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Dante
My heart was pounding hard against my chest as I looked over in complete mortification at Sammy. I had unintentionally thrown him off of me.
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" I rushed out, offering a hand to help him up. Sammy's face was the most red I had ever seen it. "I didn't mean to, I-" I stuttered out.
"It's okay." He replied, "I shouldn't have done that."
The look in his eyes cut straight through me. It felt like the same rejection I had felt earlier, when I thought I messed up drastically by kissing him. His intensity, gaze, and visible pain made it impossible for me to filter my words. "It really isn't that. I... I- um, I enjoyed that."
That part came out a little choppy.
"I just don't think... with the way our personal and professional lives are entangled-"
That initial response retracted itself, and instead, Sammy's eyes softened.
"I just think it would be best if we kept it professional." I finished finally.
While I wanted nothing more than to continue kissing this gorgeous man, my thoughts had raced back to mere moments ago. I relived that dread which initially washed over me when I had thought about losing everything I just gained in such a short period of time.
I couldn't afford to fuck up my bartending job or lose out on that extra cash for fixing the roof. Pursuing anything with Sammy could lead to that, and right now, I needed to focus on myself.
"I understand." Sammy nodded. "For now, lets get cleaned up and in bed. It's been one hell of a day and you still have work tomorrow morning." He reminded me. I physically felt the last of my energy leaving me as the thought of work crossed my mind. "I'm going to take a quick shower, but just set your soaked clothes in that hamper there and I'll take care of them."
I glanced over in the direction Sammy jerked his head, and saw a large basket that already had some clothes piled up.
"Thank you." I gave him a nod and a slight smile.
"Not a problem." He returned the smile, before disappearing down the narrow staircase.
Thus I began the tedious process of separating these soaking wet clothes from my body.
Sammy
As soon as my muscles were given the opportunity to relax into the comfort of mattress, I almost let out a satisfied moan.
It was well past midnight by now and Dante was fast asleep. I remained awake to jot down some last minute thoughts that came to mind before sleep found me. Combos were usually the easiest to churn out this time at night... but my mind was distracted.
Every time I traveled back to the thought of that kiss, I felt my lips tingle. It was almost as if I could still feel him against me. I was fighting hard to get my thoughts back on track, but my growing arousal made it impossible.
I understood why Dante had stopped, and I respected his decision of us keeping a comfortable distance, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to feel that again. Dante's words continued to spin through me, cutting away at my own desires. If this was what Dante wanted, then I was going to need to respect it.
I could hear the springs of the mattress every so often when Dante shifted in bed, but it was a noise I was starting to grow accustomed to. At times, he would stir in his sleep for a few moments, before peace found him again. There wasn't much of a way to tell whether he was just repositioning himself, or having a nightmare...
But I fell asleep to that sound that night.
-
Dante had already left for work by the time I made it down to the gym. Friday's usually called for an earlier start time at Tidal Wave due to shipment and inventory, and it seems as if he was burdened with that shift this morning. The way Dante carried himself made it obvious that he was exhausted, but he did his best to quietly get dressed.
With my eyes still closed, I laid in bed half awake just listening to him move. He didn't take long to get ready, and before I knew it, he was zipping downstairs with his packed work bag in hand.
By the time I finally found the motivation to get up and start the day, it was closer to eight in the morning. The thing that really got me going, was the sound of Grayson charging up the steps to my flat.
"Why aren't the mats rolled out yet? And the weights racked? Also why the hell are you in bed still-" Grayson cut himself short when he caught sight of me still tucked under the covers. "What the hell happened to you?" He asked.
I did my best to crawl out of bed. The thought of trying to conceal my injured hand had crossed my mind... but then I though fuck it, Grayson was going to know eventually anyways.
When Grayson's eyes darted from my head injury, to my hand, that look of concern only intensified. "What the fuck happened?" He demanded. I couldn't help but flinch at his words.
That was a very loaded question, honestly. I wanted to tell Grayson the truth, but I didn't think it was my place to put Dante in that position. Grayson and I rarely ever kept secrets, yet this was one I felt wrong to tell. "Dante wound up lost close to Hunts Point. There were some guys who cornered him into an alley. We took care of it, but I fucked up my hand." I explained.
The look on Grayson's face said it all. He was beyond the point of confusion.
"Okay so... first of all, how did Dante get all the way over there? And second, what the hell happened to your forehead?"
I started to say something, but stopped myself short. Both of those questions warranted an explanation I wasn't in the position to give.
"He went out for a run. As for the forehead, I fell off my couch last night." The fact that that was the best I could come up with, was pitiful.
The look Grayson was giving me said it all. He hadn't bought any of that, and he knew that I knew that he hadn't bought any of that... but we had very little time to start the day, and an entire gym to set up. Grayson pushed his skepticism aside, and helped me tackle the morning work.
Dante
I did my best to stay alert while Kassie walked me through restocking. It's was hard remaining focused, when the thought of the previous night occupied every available space in my discombobulated brain.
Regardless of how many times I had told myself I made the right decision by putting distance between Sammy and I... I couldn't stop thinking about that kiss.
...Thinking about him.
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