((Closed to all but Avalee and Axel. :] ))
Avalee walked towards the single coffee shop in Hogsmead,her heart pounding. It was Saturday. Dinner with Axel. She had dressed nicely, green scoopneck shirt, with blue jeans, and a navy blue cardigan. She wore black coverse as usual. Her hair was down in loose golden curls, and her face was red. She had run to her dorm, because she had forgotten all her money halfway there. She was quite worried abou being late. She just couldn't wait to see Axel's face.
Axel stood beside the door to the little coffee shop, wearing a simple black dress shirt and red tie with blue jeans. He has his sleeves pulled up to his elbows and had his arms crossed. His bangs were in front of his eyes. He caught site of Avalee walking to the shop, flushed. He smiled and opened the door.
"Well hello there."
"I'm sorry I'm late, I--I" She shook her head, clearing it. "Its really good to see you" she smiled, looking into his beautiful blue eyes and his pearly white teeth. She was so embarassed, she was a blabbering idiot at times, and this was one of those times. She swallowed, trying to read how Axel was responding to her tardiness.
Axel laughed.
"Hey it's fine. I just got here." He motioned for her to walk inside. "I'll let you pick the table."
"Ok" She said smiling. She led him to a two seated table, out of the way and in a quiet corner. She turned to him before taking her seat, asking earnestly "Is this table ok?" as she moved, her fingers lightly brushed past his. She felt that spark again. The same one from the Quittich pitch stands. She felt her stomach become overwhelmed with butterflies. She tried to calm herself down.
Axel nodded, taking a seat. "Perfect." He said. A waitress strolled by with their menu's, placing one in front of each of them, smiling a large weary smile. She looked to be in her thirties with kids.
"Hello. My name is Angie and I will be your server this evening. What can I get you two to drink?" Axel glanced down at the menu, though he knew what he was getting.
"Raspberry tea for me please. Iced."
"Just water, please." The waitress nodded kindly. Avalee looked at Axel, a half smile on her face. Just looking into his eyes. Although it was a scilence, it wasn't awkward at all, just nice. To he able to look into ones eyes and know that they are looking into yours.
The waitress left to go get their drinks and sent them back via her wand. Axel brought the rip of the cold dark glass to his lips, taking a huge sip. He loved raspberry tea.
"Soo...." Axel said. He didn't know what to talk about.
"So..." There were so many things she wanted to ask him. There were so many things she wanted to tell him. She had no idea where to start. "Do you have any pets?" She felt stupid for asking such a generic question but she figured she better start out with the light stuff.
She tilted her head to the side, awaiting his answer. She was so self concious, she just need to rake a few deep breaths. Calm down, it's Axel, just Axel and you. No one is here to hurt you. She wondered why it was so quiet now, when their day when they both had skipped Hogsmead was so eventful and amazing. Did he not feel the same about her now?
((Why did you just print this topic? Lol.))
Axel shook his head. "Nope. It's kinda weird for animagus to have a pet to be quite honest. Why, do you?" He was so confused at the time being, having certain thoughts run through his head. "Though it would be neat to have a thestral."
"I didn't think of that, true" She wondered if she was losingbhim so soon. She wasn't interesting. "No, I don't" She thought for a moment about another question to ask. "What is Seth like, I don't believe I've met him?" She wondered if this was an alright topic to settle on.
Axel raised a brow.
"Nate? Who is Nate?" He asked, taking another sip. "I don't think I know any Nate's or Nathan's."
((Oops! I was talking to my friend Nate on the phone as I typed this, so it was a typo, I meant to put Seth!))
Axel took another sip.
"He's my cousin. I used to live with him when my parents died, but moved out. He just left school recently to take care of my Aunt. She's sick."
Avalee took a long sip of her water as he spoke.
"Were you two close?" She asked, instantly regretting it. "Sorry I didn't mean to pry or anything..." She trailed off, blushing.
The waitress came then and she ordered quietly. Not meeting her eyeline.
Axel ordered quickly then looked at Avalee.
"No, unfortunately. I mean, yeah when we were younger. But as he got older, he picked up on his Mom's hatred for me and began treating me like she did." He shrugged it off.
((Sorry. Kinda having some writers block.))
She frowned slightly. Axel was always so sweet to her,she couldn't imagine people hating him. "I'm sorry. You don't deserve that" She said honestly, her eyes wide.
(Me too :/)
"It's okay. Really. It made me a stronger person."
And a thicker shelled person too.
"So what are you doing after graduation?" He asked, drinking his tea.
"I have no idea. I know I won't be going home. I might travel, but I really don't have the money to travel extensively." she pushed her bangs out of my eyes. She was terrified at the idea that after graduation she was going to be out alone. On her own. She was just hoping everything would fall into place. "You?" she asked.
"I'll just be returning to my house, permanately. Maybe I can get a job in Diagon Ally or the Ministry. But I don't intend on getting any higher degrees or working too hard." Axel just wanted to live an easy life. He had had enough hardships.
"I've never really had a family. My parents have always been distant. Literally, they were always at confrences, and when they sent me here they sold or house and moved to the campas of their university. They live in a loveless relationship. I don't think they ever loved eachother. The kicker is that they both are experts in psychology." She was spilling, even though it might not be too much to lay on a person at once, but She wanted to be truthful with him.
"I'm sorry." Axel said sincerely. "I wish you didn't have to deal with that. But at least you can learn from these experiences." He smiled and leaned forward, his arms on the table.
"After I get settled, you know, find a job and save up money, get stuff taken care of and grow up, I want to start a family. Like the one I had before the accident. My family was amazing. It really was."
"I just want to find somewhere I belong, a place to call home. A place where someone wants me there as much as I want to be there." She though back to her childhood. She lived in a house where she wasn't allowed to feel emotions, or act on emotions. She did what she was told, yet her parents never approved.
"You're gonna find that place. It just takes time." He started making the salt and pepper shakers dance around the table with his wand. "Home..., I know this sounds cheesy, but home is where the heart is." He looked at her and smiled.
"I hope I do" She said, smiling sweetly. Avalee watched as the salt and pepper shakers danced around the table. Her eyes followed them as she asked her next question. "The only problem is" She paused as the waitress delivered their food. She thanked the waitress quietly. "I have no idea whatsoever where the heart is...I'm lost" She admited, finishing her sentence quietly.
Axel smiled at the waitress as she handed him his plate. He had ordered chicken strips and french fries. A classic.
"Thanks." He said before she proceeded to another table. Axel bite off part of a fry.
"What do you mean?" He asked, but then sort of understood. "I'll help you find your way."
Her face was serious, her eyes intelligent and curious. Did he really mean that? Did he? She had no idea what to say. She sat there looking at her food. "Thanks" she mumbled quietly.
Axel smiled and continued eating.
"I think...you need to unwind." He sipped his tea again and set the glass down gently. "You seem tense, like you've got a lot on your mind. what can I do to get you to unwind a little? Firewhiskey? Wine?" He tried thinking of other things.
She smiled. She wanted him to hold her in his arms, and kiss her like he had the other day. She could for later wait though. That did sound good. A glass of wine sounded nice. "That sounds good." She did need to relax and calm down. She took a deep breath, and called the waitress over, she walked over quickly and ask her what she needed impatiently. A party of 12 had just arrived.
"One glass of red wine please, whatever kind" She asked quietly and politely
"Anything else?" She asked quickly.
"No thank you" Avalee replied with a quick smile, a smile that didn't reach her eyes.
Axel raised a brow at the order.
"Oooh. Red wine. Fancy fancy." He winked and finished his food as quickly as it had came. He was a tall guy, so he always ate pretty quick.
The waitress sent the wine over like she did with their previous drinks, the glass landing carefully beside Avalee's plate.
"Well you saw what happened last time I had firewhiskey." She chuckled, and took a sip of the wine. It spread warmth through her body quickly. It helped her breathing and her pulse. She had only eaten about half of her food, and wasn't very hungry anyway, so she allowed the waitress to take it away. She took another sip of her wine. It was calming her.
Axel leaned back into his chair, watching what was going on around them. There was a loud uproar of conversation from the twelve person party. It looked like they were celebrating something. Down the aisle, there was a couple arguing. Axel frowned.
Avalee listened as the enormous party behind them grew louder. She could hear a couple arguing. She watched as Axel frowned. The waitress floated over the bill quickly, as soon as it landed on the table she grabbed it. "Do you know them?" She asked referring to the table behind them.
"No." Axel said as he snatched the bill back from her. He glanced at it then automatically started laying some Galleons and sickles on the table. "It's just that they are saying things they don't mean."
"Idiots" She muttered. "No Axel! Please! Let me pay, let me make up for being late!" She asked honestly, she wasn't all old fashioned thinking that the guy should pay. She tried to grab it back.
Axel raised the bill higher.
"Uh-uh. I've got it covered." He grinned and slid the paper underneath the coins, the waitress coming by to pick up the bill.
"Hope you both had a wonderful evening. Have a great evening."
Axel nodded and thanked her then looked to Avalee.
"So now what?"
She let the bill thing go, knowing she would buy dinner for him soon. At least she hoped this dinner wasn't a one time thing.
"Walking? Forest? I just want to be away from people." She said gesturing towards the loud group behind her.
Since he made the comment about them arguing she had been listening. Axel was right they were saying things they didn't mean. In her mind every minute was precious and she didn't want to spend it in stress and arguments. That was a waste of a life. She wanted to live, she wanted to spend every moment in happiness.
((Well, now that I've got everything balance, by that I mean Alice and Axel are done with, he's all free. XD))
"Okay. Let's go." He said, getting out of his chair and going over to pull her's out.
(;D)
"Such a gentleman, Mr. Hampton" She said as he slid her chair out, and she stood up. Avalee looked back at the table. She hadn't finished all of her wine, but she wasn't drunk at least. The wine had just made her feel alive and loose and more awake. She grinned as she took his and silently and led him out of the coffee shop/restaurant.
Axel stepped outside with her, walking with her to the forest. He looked at her and just smiled. The wind blew against her hair so he tucked it carefully behind her hair.
She grinned wider as he did this. It was nice outside, still a little warm, but not summer warm. It was dark, but pleasantly dark. She liked the alone-ness of the moment. She headed toward the path worn by other students that led into the depths of the forest. She loved the forest. It was quiet and the wind made the leaves made wonderful sounds. All was at peace. She took a deep breath, looking into Axel's eyes, wondering if he loved the moment as much as she did.
Once they had gotten deeper, Axel paused and looked down into Avalee's eyes. He brushed her cheek with his hand and smiled warmly at her. "So...." He said, letting the word drag on a little.
"So..." She let the word lengthen just as he did, the she leaned in and kissed him on his lips. She kissed him gently, and sweetly, but it was over quickly and she pulled back, looking with a blank explression into his eyes. She was hesitant about Axel, although she didn't think he would hurt her, she wanted to protect her heart. But if she protected her heart too much she wouldn't be able to let people in, and she didn't want that happening either.
Axel didn't do anything with the kiss. Instead, he took her hand and led her to a fallen tree, sitting down. He looked at her, holding both of her hands in his with a serious expression.
"Avalee, I've been a jerk. And I apoligize. I've let my heart drift to two places, but where it really belongs is with you. I just wanted to tell you that I'm dedicated to you and you only and that I will never hurt you. So will you do me the honor of being my girlyfriend?" He said the last part like a child, batting his eye lashes then laughing. But he was serious.
Avalee's heart Beaty quickly, and her breathing all but stopped. She felt like crying. He wouldn't hurt her. She knew at that moment that he wouldn't ever hurt her. She colapsed into his arms. The speech he had just made made her feel truly alive. She had just woken up, after months of a life of a somber blur. She could see clearly now. "I would love that!" She whispered in his ear, laughing quietly. "This is perfection" She whispered, blurting out hEr first thoughts.
Axel laughed quietly as she collapsed into his arms saying how this was perfection. And it was.
"Excellent." He said, beaming. "I...don't know what to say now."
She chuckled quietly sitting back up, leaning aginst a tree behind her. "Neither do I" She admited, she never wanted this night to end. She felt like she had been interrogating him all through dinner. "Is there anything you want to know about me?" She asked.
"Honestly, I want to know everything. That you're willing to tell, that is. I don't mean to sound like a creeper."
A story popped into her head at that moment. "One time I went out to see fireworks, with a boyfriend who likes to drink way too much, and me lit me on fire with a handheld sparkler, but he was too drunk to drive me to the ER." She chuckled darkly. "My parents didn't really ever care who I was dating so I ended up with some real losers. Oh only if I had known you then!" she though back.
Axel's jaw dropped.
"He lit you on fire?! Oh wow." He put his arm around her, as if he had to protect her.
((Shortness. Hey, just out of curiosity, do you have an anxiety disorder in real life?))
((No, but my best friend does, and I have taken a few psych classes before))
"I was wearing a long dress and he caught the skirt on fire. I still have a few scars..." She trailed off. She stopped her mind from wandering back, she wanted to live in he present now. She felt so safe under Axel's warm arm.
((I have anxiety too and I just took a semester of psychology and now I'm in sociology. My teacher made us waffles once.))
"That's awful." Axel said quietly, looking at her sadly. He felt so bad for her having to go through that. At least with Axel's fire, he could control who it burned.
"I wish you didn't have to go through that."
"I was, and am, totally fine" She paused, inertwining her fingers with his. "He however, was SO dead!" She chuckled.
"Have you had any crazy girlfriends?" She asked him quietly, matching the tone of the forest, another gust of wind blew through the forest and her hair blew around her face.
Axel shook his head, laughing.
"No, not really. Last girl I dated was back in my fourth year at another school I think, and she was strangely normal. Ironic choice of words. So, you're my first girlfriend in three years."
((Going to bed. Happy Easter! Night!))
"Your the first sane boyfriend I've ever had" She said laughing, but she was serious. She has a connection with Axel that she had never felt before.
"How do you know?" Axel asked. "I could be the most insane person in the entire world. I could be a person who eats kittens." He smirked. "Let's just say I'm a lot different than how you make me out to be."
Avalee looked at him, her eyebrows pushed together. She was confused. Why had he said that? "What do you mean?" The wind blew her hair around her face, and ruined the placement of her bangs. She pushed them back into place. She leaned her head to one side and put her hand on the back of her neck rubbing where a small ache had started.
Axel sighed.
"I'm not saying I'm insane. I'm just saying you don't know me enough to know if I'm a sane person.." He squeezed her hand lightly. "Don't worry." He said softly.
"I'm confident that you're truly good Axel." She said showing her honesty as she looked into his eyes. She put her feet up in the log sitting with her legs criss-crossed. She leaned back more onto the tree behind her. She took her eyes from his, and looked at the ground her head tilted down.
Axel looked away, not totally sure what to say now or what he should do. He glanced at her again, but looked up at the sky right after.
Avalee sighed. She didn't want to make it awkward, or make him uncomfortable. They weren't looking at each other now, and it made her sad and angry had she ruined everything so quickly. She squeezed his hand, trying to show him that she liked him.
Axel turned and leaned against the tree too, their faces close so that their noses almost touched. He swooped her bangs away from her beautiful eyes and just sighed, happily.
"You have the prettiest eyes I've ever seen." He said, his eyes locked on hers.
"I've seen better..." She trailed off almost blushing. She tilted her head slightly, getting a better view at his face.
"Like yours." She said, a coy smile spreading across her face. Their faces were very close together, her heart pounded in her chest, and her breathing was deep.
He almost laughed.
"Really?" Axel said. "These eyes? They're so...blue. Like...bright blue. They aren't that appealing."
"I like them, they are like the sky. Like freedom. Like happiness"
She had always loved the color blue, and she loved how striking his eyes were. True they were bright, but that wasn't a bad thing.
"Thank you. But happiness yes, freedom, not yet." Freedom would come would Axel finally came to terms with his other family and found peace with his deceased one.
"Why not freedom? Legally you are free are you not?" She asked confused. Since she was very little all she thought about was freedom, from her parents, from mandatory classes, and things of the like. She just wanted to be out on her own. Somewhere she could find a real family to make up for her lack of one.
Axel nodded.
"Legally, yes. But mentally, I still have some things to deal with. Family and personal issues. Freedom will arrive when I overcome these things." He gave a sideways smile.
((I love my shorty posts haha. I think this topic is about dead.))
(Yeah. RIP! To the forests!!!!!)