Page 39 of Blinded By Loyalty

He gave me a sharp nod. “I know. I’ll be in touch. Go be with her.” He left and I bolted the door.

I inhaled a deep, calming breath before turning around.

“What cheesy romcom does my girl want to watch?”

She flashed me a radiant smile and tossed the book onto the side table. I almost dropped to my knees and cried.

15 Simone

THE LAST SEVERAL days had been like a beautiful, glorious dream. Axel surprised me left and right. There was so much more to him than the gruff exterior he showed the outside world. But he revealed all his many layers to me. I was falling deeply in love with him. It might sound crazy to some, but it was true.

After months of denying the attraction and magnetic pull I felt to him, I was ready to admit it to the world. Well, save for my parents. I still wasn’t sure what I’d tell them if I ever got up the nerve.

Maybe Axel and I could run away to a small island in the Bahamas. We could live off papayas and mangos and lots of delicious sex. I would be deliriously happy just being with him.

“Breakfast in bed for my queen.” He set a tray down next to me.

I was in awe. Coffee, scrambled eggs with, I think, salsa and cheese, and fruit. To top it off, a glazed donut. Why would he pick glazed? It was my favorite, my secret indulgence.

“Axel, this looks amazing!”

“It’s nothing fancy.” He shrugged, climbing in bed with me. “Eat up before it gets cold.” He took a mug and drank his coffee.

“But how did you know?”

“Know what?”

“That I love glazed donuts.”

“Oh, um… Who doesn’t love glazed?” He forked some eggs. “Open.”

I obeyed and accepted his offering. “Mmm. This is good. We’re sharing this, right?”

“Absolutely. Unless you can eat six eggs.”

I laughed. “Nope, two is my limit.” I reached for the donut, still puzzled over it. But he was right. Lots of people liked glazed donuts. “Tell me about your childhood.” I tore off a piece and popped it into my mouth, then fought a groan.

Axel eyed me as if expecting me to melt or something. “What do you want to know? It wasn’t a fairytale story or anything.”

“Most fairytale stories weren’t all rainbows and unicorns. They were scary with evil characters and danger.”

“I guess you’re right. Never thought about it like that.”

We hadn’t really talked about our lives before Axel arrived at SJI last spring. We both had a past. I wanted to know more about him. So far, he’d answered all my questions, but I hadn’t gotten personal until now. I hoped he would open up to me.

“I grew up never knowing my father, and my mother was nothing like yours.” He fed me more eggs. “I have a brother.” He paused as if in pain. I watched his Adam’s apple shake in his throat. Before I could say anything, he continued. “He’s four years younger than me, and he never knew his father either. Our mom kind of got around.” He shrugged a shoulder and took another bite.

I set my donut on the plate and licked the glaze from the tips of my fingers, then dried them with a napkin. I couldn’t eat any more. Something told me to be ready to comfort him.

“She died right before I graduated from high school.”

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry. Was she sick?”

He shook his head. “No. Murdered.”

My throat constricted and tears pooled in my eyes. I just reacted and threw my arms around his neck. I held him to my body as tears ran down my face. I couldn’t imagine how painful it would be to have a loved one murdered. It was so unfair.

“I’m so sorry, baby. God, you must have been devastated.”

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