The Forbidden flame

He kissed me with an intensity I had only ever seen in movies, as his hands roamed my body, hot and heavy.He gently laid me on the bed and left a trail of kisses from my face downward.

Just as things were about to get interesting I heard a faint beeping sound and the scene gradually changed till it was pitch black.

I opened my eyes once again to the realization that it was just a dream....again.

"Damn it," I groaned and turned off my alarm clock. The darn thing woke me up at the wrong moment.

I placed a hand on my chest to steady my heart that was beating erratically.

My skin was warm with the echoes of the dream,I could almost feel his lips on my neck, hot and warm.

If only I hadn't set an alarm I could have finished the dream. I turned to the other side and willed the dream to continue.

But it was gone, just like every other morning.

I buried my face in my pillow, feeling pathetic. Who dreams this vividly about someone who barely knows you're alive in that way?

Except he did know me. He'd watched me grow up. Which made it worse.

I groaned again,this time at myself and got up with a heavy sigh.

For the past few weeks Axel Creed had been the star of the show in all my dreams.

He was handsome, tall, athletic, sexy with tattoos that screamed dangerous but he was also my father's best friend which made him off limits.

I had known him practically all my life and he was older than me but that didn't stop me from developing feelings for him.

I know you're probably thinking it's just a childish crush that will go away but it's not.

I went to the bathroom and took a quick shower.

I was drying my hair when I heard a knock at the door.

"It's open," I said. Then my dad popped his head into the room.

"Good morning honey, I just wanted to make sure you're up already. I wouldn't want you to be late for your flight," he said with a smile.

"Good morning dad, thanks for checking. I'll be ready in a few minutes."

He nodded and left, shutting the door after himself.

I went back to drying my hair. As soon as I was done with that I put on comfy travel clothes and wheeled my boxes out of my room.

After which my dad helped me take them outside.

I went back to my room to see if I forgot anything and saw the picture of my mother on my bed stand table.

"I'm going to college mom," I said, like she could hear me through the picture.

She would have been so proud of me, I blinked back tears and took a deep breath to calm myself before putting the photo in my bag and leaving the room.

I grabbed an apple from the fruit basket and told dad I was ready to go.

We got in the car and we were soon on our way to the airport.

As we drove to the airport my mind was filled with thoughts of Axel.

I had been dreaming more about him lately because I was going to be closer to him than ever.

Yes, I'd be going to college in the city he lives in.

Just thinking about being in the same city with him had me feeling all giddy on the inside.

I couldn't lie, he was part of the reason I chose NewYork and luckily for me I got in.

I could already see my life in the next four years, I could see myself walking down the aisle with Axel at the other end getting teary seeing me as his bride.

"Ellie, did you hear what I just said?Ellie," my dad called.

"Yeah, sorry, what did you say?" I asked, smiling sheepishly.

He just shook his head and smiled. "I said, make sure you call me when you land and also when you get to the school and you're all settled in okay?

I nodded. The airport was already in view. I did a little happy dance in my head.

We got to the airport right on time and it was almost time to board the plane.

Dad hugged me tightly, like he didn't want me to go. His arms were strong but shaky, and I felt the tremble he was trying to hide.

I know how hard it must have been for him to support my decision to go far away for college.

Since mum died we had always been each other's support system.

We hadn't been apart for more than a month since she died and it was at this moment I realized how much I would miss him.

So I hugged him back, I held on to him tightly, trying to convey my feelings through that one simple gesture.

After what seemed like forever we broke away from the hug.

As he handed me my last luggage he cleared his throat and spoke.

"Don't forget to call. Or text. Or send smoke signals. Honestly, I'll take a carrier pigeon at this point."

We both laughed and I noticed sadly that his eyes were suspiciously shiny. I had a feeling my eyes looked the exact same way.

Then he turned and walked away and I watched him till he disappeared, wiping the tears from my eyes.

I took a deep breath and boarded the plane.

Once comfortably seated I plugged in my headphones and played the travel playlist I curated for this moment.

As the plane took off I nuzzled into the seat and closed my eyes, enjoying the music.

I woke up a few hours later and we were about to land.

I could slowly feel myself getting excited again, just the thought of seeing him had my heart doing somersaults.

When we landed I got off the plane and wheeled my boxes outside.

I just stood outside and admired the city, New York City. I couldn't believe I was finally here.

I held on to my keychain tightly, Axel gave it to me a long time ago and since then I have treated it like my lucky charm, carrying it everywhere with me.

I took a deep breath then brought out my phone as it beeped, indicating a text message.

I checked and it was from Axel, my heart rate sped up as I opened the text.

"I'm almost there." That was all the text said, as usual he was acting cold and distant but I didn't care, I was just happy I'd be able to see him.

My fingers gripped the keychain tighter, the cool metal pressing into my palm like a warning.

I knew I shouldn't feel this way.I knew I should let it go.

But the moment I saw his car pull up, I knew I never would.

His car came to a stop in front of me. It was black and sleek and screamed dangerous, just like him.

I stood rooted to the spot until he opened the door and slowly made his way out.

I don't know if it was in my head or if it was real but I could have sworn he came out of the car in slow motion.

He walked towards me, taking confident calculated steps, you could just see the power in his stride.

He came to a halt right in front me. Axel Creed.

No steamy dream could have prepared me for this.

He looked taller than I remember, if that was even possible.

His shoulders looked broader too.

His white T-shirt clung to him in all the right places.

Tattoos crept down his arms and I couldn't take my eyes off of them.

Overall, he had gotten sexier than he was the last time I saw him.

"Ellie," he said, his voice low and deep.

"Hi," I squeaked, suddenly forgetting how to speak in his presence.

He smirked and pulled me into a short friendly hug. The hug was too short and way too friendly for me.

"I'll grab your bags,"he said. He carried my bags effortlessly and put them in the trunk of his car.

I watched his muscles flex underneath his shirt and I could have sworn I drooled.

"Are you ready to go?," he asked. I just nodded mechanically because I didn't trust myself to speak.

We got into the car and he took off immediately.

The first few minutes of the ride we were both silent. Axel wasn't someone who made small talk.

I kept trying to think of what to say to fill the silence but came up with nothing.

When I was alone I planned out a whole conversation with him in my head but now that he was here with me I was at a loss for words.

"So what's your major?" Axel asked, to my surprise.

He kept tapping his finger on the steering wheel, a nervous habit of his.

"Creative writing," I muttered, still stunned that he's actually making small talk.

"I'm not surprised, you've always had your head in the clouds," he remarked.

I blushed and turned to the window. I couldn't believe he remembered.

When I was 14, I wrote a story about a beautiful princess and her prince charming.

Only that her prince charming was tall, athletic, had shiny black hair with stormy gray eyes that peer into your soul.

Oh, he also had tattoos, does that sound familiar?. Yes, I described prince charming exactly like Axel, although I never wrote his name.

And if you haven't already guessed, I described the princess as me. Petite, brunette, brown eyes, I gave her a different name though, but it was obviously me.

I wrote about how the princess was captured by evil people and her prince charming came and saved her and they kissed and fell in love.

You know the way those Disney princess stories go, yes that's what I wrote.

It would have been fine if my story never saw the light of day but to my utter humiliation my dad found the book on my table open when he came looking for his stapler and when Axel came around later on, my father proudly showed him what his creative daughter wrote.

Dad was completely oblivious to the fact that prince charming was literally Axel but the man in question was way more observant.

As he read it, he smirked, I just stood there mortified, willing the earth to open up and swallow me whole.

I was transported back to the present when I heard Axel chuckle beside me.

For a second I swore it was the same exact way he laughed when he read the story that day.

My blush intensified, did he really remember the story?. I couldn't dare to ask, I had to hold on to what was left of my dignity.

I continued looking outside then I suddenly felt his gaze on me, I shivered. I wasn't sure if it was because of him or if it was actually a bit chilly.

Without a word, I heard the soft click of the air conditioning dial. The cold air eased.

He noticed.My heart thudded. He always noticed.

We enjoyed the rest of the ride in silence.

It was probably just my imagination but I felt like the silence held a lot of weight, the weight of unspoken words.

"We're here," he said as he pulled into the parking lot of my dorm.

My shoulders sagged, I didn't want to say goodbye to him.

"I'll get your bags," he said reaching for the door handle but his hand just hovered as if he was stalling.

Then he opened the door and stepped out before I could even blink.

With a defeated sigh I got out of the car too.

He effortlessly lifted my bags and dropped them in front of the dorm but I looked at him, puzzled.

"What?" he asked.

"I need your help to get them inside, they're heavy," I replied.

He sighed and carried them again with little to no effort and followed me inside.

As soon as we stepped inside he stopped, I looked back and saw that his demeanour had changed as he took in the environment.

A guy walked past us right at that tie and nodded at me. Offering a flirty smile then disappeared into one of the rooms.

"Ellie, by any chance, is this a mixed dorm?" he asked in a tone that told me he already knew the answer and he didn't like it one bit.

"I guess you could call it that," I replied with a shrug.

He shook his head and put the bags down, looking at me with a straight face.

"Does your dad know about this Ellie?"

I loved the way he said my name, it reminded me of this morning's dream, when he was hovering above me and muttering my name in between kisses.

"Ellie?" he called again.

I shook my head to get rid of all the naughty things running through my mind.

"I asked if your dad has any idea you're staying in a mixed dorm," he questioned.

I winced, "not exactly," I answered, shuffling on my feet.

"Ellie, you're-"he ran his hand over his face and sighed. "You're 19 years old living in a mixed dorm all by yourself."

"But I'm not alone, I am in college," I argued, crossing my arms over my chest.

"You know that's not what I mean," he retorted, shooting me a hard look.

"The single gender dorms were all filled, what was I supposed to do, find a bridge to sleep under?" I asked.

He shook his head, "you should have called me," he replied, his voice a bit softer this time.

"What would you have done, offered me a place to stay?" I asked, my voice a bit daring.

He paused for a moment, his jaw clenched and hands clenched by his side.

For a hot minute it seemed like he was actually considering it, then his eyes widened, as if he came back to his senses.

"That's ridiculous, not everything is a joke Ellie," he said, stepping back.

"Who said I was joking?" I muttered under my breath, but he heard and he looked at me.

My heart thudded because for once he looked at me different, with a fire in his eyes.

For the first time ever he didn't look at me like a child, he looked at me like a woman.

He suddenly walked close to me and stopped right in front of me, then he leaned forward till he was the same height as me.

"You're playing a dangerous game, little one," he whispered, his hot breath fanning my face.

Then he picked up my bags like nothing just happened and went towards the direction of my room while I was still standing there, reeling from him being that close.

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.