Forever

Axel was already waiting when she arrived, holding a large bucket of popcorn and a cup of drink in his hands. Having decided on a film, they headed into the screening room and took a seat near the back. The lights soon dimmed and Brooklyn relaxed, grinning when Axel handed her a box of nerds.

“My hero,” Brooklyn whispered, opening the box of candy as Axel put his arm around her and offering him some.

The movie soon came to an end and Brooklyn stretched as the lights came back on, pushing herself to her feet. They had just stepped out onto the street, when she spotted Cameron and his friends standing outside.

“Check it out, Cam, looks like Brooky found herself a new crush,” Tyler said, causing Axel to glare and step towards them.

“Leave it, they’re not worth it,” Brooklyn stated quickly, moving to stand in front of him and placing her hand on his chest, “Let’s go get some food, huh?”

It was a second before Axel backed off and Brooklyn followed him away from the group, shoulders sagging with relief as they turned the corner. She knew Axel and he wasn’t a violent person, but those guys had always been able to get under his skin just by breathing.

“What is your wish, hermosa?” Axel asked as they entered Wendy’s, moving to stand behind her and placing his hands on her shoulders.

“I have money to get food,” Brooklyn argued, although she knew that she would never win and simply sighed in defeat, “Can I have a parmesan Caesar chicken salad and a large tropical berry lemonade, please.”

“I’ll have the same,” Axel added, waiting for the lady behind the counter to ring it up on the till and paying, “I just need to hit the head.”

Nodding in response, Brooklyn watched as Axel disappeared and looked over as the woman spoke.

“That one’s a keeper,” she commented, “My momma always said that if you find a guy who treats you right and pays for your food, keep hold of him.”

With a chuckle, Brooklyn took the tray holding their order and thanked the lady as she went to find a table. Axel soon returned and they ate their food, talking about random things to pass the time. Climbing off of Axel’s bike a while later, Brooklyn smiled and handed over the helmet.

“Thank you for today, I had fun...” Brooklyn told him, stepping forward and pressing a kiss to his cheek.

“Me too,” Axel replied, hesitating momentarily and continuing, “Maybe we can do it again sometime?”

“Date number two?”

“Yeah,” Axel agreed, laughing and shaking his head, “I’ve been trying to figure out whether this was a date or not all evening.”

“Well, the lady at Wendy’s knew before bother of us... apparently, you’re a keeper,” Brooklyn added, “I better get home, but I will see you at school on Monday.”

“Most definitely... hey,” Axel called as Brooklyn walked away, causing her to stop and look back at him, “The lady at Wendy’s knows her stuff.”

“We’ll see about that.”

The smile on Brooklyn’s face grew as she made her way to her house, letting herself in and joining Jared on the sofa.