The Kissing Game

Chapter 18

    I led Axel to my room and thanked the lord my parents weren't home. After our last talk, I didn't want them near Axel. I didn't want them judging him wrongly. That was why I tried to keep Axel my little secret.

   When we reached my room, I shut the door and noticed Axel sauntered to my bed. He flopped down on it and closed his eyes, suddenly looking exhausted. Unable to help it, I watched him for a moment, taking in how at peace he looked.

    "Tired?" I asked once I realized I'd been staring for too long.

   "Yeah," he said, opening his eyes and sitting up. "I haven't been sleeping lately."

    "How come?"

    He shrugged. "Reasons."

    Axel ran his fingers through his hair and I stared at him, wondering. There was so much I didn't know about him and I wished that would change. Admittedly, a small part of me hoped we could become better acquaintances.

    Going over to the bed, I sat next to Axel. He moved back to press his back against the headrest and I followed. When our shoulders brushed each other's I felt a jolt shoot through me and I blushed. Wanting to get rid of the feeling, I shook my head vigorously.

"What are you doing?" Axel asked, sounding confused.

My cheeks turned redder. "Uh, nothing. Sorry, let's start."

Pulling out my calculus textbook, I flipped to the chapter we were on. I grabbed a paper as well and felt a sudden excitement. Teaching was fun, especially with a student as curious as Axel. You would expect him to fool around and be uninterested, but surprisingly Axel was really into the lessons I gave him.

"So, should we start with lesson one of chapter four?" I asked, looking up at Axel.

I froze when I saw that Axel was staring at me intensely. His eyes looked oddly solemn on me, but there was something so raw. So unexplainable in his eyes, that left me speechless. Not knowing what to do, I just stared back at his blue eyes.

"Do we have to study?" Axel asked after a bit, still staring at me.

"Um, yeah," I responded, confused. "That's why you're here, isn't it?"

Axel didn't say anything for a bit, but his eyes began to wander around my face. I gulped as he analyzed me and I felt uneasy. So uneasy that my heartbeat accelerated to a pace that worried me.

"Should we start?" I asked, looking away from Axel as I flushed.

"Let's just talk first," he said. "Come on."

He sounded tired and pleading all at once, so I found myself nodding. I didn't know why, but I didn't want him to strain himself.

    "You're smart, kind, confident, and so much more," Axel said out of nowhere. "Did you know that?"

   I frowned. "Sure?"

   Looking back at him, I saw that he wore a small smile. But I also noticed the bags beneath his eyes that left me worried. Axel seemed different today and I knew it had to be because of his exhaustion.