Page 19 of Something to Believe In
"Okay."
He felt lighter again. Just the prospect of seeing her and having the chance to chat with her made his heart feel light. He grew impatient that Mitch seemed to be taking so long, which was dumb. Of all people to be thorough, it should be the security guy.
Mitch stepped into the living room. His eyes dropped to the box on the table. "You want me to take that?"
Axel nodded. "Yeah. It's a weird reminder of all of this."
"No worries. I'll take it with me and label it. I have a locker with the note in it. I'll add this, and if you get anything else, I'll add that too."
"Okay. Thank you."
Chapter Fourteen
Maddyn tidied up her apartment. The neighbor below her had her stereo on rather loudly. Normally, she didn't mind the music, but it was a reminder that she didn't really have a peaceful place to call her own. She needed a home not connected to anyone else. Sooner rather than later. It was difficult to write her own music here, something she was now inspired to do by Jami and Sean. At first, she laughed at the idea. Then one day she was walking along the beach down by the Sandbar, and words began floating through her mind. Then a verse formed, and she took her phone out and recorded it so she could work on it later. But her downstairs neighbor's music or television was always so loud. It drowned out her own song. When she first met Doug six months ago, she'd go to his place for quiet. But that became more about him controlling her and less about quiet.
She shook her head; she'd allowed herself to become complacent in her house search. She'd allowed herself to be a whipping post for a small man. Now, she'd entered a relationship with Axel. At least it was the beginning of something she had dreamed of for years. The timing was never right, and she'd talked herself into believing it was because they weren't supposed to be together. She let that thought comfort her. But when they were performing, man, she loved watching him. You could see that music was deeply ingrained in him. It was thrilling. He was thrilling. His powerful arms and the look on his face when he was playing the drums. He looked as if he had traveled to another planet. Another time. An alternate universe where music was food for your soul, and he had it in abundance.
She pulled a package of cut-up roasted chicken from the freezer, dumped it into a bowl, and put it in the microwave to thaw. Filling a saucepan with water, she dropped some oil in it and turned the burner on high to bring the water to a boil. While she waited for it to heat, she set the table. At least she'd make Axel and herself something to eat. Hopefully, they'd talk. They had a lot to hash out.
A knock on her door caused her to jump. Taking a deep breath, she wiped her hands on her thighs as she neared the door. Remembering the strange man at her door this morning, she peered through the security hole and saw Axel staring back at her. A smile spread across her lips, and she opened the door quickly.
"Hi."
He grinned. "Hi." He stepped inside and kissed her lips quickly.
Just as she was about to close the door, Doug landed on the top step.
Her eyebrows rose as she saw him. He carried a box in front of him but made no move to come toward her.
"Hello," she said cautiously.
He nodded. "I um..." He lifted the box. "Brought these things back to you."
Her eyes dropped to the box, which was closed. She stepped forward, and he held it out to her. Grateful she didn't have to get too close to him, she took the box from his hands and quickly stepped back. His eyes darted behind her, and she knew Axel was behind her, likely glaring at Doug.
She looked closer at Doug's face and noticed a bruise on his left cheek, a cut on his forehead, and some minor cuts across his nose. Doug turned to leave, and she saw him limp. She wasn't happy he'd gotten the shit kicked out of him, but she wasn't unhappy either. It made up for the times the jerk had smacked her around. And there were quite a few. Why in the hell had she ever put up with it?
So far, she wasn't feeling all that great about her decision-making abilities. She turned with the box in her hands, and Axel stepped aside to let her inside the apartment. She set the box on the sofa and rushed to the now-boiling saucepan. She poured the pasta into the pan, stirred it with a wooden spoon, and covered it with the lid. Axel was watching her quietly as she turned.
"I thought I'd make us something to eat."
"Thank you. I was going to order some food to be delivered tonight for us."
She smiled. "I'm making pasta chicken salad. Will that be enough for you?"
"It will. Thank you. I didn't mean to make you go to any trouble, though."
She stepped close to him and tilted her head to look into his eyes. "I love to cook, so it's no trouble. But I wasn't expecting company, so it's a simple meal tonight. Next time I'll make something nicer."
He pulled her into his arms. His strength comforted her. His presence did too.
She lay her head against his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist. They stood still, hugging for a long time, then Axel began swaying them to the music the neighbor below played. They moved faster, and he turned them in slow circles, their bodies moving as one.
She inhaled his scent, embraced his body tightly to hers, and absorbed his strength as much as she could.
She mumbled into his chest. "This is nice."
When he spoke, his chest rumbled. "It is. I've dreamed about this. Time with you alone, the two of us. Dancing, talking, eating, enjoying each other's company without others around us."
