Chapter 42
After school, Rey picks me up, and we drive to my apartment so I can pick up workout clothes and some toiletries.
He smiles when I return and slide into my SUV’s passenger side.
We head to the gym, and I look at the radio and wonder if he finds it rude of me to play music. He glances at me briefly and shakes his head. I think he saw me look at the screen.
He presses the music app, and music begins to play.
I smile, and I guess he doesn’t seem to mind. I leave it on a dance station, filling the silence since he can’t sign or text me while driving.
When he parks in his spot in front of the gym, he turns to me and signs, “I don’t want you to sacrifice things because I can’t hear.”
“It is not a sacrifice when it comes to you. I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable. I also don’t want to be rude.”
“I don’t want you to feel like you have to treat me special or anything. I want to feel normal. And for the record, it doesn’t make much of a difference if I can hear it.”
I drop my gaze. He feels uncomfortable when I can’t listen to music because he can’t hear. I get it. He wants to feel normal, and I think I messed up by asking him.
“I can’t hear it either way, Ari. It’s stupid that you must sacrifice something you like because of me. It makes me feel bad, and I worry you will resent me one day.”
“I’m sorry,” I sign.
He reaches out and places his hands over mine. “Don’t be sorry,” he says, a little off pitch.
I lean close and place a soft kiss on his lips. When I pull back, I mouth, “Okay.” He smiles, sliding from the driver’s side to move around the car. He opens my door.
When I get settled in the office after an hour of finishing up and making sure all the money has been collected for the members this month, he motions to my clothes and then the locker room to go get changed.
When I get up and head out of the office, I notice he follows me when he sees my bag slung over my shoulder. He smiles when I go in and stays outside like my bodyguard in front of the door. He wants to make sure no one goes inside while I’m changing.
When I’m ready, I walk out, and his eyes widen.
I’m wearing windbreakers and a sports bra and no shirt. My hair is in a braid.
I watch as he bites his bottom lip. I place my thumb so his teeth can release it.
He holds my hand and walks me over to the punching bag. He stands behind me, and I wish I had thought of this sooner because I would have let Rey teach me anything when he stood this close to me. His hands are on my waist, and I feel the tingles on my skin.
Boxing is the most physically demanding sport, making it an excellent form of exercise. It requires quick reflexes, dexterity, strength, stamina, and mental fortitude. Okay, I read up online before he called me out to change .
Rey begins to show me how to stand and balance my power.
After fifteen minutes, my arms are on fire from holding them up. There is a science to it, a strategy, and you have to read your opponent.
The most essential aspect of boxing is opening doors you never knew existed within yourself. It pushes you on the inside.
Everyone has a hidden fighter; boxing is a great way to bring it out. That is what Rey is doing right now. He isn’t just showing me how to throw a punch. He’s showing me without words how to connect with my inner self, not only to defend myself, but also to find my strength and not be afraid.
I understand why he loves this sport. Rey had to learn to fight, be the best, and overcome life’s obstacles. To never accept defeat. Coming from Puerto Rico to the States as a kid with his younger brother and a single mother was challenging. A challenge he faced. His mother learned to speak English, and since he was a young kid, he knew not only to box but also to use a whole new way to communicate. Body language, how to read people with his eyes, and how to read their expressions.
It is amazing, and I feel connected to him just by him taking the time to show me the way he sees things.
The way he fights is beautiful because he wants me to be part of him. He wants to share with me everything he loves and cares about. This is more than defending myself. This is Rey loving me and protecting me.
He trains me for the next hour and even Javier joins us.
“You’re doing good. You look good. I’m surprised he hasn’t thrown a sweater over you, but I think he is getting used to the idea that no matter what, guys in the gym will check you out. As long as it’s respectable,” he teases .
I lower my hands. They’re burning from keeping them up to protect my face.
“Right now, I want to learn so I can punch them in the face when they do,” I tease.
Javier smiles. “Atta, sis. You have the best teacher in the world. You’ll be kicking ass and taking names in no time.”
I keep hitting the bag hard, and my knuckles are beginning to get sore under the gloves. Rey stops me and frowns when he sees my knuckles are red after pulling off the gloves. He shakes his head in disappointment.
I look up after he places the Ziploc bag filled with ice on my hand, and he signs, “I’m buying you special gloves.”
“Okay, as long as you teach me,” I sign.
I enter the office and spot a box wrapped in wrapping paper with my name on it. I look over my shoulder, and Rey and Javier are picking up the equipment.
I pick up the box, and there is a card from Rey taped to it and says: Happy Birthday, Aria.
I didn’t expect him to get me anything. I never anticipated another gift from him, especially after the stunning car he has already given me.
I untie the bow, the satin ribbon slipping through my fingers. In the box, resting on a plush black pillow, is a red origami swan—a nostalgic reminder of the first gift he ever gave me. Alongside it is a set of keys and a note.
Aria,
They told me I lost my hearing at twelve, but they were wrong. They didn’t know that I was destined to hear only the rhythm of your heart when I found you. To reserve my words for you, for those moments when our foreheads touch, like the mute swans, when they mate for life. My love for you is a language that needs no sound, only the touch of our souls.
I wasn't sure what to give you for your birthday, but I wanted it to be something everlasting. Here are the keys to my home. Whenever you're feeling lonely or you need me, whenever you want someone to watch romance movies with or talk about anything, I'll be there. I'll be waiting for you to fall asleep in my arms, listening to the beating of our hearts.
I love you, Aria.
Always, Rey