“Hey, baby.” My sister stalks up to Andre, planting a kiss on his mouth and then taking it to a level that is more appropriate in private.
“Why the fuck must you two do that shit in front of me?” I shoot them a glare of disgust and then rise, reaching for my gloves and water bottle.
“Newsflash,stupid. We’re married. Kissing is mild compared to what else we do behind closed doors,” she chides and I feel my blood pressure rise as well as my stomach churn.
“Fuck, Selena. Don’t say shit like that. I’ve learned to accept the two of you, but that doesn’t mean I want to hear about it.”
“Babe. Don’t give your brother a reason to brawl with me, okay? It’s not gonna end well for him.” Andre flashes a cocky smile my way as I stand and stride up to him, our chests mere inches apart, our eyes locking in a stand down. The guy is practically my brother, but that doesn’t mean I won’t knock him out if I need to.
“You wanna put your money where your mouth is, Andre? Wanna go toe-to-toe with me? Don’t make me show you up in front of your woman.” I challenge him with my words, even though I know this is just part of who we are. Andre and I used to wrestle and beat the shit out of each other when we were younger, but it never was out of spite. The one time we did almost go to blows was when he left my sister alone at that party, the night my entire life changed. The guilt he carried around from that night though was enough of a punishment for him, I felt, so I never pounded his face in like I felt he deserved. He left to fuck some girl that was making her way around our group of friends, but in doing so, left Selena exposed to Jesus.
“Ay, Dios Mio! Would you two knock it off? You’re acting like a bunch of niños up in here.”
Andre and I continue our stare down before he finally cracks, barreling over in laughter. “Aw, man. You know we’d probably both knock each other out in the same punch if it ever went to blows. But seriously, what’s got your panties in a wad?”
“Speak for yourself,” I say with a smirk and ignore his last observation that I’m on edge, grateful that I can mess around with my best friend like that and go back to normal in the next breath. Although, I think that’s just a man thing in general.
A throat clearing behind us snaps us out of our interaction as we turn to take in the person who interrupted our conversation. And then my stomach drops as a wave of confusion barrels through me.
“What the fuck?” I ask in a high-pitched voice I don’t even recognize. I can hear Andre snicker behind me before Selena elbows him in the ribs and he coughs from the impact.
Sydney Matthews is standing in front of me like a ghost I can’t shake. What the fuck is she doing here?
Andre steps forward, breaking the awkwardness that just built between the four of us. I can see my sister sizing Sydney up, taking in the woman that sticks out like a sore thumb in this gym.
“Hi. I’m Andre. The owner. It’s nice to meet you, Sydney.” He reaches out his hand to shake hers, but her eyes are still locked on me, growing wider in each passing second.
Finally she shakes off her reaction and then gives her full attention to him.
“Likewise. I, uh …” she stammers, looking off to the side of the room before continuing. My eyes follow her line of sight as the row of leather bags hang from the ceiling, swaying slightly from the flow of air conditioning in the room. One bag is being wailed on by a guy training for his first amateur fight, while the rest of the room is occupied by the group that came in for the free-style session at five. “I’m sorry. I’m here for the self-defense class. I signed up online, but it said to arrive fifteen minutes early to fill out the paperwork.”
“Yes. Javi here has your papers.” Andre turns to me, but my eyes are still laser focused on the woman standing in front of me. I honestly thought that running into her at The Jameson was just a fluke, but now that she’s standing here, decked out in bright pink spandex and her long hair pulled up off her neck, the satisfaction I got from our serendipitous run-in is short-lived when I realize she’s going to be training here at the gym, in my fucking class.
Before I got out of prison, Andre taught the self-defense class. But since I came on a few months ago, he’s passed the reins to me. Part of the reason why I work here now is so he can leave early a few nights a week to spend time with my sister. Most of his classes and clients come in the morning, and besides, I feel obligated to help him for his generosity in letting me stay at their house and for looking after my sister while I was doing my time.
“What?” I finally snap out of my mental breakdown, ruminating over the fact that I’m letting this woman’s presence derail me.
Selena chuckles under
