my sleeves.

“You cold?” he asks.

“A little, but it’s fine.”

“Do you mind?” He stands behind me and wraps his arms around my waist, holding me against his chest. His body radiates warmth, and I can’t help but sink into his embrace. His lips press lightly against my ear. “Warmer?”

“Yeah. Much.” It’s funny. I didn’t think I could feel safe and comfortable in someone else’s arms. I always loved how tall Ben was. It gave him this sense of authority, but it’s not as if he did anything to earn it. He was just genetically blessed. Axel oozes confidence and isn’t afraid to ask for what he wants. With Ben, I had to be the one to initiate our first kiss. I was the one who asked him to be my boyfriend. I guess Ben’s height and brawn were just superficial reasons to like him. I had this idea that he was a puzzle piece I fit perfectly with, but as it turns out, a puzzle piece has more than one side.

Axel sways a bit and I sway with him. We’re surrounded by a bunch of loud adults drinking beer, which would normally annoy me, but I’m able to tune them out. When the band announces their next song, “Lost Together,” the crowd erupts into cheers before going eerily quiet. It’s as if someone put a spell over them.

“Must be one of their bigger bops,” I say to Axel as the strum of a guitar fills the air.

He lets out a soft laugh. “It is.” Axel releases me and steps in front as the singer begins. “Dance?”

“Here?” I ask, glancing around to find other couples slow dancing. The benefit of lawn seats, I guess.

“No one’s looking at you. Well, except maybe me. But I don’t count.” He smiles and I can’t help but return it. Axel places his hands on my waist and I rest mine atop his shoulders. There’s a decent amount of space between us, like we’re in sixth grade or something. It makes me laugh.

“What?” he asks.

“You could stick a ruler between us,” I say.

“Let me fix that.” Axel palms my lower back, pressing his fingers into my skin and pulling me in closer. “Better?” He’s calm. Still. His eyes are on mine and it’s as if there is no one else here in this moment but us.

“Better.” My heart starts to beat faster and I swallow, finding the strength to speak. “You’re wrong, by the way.”

He shakes his head. “What am I wrong about now?”

“When you said before that you don’t count. You do.”

Axel rubs his nose up against my nose before tipping his forehead to mine. We sway slowly with the music. His chest rises and falls in sync with mine. Our breathing a slow rhythm that sounds like a song written just for the two of us. A drop of rain lands on my cheek. Then another. Before I can sayrain, it pours down, drenching us within seconds, but we remain, bodies entangled, slow dancing while people run around in search of cover.

“Wimps,” I say, with Axel’s eyes locked in on mine.

---