Eight months ago, Michael was literally laying on a hospital bed, his friends and family surrounding him as his doctor broke the news to him that his career as a football player could be potentially over due to him suffering a complete hyperextension to his left knee, tore three ligaments along with his calf and hamstring from the bone and ruptured an artery.
The news wasn't just devastating. He was only a twenty-nine years old football player trying to make his mark; his career was just starting to debut and retiring wasn't part of his bucket list yet.
He was devastated. He gave up on life with the mentality that he was never going to be able to play again. He wasn't that optimistic guy he used to be anymore. Instead, he was broken with no hope or whatsoever. He begined shutting out his family and friends because he wasn't the type of guy to allow people to see him at his wors
But all that would change when Nikita Mears came to his life. She's originally from Hawaii but flew almost a thousand miles from New York to Florida just to become his personal trainer.
When the basic exercises his therapist used to make him do weren't enough; his manager, who's also his best friend (Birkhoff) thought it would be a great idea to challenge him. Maybe then he'd be motivated enough to work through getting better.
And that's when Nikita came in. He never believed that a woman who's 5'6, extremely hot and fuckable could have so much confidence in herself. When Nikita told him that she could get him as good as new if he gave her six months to a year to work with him, he looked at her as if she had said something funny. But to make it interesting, she agreed that he could get a refund of his money if she's didn't exceed to the package she was trying to sell him.
Oh she brought it alright. Michael was looking for a challenge and he got beyond that. Appearance can be really deceiving. Just because Nikita was small, he thought she would be a piece of cake. But it was the contrary. She was a real hard-ass. She was tough, rude and so goddamn mean from the start. She worked him out six days a week with insanity workout and extreme therapy. Oh man he hated her. To him, Nikita Mears was the biggest asshole on the planet to exist.
But as their professional relationship progressed, so begin their personal relationship. She was a hard shell to crack because in all the years Michael's been alive, he knew no woman who was as tough as Nikita was. Even so, he stopped at nothing to build a bond with her because if he was going to spend most of his times with her and that's twelve hours a day for six days, then he better know something about her. He took things slow with her and apparently, that seemed to have worked.
Few months later, Nikita was comfortable enough to tell him certain things about herself and Michael reciprocated too by opening up about some personal baggage of his own.
Soon enough, Michael discovered that beneath that tough wall, Nikita wasn't the asshole he thought she was. She was a cool, beautiful, independent, smart woman and it turned out they had a lot more in common than he thought.
They became close friends after business hours. Nikita was Michael's typical home-girl. She could be around guys and make them feel intimidated. She could drink and party like no other woman he's met and she also made an excellent wing woman.
At the end of the day, the only thing keeping them from having a 'best friends with benefits' relationship is because Nikita was different.
And by different I mean gay. (Into women.)
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Now it was eight months later and Michael was a new man. He was in the best shape that he's ever been his entire life, physically, emotionally, and mentally. And he owed it all to his amazing trainer. He could walk perfectly fine again without the help of a walking stick.
(Though he occasionally used it because his friends made a comment about him looking like a lord or pimp in a suit with the walking stick.)
To show all his appreciation to his one in a million best friend; Michael had decided to throw Nikita a surprise birthday party for her birthday. Though Nikita told him numerous times that she didn't want anything for her birthday (certainly not a damn party); he still chose to throw her one. What she didn't know wouldn't hurt her.
It was a Saturday evening in May on a beautiful spring day in Palm Springs, Florida; Michael had picked up Nikita from her condo and drove her to his house. Nikita thought she was coming in the intension of having a few drinks with him and just chill like they usually do but absolutely nothing would prepare her for the mini-heart-attack she almost suffered when she walked into Michael's house and a bottle of champagne was popped over her head.
"I'm going to kill you, Michael!"
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While the party was going amazing, Nikita was almost buzzed out by the time she could stop rejecting jerks hitting on her. The funny thing was, half those people that came to the party, Michael didn't even know them.
To help Nikita avoid getting hit on every three seconds, Michael decided to go hang out with her outside the patio to get some fresh air and talk for a little bit. After all, this was his damn fault.
"So this is what twenty-eight years old feels like, hunh?" Nikita commented smilingly.
"Yeah." Michael smiled back at her. "Pretty awesome, right?"
Nikita shrugged. "I guess." She replied.
"Tell me something." Michael begin.
"What?" Nikita asked, sipping on her drink.
"Why are you still single?" Michael questioned. "I mean you're in Palm Springs, Florida of all place. One of the most beautiful places to meet the hottest people, specially girls."
Nikita smiled at him. Even she didn't know the answer to that. "I don't know." She said.
Michael raised his eyebrows. "That's odd."
"My last serious relationship with a girl turned into a catastrophe, so I guess I'm looking for something different this time." Nikita told him.
"Well you know what they say," Michael smirked. "The best way to experience different is to hop right back on the vagina."
Nikita slapped his chest. "I'm being serious, perv."
"Okay." Michael chuckled. "What are you looking for in a relationship that's different from the ones you've had before?"
"I don't know." Nikita repeated. "My previous relationships have been based on material stuff only. You know nice cars, jewelries, flowers, etc… This time I guess I want a relationship that's more based on sentiments and things worth better than materials. I want someone who I can feel comfortable being with. I want someone whom I can walk butt-naked around and not feel like I should be ashamed of myself. I wanna wake up sometimes and say that I'm not going to comb my hair or wash my face and have that person think I'm still the most beautiful person in the world." She described. "You know the simple things every girl wants."
Told you she wasn't so tough beneath her shell.
Michael nodded. He could relate to what she's saying. "I know what you mean."
Though he might hit quickies here and there, he is a hopeless romantic deeply. He does want to be in love with a woman someday. He wants a woman who will be by his side no matter how many goddamn times he might screw up. He's not afraid of change. As a matter of fact, he wants a woman who can take control and change his ways. To make him a better man.
"Relationships are complicated." Nikita said. "I just don't want to rush into anything here too soon."
It's been eight months damn it! How much sooner can it get?
"Have you always looked like this?"
Hunh…? Way to change a conversation.
"What do you mean?" Nikita asked.
"So flawless." Michael added.
Nikita could've sworn she was blushing fifty shades of red. She rolled her eyes at him, and chuckled awkwardly. "I'm not sure I'm flawless."
"Well how did you get into fitness?" Michael rephrased his question. "You never actually told me."
Hm…
"I was nineteen when I met my ex-boyfriend. He was really into body building so he boxed a lot as a part of his daily routine exercise," Nikita begin to explain. "Whenever I could, I would exercise with him and I thought it was really cool so I dropped out of law school and decided to pursue something in the medical branch instead, which turned out to be a physical therapist and along with that came fitness and everything else."
All Michael got from her explanation was 'ex-boyfriend'.
"By your ex-boyfriend, you mean ex-lesbian girlfriend?" He asked.
Nikita burst out into giggles which confused Michael even more. "No silly." She replied. "I mean boyfriend. I didn't know I was into girls until after I broke up with my ex-boyfriend who was a boy."
Oh…
Now that's very confusing!
"So you're bi?" Michael said.
Nikita shrugged. "If the thought helps you sleep at night." She replied. "Sure."
No. that wouldn't help him sleep at all. It would keep him up all night because all he will be able to do is imagining the many ways he could rock her world.
"And you didn't think that was something you should've included in the sexuality details?" Michael said.
Nikita laughed. "Sorry sir." She said.
Michael rolled his eyes annoyed. "So you're into guys? Like you can actually be sexually attracted to guys – I mean dudes with penises?"
"You're a dork." Nikita teased. "I never said I couldn't be attracted to dudes with penises."
That is just wrong! If he'd known that all along he wouldn't torture himself with his dirty thoughts about her.
"Are you okay?" Nikita asked.
She could sense the change in Michael's mood and it worried her a little bit.
Michael shook his head. "No. this is crazy." He replied.
"Why?" Nikita asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Cause this changes everything." Michael answered.
Nikita cocked her head in pure confusing. "Elaborate because you lost me."
"Now we're gonna have to have sex." Michael told her bluntly.
That didn't only catch Nikita off guard. She was shocked to say the least.
"Excuse me?"
"Listen baby girl," Michael begin. "It's inevitable. You're into guys."
"Your point is?" Nikita trailed. "I've always been into guys but that doesn't mean I'm going to have sex with you."
Michael ran his hands through his hair. He doesn't think Nikita understands the seriousness of this situation.
"No Nikita baby, baby, listen to me," He tried to explain it to her again because he knew what he was talking about. "It's inevitable. If you're a female, into penises and you're not my mother, having sex with me really is inevitable and I'm not even joking about that. We have a very professional relationship and it's gonna eventually turn sexual and we won't be able to stop it."'
"Wow." Nikita said speechlessly.
Just wow because right now she couldn't believe how pathetic Michael sounded.
"I'm just warning you. It's inevitable."
"Okay!" Nikita yelled. "God. I get it. Now would you stop saying inevitable?"
This has officially turned into a nightmare.
"I value our friendship very much so the only way to avoid that from happening is for us to not hang out together as friends anymore."
Wait… but didn't he just say he valued their friendship?
But it's not like Nikita had a problem with that and even if she did, she didn't plan on showing any emotions towards it.
This is so not how she imagined her birthday night ending.
"Not a problem." She said.
That was before she gathered her things and walked away from Michael.
"Nikita," Michael called.
She slid the glass door of the patio open and stepped a foot out.
"Come on. Nikita don't go." Michael sighed.
He really ruined it.
Though Nikita did stop and turn to look at him for one second. And it wasn't to tell him it was okay.
"We have a session on Monday at nine thirty. Be ready."
That didn't sound right at all.
