"You, me, outside for lunch," Axel said, smirking.

My eyebrows rose. "What?"

I noticed Hannah was grinning next to me and chose to ignore her as I stared at Axel, wondering what he wanted. Class was about to start and a few people were watching us, leaving me feeling uneasy. I didn't want anyone thinking Axel and I had something going on when we didn't.

"During lunch let's go outside," he said. "Let's get to know each other."

"You work fast," I said, amazed. "You literally asked if I would get to know you yesterday."

Axel grinned. "For you, I couldn't wait."

I rolled my eyes, but found my heart stirring. This feeling was getting annoying so I sighed, knowing I needed to see more of Axel's flaws. Only then could I start to hate him again and that was what I wanted.

"Fine," I said. "Let's get this out of the way."

"Did I ever tell you you're a very pleasant person?" Axel asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Many have."

Axel shook his head, but I caught the small smile he wore. He then ran his fingers through his hair, leaving me staring at him, trying to capture every movement. There was something about the way he moved with confidence that caught my eye.

"I'll see you after class," he said, winking.

He turned around and walked off, and I watched him. I noticed that he was still smiling and something in me twisted.

"I'm excited," Hannah said next to me. "I can't wait to see where this goes."

"Nowhere," I said, looking at her. "Watch me realize I truly do hate him."

Hannah shook her head and smiled, leaving me huffing. No one believed my words. Not even myself.

*****

"So, what are we doing?" I asked as I placed my books into my locker.

Axel leaned against the locker next to mine. His hair fell into his eyes and my grip on my textbook tightened as I felt this urge to touch his hair. Admittedly, he had beautiful hair. It was this dark, chocolate brown that fell to the side in thick strands. From the look of them, I knew they would be soft like silk.

"Wow," Axel said, zoning me back in. "We didn't even start our date and you're already getting lost in my eyes."

"N-no!" I couldn't help but flush. "It's not even a date!"

"Our 'hang out'." Axel shook his head. "Same thing."

"No, date would mean I like you." I closed my locker and turned to face him. "Hang out means I'm just chilling with you."

"Wait. You only date someone if you like them?"

"Of course."

"That... That defeats the purpose of dating." Axel looked utterly confused. "The point of dating is to get to know someone to see if you're interested in them."

"Not to me." I crossed my arms over my chest. "My views are different than most teenagers."

He shook his head. "You have some weird views."

Rolling my eyes, I began to walk off. I heard Axel's footsteps behind me and felt gratitude, even though I was slightly offended. My views were different, but I wouldn't consider them weird.

"Do you know where we're going to hang out?" Axel asked from behind me.

"The usual spot," I answered.

"You already know me so well."

Once again I rolled my eyes, but I didn't say anything. Soon we reached our destination and I sighed happily at the beautiful weather. If Axel wasn't my company, I probably would have asked for a stroll around the field.

Axel sat down, pressing his back against the brick wall. I joined him, leaving lots of space between us and stared up at the sky. It was incredibly clear and blue.

"You know," Axel said as I admired the scene in front of me. "I don't bite."

"Stranger danger," I said, giving him a look. "I have to be careful."

"Seriously?" He shook his head. "What in the world am I going to do with you?"

I stared at him and watched him stare at the ground. His nose was large I noticed, but attractive with its defined point. I tried to find his freckles I seemed to notice here and there, but due to our distance I couldn't see them.

"Tell me about yourself," Axel finally said, looking back at me.

"So vague," I said. "What do you want to know specifically?"

"Anything. I don't care."

I frowned, wondering if he didn't care then why was I here. Axel seemed to catch onto my discomfort because his eyes widened.

"No. I didn't mean I literally don't care about you," he said, sounding oddly nervous. "I mean I don't care what you choose."

"Oh." I looked away, thinking. "Um... I don't know. Why don't you start?"

I felt weird. To be honest, this was my first time ever getting to know a guy like this. Actually, it was my first time being alone with a guy. That was probably why my heart was pounding.

"I like rabbits," Axel said, surprising me.

I whipped my head to look at him. "Really?"

"Yeah." He looked embarrassed. "I have a pet one. He's really cute and... Yeah. I guess you could say I'm fond of him."

"That's cool." I smiled. "What's his name?"

"Cocoa. He's brown." Axel grinned. "Do you have any pets?"

"No," I answered, looking up thoughtfully. "Although my brother could be considered one with his apish ways."

He laughed. "Luke right?"

"Yeah. I think you know him.

"I do." He smiled, seeming thoughtful. "He's a good kid. Protective."

I stared at Axel, unable to believe his words. Luke was neither good or protective. I began to wonder if there was another kid named Luke in our school.

Axel caught onto my thoughts because he said, "Guys have pride issues. They would never show they care."

"Are you like that?" I asked.

"No." Axel shrugged. "But, I'll admit I won't admit I care. It's a guy thing."

Axel and I went on to talk about guys versus girls and we ended up debating on which gender had an easier life. Naturally I won with strong examples and we then began to talk about school and what we wanted to do in the future. Axel wanted to become a programmer and I wanted to become a doctor. But, we both wanted to go to the same university. As we talked, I learned that although there were tons of things that made us different, there was also a lot of things that made us similar.

We kept talking and soon I felt at ease with Axel. No longer did I feel nervous and reluctant, but I talked to him the way I talked to Hannah. I didn't hold anything back and I teased him, and soon I realized that I wasn't going to let it end here. To some disappointment, I realized I really didn't hate Axel.

When the bell was about the ring, Axel said, "Wow. Who thought you could have such a sparkling personality."

"Thanks." I narrowed my eyes at him. "Who knew you weren't a complete jerk."

He grinned. "Thanks."

The both of us stood up, knowing we needed to head to our classes soon. But before moving, we just stood and stared at each other, seemingly unable to say anything. There were things I wanted to say, but I felt weird admitting what I wanted to.

"So, do you hate me?" Axel asked, eyes turning gentle. "You can be honest."

I shook my head immediately. "I don't. Well, so far I don't."

"That's good to hear." He smiled and I looked away, feeling suddenly shy. "I hope we'll have many days like this."

I didn't say anything and turned around, feeling embarrassed. Because the truth was, I hoped so too. After today, I realized there was only one guy in our school who had the slightest bit of a shot with me and I wasn't sure how to feel about it. Honestly, a part of me was terrified.