"What are you doing, Hunter? Move forward!"
I glanced up from my phone. Steve was shouting at Hunter, who was in the ring with one of the older boxers. Today was a Saturday, and a few of the pro boxers who used to train in this gym visited as they did once in a while.
Hunter was on his third match this morning. A few boxers stood nearby, talking.
"He's got potential, yeah?"
"For sure, he does. I actually want to see him in the cage."
"Does he train in MMA?"
"Don't know. But imagine if he did."
Hunter was holding his own quite well against the experienced boxer. I locked my phone and focused on the match. Hunter's IG page for his photography had hit one thousand followers yesterday. I'd been more excited than he was.
Right now, Hunter's eyes held that sharp spark they gained when he was fighting. Uh-oh. His opponent was dead meat.
The guy, who was at least a decade older than Hunter but just as tall and wide, sent a fast right hook. Hunter dodged down and hit him with a counter punch. Everyone around the ring winced. The older guy took it like a champ.
I bit my lip as the match grew more heated. I loved watching Hunter box, because he loved doing it. That didn't mean I enjoyed watching him get punched. When the gong finally rang, I was ready to climb into that ring and drag him out of there. Steve jumped in and spoke to the two fighters.
"You look like you're about to pass a kidney stone."
I glared at Brandon. He grinned, stopping next to me. He looked at Hunter. "He's getting better pretty quickly."
"Yeah," I mumbled.
"Are you going to turn into Emma?" He asked me. When I frowned, he explained. "Will you break up with him because you're too worried about him boxing?"
"Oh. No," I said. "He loves it. Just because I worry doesn't mean he shouldn't do it."
He nodded, his eyes flickering to where Emma sat at her desk.
"You know," I said. "I think Emma just needs a little nudge."
"A little nudge?"
"Okay, maybe a big nudge." I grinned. "She still likes you. A lot."
Brandon looked at me, his eyes unblinking. "Are you shitting me?"
"Nope," I said. "Look. She was in a bad place when you guys broke up then, with her brother and her mother gone. I mean, she couldn't even come to the gym because she hated anything to do with boxing. But she's here now. She's in a better place. She's... healing."
Emma's mother had died of cancer, and her brother, who was a boxer, had died of an injury he sustained in a fight. The deaths had been too close, and it affected Emma.
Brandon's blue eyes held doubt. "She won't even talk to me like she used to."
"When was the last time you asked her out?" I asked. The people around us moved to the other ring, where another match was about to start. Brandon and I stayed put.
He shook his head. "I don't even remember. I thought she was no longer interested when she kept shutting me out. It's been a while."
I patted his arm. "If you think she's worth the effort, give it a go again."
He sighed. "What do I do?"
I shrugged. "Just go for it. Be persistent and wear her down. She's stubborn, you know."
"That, she is." His smile wrinkled his eyes and he looked at me. "When did you get all grown up, Sapph? Giving relationship advice and all."
I gave him a bored look and flipped him off. He flicked my forehead and walked away, towards the reception desk. Emma glanced up, saw him coming, and looked down at her book again, her shoulders tense.
"Playing matchmaker?" Hunter asked, climbing down through the ring ropes to stand next to me. Sweat covered his body, flattening his hair to his forehead. His arm muscles looked defined under the shimmer of sweat.
I couldn't resist it. I poked his bicep. "Yep."
He held out his hands. I undid his boxing gloves and held them while he downed a bottle of water in five seconds.
"How was it?" I asked.
He nodded, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "Good. I wish the gym was always like this."
"You like training with the big boys."
He smiled deviously and winked. "Well, I am a big boy."
I slapped the gloves to his chest, my cheeks burning. "Your ego is sure as hell big."
"I wasn't referring to my ego, but you already know that," he said.
"I-I-" I gaped. "I have no idea what you're talking about! We haven't even-"
He raised his eyebrow, looking immensely amused. He was teasing me. "We haven't what?"
Alright. Fine. He wanted to play. Let's play.
I smiled and walked closer, closer, until my chest touched him. He stiffened. I stood on my tiptoes , balancing with one hand on his arm. I traced my nail on his throat and whispered in his ear. "You know what. If we had, I think you wouldn't forget."
I kissed his cheek, turned and walked away, my face on flames and my heart racing. I took a shuddering breath. Teasing him would be much easier if it didn't affect me as well. Someone choked behind me. Hunter.
I couldn't resist. I glanced over my shoulder. Hunter stood rooted in his spot, his head lowered, his hand rubbing the back of his neck. His ears a bright pink.
This was so out of my area of expertise. But I guess it worked, judging by his reaction. Hehe. Payback was so sweet.
*** **** ***
Steve was waiting with a man right inside the doors of the gym. The sky outside had darkened, the clouds which had been gathering since morning finally emptied their load. The smell of rain and a close storm crackled in the air.
The man with Steve was one of the gym's guests today. I'd seen him hanging around. He wasn't one of the boxers, and I'd thought he was just a boxing fan who'd come to watch the matches. But the way he looked at Hunter now made me want to hide my boyfriend from him. He looked like he wanted to open Hunter up and dissect him into tiny, bitty parts. He took a deep drag of his cigarette and narrowed his eyes at Hunter, looking him up and down.
"Hunter," Steve called, nodding us closer. "Come here for a sec."
"I'll wait in the car-" I mumbled, but Hunter took my hand and dragged me along.
"This is Antonio," Steve said, nodding to the man. "He's a trainer. He trained of a few guys who went pro over the years."
Antonio was as tall and as bald as Steve. His skin was a light tan, his age showed on his wrinkles, and the deep lines between his eyebrows hinted at a severe disposition.
"Are you interested in professional fighting?"
"Not sure yet. Why?"
"You got potential," Antonio said. "If you get some training abroad, you'll be good enough for a title or two."
"Abroad?" Hunter asked.
"South America, Asia," Antonio said. "If you want to be the best, you gotta learn from the best."
Hunter frowned. "I have no plans to leave the country anytime soon. I'm sure there are a lot of places I can learn in the US."
Antonia glanced at me, then gave a slow nod. He reached into his jacket's pocket and pulled out a card. He gave it to Hunter. "In case you change your mind."
"Thanks," Hunter mumbled, and we left the two men standing near the ring. As we reached the door, Hunter shrugged off his jacket and draped it over my head.
"What-?"
He jogged up, putting his hand on my head to keep his jacket from sliding. His jacket was warm and smelled like him. And the weight of his hand on my head made me feel like nothing could ever hurt me.
It was such a random moment to come to terms with something that has been growing in my heart for quite some time now. The single thought was torn out of my heart with a sweet, tingling ache.
I loved him.
I loved Hunter so much my heart swelled with it. I love him the way I loved sunshine and cat purrs, the way I loved boxing and snacks, the way I loved spring and snow. More.
I loved him like I could never love anyone or anything ever again. I loved him more than I thought possible.
We got in his car, me on the driver's side and Hunter in the passenger seat. He brushed his fingers through his wet hair. His damp t-shirt stuck to his shoulders and chest, and rain glistened on his eyelashes like crystals.
"What?" And he was looking at me. My heart beat in my chest like drumrolls. I felt my face heat up despite the cold. I'd been staring.
I cleared my throat and gave him his jacket. "Thanks," I said. "You're a gentleman, Hunter Jamison."
He grunted, throwing his jacket in the backseat. My hair tie was in his wrist again. He only ever took it off during training.
"Food?" I asked, starting the car. He nodded eagerly. Cute.
"There's this little restaurant I saw on Instagram yesterday," I said. "It's in the middle of the woods, and has really cute little dishes."
"Cute?" Hunter said, a smile in his voice. "I don't think you'll be full with cute little dishes."
"Hey!" I laughed, though he was partly right. Those cute dishes wouldn't fill me up. "Anyway, I think we should go there sometime."
"Sure. We'll go. Maybe you'll be full if order the entire menu."
"Like you're any better. You eat twice as much as I do."
"Hmm, true," he said. He patted my leg. "Don't worry, I love your big appetite."
I was about to ask if that was all he loved, but thought better of it and kept my mouth shut.
I drove to our usual diner. I hated driving in the rain. I was extra careful. When I finally pulled over, a sigh of relief pulled out of my chest.
Hunter took his jacket from the backseat and draped it over my head again.
"You'll be wet-" I said, but he was already out of the door. I couldn't keep the smile off my face.
Hunter and I found our usual corner booth empty. The place smelled like bitter coffee and fries. The red seats, the wooden tables and the checkered tile floor looked cozier than usual with the gray sky and the rain outside.
I sat next to Hunter, closer than usual. The place was rather empty, but as soon as we sat down, Jason, Lia and Liza burst through the door. Jason shook his hair all over the two girls. Liza squealed and giggled, Lia jabbed him with her elbow. I winced with Jason. Her elbows were sharper than swords.
Liza spotted us first, her flushed cheeks and red nose were a shade paler than her hair. Beaming, she pointed at us, and the three joined us.
"Are we interrupting your date?" Jason asked, sitting across from us. "Because we don't care, either way."
Liza and Lia slipped in next to him.
"Liza, when you have a date next time, let me know," I said. "We should at least pay you guys back."
Liza giggled.
"Hey, are you implying we're not welcome," Lia asked, pouting.
"I'm not implying it. I'm saying it out right."
Lia and Jason just grinned, not caring one bit that I might be serious. Friends. You could live without them, yet you couldn't live without them. We ordered, and talk of college sprang up.
"Jason, have you decided yet?" Lia asked.
Jason threw his arm around Liza's shoulders. "The college my little red head wants has a good basketball team. I've been considering it, anyway."
"You'll go to the same college, then?" I asked.
"Hopefully," Liza said, her smile lighting up her face.
Something like panic tightened my heart. Hunter and I never spoke seriously about college. But most colleges we'd applied to were the same, that much I knew. The thought of not seeing Hunter after high school had me all tied up in knots.
A warm weight on my knee. I glanced down. Hunter's hand squeezed my knee and settled there. The weight on my heart lifted. I smiled. We'd figure it out.
Conversation about college lasted until our food arrived, then we dug in. Hunter and I were starving after our work out. He gave me his pickles like usual.
"Oh, you hit one K followers on your photography page, Hunter," Lia said. "Congrats."
Hunter shrugged. I grinned. "Did you see? It happened pretty fast."
Jason chuckled. "You're more excited than he is."
I pinched Hunter's cheek. "He's excited, too. He's just too grumpy to show it."
"Are you going to major in something related?" Jason asked. Ugh. Back to college talk again. I stuffed a bunch of fries in my mouth and chewed the living shit out of them.
Hunter shrugged. "I don't really know yet."
"Aren't you going to go pro?" Jason asked. "In fighting. Sapph's been boasting about how Steve is all over you cuz you're so damn good."
Hunter chewed on his fry. "Maybe? I haven't decided yet. But it's between that and something photography related."
"On another note, Liza's father wants to meet Jason," Lia said, changing the subject. She caught my eyes and gave me a wink. I smiled. I could always count on my best friend.
Jason groaned, taking a vicious bite of his burger.
Liza chuckled. "He's not going to eat you, Jason. Relax."
Jason scoffed, his mouth full.
"Don't worry," I told Jason, waving a fry his way. "You're charming when you want to be. He'll like you."
He perked up and swallowed hurriedly. "Yeah? You think?"
"As long as you don't open your mouth, you'll be fine," I added.
Lia and Liza snickered. Jason flipped me off. And we had the rest of our meal in relative peace without further mention of college plans.
It didn't last long, though. I'd just parked in front of my place. We were sitting in the car, the rain pelting the windshield and the clouds in the sky thick enough to swallow the sunset colors.
"My father wants me to go for a business degree."
I looked at Hunter. He was staring at the windshield, not really seeing the gray, wet world outside.
"Did you tell him that's not what you want?" I asked.
He shrugged those massive shoulders. "Won't make a difference. My grandparents are the ones pulling the strings at the end of the day. They're dangling the inheritance in front of him like a bait."
I sighed and took his hand in mine. I traced the veins on top of his hand. "You'll turn eighteen in a couple of months, right? They can't control your life then."
"I guess."
"They won't," I said. "You can go to whatever school you want. You can do whatever you want. You can even leave their place and live on your own."
He turned his hand, linking our fingers together, and smiled at me. It went right to my heart and lodged itself there, filling it with so much love it overflowed.
"We should just move in together," he said after a beat.
I squeezed his hand. "What's next? Marriage?"
"Well... were you planning on marrying someone else?" he asked.
I could feel my cheeks heat up. "Are you proposing, Hunter Jamison?"
He grinned and held up his right wrist, where my hair tie was. "You proposed first."
I was surprised into laughter. "That wasn't- okay, fine. Where's my engagement hair tie, then?"
"I'll get you one," he said, his smile lighting up his eyes. I couldn't resist, I leaned over and kissed him.
A knock on the window. Hunter growled. We pulled apart. Scott's face was pressed to the window of the passenger seat, his lips smushed against the wet glass. He looked so ugly I laughed. Hunter glanced over his shoulder.
"I swear your brothers live to torture me," Hunter grumbled.
I rolled down the passenger side window. Scott's face peeked from under his hoodie. "Dude, you're ruining my sister's reputation."
"Piss off, Scott."
"Get in. Everyone is coming. We're ordering pizza."
"We just saw Lia and Jason and Liza," I said.
"Jason told me. They're still coming. I'm buying."
"What's the occasion?"
Scott shrugged. "I broke up with Sarah."
I frowned. Sarah... I had no idea who the girl was. Scott switched girlfriends faster than I could say playboy. Mostly, they dumped him. As far as I knew, he never cheated. But football was the priority in his life, and girls didn't deal well with that fact.
Hunter and I went in after Scott. Stefan arrived shortly after, followed by Liza, Lia and Jason. We ordered pizza. Sprawled in the living room, Liza and Jason snuggled on the couch. We'd removed the coffee table, spread a few blankets on the floor and sat down, the pizza boxes open in the middle.
A new k-drama was on TV. The boys made fun of it, and Lia and Liza tried their best to defend our taste. Admittedly, this particular drama wasn't that good. You could drive a herd of elephants through the plot hole.
Rain outside. Warmth. My friends' laughter. I leaned my head against Hunter's shoulder and wished I could immortalize the moment.
Wait, I could. I searched for my phone. Damn it. I had left it in my backpack in the kitchen. I snuck my hand into Hunter's pocket.
"What are you doing?" He mumbled in my ear. Shivers ran down the back of my neck.
"Your phone."
I took it out and opened the camera. I took a video of everyone arguing around the pizza, then I switched the camera and filmed Hunter and myself. Even though he didn't like being caught on camera, he stayed put until I ended the video. I sent it to myself. And another discussion about who was who in the drama ensued.
I sighed. Life was nice.
I should've known not to jinx it.
--- ---- ---
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