HAZELI didn’t know how long I was down there at the table, waiting, waiting for Axel to come back. I didn’t even notice when I leaned forward, my arms resting on the polished surface, until I had fallen asleep. Waiting for a man to sit with me, to have dinner with me....a man I wasn’t supposed to expect anything from, a man who didn’t deserve it. Axel didn’t see me like that. We weren’t like that. And yet, for the first time, I thought I could surprise him, do something good for a change, something positive. This place felt different, lighter, and for a moment, I wanted him to see me differently too.But in the end, I was just a girl asleep at a table, the food untouched, candles burning low, alone. No appetite and no one.I suddenly felt my body lift gradually, my eyes fluttering open, and that’s when I saw him....Axel. He had me in his arms, carrying me. “Axel…” I whispered, my voice sleepy.“Go back to sleep,” he murmured. It was quiet, firm, commanding, the way his voice always
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