I head to the gym after school, knowing that I've been slacking at cheer practice, and feeling the need to redeem myself.
Slowly, the weight I've carried around for so long is easing; I'm feeling a lot happier with each day that passes with little to no aggravation between Edward and me.
This 'friends' thing may actually be working.
The urge to kiss him, touch him, and jump him, isn't ebbing, but for now, I feel as though whatever we're doing, is doing us good.
I'm stretching, sitting on the floor, legs spread wide, nose to my knee, when a throat clearing behind me catches my attention.
Straightening my back, I look over my shoulder, smiling at Edward, who quickly takes a seat on the bleachers, shifting uncomfortably.
"Punched anyone today?" I ask, ignoring the way he's looking at my bare legs.
"Not yet."
"To what do I owe the pleasure?" Turning my body, I decide to push the 'friends' barrier —test it out, evaluate its strength. He watches my every move as I stand and make my way to the wall beside him.
Lifting my leg high, I rest my foot on the wall above my head, leaning in, feeling the stretch.
He doesn't answer, his eyes working their way slowly from my ankle above me, down my body, to the leg holding me upright, swallowing hard, eyes blazing.
"What are you doing?" he asks, voice strained.
"Um … stretching? It's the most important part."
He nods, eyes unflinching on my ass.
I keep my eyes off him whilst I concentrate, knowing exactly what I'm doing. He was the one who seeked me out, and if he wants to be here, he'll need to deal with my very-nearly naked body and flexibility.
Moving into the centre of the room, I can feel his eyes, like warm heat, watching my every move, appreciating every inch of skin on display. It's power like I used to feel, used to bask in.
It's different now though, because I want him, and I think he wants me, but we're being … careful, patient. This is the right way.
Flirting and teasing with an end goal. Getting to know each other knowing it may actually lead somewhere.
It's a whole other ball game. I've never had this.
Trying to ignore his overwhelming presence, I start with some tumbling drills.
He speaks as soon as I land. "That scares the fuck out of me."
Hands on my hips, I turn to face him, walking slowly back to where I started. "What's a few back flips when you fight for fun?"
"Fighting's instinctive. That" —he motions towards the mat, twirling his hand in a flipping motion— "is … fucking crazy."
I laugh, throwing my head back. "You're calling me crazy?"
"Absolutely," he nods, smiling that wide smile that makes my heart skip a beat.
Lifting my hands above my head, I take a deep breath, push forward and perform a series of handsprings, ending in a back handspring tuck. When I land, he's watching me with wide eyes, looking slightly terrified.
"You're distracting me," I tell him, shaking my arms out.
"You're distracting me!" he counters.
"From what?" Making my way closer, I stand in front of him, a few empty feet between us.
"I can't remember." His eyes work their way from my feet, to my face, agonisingly slowly. It sets my whole body on fire, my skin prickling under the intensity of his open appreciation.
"You got nowhere else to be on a Monday night?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.
He shakes his head, eyes finally meeting mine.
"Cute," I tease, pursing my lips. He narrows his eyes, making me laugh. "It is," I assure him, deciding to call it quits and stretch off. I'm not going to get much done with Edward here anyway.
Dropping into the splits, I lean forward, resting my elbows on the mat between my knees, chin in my palm, smirking, watching him.
I don't know what he's thinking about, as he stares at the mat between my legs, but I want to know.
"What are you thinking? You got a bit lost there."
He huffs and sits back further in his chair. After a second, he looks me dead in the eye. "You."
I smile, I can't help it, wide, happy. "Yeah?"
Nodding, he affirms. "Always."
—
A/N
Thanks for reading!
And massive thanks to Jemster23 for pre-reading and the girls over in my Facebook group for making me laugh!
