X : His scent

"Done admiring me?" He was teasing me while grabbing another black towel in his hands. 

He rubbed his hair with that little towel, his eyes closing without him realized because the towel kept brushing over his eyes. Even though his body was built like a beast, his face unexpectedly looked cute. 

Cora, stop staring at your half-naked boss!

I snapped back to reality and grabbed the paper bag. "Is… this your kitchen?" I asked, a totally stupid question Cora, even an infant can know that you're in his kitchen. I picked the food out of the bag and put it on the dining table. 

"Are you stuttering, Cora?" Axel stepped closer, his smile making it impossible for me to look at him. If I did, I'd lose my mind. 

"No! There's no way I'm stuttering." I said, trying to sound cool, but my voice betrayed me.

"Why are you acting so weird?" He went closer and almost cornered me, but I manage to step away from him, 

I distracted myself by pretending to search for something, "Where is the plate?" He pointed to one of the cabinets and leaned to the table behind him, watching me like a hawk, I couldn't bring myself to focus like usual. 

Shit. Why am I being this nervous?

I opened the cabinet and took the nearest plate, "Watch out!" In my rush, a smaller plate slipped and went straight hit my forehead. 

"Ouch!" I yelped in pain while Axel caught the plate just before it shattered to the floor, I closed my eyes, maybe it will make it less hurt. 

"Cora, are you okay?" I felt two hands holded my cheeks. When I opened my eyes, Axel hazel eyes were right in front of me. His eyebrows frowned slightly, looked so worried while taking a look at my wounded forehead. 

The pain eased, my attention drawn to his face instead. My mind focuses on analyzing his face, he was easily one of the most beautiful men I'd ever seen. He was even prettier than me, much prettier, and always would be.

"It will leave a bump tomorrow," As his face was this close to my face, I can feel his breath slightly. The smell of his shampoo filled the air, his fresh, clean scent reminding me of pine and ocean air.

Remember, that he is still half naked, so I don't know where to look while he is still checking my lovely forehead. 

"Sit down here," he said, gently guiding me to a chair. He went to the freezer and grabbed a frozen package, pressing it to my forehead. It was cold, but I felt better immediately. "Hold it," I did just like what he told me to, but my head was still spinning. 

Thank God it is just a small plate, if it was bigger my skull may be broken by now. 

After a few minutes, he returned, now wearing a black T-shirt and shorts, holding ointment. I didn't know whether to feel relieved or disappointed.

He took my face in his hands again, this time to apply the ointment. His face was closer than ever, I could barely think. I lost in his hazel eyes, but when we made eye contact, I looked away, busy fidgeting my fingers in my lap. 

"I didn't know that you can be this clumsy, Cora." He said that in a serious tone, like he was upset at me. 

"Thanks." I said when he finished treating me, "You gotta eat, I'm fine. The sandwich will be cold now," I stood up trying to get him his food,

"How can you think about food now?" 

"That's the reason I came here." I said calmly try not to get him more upset at me. I picked up the sandwich and put it on the plate. "Thank God the plate didn't break. It must've been expensive."

"The plate isn't important," Axel said quietly. "I caught it so you wouldn't get hurt."

Silence filled the air, but my heart was pounding so loudly I was sure he'd hear it. I wasn't sure anymore if it was because of the pain or him, Axel seemed different now—more serious, but undeniably charming.

Right! My friends! I glanced at my watch. I had 30 minutes left. "I gotta go. Enjoy your meal!" I grabbed my bag and rushed toward the door.

"Wait, Cora—" he called, but I was too flustered to stop. I practically ran into the elevator.

As I reached for the elevator button, I realized I was still holding the frozen nugget package from Axel's fridge. Great. But there was no way I was going back.

"Damn! Your face is so red," Matthew, a friend of mine, startled when seeing my face, "What happened to your forehead?" Jocey touched my forehead slightly, "a plate fell to my head."

"And these are my presents for you guys." I gave the instant food that I accidently took from Axel, their faces looked confused.

"Cora, are you okay?" Asked Jocey, 

"Yeah, Axel has treated me." I said without thinking, 

"Axel, your boss?" Jocey asked. "You were with him today?" Matthew pressed me for details.

"Uhmm… yes, I was just preparing his meal," I explained.

"Just that?" Matthew grinned.

"Of course! What else would I be doing?" They didn't need to know about Axel being half-naked.

"But today is the weekend! Wow! He's really annoying." Jocey complained, and I just nodded while sipping my iced tea.

"So, how is he?" Matthew asked.

"I think he's not as bad as I thought," I replied honestly.

"Right! That's why he helped you when you got hurt." Matthew teased, but I didn't mind.

After we moved on from talking about Axel, we caught up on our lives. As midnight approached, Matthew said he'd drive us home.

I settled into the back seat, watching the streets while Matthew and Jocey chatted. They're my closest friends, and I always felt at ease with them. I didn't have to be perfect; I could just enjoy their conversation. Usually, I would join in, but today my mind kept wandering back to Axel. Was I too weird earlier?

While humming along to the radio, I gazed out at the city lights. Suddenly, I spotted a man in a black shirt and beige pants getting out of a car I recognized, followed by a blonde woman. It was Axel.

What was he doing here? He and the woman in the short red dress walked into a place with a big sign that read "Black Moon."

"What's that place?" I asked my friends.

"The Black Moon? It's a club—the hottest spot in the city. Only A-listers can get in, celebrities and big shots," Matthew explained.

"You won't believe how expensive it is to get a table there," He added.

So this is Axel's world, untouched and glamorous. Someone like me would never fit into it.