Learning to Live

Chapter 18

"Why- oh, the shelter?"

"Yep."

"We can put it off to Sunday, then," Liza said.

"Sure."

We parted ways. Hunter and I went our own way. Hunter looked pensive- Well, more pensive than usual.

"You should come with me to the shelter," I said. "I think you'll like it."

"Yeah?" He glanced at me.

I nodded and slipped my hand into his, linking our fingers. "Yep. Come along."

"Alright," he mumbled, squeezing his hand around mine. I smiled and swung our hands.

*** **** ***

The gym wasn't full that evening. There were maybe four or five people other than Hunter and me.

I was beating out my frustration of not having any snacks after getting out of school- Hunter was serious about turning my diet healthier. The sandbag bore the brunt of my temper.

Steve was working with Hunter. As time went by, he did it more often. The attention he gave Hunter reminded me of how he used to be with Brandon before he went pro.

Did Hunter want to go pro as well? He'd said he didn't know what he wanted to do in the future. But he seemed to enjoy this. I should ask him about it later.

I punched the sandbag harder. It didn't swing nearly as much as when Hunter usually hit it, but comparing my arms and Hunter's was like comparing a toothpick to a tree trunk.

"Good evening, suckers!"

I turned upon hearing Brandon's cheerful voice. He strolled in through the gym doors. Emma, sitting behind her desk with her face stuck in a book, barely glanced up. Brandon stopped by her desk and spoke to her. Damn it. What were they saying? My curiosity was killing me.

Brandon looked like he was doing all the talking. Poor guy.

My arms turned to jelly. Breathing heavily, I unstrapped my gloves and tossed them aside then took a big swig of my water, downing half the bottle in one go.

Hunter was still punching the crap out of Steve's mitts. I went to sit down on the ground nearby and just took them in.

Hunter's dark eyes were sharp, his entire body glistened with sweat under the artificial lights of the gym. His dark hair stuck to his forehead. He had ditched his t-shirt earlier, and his upper body was bare. With every punch, those carved muscles rippled, the thuds of his hits echoing in the big space. He'd put on muscle since he first started boxing here. A few girls in the gym always gave him hungry looks, and I could see why.

Emma was right. I was one lucky bish.

"Alright, take five," Steve said, lowering his hands. His arms were shaking a little. Holding mitts for other people was no easy feat. Holding mitts for Hunter must be excruciating, specially since Steve wasn't getting any younger.

Breathing like he'd just ran a marathon, Hunter crouched, his gloved hands on his knees. Brandon abandoned Emma and sauntered over. He saw me and grinned.

"Hey, Baby!" He called and jogged over. Dressed in a black t-shirt that almost burst at the seams and basketball shorts, he looked handsome with his blond hair and boyish grin.

"Hey, Brandon," I said, too tired to even get up. Hunter glanced at him. Brandon didn't notice. He reached me and scooped me up, throwing me over his shoulder.

"Hey!" I said, slapping his butt. "Put me down, you brute."

"Say you love me first," he said, pinching the back of my leg. With a grunt, I straightened my upper half and pulled on his hair.