Lucas unlocked his car and reached for the passenger side door to open it for me. I looked up at his towering figure for a moment in shock that he'd do something so gentlemanly. "Thanks," I said softly, sliding into the seat and buckling myself in.
I watched Lucas walk briskly to the driver's side, mesmerized by every movement he took. He had a stoic, calm nature to him that made me feel safe.
I fiddled with my fingers as he started the car and backed out of his parking spot. Awkwardness washed over me and the air between us practically buzzed with unsaid words.
Lucas reached over for his pack of cigarettes but withdrew his hand just as quickly as he reached out. Was that for my sake?
"Thanks for driving me back," I stated breaking the deafening silence.
He didn't reply, simply staring ahead. I wished I could see into his mind. What was he thinking? His expressionless face was hard to decipher a lot of the time. All the time if I was being honest with myself.
"Are you going to get in trouble for hitting Frank?" I asked recalling what Daniel had told me about the brawl Lucas had gotten into.
Lucas kept his eyes forward as he replied, "Frank's evading so many arrest warrants, the last thing he'd want is the cops sniffing around him."
My eyes widened at the idea of being around a known criminal. His gaze shifted over to me quickly and the slightest smile graced his lips. "A lot of the guys that come in have been in some kind of trouble with the law. Fighting helps a lot of them focus their aggression."
"Is that why you teach those classes?" I inquired.
He nodded, "For a lot of them, learning to fight helps them become disciplined enough to stay away from other things they're around - drugs and gangs to name a couple."
It was quiet for a moment before I replied, "It's good of you to do that."
"If you're saying it'll help Daniel to go back into fighting, I'll let him do it." Lucas stated as he pulled up to my apartment and pulled into a parking spot.
My eyebrows rose in surprise, "Are you serious?" I clasped my hands together excitedly. Daniel was going to be so excited.
"He never asked me," Lucas admitted sheepishly. He glanced down at his arm where the slash seemed to have gotten significantly worse, the blood seeping down his bicep. He grabbed a towel from the back seat and pressed it against the wound.
"What happened to you?" I asked in concern as I saw the bleeding worsen. He needed to wrap it up properly.
"It's nothing," He grunted in response.
"Just come up to my apartment. I have a first aid box there and I'll wrap it up for you."
"I'll do it myself when I get home." He insisted.
"I took a cab to your gym to convince you to let Daniel take classes and you think I'm not stubborn enough to follow you back to your condo and wrap it there?" I asked drily.
He turned to me with the briefest dazzling smile aimed at me and I sat back for a moment, my heart skipping in my chest at the expression. "You're persistent, I'll give you that." He sighed loudly and turned the car off opening his door. I jumped out of my side and he locked the door with his fob.
We walked to the lobby of my apartment and I did a quick sweep to make sure Ms. Smith wasn't around. If she thought I had a male suitor, the questions would be never ending.
We walked up the steps in silence and I pulled out my key to open my door. I heard the quick footsteps of a person with a purpose and could almost imagine Ms. Smith scurrying down the steps at the sound of someone entering the building so I acted on impulse and shoved Lucas into my apartment hearing an 'oomf' from him before closing the door.
Ms. Smith just made it onto the landing before she gave me a withering stare, "Emily," she greeted looking behind me for evidence of someone nefarious I suppose.
"Ms. Smith," I replied taking my key out and pretending to open my door again. I cracked it open so that she couldn't see into my apartment and slid my body inside, shutting the door behind me.
I turned around to face Lucas who looked at me incredulously. I smiled sheepishly, tucking my hair behind my ear, "Nosy neighbours."
I walked to my closet to fetch a first aid box I had stashed there, coming back into the kitchen to see Lucas looking at the pepper spray package sent by my dad. I sat down at the chair and gestured to the seat next to me.
"It's from my dad," I explained as I took out rubbing alcohol and a bandage to wrap the area. I gently took a cotton swab and cleaned out the area.
"Are you close?" Lucas asked, his gaze searing into my face. I couldn't make eye contact because I knew if I did, my hand would begin to tremble, so I focused on the issue at hand. But, I could feel his eyes taking me in.
"Yeah," I nodded, "It's been a hard adjustment for him to have me living so far." I gently wrapped the bandage around his upper bicep, trying to ignore the fact that it was more muscular than anything I'd ever felt before. I felt the need to caress the angel wings that were tattooed along his arm, wondering who they were for. His arm was littered with multiple tattoos.
I pulled my hand back quickly before I got carried away and poured rubbing alcohol onto a cotton pad moving it closer to dab at the cuts on his face. He pulled back and I waited with my arm outstretched for him to relax. I raised an eyebrow and he brought his head closer to my hand with a small sigh as I continued to dab at the cuts. "How did you get these?"
"Street fighting," he said quietly, his icy blue eyes scorched into mine before I broke eye contact.
"These don't look like cuts from a fist," I said lightly hoping I wasn't overstepping.
"They're from a knife." He said with a nonchalant expression.
"You were in a knife fight," I gaped at him, my hand pausing over the cuts.
"Technically, I was attacked with a knife."
"Is that legal?" I asked furrowing my brows in horror as I continued to clean the cuts.
"There aren't any rules, but it's a dick move," he flinched with his head raised as I applied a bit of pressure to a larger cut under his chin.
"Sorry," I grimaced beginning to coat the areas with antiseptic. "Why do you do street fighting?"
"What do you mean?" He asked with his face to the side as I treated a cut on his cheekbone.
"I mean, if you fight in the MMA, why do you need to do street fighting as well? I don't see how anyone enjoys, well, this," I gestured to his cut face. I rose from the chair and tossed the cotton pads into the trash, walking towards the sink to wash my hands.
Lucas' eyes were trained on me, following my every movement, his face impassive.
"Maybe I enjoy street fighting?" He said leaning back for a moment and rubbing his hand across his jaw contemplatively.
"Do you?" I pushed, seating myself back in the chair I was in. I couldn't imagine anyone enjoying such a barbaric sport, without rules or regulations.
Lucas jumped up as I did so and shot me a small smile, "Thanks for your help."
"Anytime," I replied watching him walk to the door.
"I'll see you for my fight tomorrow," he said stoically but I could hear the amusement in his tone. He opened my door and walked out leaving me sitting alone in my kitchen with my nerves.