2. 2 #2
I moved to the couch, away from Elias while he got ready to leave, and turned the television on.
Putting on an old sitcom, I shut my eyes, the laugh track lulling me back to sleep.
It wasn’t until I heard the shower run that I stirred.
I needed to be more alert, I supposed. If Elias was the one on the couch, he would’ve heard my engine a mile away, long before I opened the garage door or stepped in the house.
The smell of coffee hit my nose, and I felt like a cartoon character, drawn to a pie on the windowsill.
I practically floated to the counter, missing the plastic bag next to the coffee at first. The barista had written my name on the plastic cup, dotting the “i” with a little heart.
I took a sip, and the smell from the bag hit me next. Elias brought me pancakes.
While digging through the bag, trying to find what was mine, Elias came out in a black t-shirt and sweatshorts, wet hair falling into his eyes. I looked at the time on the stove, just after ten.
“Holy cow, how far did you run?” I asked. “It’s been like three hours.”
“Just five miles or so,” he shrugged. “But then I went into town and got breakfast, went to the bank. I took my time.”
“Doing stuff like this is what makes me want to rip your clothes off. I hope you know that.”
He stepped around me, checking the containers and grabbing what was his before sitting at the table. “I think drunk you would act like that even if I didn’t do stuff like this.”
I paused for a moment, considering his words. “You’re probably right. Sober me, on the other hand. . .”
“Eat up, Cassie,” he said, pointing to the food. “Busy day.”
I sat next to him at the table, breakfast in tow. “What’s the plan?”
“You recall the phone call we got last night?” He asked.
I opened the styrofoam container to look at my spoils. A stack of pancakes slathered with berry compote. It was my favorite. He remembered my favorite thing. I couldn’t ignore the floppy bacon sitting to the side, either. “You got me my favorite,” I said, smiling.
“You get it every time, babe,” he said, like it was obvious.
“It just means a lot that you remembered, that’s all.” I got the urge to call my mom and tell her.
He eyed me suspiciously. “Are you still drunk?”
“I can’t appreciate you?”
“Hmm,” he pondered. “You’re not normally this sweet when you wake up.”
“Whatever,” I said. “But yes, I remember the phone call from Jordan. We are leaving Monday.”
“Exactly, so we are working on hand-to-hand today,” he said, shoving a piece of turkey sausage into his mouth. He normally got the same thing, too. Scrambled eggs, turkey sausage, fruit, and whatever the bread was that had all the seeds in it. We liked what we liked.
“Didn’t he say this wasn’t that kind of job?” I asked.
“It doesn’t hurt to go over the basics.”
“You are so capable, and badass, and it’s amazing to be with you, but sometimes I wish we could just do normal couple stuff without having to go do Krav Maga or jiu-jitsu in the basement of our house,” I said.
It wasn’t meant to be a dig at him, or disrespectful, but I really did wish we could be a normal couple.
I mean, we had a room of guns. An entire room.
“I know what you mean, trust me,” he said. “But you don’t live in that world anymore, and I haven’t for a while.”
My stomach was heavy after getting my fill of pancakes, so I took my time getting my athletic clothes on.
Nothing fancy, but on the top I only wore a sports bra.
It was harder for Elias to hold me when I was sweaty, and he lost another thing to grab onto.
Not that I would be fighting topless anytime soon, but it gave me a small advantage so I didn’t lose every bout.
I sparred frequently with a girl named Jessica, and she’d taught me something new a few weeks ago that I wanted to try.
She became somewhat of a mentor to me after the incident at Baker and Pryor, and it was nice to have someone smaller to grapple with.
Elias was more than competent, and he was agile despite his size, but he was so much stronger than I was.
Jess had a body similar to mine, and we focused on mastering technique over using brute strength.
After spending a good amount of time stretching, letting my food settle, it was time to begin.
We circled each other on the mat, and I reached out, trying to get a firm grip on the back of his head.
Elias stepped forward and to the side, and my forward momentum carried me too far, allowing him access to my back.
His goal was never to get me to submit, he would dominate me if that were the case, but to force me to escape and come back after him.
An arm circled around my neck, holding me tight to him.
I grabbed his arm firmly with both of mine.
He was slightly to my left, so I stepped to the right, widening my stance, and moved my left leg around so that it was between his.
From this position, he was forced onto his toes, reaching now to hang onto me.
I pushed up, pulling him around, and he rolled over my shoulder, making a satisfying thud on the mat when his back hit the ground.
He smiled, and got right back up, and came at me again, this time for my legs. I slammed my right forearm vertically into his chest, anchoring my hand around the back of his neck.
If I pulled this one off, he was going to love it.
He pushed against me, but my arm was basically a wall against him. I pushed back, and he staggered, and I pulled him into my left arm, hooking his head under my armpit.
He couldn’t push me off, and his legs weren’t in the best position to kick himself free, either.
My right arm came back and locked into place with the arm around his head.
I spun us in a small circle, and brought us to the ground, Elias letting out a small grunt as his knees hit the floor.
His surprise worked to my advantage, and I was able to swing around to his back.
I didn’t think I’d be able to grab anything else from here, so I just went for a rear choke.
Simple but effective. His butt on the floor, I struggled to get my ankles locked under his knees.
Elias was quick, and I felt his hand grab my foot.
I didn’t have much time before he bent it the wrong way.
I stuffed his head into the crook of my arm with the other acting as a lever, and pulled until he tapped.
Letting go, I fell backwards on the mat, and Elias crawled forward, catching his breath.
“I didn’t teach you that,” he said, panting.
“Jess,” I said, just as short on oxygen.
“That was fucking awesome,” he said.
He stood, extending a hand for me to follow, but as he helped me up, he grabbed my leg, forcing it under his armpit and I had to hop around on the mat.
He stepped forward, and I fell flat on my back.
He was able to grab me from the side, but he left one of my arms under his and I used the leverage to pull myself out from underneath him.
I was a woman scorned by his faux sportsmanship.
I came at him, diving onto him, working on breaking through his guard.
Elbows went straight to his thighs, and he held on as long as he could, but he swore as his legs gave up, letting me mount him.
I grabbed onto his left arm, and he fought against it, bucking his hips to push me forward, but I didn’t let go.
I used my knee to kick his left elbow, forcing it into a better position.
My left hand went under his arm, weaving through the triangle shape it had become, reaching to grab my other wrist.
Grunting, sweating, and trying to breathe, I pulled my arms toward me, rotating forward, and forcing Elias’s arm in the wrong direction. He tapped again, and I sat back onto his lap, not getting up.
“That was dirty,” I said. “I thought you were helping me up out of the goodness of your heart.”
“And you got me anyway,” he said.
I caught his hands, and held them above his head. He didn’t fight me this time, and I leaned forward to give him a quick kiss.
“Is that supposed to discourage me? You know I like being restrained,” he quoted me, the look on his face absolutely devious.
I blushed, though my face was already hot, and pushed off of him.
“Get up,” I ordered. “Let’s go again.”