Axel froze up, shocked by the hug. Then he slowly hugged her back. "It's no problem." When he looked down, he saw she could barely keep her eyes open.
"Come on, you're about to keel over." He half carried her into the bedroom and helped her in, pulling the bed covers over her. "See you in the morning," he said, smiling shyly, as he moved quietly over to the light switch and flicked it off. He stood for a moment, watching over her, then pulled the door shut lightly.
Axel walked into the main room and thoughtfully picked up the bar code he'd pulled from her boot. After a moment, he absentmindedly put it in his jeans pocket and sat down on the couch, suddenly feeling exhausted, keeping a weary eye on on the front door.