chapter four - Working Out

I got changed as instructed. He's picked out a pair of black yoga pants and a matching pair of black sports bra. He'd even picked a pair of white pair of Nike sneakers out, as well as matching socks. I laughed to myself when I found my arm bands there, too. Noah had insisted that they're useless, but I brought them anyway.

I was confused as to why my swimming suit was there, but I knew it was no use questioning myself about it. Changed, I headed back out to see I'm up in the boxing ring. I couldn't see him all that clearly from where I was, since it was just his head that was visible, so I approached him. I kept my eyes on the ring of me wished I hadn't.

Of course, my inner Six's number one fan would have a different story to tell. He was dressed in shorts and sneakers fixing the ropes or something of a sort, but I was preoccupied with watching his back muscles flex with every move he made. Yes, he was shirtless in all his glory, and by God, I don't think normal human beings look like this. There was a dragon tattooed down his whole back.

Looked so lifelike. I was half expecting it to start moving. My eyes trailed further down to his lower back, where the letters S.I.X were inscribed. So wait six isn't actually a number, but an acronym? He turned slightly, enough for me to get a view of his front, but not for him to see me standing there.

I noticed a tattoo of a heart on the left side of his chest. Instead of an arrow going through it, it was a rose. The heart was empty in the middle, except for the letter "A" at the top of the inside of the heart. An image of a man, who I could only pinpoint as Michelangelo in my head, came to mind and I could see him sculpturing this Adonis to pure, Italian perfection, and my, what a sight he was. "Didn't your mother ever teach you that it's rude to stare?" I was brought out of my ogling.

"I'll have you know that my mother didn't teach me anything," I said, angrier than I intended, looming away from him. Warm fingers grasped my chin. Making me look up at him. "Punch me." What? Wait, why am I saying this in my head? "What?" I asked out loud.

"Punch. Me." I could only look at the delusional boy with confusion etched on my face. He looked so dead serious with his request. I squeaked when he suddenly turned me around so that he had his arms around me. My eyes widened when he gripped my throat and started squeezing.

"What are you doing? I thought you weren't going to kill me!" I barely managed to get out. He only squeezed tighter. "Get yourself out," he instructed. I wriggled and tried hitting him, but nothing worked. One thought my mind. "I'm going to die a virgin, at the hands of the hottest guy I know.

He let go of me, and I was finally able to breathe again. I coughed, adjusted to being able to breathe again. I have never before been so grateful for the ability to breathe. The air even felt different as it went into my lungs. I almost died,"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?" I screamed.

"So much, but that's not why we're here. Kick this," he signaled to the bottle in his hand. He was holding it up to be level with his chest. "No! Take me home!" I demanded. "Kick the bottle, and I'll think about it," he replied. "I can't kick that high," I huffed.

He raised an eyebrow."Have you ever tried?" Well, no, but I know. I'd rather not embarrass myself, thank you very much!" I huffed. "It's just the two of us here. Who's going to hold it against you?" he asked. "You," I said without hesitation. "I'm not petty blossom. Kick the bottle," he demanded.

Out of anger, I went to kick the bottle, only for him to move it at the last minute to his other hand. I tried kicking it there, too, but he only pulled the same trick again. In a rage, I went into a kicking fit. By the time he finally let me kick the bottle, I was exhausted. "I thought you didn't kick that high," he commented as I lay on the boxing ring ground.

My eyes widened as I looked to him."I kicked it!" I said in realization. He nodded, which was enough to get me to a small, happy dance. He scowled at me. "Get up!" He instructed. "You couldn't let me be happy for two seconds?" I grumbled, getting up nonetheless. "Put these on," he said, handing me a pair of boxing gloves. "I don't know how to box, and my left hand is injured," I warily pointed out.

"That's what I'm here for. Since you enjoy injuring me, I'm giving you the platform to do so freely," he said. There was a teasing tone to his voice, but I couldn't be sure. "It was one time!" I defended. He cocked his head to the side. "And here I thought you'd jump at the opportunity." I scowled," why would I jump at the opportunity to punch you?" He looked away,"Just put the gloves on."

I did as told, and he walked around me until he was standing behind me. I could feel his warm breath travel down my back as he bent behind me. I took a sharp breath in when his fingers touched my bare stomach. He tilted me slightly. "Spread your legs," he said.

"Uh.." I trailed off. The position he was in only activated my dirty thoughts further. He literally face palmed himself, making me giggle a little. "Get your mind out of the gutter and spread your legs." I did as instructed before he fixed my posture.

"Alright! This is how you must stand, got it?" I nodded. "Good! Now, jab forward." I did as told, but he caught my arm. He fixed it before telling me to try again. This went on for a while, with him teaching me how to box. I thought that was all that was on schedule, but he had a full workout planned for me.

From basic working out, to boxing, self defense and swimming(that's what the swimming suit was for), I was completely exhausted by the time he told me to stop, and my left hand was throbbing, even though I didn't use it that much. "Think you can manage to get yourself showered?" He asked as I lay on the mat. I shook my head. "Didn't think so," he sighed.

I was too tired to even register the fact that he'd picked me up bridal style and that he was carrying me to his car. He opened the back door and laid me on the seat. I didn't stay awake long enough to find out why. By the time I woke up again, the clock on the side of the bed told me that it was 14:32. Wait, bed? I shot up and looked around me in confusion. I was in a dark room, laying on a four-poster bed. Silk sheets surrounded me, and there was a familiar scent in the air. I looked down to find that I was still in my yoga pants and sports bra, except this time I was also dressed in a sweater that wasn't mine.

It was a gray sweater with a simple black Nike logo on it. It was the kind without a zip and pockets in the front. It also had a hoodie, and it was unbelievably comfortable. I don't think I'll be parting ways with it any time soon. Being the weirdo I am, I brought it up to my nose and inhaled. I got dizzy just from the scent before giggling to myself. I got out of bed to find that I didn't have socks on. There was a black pair of slippers on the ground, and I figured why not, so I put them on.

So fuzzy! They obviously didn't even fit me, but whatever. They felt too comfortable. I got up and walked out of the room. I followed the sound of what I assumed was a TV. The further I walked, the more familiar my surroundings seemed. When I got to the lounge, I found that the sound was coming from the NBA match playing on TV, but Six was nowhere in sight. I caught a whiff of bacon, and that was enough to lead me to the kitchen. I found him standing by the stove, still shirtless, but this time, he was in his black jeans, and his hair was slightly wet.

“Sit,” he commanded, without even looking up. “How did you know I was there?” I asked, taking a seat on one of the chairs at the island. “I can feel you there,” he replied, still not looking at me. “When did we get back?” I diverted. He finally turned around, a plate in his hand. “An hour ago. Eat.” I was about to comment on how he spoke to me, but I was distracted by the bacon burger before me.

It’s like he's been in my head and sifted through it to find out what my fantasy food is. The whole thing was absolute bacon perfection! I moaned as I bit into the combination of bacon, mozzarella, pickles, garlic sauce, beef patty, lettuce, and tomato. I wasn't aware that he was watching me intently, his eyes darkening. He moved his attention to a cabinet behind him before pulling out some pills.

“Take these when you're done eating. They'll help the pain in your muscles," he instructed before leaving the kitchen. There are so many instructions in one day! Regardless, I finished my heavenly burger in peace. He's placed a glass of Pepsi and a glass of water before me. I took a gulp of Pepsi before taking my pills with the water and then finished off the Pepsi. I let out a satisfied burp.

"Someone's satisfied," he commented, making me jump in fright. Kill me now! "Didn't know you were there," I said with a blush. "Clearly! Anyway, your bag I'd in my room you can go take a shower and we'll head out when you're done," he told me. "Head out? Where to? I asked. "Get ready, and you'll find out," was all he said before leaving from the lounge.

Slowly accepting that this is how things work with him, I got up and headed back to the room I now knew as his. I grabbed my bag and headed into the just as dark bathroom. I didn't waste time looking around in awe, and instead, I just got to showering. The shower has to be the best one I'd ever taken in my entire life. The shower is one of those therapeutic ones that shoot water out from everywhere, so my muscles were relieved in minutes.

Unfortunately, I couldn't stay there forever. I got ready and packed my gym clothes back in my bag, where he'd already put my sneakers and socks. I wasn't ready to part with his sweater and slippers, for whatever reason, so I didn't. I kept this on and grabbed my bag, heading back downstairs. "I'm ready," I announced to him.

He turned to me and raised an eyebrow at his sweater and slippers, to which I shrugged. He didn't say anything and instead took my bag from me. He was now fully dressed in his black outfit again, and I followed him out. He didn't bother to lock the house,which I didn't bother asking about.

School was probably over now that it was 15:47. I was curious to know where on earth this fascinating boy was taking me, but the mall was the last place u would've thought. He parked the car and came around to let me out. He didn't even wait for me to be out before he started walking inside.

I followed silently after him,but I was keeping my distance as well. Now that we were in public, I wasn't too sure about being too close to him. People were looking at him knowingly, and I was sure that it wasn't with good thoughts either. He turned into a store that sells dressed, and my curiosity peaked at that point.

He went straight to the shop attendant

and said something to her. She looked

flustered, which bothered me a little,

before she nodded. He walked over to the

couch outside the changing rooms and sat

down, while she approached me. "Miss Solano, please follow me," she said. "Why?" I asked. "The gentleman requested it," she replied. I turned to the said "gentleman," and he was busy on his phone.

I followed the lady and she led me to a changing room. She just abandoned me there, and I had no idea why, until she came back with a whole lot of purple dresses. She told me to try them on and step out each time to show "the gentleman." I walked out of the dressing room. "You're insane!" I huffed.

"As many have told me, but do share as to why you think so," he said, not looking up from his phone."Why do you want me to try on the dresses?" I asked. "Must you question everything?" He finally looked up. I crossed my arms defiantly. "Yes." He looked exasperated but sighed anyway. "If you must know, it's for Homecoming.

Come again? "Homecoming?" I asked, disbelief dripping from my tone. "Do you need a definition?" He scowled. "I know what Homecoming is!" I snapped. "So why are we still talking?" He asked. "I wasn't planning on going to Homecoming," I lied.

"As interesting as it I'd to watch you lie to me, I'd rather you go find a dress that's appropriate," he replied. "Speaking of appropriate, why am I picking a dress when I don't even know what color my date wants us to wear?" I asked. "Thought the answer was obvious. We're wearing purple," he deadpanned. My eyebrows shot up to my hairline. "we?"

"Yes, we," he replied before turning back to his phone, effectively dismissing me. If I thought that shopping wiry, my picky brother was a pain in the but, I had another thing coming. Six hated all the dresses I tried on, and we ended up going to seven other stores before we finally got one. It's your typical tutu dress that flares out from the bust and ends just before my knees. He paid for it and asked if we needed to get any accessories and shoes, but I assured him that it was fine.

I'm sure I could pull something together from my new closet. "Why purple?" I asked him as we drove out of the mall. I didn't even know where we were going this time. "It's one of your favorite colors," he replied. He knew that? "How do you know that?" I asked.

"I'm very observant blossom," was all he said. I kept quiet and instead let him drive. We were stuck in some traffic, which only meant longer periods of silence. I stared out at my new hometown, illuminated by all the lights. Today has made me realize that I wasn't sure about whether or not moving here was a good idea anymore.

I was both relieved and saddened to discover that Six was driving me home. He parked the car outside the gate before coming to let me out. I grabbed my school bag, which proved to be useless for the day, while he grabbed my sports bag from the back. I didn't expect him to pull me in by the waist with his free arm. I crashed into his rock solid body, biting my lip at the closeness between us.

I looked up at him through hooded eyes, and the intense look from the day before was back in his eyes. "I'll be here at 06:30 in the dot blossom. Don't make me come and get you again." He let go of me, my heart threatening to find a new habitat outside my body. He handed me my sports bag before going into his car and driving away.

It took me a while before I bothered to move from the spot he left me in. I sighted and got my gate remote out. I opened the gate and made the walk up the driveway. It looked like my dad and Noah weren't home yet, which was a relief for me. Violet was coming down the stairs when I walked into the house. "You look like hell," she blurted out.

On any other day, I would've been insulted. "I feel like it," I mumbled. "Gee, that bad?" She asked in concern. I could only nod. "Do you want to head up and rest, or are you going to sleep and not wake up at all?" She questioned.

"The latter sounds about it," I replied. "Got it! I'll tell the boys that you're having woman troubles or something," she said before hugging me. "Thanks," I giggled a little. She let me go up to my room, and I had never been so happy to see a bed in my life. Despite the nap I'd taken from the gym place to Six's place, I was still beat.

I managed to get my phone out of the schoolbag, and I had tons of messages and missed calls. I ignored the calls and checked my messages:

Aunt Kayla: Noelle, are you settled in?

How was your first day at school? Call

me.

Noah: Where are you? Mum said she

brought you to school, but you're not

here.

Summer: Where are you?

Wesley: Yo, where you at?

Eli: Are you ok?

Cash: Apparently, I'm obligated to ask

where you are and if you're ok or not

since it's a trend at the moment.

Noah: It's lunch, and you're not here.

Neither is Six...

Oliver: Haven't seen you in two days

and rumor has it you left. Is it true? Call me when you get this!

Summer: You sly girl! Are you with Six?

Wesley: Shagging up to your punching

bag already?

Eli: Say it isn't true! You're with Six?

Cash: If he hurts you, just hit him with

another textbook. Try the History one.

That ought to leave a real mark.

Dad: Pumpkin, are you ok? Vi said she

took you to school. Call me.

Violet: I hope you're ok mija. I covered

for you with your dad and brother.

Noah: You and I are going to have a

lengthy talk when I get home.

WHAT THE HECK?!? When did I become so popular all of a sudden? And what's with everyone wanting to know if I was with Six or not? Better yet, why was Oliver texting me? I replied to my aunt's text message, and I told my dad that I was fine. Everyone else I had decided I was ignoring.

My phone started ringing as I was about to put it down. "I thought you'd be passed out by now," his voice came through, sending chills down my back. "I was about to. I just needed to check my phone and found quite a lot of texts from everyone, wanting to know where I am," I replied.

"And what did you say?" I asked, though I already knew. "What do you think?" He scoffed. As I suspected. "Ok, well I'm going to pass out now, before my brother comes to interrogate me," I sighed. "I'm pretty sure you're a smart girl, so you know not to tell any of them anything. Right?" He asked.

"Wasn't planning on doing so," I replied.

"Good! Goodnight blossom. Have the

sweetest of dreams," he said. "Goodnight Six. You too," I said before hanging up the phone, a stupid grin on my face. For the first time, he said something nice.