“No, baby. Iwantyou to fall apart, to lose control. I want you to feel safe enough to do those things with me. Because I know how strong you are, you don’t have to prove anything to me.”
The silence stretched and I closed my eyes. “You don’t think I’m crazy?”
“Crazy hot? Hell yes. Crazy smart? Hell yes. Crazy strong?” I could hear the smirk in his voice as he paused. “I guess you can show me at the gym.”
I chuckled softly, a smile pulling at my lips. “You really want to go to the gym with me? I don’t do anything special.”
“I’d watch grass grow with you.”
I rolled my eyes. “Okay.”
“Okay,” he said happily. “Where do you go?”
“Just the little weight room in my apartment building.”
“Perfect. I’ll be there in fifteen.”
Time dragged as I waited for Enoch to show up. I was perched just inside the front entrance to the building, not wanting to stand outside like a weirdo. I wrung my hands, cracked my knuckles. I was impatient, nervous, but also excited, little butterflies making my stomach pitch.
My lips twitched with a smile as I saw his car pass the front of the building, heading for the guest parking spaces. It was another few minutes of bouncing on my toes before I saw him. Black gym shorts that stopped a couple of inches above his knees and a plain grey shirt, worn gym shoes and a backpack slung over his shoulder.
Dammit, he looked good.
I pushed the door open, my smile mirroring his own as I ushered him inside the building.
As soon as he had crossed the threshold, his arms snaked around my waist, pulling me into him. I instantly moved to my toes so that we were eye to eye.
“Hi, baby,” he said in a hushed voice, just before his mouth met mine in a warm kiss. I smiled against the kiss, my eyes closed. Fuck, he made me happy. So, fucking happy.
Enoch was convinced that this was supposed to be my chance to live and maybe it was delusional, but maybe he was right. Maybe this was my last life, and I should have been living it to the fullest, not running away from all he offered me. At least for a little while. I could pretend for a while, pretend that this was meant to be, pretend that I deserved this level of happiness.
He pulled away just enough so that our lips were no longer touching, and I blinked my eyes open.
“I’ve missed you.” His fingers tucked an errant strand of hair behind my ear.
“Me too,” I said, stepping out of his embrace. “Ready?”
Enoch nodded and gestured for me to lead the way. I took a step, but he grabbed my hand, lacing his fingers through mine, and fell into step beside me. I bit back a smile and led him down the hallway to the small weight room. Most of the residents used it in the morning, which meant using it any time after noon you were guaranteed to be alone.
I opened the door with the small window and black lettering labeling the room as ‘gym’. I released Enoch’s hand to cross the threshold and the door clicked shut behind him. It was silent, except for the hum of the ceiling fan. The small TV mounted to the corner of the room was turned off and I watched Enoch in the section of mirrors hanging on the wall as he scanned the room.
There was one treadmill, one stationary bicycle and then a frame with a pulley system and bench, and an area for racking bars and weights. It wasn’t extravagant or anything like the weight room we had a work, but it was more than enough to strength train.
“I brought my speaker, if you want to put on some music?”
Brows rose in surprise, and I nodded. “I hadn’t thought about that. I usually just wear headphones.”
He smiled, setting his backpack down on the bench as he pulled out his Bluetooth speaker.
“You can DJ,” he offered, turning the speaker on.
“Sure about that? I usually listen to screamo while I’m working out.”
Enoch chuckled and nodded, “Yeah. I’m here for an authentic experience. You’re the boss.”
I rolled my eyes and paired my phone. Once I had music flowing, I put my phone down.
“Alright, I usually just go through some active stretches to get warmed up.”
