I snapped my head in his direction, feeling my eyes widen, knowing I had shock written across my face. “W-What? Really?” My face was on fire, and he sat next to me, looking cool as a cucumber.
“Yeah, honestly.” He started rubbing his hands up and down his tan Dockers, and I wondered if he was nervous. Surely, he couldn’t be though. He didn’t seem like he was, or that he’d be the type to be awkward… unlike me. “You’re like…” He paused, cleared his throat, and still ran his hands up and down his thighs before curling his big fingers over his knees, as if trying to force himself to calm down. “It’s the reason I show up. To listen to you.”
My heart stopped. Hell, it felt like it did, that muscle stilling in my chest as his words sunk in.
We looked at each other then, for so long. I felt so attuned to him that no one else mattered. Nothing else did.
“Braxton, can we get your opinion on something over here?”
I blinked past the haze that had settled over me and turned my focus from Braxton to the group of men—who I knew were fellow firefighters—and watched as they waved him over. When I looked at him, I saw Braxton still watched me, not even caring that he was being addressed.
I licked my lips and lifted my hand to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear that had been annoyingly slapping against my cheek from the wind. “I think you’re being summoned,” I teased, smiling, but his focus was so intent that my smile faltered, and I exhaled slowly.
“Braxton?” the guy called out again.
“If you pretend they aren't there, so will I,” he said low, his voice deep and moving over me.
I didn't know what to say to that, and didn't insert my foot in my mouth, but I was unable to look away. “It might be important,” came out of my mouth, even though I told myself to say nothing.
He exhaled, closed his eyes briefly, and looked at the guys. I saw a muscle tic in his jaw before he looked at me once more. “I’m sorry. I’ll be back.” He didn’t move for a suspended moment, but then he did finally stand and make his way over.
I felt this weight leave and breathed out slowly. God, he had such an effect on me.
“Amelia,” my father called, and I straightened my shoulders and looked over at where he stood. I felt guilty for some reason, like he’d caught me doing something wrong. He waved me over, and I looked to where Braxton was, his back to me as he started speaking with the men, their conversation seeming deep.
I stood and reluctantly went to my father, knowing I’d get swallowed by the crowd, knowing I should have taken that moment to talk with Braxton instead of just staring. And staring. And staring.
But how was a girl supposed to be immune to a man who looked like that?
How was a woman supposed to be immune to the man she was in love with?
4
Amelia
“Come on, it’ll be fun.”
I looked down at the brochure my best friend, Keely, handed over. I was already shaking my head. “I’ll get my ass kicked for sure.” I gave her the brochure back, and she rolled her eyes.
“They are self-defense classes, not cage fighting matches.”
I laughed and curled my legs under me as I sat on my couch. She’d come over an hour before with a stack of interior design magazines in her arms. She decided to redo her entire living room and kitchen, and apparently wanted my opinion, even though she described my place as “retro-grandma chic,” whatever that meant.
“When I mentioned I wanted to experience new things, I wasn’t really talking about this.”
Keely was looking at the brochure, concentration on her face. “I didn’t even know Cherry Falls Fitness offered these, but I mean, look at the people in this thing.” She opened the trifold and showed me the fit and muscular men and women who graced the glossy pages. “They look like they know what they’re doing.”
I pursed my lips again. “You and I both know we’ve never even stepped foot in a gym, let alone done anything like this.” I shook my head, but I knew this was a losing battle. She had too much determination written across her face.
“Come on, just one class this weekend? I really want to get some self-defense classes in.”
I narrowed my eyes and really looked at her. She was picking at the edge of the brochure as if she couldn’t sit still, as if she had idle hands. And then I realized what was going on. “You’re into somebody there, aren’t you?”
She snapped her head up from looking at the pamphlet, her eyes round and... guilty.
I felt my grin widen. “So that’s why you’re so adamant on doing these classes. Who is it? Somebody actually in the class, or…” I paused for effect and suspense, and when she started biting her bottom lip, I knew what I was about to say was the truth. “Is it the teacher?” Her cheeks instantly got red, and I threw my head back and laughed, wiping tears out of my eyes. “Oh my God. It is the teacher.”
“Shut up,” she mumbled, but there was no heat in her voice or behind her words.
“Keely, you got the hots for your teacher?”
Her lips thinned, and she kept quiet as she folded the pamphlet up before shoving it in her bag that sat by her feet on the floor.
“If you saw him, you’d want to take this class too.”
I curbed my laughter when it started again, but my smile was still in place.
“Why do you need me to go with you?” Although I already knew the answer to that. Keely was just as shy and reserved as I was, probably wanting me there for moral support. And although I was not the gym-going type, and certainly didn’t ever see myself taking any kind of self-defense classes, I wouldn’t leave her high and dry. No matter how many times I told her it wasn’t for me.
But she must’ve seen that realization on my face, because she gave me a small smile and said, “Thank you. I know this isn’t your thing, but I’ll be a spaz and a freak around him if I don’t have some backup.”
“Not sure I’ll be any kind of backup. I’m just as spazzy as you are.” We both started laughing.
But, as I thought about going, I likely wouldn’t see anyone I knew. So the embarrassment of sweating profusely and making a fool out of myself was pretty slim.
Yeah, this would be fine. It would. Right?
What’s the worst that could happen?
5
Amelia
As soon as I stepped into Cherry Falls Fitness, I knew this was a mistake. I should have taken it as a bad omen when Keely had gotten called into work at the last minute and couldn’t come to the self-defense class. So here I was, doing this on my own, too proud and independent to not show up after I already committed.
The smell of testosterone and sweat filled the gym, and I tightened my hand on the bag that hung over my shoulder. I’m so out of place and out of my element.
The gym was packed with people working out. The music playing overhead was loud but couldn’t cover the sounds of grunts and loud shouts as people pumped each other up. I felt like I was in a totally different world.
I was frozen in place as I looked around. Everything from the sights, sounds, and smells had my skin tightening, but I didn't know if it was a good or bad kind of tightening. Men sparred with punching bags, and others were on blue mats doing push-ups and sit-ups. I was starting to sweat just by watching others work out.