Page 69 of Always, Axel

“Of course, I was,” he said lightly. “What about you? The youngest. I bet you were spoiled. I bet you were Daddy’s little girl.”

My body tensed. It still hurt when I thought about my dad.

Axel shook his head realizing what he’d said. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

Like divine intervention, the server came and placed an appetizer on our table between us. Some pakora and samosas.

“I love these,” I said changing the topic and forked some of both before spooning some cilantro chutney on my appetizer plate. I looked up at him and saw he was studying me with concern. I focused on the food on my plate. “You should try this. It’s so good.”

He picked up his fork and put some on his plate, deciding on the mango chutney.

“So, tell me something about you,” I said.

“I was born in Washington, DC.” He took a bite of the samosa and nodded in appreciation. “My dad played professional football for Washington, and my mom was a child psychologist and started her own practice. We lived there for several years until Dad was traded to Dallas when I was in middle school. He retired from the NFL a year later, and my parents decided to stay in Dallas.”

“Did you always want to play football?”

“Yes.” He picked up a piece of the pakora and brought it to his mouth. “I’ve played since I was in elementary school.”

“Was it your decision?”

“Are you asking whether or not my dad assumed I would follow in his footsteps? I wanted to play. Yeah, he was a legend, but he never forced me to play. I loved the game. I made that decision on my own. Besides…” I could see his cocky persona emanating from the side lift of his lips. “I’m damn good at it, as you can see.”

“Passable,” I deadpanned.

“Ouch.” He winced playfully. “You know how to hurt a guy, don’t you?”

I rolled my eyes. “You seem so well-insulated that I don’t think anyone could hurt you.”

“Oh, yeah?” His voice was light, but I noticed he’d lost his smile. “Maybe I’m just very good at covering it up.” As soon as the words came out, his moment of vulnerability was gone. “Years of practice.” He winked in a way that made you wonder if he was serious or not.

As I chewed, I wondered what was truly under the polished veneer Axel allowed everyone to see.

“You look like you’re in deep thought, Hardcore. What’s on your mind?”

“Was it true that a British Lit professor lost her job because you slept with her?”

He paused mid-bite. “Whoa. Do you believe everything you hear?”

“So, it’s not true?”

“No. I wouldn’t fuck around with a married person. I didn’t even know her. Some asshole who was on the team at the time was dicking her down behind his girlfriend’s back. He was too much of a pussy to admit it.” He shrugged. “So, rumors started flying around that it was me.”

“That’s shitty.”

“Very shitty,” he agreed. “But it’s in the past and old news.”

I swallowed my food. “Can I ask you another question?”

He nodded. “Go for it.”

“How many girls have you been with?”

He pointed his fork at me with a smug look. “We’re gonna stay on this subject, aren’t we?”

“How many?” I persisted, squelching the small voice in the back of my head that was telling me it was none of my business and I was foolish to ask, because I knew I wouldn’t like the answer.

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