𝐃𝐫𝐚𝐠 𝐌𝐞 𝐃𝐨𝐰𝐧 (𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏)

40

Song: Warrior - Beth Crowley

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"What are you doing here?"

I almost lost my balance at his sudden voice behind me and abruptly stood straight once more, barely catching myself before I could fall meeting the gym floor face first.

The girl next to me eyed me annoyed from her proper position bending, but I ignored her and spun towards the surprised voice. My heart skipped a beat when I met those mesmerizing grey orbs.

"What..." I tried out of breath and brushed the loosen strands of hair out my damp forehead, frowning. "What are you doing here?"

"I train here." Hayden mumbled shifting his sport bag up his shoulder and my lips drew an 'o'. "Now's your turn."

"Mark told me about this place." I answered a bit hesitantly, still unsure of how should I treat him after everything.

Hayden's been more accessible and talkative this past days and we'd chat daily whether it was through text or calls, but since he was suspended this first week and we both been busy we hadn't really seen each other face to face since that day at the Bricks. Oddly enough, none of us had openly talked about what happened there, nor insinuated anything remotely passionate, that excluding the teases and flirty jokes.

So, fair enough, I didn't know what ground we stood.

"Mark?" he frowned at my answer.

"Mh, yeah... I mentioned him I was looking for some self defense classes and he told me about his work here." I explained, pointing to the front of the group where he was demonstrating the next technique on Jess while the actual trainer explained what to do. Yep, my dear friend accepted to tug along with me and Mark casually chose her several times to prove their instructions on. "He never mentioned you were here as well, otherwise I would have let you know."

We were in that same gym where I'd seen his fight almost two months ago, apparently Mark worked here as the trainer's assistant and one of his classes was self defense. We were in an open class, with a mirror on the front and a padded floor. We were a group of about fifteen girls; most of them about our age, some older and at least one I was sure was fourteen.

"It's alright." Hayden shrugged, his eyes casually sliding down my form as if noticing for the first time my sport bra and leggings, his expression shifting in a way that made my skin crawl everywhere he looked... and there was a lot to look. His smug half smirk did funny things inside me. Pleasant things. "I'm glad, actually."

"Oh, really?" I rose one brow, both ignoring the glare from the girl beside me and Hayden stepped so close his presence tickled me, heat spreading fast from the spot where his hand casually slid around my bare waist and brought us close. Our mouths only a breath away and my eyes couldn't but focus on his.

"You got no idea."

"Hayds." Mark's sudden voice was like a bucked of freezing water, shattering our little bubble as I noticed his mocking expression and Jess knowing smile beside him, along with all the presents' eyes on us. The sharp woman that was leading the training wasn't so thrilled, but instead murderously glaring. I suddenly felt very self-conscious. "You're disturbing the class. In or out, you know the rules."

He grunted glaring at him. "I was already leaving." But before he did so he swiftly pressed his lips on my cheek, making my heart almost popped out my chest and all the girls go 'aww'. "Wait for me when you're done?"

I nodded, still light-headed and already missing his presence; but as soon as he finally left after winking the serious woman clapped her hands, regaining the class' attention and kept going with the schedule.