Arlington (Book One)

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty

Staring at the black jacket with silver accents and pants that match, I can't help but to be in awe. My feet shift around in the flexible sole shoes that have just enough tread on them, so I don't slip when running. I pull the mask off of the table and adhere it to my face. It covers the bottom half of my face and nose completely. I don't want my vision obstructed by anything, so we went with this mask instead. Lena wears one like this but no one can see her face so I guess it will be a first for the public.

"How does it fit, Miss Arlington?"

"It fits beautifully," I say as I stretch out to make sure everything can stretch with me.

The outfit is incredibly flexible and malleable so that I won't be physically restricted in any way. The jacket is made of a thicker material so that it can withstand more force. I stretch my toes out in the shoes and marvel at how comfortable they are. I look in the mirror and I barely recognize the woman in front of me. I slide my glasses off my face and focus on the material on my skin.

"It's perfect," I say.   

"Let me know if you need anything."

"Thank you," I say before she disappears.

I do some very basic tumbling while testing out the material but pause when the energy shifts in the room. Standing up from the handstand I am doing, I fumble for my glasses. I slide them back onto my face and see Lena standing there.

"How does it look?" I ask walking over to the mirror. I love the style of the jacket; it is cut similarly to leather jacket but without a lot more flexible material.

"You look good, it fits you well," Lena says.

"Thanks,"

We stand there in silence for a few moments and I can feel the tension building. I try best to ignore it, but I can feel my pulse rising slightly and knots forming in my stomach. I didn't do anything wrong, but Lena is still upset. I guess I should have stopped longer to talk to her, but I wanted to work out! I didn't need to talk it out.

"Well, this is awkward..." Lena mumbles sitting down. I let out a long sigh.

"I didn't mean to upset you," I say, and she looks at me.

"That's not an apology," she says.

"Because it wasn't mean to be one. I wanted to work out and I didn't want to talk about it at the time."

"It's not healthy to keep everything pent up Avi. I was just trying to help you," she says sharply.

"I didn't need your help; I have my coping mechanisms. Why is it even so important that I talk it out? Why do you care?" I ask baiting her. Her breath hitches and she meets my eyes.

"Because I'm in love with you," she says bluntly.

Staring at her in shock, my body freezes and my mind blanks out for a few moments. Did she just say that, and so bluntly? I've known that she has a thing for me, but I certainly didn't expect her to go and drop the 'I love you' bomb! The world blurs slightly as I try to process, stepping backward slightly I sit down on the sofa hard. Looking over at Lena, I see an unreadable expression on her face.

"Well you nearly falling over isn't the reaction I was hoping for," she says in a flat tone.

"Pardon me, but I wasn't expecting you to drop the 'l' word in that sentence," I say, and I can hear my voice sounding shaky.