Axel kept thinking about the kiss. The weight of it sat on his chest like something heavy and sharp. Every time he blinked, he could still feel the warmth of Noah's breath, the shape of his mouth, the quiet shock that had echoed in the space between them. He'd gone straight home after it happened, pulled off his jacket with trembling fingers, and locked the door to his room. Like that would keep the memory out. It didn't. When he stepped into the shower that night, the water wasn't cold enough. It hit his skin but did nothing to dull the nerves buzzing under it. His fingers pressed into the tiles as he braced himself, letting the water run down his back, breathing hard. He couldn't stop thinking about it. The way it had felt. The fact that he had wanted it. And worse how much he still wanted it. His stomach twisted. He didn't know if it was shame, or fear, or something else entirely. But the second the thoughts got too loud, he shook his head and shut it all off. He wasn't going there. Not right now.
The next day at school, Axel did the only thing he knew how to do when things got too real. He avoided it. Or rather he avoided him. He arrived early, ducked into class before Noah showed up, kept his head down and his hoodie up. It didn't matter how obvious it was. He couldn't look Noah in the eye. Not yet. He saw him in the hallway later talking to Jasmine near the lockers and immediately turned the other way. He felt his heart thud like a warning bell in his chest. Noah looked totally normal, as if nothing had happened. Calm. Collected. Like the kiss hadn't meant anything. Axel hated how much that got to him. Later in the day, Jasmine caught up to him outside the cafeteria. "Yo." She walked alongside him like she owned the sidewalk. "You've been weird all morning. What's up with you?" "Nothing," Axel muttered, eyes forward. "Liar," Jasmine said. "You barely looked at Noah during Lit. Usually you're trying to out-sass each other every five minutes." "I said it's nothing."
Jasmine stopped walking and tugged on his sleeve, forcing him to stop too. Her eyes narrowed. "What happened?" Axel hesitated. His throat tightened. She waited. "I kissed him," he said finally. The words scraped out of him like gravel. Jasmine blinked. "You what?" "Not like It wasn't planned. It just… happened. After school. In the rain." Her mouth fell open. "Hold on. When was this?" "Yesterday." "Yesterday?!" Jasmine practically yelled. "And you're just now telling me?!" "I didn't know how to talk about it," Axel muttered. "It's not like I've ever "He stopped himself, fists curling. "It just… happened. And I panicked." Jasmine stared at him. "Did he kiss you back?" Axel paused. "Yeah." She folded her arms. "And now you're ghosting him?" "I'm not. " Axel shut his mouth. He was ghosting him. She was right. Jasmine sighed and softened. "Look, I don't know how deep your feelings go or whatever, but if you think he's not confused too, you're wrong. You don't have to figure it all out today. But you can't keep acting like it didn't happen. That's not fair."
Axel bit the inside of his cheek. He knew she was right. And still, he couldn't shake the fear clawing at his ribs. What if he screwed this up even worse? He didn't check his phone until the end of sixth period. That's when he saw it. A message from Noah. "Are you okay?" Sent that morning. 8:14 a.m. Unopened. Axel stared at the screen. His fingers hovered over the reply button… but didn't move. He locked the phone and shoved it into his bag. Later, as the last bell rang and the building slowly emptied, Axel slipped into the boys' bathroom, trying to gather himself. He splashed cold water on his face, gripping the edges of the sink. He didn't even hear the door open. "You've been avoiding me." The voice sent a jolt through his spine. Axel didn't turn right away. "What do you want?" Noah stepped inside. Calm, measured. "You know what I want." The door clicked shut behind him. Silence. Then, footsteps. Soft. When Axel finally turned, Noah was right there — and then suddenly closer. His arm lifted, hand pressed against the wall beside Axel's head. His eyes locked on Axel's, unreadable. Axel's breath caught. "Noah…"
"You kissed me," Noah said simply. Not angry. Just stating facts. "Then you ran. Then you spent the whole day pretending I didn't exist." "I didn't " Axel started, then stopped. "I panicked." Noah didn't move. "Why?" "I don't know. I've never" Axel looked down. "I've never liked someone like that. Not a guy." Noah's gaze softened. "I kissed you back." Axel's eyes darted up. "What?" "That night. You kissed me… but I kissed you back. You weren't the only one who felt something." Axel stared at him, throat dry. "I wasn't gonna chase you down begging for answers," Noah added. "I figured if it meant something to you, you'd come talk." Axel swallowed. "I wanted to. I just— I thought you'd act like it didn't mean anything." "Well," Noah smirked faintly, "you ignoring my text wasn't exactly romantic either."
Axel pulled out his phone slowly and showed him the unopened message. "I saw it. I just didn't know what to say." Noah looked at him. "Then say it now." Axel met his eyes. "I liked it." Noah's lips curled slightly. "Good." Then, he stepped back, lowered his arm, and turned toward the door. "Don't avoid me again, Axel." Axel exhaled, nerves frayed. "I won't." But the second Noah opened the door, he glanced over his shoulder and added: "I don't like being treated like a secret." The words hit harder than they should have. As the door closed behind him, Axel stood frozen in the silence. He didn't know what this thing between them was yet. But it was definitely something. And for the first time in a long time, he didn't want to run from it.