Seven
OLIVER
I’m pretty sure Mia is avoiding me. It’s been two weeks since the donation dinner.
According to Dad, the girls raised enough money to not only fully fund an entire class for the whole year at West Haven, but they are also currently in the office scavenging equipment sales to bring a program to Melinda’s center.
I’ve watched her train once a day, every session with AJ. We are supposed to be splitting the training session up between us all but she only allows AJ to teach her. And she has been nothing but ridiculously boring and professional with me any time we have spoken.
She’s been everything but her.
She comes in, gets her media content for our socials, leaves to work at Melinda’s center on Tuesdays and Thursdays, then trains for one hour a day.
The rest of the time she’s been hiding out.
I haven’t even had time to try and question AJ about Mia’s estranged behavior because she’s been going non stop since the dinner.
But she looks better than ever. Her dark circles that I’ve become accustomed to seeing are faint under her eyes.
She smiles more often and she seems to have gotten roughly an inch taller without the weight of her past wounds.
As if conjuring her by thinking of her, Mia’s laughter echoes off the bags in every corner of the room.
Maxwell is carrying her down the stairs on his back, fighting to not drop her because she’s losing her balance with the giggles vibrating her whole body.
Her wild blonde curls falling in front of her face and her eyes watering from laughing so hard.
Radiant is always the word that comes to mind when she is near.
Her love for others, her ability to find joy in anything, her determination to do everything to the best of her ability, and even the way she fights me at every turn.
Unless my body is on hers, she’s all soft sounds and eager touches then. I have to shake the way she thieves my thoughts because Maxwell is bringing her right to where I am standing.
“Hey Ol. Are we still on for drinks tonight?” Maxwell asks me about our plans, but my eyes are glued to her hazel ones over his shoulder. They are more green today than any other color.
Her smile drops but her expression is still soft.
Her chin rests on my brother’s shoulder.
I’m still tracing the freckles on her face when Maxwell breaks the trance.
“Drinks?” He asks again. I bring my eyes over to his and try to not be annoyed.
Maxwell is raising an eye brow and silently telling me to get a grip on myself.
I exhale. “Yeah, Maxie. Make sure Eli drives you. I’m bringing the bike and I want to go for a drive after.
” I’ll limit myself to one drink and then an hour or two of water and food to let the small buzz fade before driving.
AJ used to get mad at all of us for being reckless and eventually we started listening.
Mia taps his shoulder and motions for him to let her down.
I’ve never really been jealous of my brothers.
But I am jealous of the way that she so freely touches him without consideration of how my own skin feels the loss.
She steps from around him and hooks her thumb over her shoulder.
“Will you actually go get my jacket I left upstairs?” Her bottom lip juts out in a dramatic way just to try and convince my brother to do her bidding, like he wouldn’t do it anyway.
Every guy does what she asks. Even Rory dotes on her like she’s his little sister.
She allots ten seconds of silence while Maxwell runs back up the stairs before spinning on me with fury. “Why are you looking at me like that?” She doesn’t have to explain like what. I’m staring at her because there isn’t any other option.
“I’m not.” I absolutely was. And we both know it.
“You definitely are.” She argues.
“How am I looking at you, Mia?” Challenging her, waiting to see if that fire in her eyes comes back to life.
“Like you’ve seen me naked.” How she fits so much fight into her tiny body amazes me.
I lean in and smirk. “I have seen you naked…”
She smacks my chest and pushes through the empty space between us. Her chin lifted up and her eyes raging. “Then unsee me naked.”
I take in the rest of her. She was painstakingly beautiful in that gown she wore but this is my favorite.
She has been wearing these massive sweatpants in the gym and these tiny shirts that always let me steal glances at her viper and sometimes they are short enough to see those letters printed below her breast.
“Never going to happen, pretty girl.” The adoration I have for her lingers in my voice.
“Actually stop calling me that too.” She growls.
“No.” I deny her request simply. I don’t know how she thinks forgetting anything regarding her is possible.
We are so close that our breath mixes together but neither of us is willing to give in.
This charge between us is my favorite shot of adrenaline, only comparable to when I’m in that damn empty pool bleeding and fighting.
“You’re impossible.” She huffs. “People hook up Oliver. Move on.” She tries to dismiss me by pulling away but I wrap my hand around her wrist and pull her back to me. There’s no one in the gym currently. AJ and Maxwell are still upstairs. I have a good shot of her actually talking to me.
“Fine. Let’s move on and be friends.” I offer. I note that she makes no attempt to pull out of my grasp. “Go for a friendly ride with me later.” I loved having her on my bike all those weeks ago. Living in South Carolina gives me more months out of the year than most to ride.
“Can’t, I have plans tonight.” She is almost too quick to answer me. She also averts her eyes.
“Please.” That one word is enough to get those colorful eyes back on me.
“If my plans get cancelled, I’ll think about it.” That’s all she gives me before walking off the mats.
Maxwell jogs down the stairs with AJ behind him, his hands completely empty. He gives me a skeptical look before saying, “She didn’t even have a jacket.” Which means she just wanted to yell at me and I love that.
I wrap AJ up in a hug. “I miss you, brat.” She pinches my side as she pulls away but she gives me that soft smile that she rarely gives. Then she comes back in for a tight hug. She’s been pushing so hard with all things gym related that we haven’t spent hardly any time together.
“I’ve been a little overwhelmed… but I can do dinner tomorrow night?” She offers.
“Deal.” It’s been months since she and I have hung out. “Want to spar?” I ask her and her whole body looks like it has taken on new life. One thing about AJ, she is always ready to hit things.
She shoves the papers in her hands to Maxwell and throws her head back in a groan.
“Please… I have been dying to punch something.” This is the best part of our friendship.
We know when the other is in need of just forgetting all of our problems and hearing the bags or the mitts.
Just the sound of all of the frustrations exiting our bodies with every hit or kick. It’s our therapy.
We each wrap up our hands, forgoing gloves since we never go too hard on each other.
I know she is going to give me hell as soon as we enter the ring.
AJ keeps to herself and is quiet but she loves fighting.
She loves having the ability to keep the power in the situation and not be helpless.
It’s a lethal mindset knowing that you are the weapon in the room.
I nod to her to begin. She comes in strong and throws one of her favorite kicks first, roundhouse.
She never fails to land them even though they are the most common kick ever thrown.
She has the ability to make you keep your focus on her hands before her feet even move.
She’s fast. Always so fast. I frame the kick with my elbow and forearm, blocking the heat behind it.
And she immediately brings her leg down and her feet switch bringing her back in for a left hook and she posts out.
“When have you been training?” I ask her as she takes a few measured steps back.
I haven’t seen her train in the gym in two weeks.
She’s spent all her time in the office, at Melinda’s center, at my dad’s, or teaching her classes.
Never training. “Nevermind, it’s probably foreplay for you and Davis.
” I only use Rory’s last name because I know it bothers her and I will use anything to give me an advantage with her.
“Are we talking about our sex lives again?” I hear her voice but I can’t see her lips move because she has her hands glued to the sides of her face anticipating my approach.
I shrug my shoulders. “If you want.”
“Sure. Let’s talk about yours. Any good dates lately?” She tries to throw a simple front kick but I easily catch it. I could dump her but I choose to set her foot back down gently when she grimaces at her kick being caught.
“You know that I don’t date.” I say simply.
She moves in fast again, but she hasn’t been training with me lately.
She’s been training with Rory. And he absolutely lets her get in more shots than she should.
I’m not going to. She goes to my center, which is usually my weak spot.
But I have been training extra lately and I have worked out that particular weakness.
I pivot on my feet without her realizing and sweep her back leg to get her to the ground.
I do manage to wrap one arm around her front and lock in a chokehold as I break her fall.
This was too easy. “You need to train more with Eli. This was pathetically easy.”
She makes her body as heavy as she can while assessing to see if she can manage to break my hold. She won’t, but she can try. “You’re mouthy for someone that can only beat me on the ground.” Her words are choppy as I feel her chest fill with air as she still fights to breathe.
“Tap, A.” Her face is starting to turn a little red. Stubborn ass.