Love's Labor's Won

Stress Relief

As I made my way down the hall, my phone buzzed. Fishing it out of my pocket, I glanced at the unknown number.

+1 123 456 7890

Hey. Sorry for running out of there.

How'd she get my number? It was a pleasant surprise, and I texted back, smiling.

You, apologizing?

L: Hey, I have morals.

H: That's hard to believe.

L: Ouch.

H: Calm down, Lex Luthor. I'm teasing.  

L: Lex Luthor? How dare you.

H: I mean, the similarity is uncanny.

L: So I'm a bald, middle- aged white guy? This explains so much considering you're hitting on me every 5 seconds

H: Well I was more likening your similar obsessions with a strapping local celebrity.

Her dots typed, stopped, and then started up again.

L: Oh my gosh. Text me back when you're done being an egotistical pig.

H: You know what they say about fixing things that aren't broken...

L: Bye, Holden

H: Text you later, sweetheart.

I smirked, tossing my phone onto my bed and falling down beside it. I stared up at the ceiling, remembering what had just happened. We were able to be in a room together for a prolonged period of time and she didn't act like she wanted to kill me the whole time. In fact, I was sure in the bathroom she wanted to kiss me. Baby steps.  I was able to open up a bit too, which I didn't think was going to be that easy. I knew I was a bit aggressive about it when we were watching the movie, but I needed her to know that I wasn't completely summed up in the stereotypes and rumors people shared about me. I remember the look on her face when I said it too, with her eyes widened and a tinge of pink on her cheeks. Her mouth had fallen open ever so slightly, and I wanted to kiss her all over again. Thinking of kissing her brought my mind back to the moment in the bathroom. She surprised me then, with how she was so willing to help me rebandage my cuts, without needing any explanation. She was so gentle too, even when she was stitching me up. Part of the time she looked lost in thought, as if she'd done this a million times. The rest of the time though, she looked like...like she cared. She showed a bit of her heart today, as did I. There seemed to be this sort of magnetic pull towards each other, it almost explained how we kept ending up running into each other. That was strange to me, that we crossed paths so much recently that we must've before that night at the party. I didn't like to think about it, that I missed out on time with her before because I was too blind to even see her. I almost couldn't believe it, because she was so striking, so beautiful. Sure, she took a different approach to beauty as the girls I normally hung out with, but had I really fallen so far into the stereotype of me and my friend group that I never noticed? I knew for certain now that no matter how this thing with us goes, I will always search a hallway, tune my ear to pick up the sound of her voice, and subconsciously orient my body around her. I will never be blind again, a switch was flipped without my awareness. 

Thinking in circles like this made me tense, my stomach churning and my body filled with nervous energy.  I decided I needed a constructive release, so I grabbed my gym bag from the floor, and stuffed some clothes inside.

I shut my door behind me, letting the brisk breeze play with my t shirt.  I locked the door, walking down the steps towards my car. I drove past the other large brick houses with wrought iron gates and ivy climbing up towards the windows. I drove out of the residential area towards the less inviting part of town, where my gym was. I remembered the first time I had come to this gym, confused why Jared was dragging me into the roughest part of town when there were plenty of other gyms in our side. He was nervous that day, and I could only tell because I knew him so well. 

I grabbed my things from the back seat and walked into the gym through the heavy metal door. The smell of sweat and cleaning supplies hit my nose, accompanied by the palpable electric energy. There were not too many people here, with two people sparring and one at the weights. I immediately spotted Bri, seeing her with a towel thrown over her shoulder over by the heavy bags. I jogged over to her with an easy smile. "Hey, I was hoping you'd be here."

She was surprise when she saw me, but quickly recovered, pulling me in for a hug. "Holden, how've you been?" 

"Pretty good, all things considered." She nodded her head, understanding. I saw her staring at my cuts, and added, "They're from yesterday, look worse than they feel." I shot her an easy smile, and she returned it with an apologetic one of her own.  She didn't say anything, she never did unless I brought it up. She knew about where they came from, and it was hard for her to talk about it too, in a way. 

"Well, should we get started?" She gestured with her taped hands over to a bag, and I nodded. I set my bag down along the wall and prepared myself for the workout. After taping my hands and putting on my gloves, I attacked the bag mercilessly. As my fists slammed into the bag, combination after combination, I eventually forgot all about Lex and all her perfection, about the team, about my mom. Only stopping for mere seconds between segments, I didn't have any time to let my mind wander. It became all about moving my body fluidly, with precision and strength. The sweat burned in the places where my cuts hadn't fully closed, and I relished in it. When we had finished, I could tell Bri was impressed. "Damn, Holden. Where'd all that come from?" 

"Just life, you know, school, this girl." I said, gesturing vaguely with my hand as I grabbed my water bottle with the other. I gulped down a third of the bottle, pausing for air, breathing heavily. 

"What, did someone finally reject you?" She asked, smirking. 

"It's not like that," I said, tipping the bottle back for another swig. I wiped my face with my towel, and stuffed both back into my bag. "It's...complicated. We're not together, and I'm not sure that we always want to be. We don't really go together well on paper," I said, trying to explain without having the words myself. 

"Well," Bri replied, my confusion apparent. "I wouldn't stress about what could be and how it would work. You know what's simple? Friends. Being friends is simple. And it's usually the right place to start."

I nodded, in acknowledgement, and shouldered my bag. "Thanks, Bri, it's always a good session with you." 

She laughed lightly. "No problem, it's helpful when the people I'm training put in the work. You put in the work. Take it easy, okay? I wanna see you back in here soon."

"You will," I promised, the endorphins kicking in.