Axel dropped my things in front of my room, said a quiet goodbye and left.

I stood there for a minute as I begged my poor heart to calm down.

I could still hear his deep voice in my ear and I could still feel his warm breath on my cheek and that nickname "little one" now felt more naughty than innocent.

For the first time in ages it felt like Axel finally saw me, not as his best friend's daughter but as a woman and a warmth spread through my body.

When I finally regained my wits I unlocked my room and entered, I left the door open because it felt kind of stuffy or maybe I was still feeling hot from what just happened.

One  of the rooms was locked and a sticky note was stuck on it that said taken, indicating that my roommate had arrived and picked that one so I moved my stuff to the other room.

"Ellie"

Before I could even sit down a blur of curls and perfume launched itself at me.

"Maya," I laughed as I hugged her back.

Maya Walker, my best friend and safe space. If anyone saw Maya outside they'd think she's a quiet girl until they get to know her.

When she's around me she doesnt shut up. We had been friends from preschool.

I was trying to play on the see-saw after finally convincing Maya, the shy new girl, to play with me.  

When I tried to get on the see-saw a boy pushed me down saying he wanted to play too.

I was about to cry when Maya pushed him down and said in a shaky but firm voice, "she was here first" then she  helped me get on and we played till the end of break like we had been best friends forever.

That beautiful day was the beginning of our friendship, I was so surprised when the quiet new girl stood up to the class bully for me and I declared her my best friend from that day.

'Correct me if I'm wrong but did I just see Axel walking away after whispering something in your ear?'' Maya asked with a mischievous grin.

"You saw that?, so you were just hiding somewhere and enjoying the show?" I asked.

"Well, did you expect me to come out and ruin the moment?" she scoffed.

"So, what were you two discussing that required you guys to be so close?" she asked, settling on the bed.

"Maya, please I have had a long day, a long flight and my poor heart has been stirred so much today, can we talk about this when I'm done unpacking?" I begged.

I was only trying to delay it a bit to annoy Maya because I knew she couldn't wait to hear all about it.

"Shit," I whispered. With everything going on I forgot to text my dad.

I picked up my phone and called him, he answered on the first ring.

"Hey dad, I'm so sorry I didn't call earlier. I'm at my dorm now," I explained.

"Hey kiddo, I'm glad you had a safe flight. You must be really tired so you should try and rest.  

Thank you for calling," he replied, his voice unusually soft.

"Alright bye dad, take care. I miss you already," I confessed.

"Bye, kiddo. I love you and I miss you so much," he replied, his voice almost cracking on the last few words.

Maya hugged me immediately I ended the call, she probably sensed the change in my mood.

I couldn't be more glad that she was here at this time.

After a moment we both pulled away from the hug.

"Ok, so where do we start from?" Maya asked, back to her usual chirpy self.

I look at her, confused.

"We need to arrange your stuff so you can tell me-"she faked a cough to cover up her mistake and corrected herself.

"So you can rest up," she finished, smiling at me sheepishly.

I just smiled and told her thank you.

I may not have said it directly but her presence lightened my mood drastically.

As we unpacked Maya teased me about Alex.

"Is it just me or did Axel get even hotter than he was the last time we saw him?" she asked after a while of silence.

"I can assure you he's even hotter in my dreams," I said. The words slipped out before I even realized it.

"Girl what!" she exclaimed.

I facepalmed myself, I didn't mean to say that out loud. I just looked away and continued arranging.

A few hours later we were done arranging and everything looked good.

"Now that we're done with that, care to spill?" she asked, barely hiding her curiosity,

My stomach grumbled in protest so she stood up.

"I know a great burger place that's close by, let's go there and have lunch while we talk," she suggested and walked out of the room.

I nodded and followed after her.

The restaurant was like a ten minute walk from my dorm.

As we walked in the smell of delicious food teased my nose, the place was quiet and scanty, most students had not resumed.

As we sat down at a table I looked at Maya and said, "you've only been here three days and you already discovered this place?"

"A girl's gotta eat," she replied and shrugged.A waiter came and took our order then left.

As soon as he was out of earshot Maya looked at me, her big brown eyes wide with curiosity, "spill," she commanded.

I sighed, covering my face with my hands."I've been dreaming of him non stop for weeks and believe me when I tell you there's nothing innocent about any of those dreams,"

I paused as the waiter approached with ort food, with the look he gave me I could tell he heard what I said but I didn't really care.

I sipped my drink and continued as soon as he left.

"Something happened today.

Maya rested her elbows on the table and leaned forward giving me her full attention.

"It could be nothing, but today I felt like he looked at me differently for the first time," I admitted.

"Explain differently," she said, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.

"He looked at me like he was seeing a woman, not just his best friend's daughter or a little girl," I whispered.

Maya blinked then let out a dramatic gasp, "what?Damn girl. Keep going, I need to know everything,"

I laughed and told her all about how we met at the airport, the car ride then when he got to know I was staying in a mixed dorm.

"He was angry I was staying at a mixed dorm, he asked if my dad knew and I said no.

Then I half jokingly asked if he would have offered his place," I shrugged, like it was no big deal.

Maya's jaw dropped, "you did what?," she asked, surprised."And what did he say?" she asked, taking a big bite of her food.

"He was silent at first, it kind of looked like he was considering it, then the next second it was like a switch flipped in his brain reminding him it's Ellie. Then he came close, leaned in, and said..." I paused, heartbeat picking up at the memory, "'You're playing a dangerous game, little one."

Maya stared at me, at a loss for words.

"Ellie, that man was seconds away from professing his love for you,"

I just rolled my eyes at her exaggeration and ate my food as my hunger came back with full force.

We ate our meal in silence until Maya spoke up, "Ellie, I'm serious. That man has feelings for you."

"Or maybe he was looking at me normally and I read into it because of my stupid crush," I murmured.

"Babe, stupid isn't the word I would call it, bold and insane maybe but definitely not stupid. And remember I was watching you two for a while, his body language matched what you just described," she assured me.

"That doesn't change the fact that he's my dad's best friend though," I said with a huge sigh.

"I know. Just be careful. Everything about him is dangerous," she replied.

I looked up at her, where did that come from? What do you mean?" I asked.

"I just mean, he looks dangerous, with the tattoos and everything." she shrugged, avoiding my eyes.

Towards the end of our lunch my phone beeped, a new message.

"Axel: if you need anything let me know and please stay safe my little one."

My heart did somersaults at the simple nickname and the fact that he added my.

I read the message over and over again and as I went to sleep that night a familiar face graced my dreams once again. 

I woke up the next morning to someone humming in the kitchen in my dorm.

My first thought was that someone had snuck into my room while I was asleep so in panic I grabbed one of my heels and moved silently to the kitchen.

As I got to the kitchen I raised the shoe and charged forward when the person suddenly turned around in shock and managed to dodge my shoe at the last moment.

I was shell shocked looking into the face of the culprit.

"Hi, my name is Chloe and I'm your roommate," she stretched out her hand to me seemingly unfazed by what just happened as she pulled her airpods out of her ear.

I gasped, my cheeks heated. The first meeting and I already embarrassed myself badly.

I shook her hand.

"My name is Ellie, I am so sorry about this, I thought you were a burglar because I didn't hear you come in last night," I said awkwardly.

"Oh, it's fine. I actually came back pretty late, around 3:00 AM and I didnt want to wake you," she shrugged.

She was beautiful, blonde hair, blue eyes, slim and at least 6 feet.

She looked like she belonged on a runaway and not in a dorm room with a roommate who almost hit her with a shoe.

We stood there awkwardly staring at each other until a beeping sound broke the silence.

Her food was burning and triggered the fire alarm.

We hurriedly put out the little fire before attracting a crowd, all awkwardness gone thanks to the mini emergency.

Once our room no longer looked like a furnace I breathed a sigh of relief I didn't know I was holding.

Then our eyes met and we both burst into laughter, I was glad we found a way to break through the tension, a weird way but it worked nonetheless.

I immediately went into the bathroom to take a quick shower and when I came out Chloe knocked on my door and offered me toast.

As she stretched it out to me I just stared at her then she hurriedly said, "I'm not much of a chef but at least I didn't burn this one."

We laughed again then I took the plate from her and expressed gratitude.

I munched down on the toast greedily, I didn't even realize how hungry I was.

It felt great to bond with Chloe, but I couldn't lie, the text from Axel had me feeling all sorts of emotions and restlessness was at the very top of that list.

I needed some alone time to process my emotions and Chloe wasn't exactly the most quiet roommate.

She was either on a call or playing loud music and as much as I loved a good dance session, that was not what I needed right now.

So I took my phone and texted Maya to tell her I wanted to quickly check out the library and I'll see her later.

Then I got dressed, informed Chloe I was stepping out for a bit and left for the library.

As I walked to the library I was in awe of how beautiful the school looked and the weather was just perfect.

Soon I got to the library and was relieved to see that it was almost empty.

I took a seat, put down my bag and stared at the message on my phone.

I kind of felt like I was overthinking something simple but then again it felt like he was warmer than I remembered him being.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts and got up to find a book to get lost in.

As I skimmed through the shelves, my fingers paused on a worn copy of Romeo and Juliet. I

slowly pulled it out.

Her favorite.My mother was part of the reason I was such a romantic.

She used to tell me how she fell in love with my dad the moment she saw him.

I smiled at the memory... then tucked the book under my arm before the ache could settle too deep.

I traced my fingers over the cover of Romeo and Juliet, a faint smile tugging at my lips.

My mom used to call it the greatest tragedy and the greatest love story all in one breath.

My phone buzzed, a notification from one of my apps which I totally ignored and found my way to Axel's message.

"Please stay safe, my little one." My chest tightened.

He'd used that nickname for years, but last night... last night it felt different. Softer. Possessive. Like he didn't want anyone else calling me that.

I stared at the words, the way he said my, like I belonged to him.

Was I reading too much into it?Maybe.Probably.

But I couldn't shake the way he looked at me in the car,the flicker in his eyes before he pulled back.

I sighed and opened the book, hoping the words would drown out my thoughts.

They didn't.

I went back to my dorm room and met Chloe in the sitting room.

"Hey Ellie, I'll be having some friends over tonight just to watch movies and hang out, feel free to join us."

"Ok then, thank you for inviting me, I'll try and pop in." I replied and entered my room.

I slept for a while and when I woke up it was already dark so I freshened up and went to the living room to join Chloe.

She was there with four of her friends, to my dismay the guy that winked at me the day I moved in was one of them.

He smiled at me as soon as he saw me, but his smile just made me uneasy.

"Hey Ellie, I'm glad you decided to join, these are my friends, Jess and Tariq" she said nodding in the direction of a cute black guy and a pretty brunette who waved at me.

"That's Connor," she said, pointing at the guy that winked at me.

He was handsome, blonde hair and green eyes but I already had my heart set on a particular someone.

She turned to the guy behind her who had his hand on her waist, "And this is my little munchkin Ethan."

She kissed him passionately and his hand tightened around her waist.

The "Little" munchkin in question was at least 6 feet six inches tall.

They were so lost in each other that I'm sure the rest of the world didn't exist to them at that moment until someone cleared their throat.

With introductions out of the way the get together was cool, Jess and Tariq found a quiet spot in the room and whispered sweet nothings to each other.

Chloe and her Ethan were obviously cuddled up together at another corner of the room leaving just me and Connor.

He approached me and tried to strike up a conversation but I kept giving him one word answers.

I wasn't doing it intentionally, but my mind was elsewhere. After a while he gave up and left me alone.

After a while Jess and Tariq left and I somehow fell asleep.

I woke up to a hand clamped over my mouth, I looked around in panic and the room was empty.

Then I looked into the supposedly beautiful green eyes that looked dangerous at the moment.

"Don't move and don't scream, if you don't scream I'll make it quick." He threatened with a sinister smile.

You have got to be kidding me.I thought about the whole situation and laughed. Connor stopped, looking at me like I had gone crazy.

Then I snapped into myself.

I bent my knees and planted my feet, hard, like I was anchoring into the earth. He thought I was small, that I'd just give in. He didn't know I was about to fight.

I grabbed his arm, the one he was using to pin my shoulder  and yanked it tight to my chest. Then I trapped his leg with mine, locking him in.

He hesitated, confused.

And that's when I struck.

I bridged my hips up, using every ounce of power I had, and rolled hard to the side. His balance slipped. I used that moment ;that one second of surprise to flip us.

Now I had the upperhand and I immediately landed a heavy blow on him that rendered him unconscious.

At this moment I couldn't be more grateful for dad making me get up from bed at 5:00 everyday since I turned 12 so he could train me to defend myself.

That move I just used was one of the first moves he taught me.

I dragged Connor outside and punched him one last time to make sure he wouldn't wake up anytime soon, then locked the door and went back inside my room.

I took a quick shower and texted Maya about what just happened, then a plan formed in my head as soon as I put the phone down.

I took my phone again and dialed my dad's number. When he picked up I told him all about what had happened with a little exaggeration here and there.

 Dad was mortified and insisted that he couldn't let me stay in that dorm. He said he'd tell Axel to come pick me up till we can find a better option.

As soon as we ended the call I smirked, my plan worked. There was no way my dad was going to let his precious only daughter stay in a dorm that wasn't safe. Even if I could defend myself,he would be more comfortable with me staying with his best friend.

In a way I had Connor to thank for this new arrangement, at least now I have a valid excuse to stay with Axel. And with us being so close he can only resist me for so long. I sighed happily and was about to doze off when my phone vibrated.

It was a text message from Axel. I opened it to read it and I couldn't believe what I saw there.

"Axel : I'm in front of your room, come and open the door please." I rubbed my eyes to make sure I saw right, then I checked the time. It was 4:00 AM.

Dad said Axel would pick me up in the morning so why was he here already. with all these thoughts running through my mind I quickly left my room and went to open the door.

With a huge calming breath I opened the door and he immediately pulled me into a tight hug, breathing in my scent.

I couldn't believe Axel was really here. For a moment I thought I was dreaming again but the way his arms tightened around me proved this was real.

So I let myself savor the moment, holding on for just a second longer, breathing in his familiar scent.

He felt safe, but then Connor's face flashed in front of my eyes, his words clung to my memory, rough and cruel, my body immediately tensed up.

I pulled back quickly and plastered a fake smile on my face before Axel could notice.

My fingers trembled at my sides but I curled them into fists to stop them from shaking.

I couldn't afford to be weak, not when Dad drilled me for years to be able to protect myself and I did, I won, so why were my hands still shaking?

Why did I keep hearing that voice in my head, whispering threats in the dark?

I couldn't afford to let that voice control me, especially not when Axel was watching.

Not when I wanted him to see me as more than just a fragile girl that needs saving.

Maybe if I acted strong the fear would go away, fake it till you make it right?

I finally looked up and found his eyes searching mine, his eyebrows creased as he opened and shut his mouth a few times before taking a deep breath.

"Are you okay Ellie?" he asked.

I panicked for a second, wondering if my Dad had told him what happened.

"Your dad told me to come pick you up because the dorms weren't safe for you, did anything happen?"

He asked, voice soft and eyes worried.

I breathed a small sigh of relief, dad hadn't told him exactly what happened.

So I puffed out my shoulders and put on a bright smile as I answered, "yeah, I'm fine"

My voice came out a little shaky and his eyebrows immediately inched together.

I cleared my throat and looked away.

Axel stared at me so intently that I was afraid he was gonna burn a hole through my face.

It was like he could see right through my facade.

I squirmed uncomfortably underneath his gaze.

He reached out slowly and grazed his thumb over my arm.

"Ellie, what happened?"he asked in a low steady voice.

My heart hammered in my chest and my throat tightened.

"Nothing, I'm fine." I lied, looking everywhere but at him.

He didn't look convinced one bit, then he looked away but I could see his jaw tick, he probably had an idea about what happened.

He turned to me and rubbed his forehead, as if debating internally whether to probe me more for details, he didn't.

His hand dropped to the small of my back as he guided me inside.

"You definitely don't look fine." he muttered under his breath, but I heard him.

I pretended like I didn't hear him and went inside to pack my things.

I pack a few things quickly and leave a note for Chloe telling her I'm moving out.

As I walked out of the dorm with my bags, Axel collected them from me and told me not to worry.

The first few minutes of the ride to Axel's place was awkward, scratch that, awkward was an understatement.

The tension was so thick you could cut through it with a knife.

I slid into the passenger seat, pressing my hands flat against my knees to stop them from shaking.

The leather smelled faintly like him, clean and sharp, and it made my chest ache in a way I couldn't name.

 For the first few minutes, neither of us spoke. The only sound was the steady hum of the engine.

Every so often, I caught Axel glancing at me, his jaw tight, like he was holding back words.

"Cold?" he asked suddenly, reaching out to adjust the heater before I could answer.

 I wasn't cold, but I didn't correct him.

I was shivering for an entirely different reason.

I turned and stared out the window instead, admiring the view.

Anything to avoid the weight of his gaze.

The rest of the ride was quiet again, but not empty. It was charged, every second pulling me tighter into the storm that was Axel.

By the time we pulled into the long driveway, my palms were damp against my jeans.

Axel's house loomed ahead, sleek and modern, all sharp lines and glass windows that caught the city lights.

It wasn't just a house,it was a statement, towering and unyielding, like him.

I had never been here before so my nerves were all over the place, and the fact that it would be just me and him had my heart doing gymnastics in my ribcage.

When Axel stopped the engine of the car, neither of us moved.

After a moment of silence, I steeled myself and got out of the car, Axel followed immediately.

He brought out my bags and walked towards the building.

I followed slowly behind him, my legs stiff as I climbed the stone steps.

The door swung open and I just stood there taking in the house until he nodded and said, "come on in."

I went in but I felt out of place in the huge mansion.

Everything there screamed Axel, his scent, everything was cold, just like him.

Axel picked up my bags again and nodded for me to follow. "Come on. I'll show you your room."

I trailed behind him, my pulse quickening with every step deeper into his world. He stopped at a door and pushed it open, setting my bags by the bed.

 "This will be yours."

I stepped inside. The room was warm, softer than I expected, with a view of the city lights spilling through the window.

I turned back to thank him and found him leaning against the doorway, arms crossed, eyes on me like he was studying every breath I took.

 For a moment, the silence between us stretched thin, heavy.

"Thank you," I whispered, suddenly aware of how close he was, how the air shifted with his presence.

His gaze dipped just for a second to my lips, then back up. My heart stopped.

But then he cleared his throat, straightened, and pulled back.

 "Get some rest, Ellie. We'll talk in the morning."

And just like that, he was gone, leaving me with my racing heart