Ready?

"Ready?"

He says and I almost flinch.

"I don't know. Yes?"

"Okay, then. Try to attack me."

"How?"

"Just try and push me. Don't think so much and relax. Fighting's like dancing."

"I can't dance."

"Well, I'm not very good either, but it sounds cool."

I laugh and for the first time he kind of reminds me of Jeremy- in the same way, he jokes about random stuff to distract me from something that's been going on in my head and I've thought I'm the only one noticing. I move and push him. He blocks my hit and urges me to try again. I do and this time's better. It's both strange and nice. I feel better. For one thing, I don't think about my phone anymore. I have no idea how much time we spent doing this, but by the end of it, I'm breathless.

Once I got the hang of it and stopped overthinking every single move of mine, I realized he was right- it gets easier when you relax. I'm panting and I'm very aware of the fact my tank tops' wet and Nathan's standing not far from me.

Sweat trickles down h