Page 61 of Pretty Broken Wings

The attention makes me uncomfortable. “What are you looking at?”

“You.”

I shift in my seat, but he doesn’t stop watching me. The silence sinks into my skin, making me want to run. I look around. “So, now what?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, are you going to let me go?”

“No.” The statement is quiet.

Figures. But he’s not mad at me for asking, so I push my luck further, “What if I walked out of that door anyway?”

“I wouldn’t let you.” He raises an eyebrow. “But feel free to test it if you don’t believe me.”

“Why?” I can’t help the bite of exasperation. “I’m my own person, Axel. You can’t just… keep me.”

He shrugs.

“Are you hearing me?”

Axel leans forward. “I hear you, little bird.”

“So you just don’t care? And don’t call me that.”

He shakes his head. “Oh, I care. That’s the problem.”

“Then let me go!”

“Tell me about Max.”

The name fills me with dread. Followed quickly by fear. How the hell does Axel know Max? Does this… Did he take me for Max? Dread fills my stomach. “I don’t…” Maybe it was a lucky guess? Surely, he’s not working with him.

“Is he stalking you?” There’s an edge to Axel’s voice.

I open my mouth, then close it. That’s an odd thing to ask if he’s working with Max. Or maybe he’s trying to throw me off.

Trying to swallow down my panic, I manage, “I don’t think that’s any of your business.”

Axel stares at me. “Do you have feelings for him?”

“What?” I sputter. Anger rises in me, and I almost spit out the word no, but I force myself to slow down. Axel’s asking this for a reason. My answer means something. The question is: what’s the right one?

I eye Axel, and he looks like he’s trying to hide how tense he is, reaching out for a piece of pineapple but not eating it.

If I say yes and he’s working with Max, they might not hurt me as badly. But even the idea of saying I have feelings for Max makes me feel sick. I have to make a choice.

“No,” I say, holding my breath and watching Axel closely. He lets out a breath, then his eyelids flutter. When he opens them again, he smiles at me. “So, what do you do for fun?”

For a second, all I can do is stare at him. Was that the right answer? I breathe, “What?”

“Like, what kinds of things make you happy?” He’s leaned back now, the lines of tension gone from his body.

I passed. The rush of relief is instant, and for a second, I feel lightheaded. I get the urge to laugh, which is odd because nothing is funny right now. “I uh… read?”

Axel grins. “Okay, nerd.”

He’s smiling. I’ve done something right again. Elation soars through me as Axel watches. We sit there in silence for a bit. Slowly, the silence becomes unbearable, and tension startscreeping back in. What am I supposed to do now? Does he want me to keep talking?