C9 Nine

I felt like I was dying.

In all honesty, I was not, but holy hell, I certainly felt like death was about to

welcome me into its pleasant embrace. I wouldn't even fight back if that was the case.

I groaned and squeezed my eyes shut when I heard my phone buzzing from somewhere in between my sheets. Between the throbbing in my head and my sickening stomach, all I wanted to do was go back to sleep and not wake up until I was magically cured.

I looked for my phone between the sheets and found it under my right butt cheek.

The first thing I noticed when I unlocked my phone was that it was already two

o'clock in the afternoon. That's a new record. The second thing was Caden's name in my notifications. As usual.

CA: rIse AND SHINE

AU: Wot

CA: good morninG BItch

AU: It's afternoon

CA: g o o d m o r n i n g

Not wanting to deal with Caden's drama while I was still having a massive hangover I decided to connect my phone to the charger since my drunk self didn't bother to do

that last night. Still half-asleep I grabbed my towel and stumbled my way to the bathroom. The only thing that could slightly help with the headache was a cold shower.

As I was standing under the douche, Axel's words from last night kept replaying in my head like a broken cassette player.

You. Thumb. You. Thumb. You.

We were both drunk yesterday and maybe we said or asked certain things that we didn't mean. Like me asking for a kiss. What was I thinking? Correction, what was drunk me thinking?

It was not a secret that I like him. To be fair, we would make a nice couple. You know, boyfriend and girlfriend. Bonnie and Clyde. Romeo and Juliet.

The more I thought about it, the more absurd it sounded. Axel and I, in this world? I don't think so. Axel and I, down south? That would probably work.

I had an illogical tendency to only desire the things that were difficult. It doesn't matter how kind or committed a person might be, if they came easily, I'll quickly grow disinterested. But threaten my heart, safety, or sanity, and I was all yours.

And Axel did just that.

He was the adventure I was craving for. Dare I say the angel who lifted my curse

called writer's block. If only the man above had given me a heads up that he had sent his favorite angel, the fallen one to be exact, to lift the curse I would have probably seen the plot twist in my story coming.

Axel may have not asked me formally to be his girlfriend last night, but I know he would pop the question one of these days. I just wasn't sure how to answer him, yet.

I was not the type to cycle in and out of relationships. Relationships weren't something I took lightly. It wasn't something I did. I was uninterested in small talk and disillusioned love. I'd rather wait a lifetime in isolation for someone who

genuinely captivated me. I didn't want love, I wanted to be loved. And that was entirely different. After all, my love's not a pastime, but a privilege.

A couple of weeks ago Axel was still uncertain of what he wanted and suddenly he made up his mind last night and wanted me. I stepped out of the shower and

chuckled quietly. It's a lot of commitment, but at the end of the day, I still wanted him.

I wasn't in a hurry to make Axel mine. What belonged to me would become mine eventually.

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

"What's the reason you came to pick me up at this hour?" I asked as I zipped up my jacket while stepping into the passenger seat of Axel's car. Normally I wouldn't sneak out at night, but here I was, breaking my own rules.

"We're going for a drive," he answered casually, turning the air conditioning on. "At this hour?" It was almost eleven in the evening on a Sunday night. Most people

were already in bed to get up early tomorrow for work. "Aren't you supposed to get

your beauty sleep for work tomorrow?"

"I took the day off," he said, flashing me a boyish grin as he took a right at the intersection. "So, I decided to come and see my favorite little human tonight. Or should I say demon?"

"No, you came to see your favorite flavor of noodles," I smirked while fastening the seat belt.

"Mmh," Axel mused with a sly smile. "Hot and spicy. Y'know I'm not really a fan of-,"

"Is that-" I interrupted him from talking as I turned up the volume of his sound system. A familiar voice was blasting through the speakers. No, it isn’t.

"Don't say it," he pleaded.

"Oh my god, it is!" I exclaimed in excitement, turning the volume up even more. "Shut up!"

"Aw, I'm not gonna tell anybody that the big bad wolf listens to Taylor Swift." I teased.

"She's iconic!"

"🎵...I was thinking that you could be trusted, did you have to ruin what was shining now it's all rusted...🎵" I sang out loud, eyes closed.

When I opened my eyes I noticed Axel laughing at me from the driver's seat. I don't know if he laughed because I sang out of tune or because I was shaking my head like a crackhead on...well crack. Either way, I didn't care.

"🎵...Did you have to hit me where, I'm weak, baby, I couldn't breathe...🎵" He started to sing along with me which totally caught me by surprise.

Axel stopped the car at the stop sign and then we both continued chanting the song in unison.

"🎵...Cause baby, now we got bad blood, you know it used to be mad love...🎵"

"Wait stop-," I yelled out as Axel was about to speed up. From the corner of my eyes, I spotted a ball of fur on the sidewalk.

"What?!" he called out distractedly while hitting on the brakes.

"There's a puppy," I cooed, my eyes focusing on the furball. I jumped out of the car and ran towards my new four-legged furry best friend.

"You let me stop the car for a dog?!," Axel shouted while striding towards me.

"A fluffy one," I told him as I watched how my new best friend rested his head on my lap. "I think he's lost...Oh, wait, his name's... Beatrice?... Oh, it's a she."

"Who names their dog Beatrice?" he sniggered. "She doesn't even look like a Beatrice. More like a...an Ursula."

"Like the...sea witch?"

"Yea, look at how fat she is," he pointed out. "And white." "She's fluffy, dumbass. Stop fat-shaming."

"We need to bring her back to her owner. Is there an address on her tag?" Axel asked.

I turned over the name tag and saw an address engraved on it. "Yup, It's the third house down the street. I think she knows her way home, don't you, Beatrice?"

Beatrice cocked her head at me and barked.

"I guess that means yes in dog language, now let's go," Axel whined, tugging on my jacket.

"W...wait," I grabbed my phone out of my back pocket to see what time it was. "What again?" he groaned, annoyed.

"It's 11:11," I squealed excitedly. "Yeah and...?"

"Make a wish."