Total pages in book: 64
Estimated words: 62095 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 310(@200wpm)___ 248(@250wpm)___ 207(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 62095 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 310(@200wpm)___ 248(@250wpm)___ 207(@300wpm)
“Exactly,” I chuckled. She was avoiding making eye contact, and all I could do was smile at her. Maybe I stood a chance after all? “So, was there a reason for this delightful sojourn of yours?”
She cleared her throat and gave me the most fleeting look before she glanced over at the boxing ring—and then down at the counter. “Yes, sort of. I was bored out of my mind at home, saw you were down here, and figured I could come over and ask if we could box sometime.”
I hitched my brows, surprised by her suggestion.
“Yeah, of course we can,” I answered. “Do you like close-contact sports, or…?”
“Oh, uh, no, not really, but…it looks fun. And whenever I see people going at it over there—” she gestured at the ring “—it’s easy to see it’s a heavy workout.”
No fucking doubt. “It definitely is. And it’s fun. I’m actually waiting for Darius to arrive. We’re gonna go at it for a while.”
“Now?”
I nodded and checked my phone, and he’d actually responded. I’d missed it. He was on his way, looking for parking.
“Yeah, he’ll be here any second,” I said. “You’re welcome to stay and watch if you want. Although, we won’t be boxing.”
“What will you be doing?”
“Beating each other up,” I chuckled. “I guess the closest thing is Krav Maga. Darius doesn’t like to play by the rules.”
She got smirky with me. “Do you like rules?”
Hmm. So many ways to answer that question. But I spotted my brother outside on the sidewalk, so I’d have to circle back to this later. A flirty response was no longer ruled out.
“Remind me to answer you another time,” I said, nodding toward the door. “He’s here.”
To my disappointment, Darius didn’t struggle as much with the door as usual. He scowled, of course, and he tried to push it open before it was unlocked, but then he was in.
“Look at that, my brother’s fashionably late,” I said, straightening up.
“That’s me. All about fashion,” he muttered.
Natalie smiled. “Hi, Darius. Good to see you again.”
He tilted his head at Natalie and pulled off some of that rare politeness. “Hey, Nat. He givin’ you grief? Say the word, and I’ll—”
“You’ll what?” I drawled. “I beat you the last three times we sparred.”
“Fuck off, I was injured,” he shot back.
He was always injured, technically. If it wasn’t an old shoulder injury stiffening him up, it was his hip or something else. The man didn’t take stretching seriously, and it was going to cost him in the long run. I might actually talk to Gray about it. If anyone could talk sense into my brother, it was Gray.
“I think I’m gonna leave you to it, guys,” Natalie said. “As fun as this would be to watch, I have tea to drink and cooking shows that aren’t gonna watch themselves.”
Oh. Why had she come down here? Merely to ask if we could box sometime?
She could’ve fired off a text or asked me tomorrow.
But all right.
Over the next several days, I became increasingly confused about Natalie’s behavior. We saw each other almost every day, if not for her two weekly sessions, then because we passed each other at the gym and stopped to talk for a quick moment. But while my initial goal had been to test the waters and see if she’d warmed up to me enough, now I was just trying to figure out her latest mood changes. One day, she was happy to see me and eager to chat, only for her to turn into a skittish animal the next day.
She seemed flustered about something, but I wasn’t in a position to dig past casual how-do-you-dos.
Maybe she had a lot going on at work. Since the day she’d received the keys for her studio, I’d seen her in there most nights on my way home from work. The decorative, wooden front of the exterior had gone from peeling off-white to a muted dark blue. Glass counters and displays had arrived, along with an old-school cash register that I was fairly sure she’d found in the 1800s. Her elegant logo had appeared on the two shop windows. And just last night, I’d seen her painting the walls in the shop. I’d knocked and offered to help out, because I hadn’t been too happy to see her on an old rickety ladder, but she’d declined and called it a good workout.
Sure, sure, but landing herself in the hospital wasn’t worth it.
It was possible I’d lurked outside until she’d climbed down from the damn thing.
I was seriously considering buying a new ladder and leaving it outside for her.
Another week went by, and whatever warmth and nice weather we’d had in September were long gone. Mid-October brought us nothing but downpours and colder temperatures. But I didn’t mind. I liked fall and winter. The only problem, I reckoned, was that the darker seasons made me feel a bit too lonely for my liking. Or maybe it was just Natalie’s fault. I had zero interest in returning to the dating apps, and I had to admit to myself that she wasn’t just some woman I was insanely attracted to. This went beyond wanting a date and a few rounds in the bedroom.