Chapter 82 Part 82

Chapter 82 Part 82
Aspen

“Axl?” He looked up as the doors closed, and Aspen saw the shock in his eyes—not just surprise, but staggering disbelief. Her heart was hammering in her chest, a frantic rhythm that made her fingertips tingle. For a split second she wondered if she was imagining him, if grief had conjured him out of memory.
The elevator doors slid open again, then Axl was right in front of her. His hands cupped her face, warm and firm, thumbs brushing over her cheekbones as if confirming she was real. Before she knew it, he was kissing her. Her handbag fell to the floor as she wrapped her arms around his neck. His arms locked around her back with desperate strength, lifting her so her feet dangled in the air. The kiss wasn’t gentle. It was months of silence, confusion, and longing colliding at once. She tasted salt—tears, she wasn’t sure whose.
“We need to move,” a man said, but Aspen barely registered the fact that Axl was moving. The hallway blurred around her.
Her feet touched the floor, and Axl pulled away slowly, his forehead resting against hers. His breath came uneven, warm against her lips. His eyes searched deep in her soul with raw vulnerability. “Where have you been?”
Aspen turned her head to the side, trying to steady the storm inside her. The two men stood with their backs to them, broad shoulders squared, giving them privacy. She looked back into Axl’s eyes, remembering every single moment they ever spent together—laughter in dark rooms, whispered confessions, the way he’d looked at her like she was something precious. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes again, lowering her head as shame crept through her veins.
“This is Calvin and CJ. They keep me safe from deranged fans,” Axl said. The two men turned and smiled politely. “This is Aspen.”
Recognition flashed in their eyes, quick but unmistakable. Aspen’s cheeks heated with embarrassed warmth. “Hi.” Her voice felt smaller than she intended. The men nodded before turning back around. The elevator doors opened, and they were herded down the hall.
Axl’s fingers threaded with her own as he unlocked the suite’s door. His grip tightened slightly, like he was afraid she might disappear again. One of the men placed a duffel bag and Axl’s guitar case on the floor, then closed the door behind him with a soft but final click. They stood staring at each other for what felt like suspended time before Axl shook his head with a sigh.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have kissed you like that,” he said, walking over to the sofa to sit down. He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, hands clasped tightly.
“You blocked me,” Aspen said, her arms wrapping around herself in protective instinct.
“You left me,” Axl said angrily. Aspen took a step backwards. She’d never seen his anger directed at her before. It hit her with unexpected force. “You walked away in the pouring rain, and left me drowning in endless pain. Words unspoken cut so deep, now I’m all alone, and I can’t even sleep.”
“Your song,” Aspen whispered. The lyrics wrapped around her like a bruise she’d been pressing on for months.
Axl got to his feet, his hands shoved into his pockets. “It was always your song.”
“Can we talk about what happened that night?”
“I went onstage for the first time, riding a high only to find that you’d left me,” Axl said. The memory clearly still burned.
“North was there. He said he wanted me back, that I wasn’t your problem anymore,” she said softly.
“Trust me, the side of his face felt it when he told me that shit.” His jaw tightened. “How could you ever think that was true? After everything we shared?”
She lowered her head, tears gathering heavily. “He said it so confidently, and the previous night… that next morning, you were so awkward with me. I was scared you regretted it.”
“How could I ever regret any moment spent with you?” His voice cracked slightly.
“Why did you block my number? I tried to call you so many times.” She wiped away a stray tear, frustrated when another followed.
“North left a voicemail. It pissed me off so much when he told me to back off because he loved you first, I threw my phone against the wall.” He exhaled sharply. “I didn’t get a new phone for months, but they got me a new number too. I thought you’d chosen him. I thought my worst fear had come true.”
“I didn’t.” Her voice trembled.
“I only found that out a few months later.”
“Axl, there’s something I have to tell you.” Her stomach twisted painfully. “It’s why I tried calling you.”
“You can always tell me anything, Aspen.” He stepped closer and pulled her into his arms. The embrace felt achingly familiar. Her silent tears soaked into his shirt.
“Four weeks after I left, I found out that I was pregnant,” she said.
Axl lifted her chin gently. Tears filled his eyes. “Of course I would want to know. Is it a boy or a girl?”
Aspen clenched her eyes shut. “He was a boy.”
“Was?” His arms tightened. “What happened, Aspen?”
Her shoulders shook as she sobbed, grief ripping through her with merciless intensity. Axl scooped her up and carried her to the bed. He laid her down carefully and pulled her against him, one hand cradling the back of her head.
“It’s okay. I’ve got you. Always, Aspen. Always.”
“I went into premature labour when I was twenty-six weeks pregnant. He was stillborn, Axl. He never even took a breath.” The silence afterward felt heavy, almost sacred.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry I wasn’t there,” Axl said, his voice breaking.
She felt his tears fall onto her face, warm and real. “I’m sorry I couldn’t keep him alive.”
“Shh. It wasn’t your fault.” His arms tightened around her protectively.
Exhaustion eventually pulled her under. She woke much later, the room dark and still. Axl was asleep beside her, his arm wrapped securely around her waist. When she shifted, his hold tightened instinctively.
“Are you going to go wash your armpits so we can go out for dinner?” he murmured sleepily.
She chuckled softly and elbowed him. “Why don’t you go wash your armpits?”
Axl laughed, the sound warm and grounding. In one swift movement, he pinned her to the mattress beneath him. He lowered his head and captured her lips in a soft kiss. This one was slower, gentler—tentative yet hopeful.
She didn’t fight it. She gave in immediately. She’d missed him—his scent, his warmth, the way his body fit against hers. She’d missed the safety she felt in his arms.
She wrapped her legs around his waist and he deepened the kiss. His hand tangled in her hair while the other slipped under her shirt, warm fingers pressing against her skin. When he broke the kiss, they were both gasping for breath, foreheads touching, eyes searching—not for answers this time, but for each other.