C7 Seven

AX: Yo

"B𝕖 𝕔𝕒𝕣𝕖𝕗𝕦𝕝, 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕕𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕝 𝕙𝕒𝕤 𝕒 𝕡𝕣𝕖𝕥𝕥𝕪 𝕗𝕒𝕔𝕖."

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

AX: I have a playlist for you.

There are so many things that make me happy in the world. Chicken wings, pizza, or a new plot for my story. Like that one time, I had a breakdown and Caden brought me boba. That made me happy. Or when I turned twelve and got my first laptop. As I already said, there are many things that make me happy in the world.

So I didn't quite know how to put what I was feeling right now into words. I've been sitting at the edge of my bed for ten minutes, staring at the text Axel had sent me

earlier this morning. There was a link attached to it that took me straight to his youtube channel.

Axel may not know and I hope he never does, but what he just did had me

lovestruck. To him, it may just be a playlist. One he sends to every girl he talks to. No big deal.

For me, it was a way to get to know him better, a way to see what was going through his mind, and a way to hear all the things he wanted to say but couldn't.

I picked up my laptop from my mahogany desk and headed for the balcony. As I sat in the wooden chair, I breathed in the fresh morning air.

Somewhere above the sky swirled galaxies of a thousand stars. On fine days such as today, I feel their energy the same way the smile of the one I love fills my soul, raising me higher.

I pressed on the link that Axel had sent for me and clicked on the first song.

It was a beautiful day to use his songs to calm down the chaos in my mind and turn them into words.

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

"So, you are telling me that you got the scar on your chin because you thought it was a good idea to run and jump on a guy for a hug... only for him not to catch you?" Axel chortled, his laugh echoing in my ear. "Your life ain't a movie, sweetheart."

It was ten o'clock in the evening, there was a storm brewing outside, and here we were exchanging our most embarrassing moments in life on the phone.

"Okay, it's enough. I shouldn't have told you," I muttered while flipping through the Grimm brothers' book. "Tell me yours."

"Mmh, let me see, I blunder my way through life, but this one time my late grandma sent me to throw away the rice in the pot. She said and I quote `Throw everything away.' So I did exactly what she told me. I threw everything away."

I burst out laughing, my book slipping out of my hand. "You did not. How could you be so stupid? How old were you?"

"Nine, I think. I don't even wanna talk about the ass-whooping I got after that little incident," he laughed. "But it wasn't my fault, she should have been more specific."

"It was your fault. Who throws away rice with the whole pot? It's like saying 'I'm going to throw the cereal out because the milk has gone bad.'"

"I was nine!" Axel cried out defensively, thunder roaring outside. The storm had begun and the rain was pouring down so hard I had to put Axel on loudspeaker.

"With what did she run you after with? The iconic wooden spoon?" "No, the leather belt."

I giggled at the mental image of his grandma running behind him with a leather belt. "Ah, the classic."

"Anyway, enough of that. I finished reading your story," he stated proudly.

It was getting colder, so I pulled my blanket over me. I was surprised he had finished it so fast. No scratch that. I was surprised that he even took the time to read it.

"What do you think about it?" I asked curiously, placing my book back on the

nightstand and connecting my phone to the charger. I could use some feedback. "I've said it once, and I'll say it again. You are a perverted little demon."

That was not exactly the kind of feedback I was looking for, but It will do.

"What can I say?" I drawled, twirling a strand of hair around my finger. "I write the kind of stories you read in bed, stretched out under the sheets with one hand between your legs."

"And I thought you were an Angel," he fake gasped. "Yea, Lucifer."

He laughed. "I was wondering, is your story about someone specific?" "Why do you ask?"

"Because you told me you observe people for inspiration to write your stories," he paused for a moment and continued, "But it seems like you did more than just

observe."

I ran a hand through my hair. Was I really going to tell him? Was I really going to confide in Axel? I took a deep breath and decided against it. Instead, I said, "Well detective, that's for me to know and for you to find out."

"Is that a challenge?" he asked, the excitement in his voice evident. "Trust me,

Noodles, I will."

"Good luck with that," I replied sweetly, mouthing a quick prayer to all the angels in heaven that he should never find out.

"I have work tomorrow and I can't sleep," Axel sighed. "It's almost eleven." "Do you want me to read you a bedtime story?" I kindly suggested.

"What am I? Five?" he exclaimed.

I rolled my eyes. "Yea, a five-year-old who drinks." "Well, if it helps," he commented.

"What?"

"A story. I didn't know that in addition to being a writer you're also a storyteller," he remarked, the surprise noticeable in his voice.

"You're a lucky guy."

"I know right," he chuckled. " Well, let me hear what you got for me on this stormy night my little storyteller."

It was the way he said my little storyteller that made my heart flutter. Deep down I knew these late-night calls would end in a disaster. They always do, don't they?

"Once upon a time...," I began, closing my eyes while spinning syllables, "in a faraway land, a young prince lived in a shining castle."

"A fairy tale, really?" He chuckled slowly. Ignoring his question, I proceeded with the story.

The rain outside had stopped, but the wind was still blowing hard. I opened my eyes and could see the moon through my window. It was like a warm milky glow in the sky, like a mother who watched over the beating heart of her child.

"Are you still awake?"

The only thing I heard was his ragged breathing and the wind whistling outside. "Mmh," he yawned after a while. "I'm listening."

"...If not, he would be doomed to remain a beast for all time. As the years passed, he fell into despair and lost all hope. For who could ever learn to love a beast?..."