Chapter Fourteen
T wo days later, Christine texted Matt about the idea Austin had mentioned. Maybe it was something that could help. And it was an excuse to text him.
Hey. Austin mentioned you had an idea to help with my stalker. Care to share? she wrote.
He texted back, I study tae kwon do and hapkido. Maybe you should take the beginners’ course.
Christine’s mind raced at the idea of spending quality time with Matt while learning how to defend herself at the same time. Two birds, one stone.
Sounds interesting. I’ve never been athletic, she texted.
You don’t need to be. At least not in the way you’re thinking. Beginner class meets Monday and Thursday evenings. Let me know and I can meet you there.
You wouldn’t normally be there?
No, I’m in an advanced class. But I can get you started. I sometimes help teach the beginner class when I’m in town.
How about this Thursday?
I can do that one. I’ll share the contact information and meet you there around 6:30.
TY, Matt, she wrote.
You got it.
CHRISTINE MET MATT AT THE DOJANG , which she learned meant “training place for Korean martial arts.” He was in his white uniform with a brown belt tied around his waist and had no shoes on his bare feet. “Sexy,” she said under her breath.
“Huh?” Matt asked.
“Oh, um. Nothing. Just talking to myself. How did I not know you do this?”
“I keep it pretty private. We have some loaner uniforms, always washed and clean, that you can use tonight. I’ll help you get the belt tied once you change.”
“Okay.” She was nervous and took a deep breath before painting a smile on her face.
“It’ll be great,” Matt said.
“Uh-huh. You’ll get to see I have two left feet.”
“We all do at first. Anything you’re overly concerned about?” Matt asked.
“Kind of. I’m not really allowed to do any contact sports. I only have one kidney. And if I were to get kicked or punched in the other one, it could kill me.”
“Oh. Yeah, that is a concern. Were you born with only one? My aunt was.”
“No. I gave my left one to my cousin.”
“Damn. You’re a living organ donor?”
“I am.” Christine smiled. She didn’t share the information with many people because it was so personal. But she couldn’t hide her pride that she’d saved a life.
“You just keep getting more impressive. I’ll talk to Master Joe about putting together a program that focuses on you being able to defend yourself more than you being taught to spar.”
“Thank you, Matt.” Christine’s smile took over her whole face. God, she liked him. So much.
Christine stepped into the ladies’ room, changed into the uniform, and came back out. She held up the long belt. “What do I do with this?”
“I can show you or I can try to explain how to tie it,” Matt said.
“Might be better if you show me,” she said, relishing the thought of his hands on her.
Matt told her to turn around. When she did, he wrapped his arms around her, causing her to shiver.
“Are you cold?”
“Just a bit chilled after changing clothes,” she lied.
“It’ll warm up once we start working out.” He stood behind her, explaining how to tie the belt while doing it for her.
She wasn’t listening to a word. Instead, she focused on the way his hands moved from her front to her back as he wound the long belt around her before tying it in a square knot at her navel.
“There. You’re ready.”
Christine looked around the room and realized they weren’t alone.
She’d been so focused on the physical contact with Matt that she hadn’t seen a dozen white and yellow belts come in.
Their ages surprised her. She’d expected a bunch of teenagers and twentysomethings.
But there were kids as young as seven and some adults with gray hair, clearly in their fifties and sixties.
And the women outnumbered the men. Another surprise.
The instructor, a fifth-degree black belt named Master Joe, told them to line up and they instantly created three rows of four.
Matt led Christine to the back of the room, and she took her place at the end of the last line.
First, they all bowed in. Then they did a warm-up that was rather simple, with some twists and stretches.
Christine wasn’t overly limber, but she didn’t struggle to do what she was told, either.
She was the only new student, and when they broke up into groups, Joe asked Matt to work with her on the basics.
When he explained how she should hold her fist to avoid breaking her fingers when she punched, he stood behind her and wrapped his right arm around her right side, closing his hand over her fist. She melted back into him.
For a few seconds, neither of them moved.
She forgot anyone else was in the room. His breath was near her ear, and she closed her eyes.
Her hand unrolled and she interlocked her fingers with his.
“Um, Christine . . .”
“Oh, God. I’m so sorry.” Her face turned pink and she tried to pull away from him, but he held her steady.
“If only there wasn’t a room full of people, huh?” he said. “Now make that fist again.”
She did, and he explained how to punch without hurting herself. She wanted to ask what he meant about the room full of people, but he moved on to showing her a kick.
“It’s called a front snap kick, and the power comes when you snap out from your knee. But you need to strike with the ball of the foot so you don’t break your toes.”
“So far, it sounds like the only person I may hurt is myself,” Christine said, giving a little huff.
“I never thought of it that way. But yeah, if you do it wrong, you can seriously hurt yourself.”
He put her hand on his shoulder while he held her leg up, gently grabbing her under her thigh so she could practice snapping her leg in a kick. She imagined his hand sliding up and over a few inches. The delicious thought caused her to stop kicking. Her mind wasn’t on self-defense.
“Is your leg tired? We can take a break,” Matt said.
“Huh? Oh, no. I, um, just wanted to make sure I was doing it right.”
“You’re doing great.”
She tried to concentrate on everything he was teaching her, but her focus was on how he touched her. At this rate, she’d remember so little it would take years to get past the white belt.
Christine didn’t ever want this lesson to stop. Who knew martial arts could be so intimate?
When the instructor called for the class to line up again, they did a short cooldown before bowing out. Christine felt breathless, and it wasn’t from the workout.
Matt was staying for the advanced class. Christine thought about watching but wasn’t sure she was supposed to, so she made her exit.
“Thank you so much. This will be helpful.”
“Think about joining the class for a three-month trial period. If you like it, you can keep going. If not, you haven’t committed for too long. And anytime you need extra help, let me know. I’ll be happy to do some instruction on the side.”
Christine’s body tingled.
“I will.” She gave him a quick hug goodbye, and when she pulled away, he pulled her back for a longer hug.
“Please be careful, Christine.” He kissed the side of her head and went to line up for his class.
Over a much-needed spaghetti dinner with Julianna, Christine filled her in.
“When he wrapped his arms around me to tie my belt, I thought I’d faint.
And when he showed me how to punch and kick, he touched me from my shoulder to my thigh.
His hand was so close to being, you know, right there.
And I wanted it to be. In the middle of a damn gym, I was practically having sex with him in my mind. ”
“Austin makes out with you, and you can still say no. Matt touches you and you’re Jell-O.”
“The heart wants what the heart wants.”
“So true. Why don’t you just go for it? He’s clearly flirting.”
“Everyone in our industry flirts with everyone. We’re a business based on making people feel something.
We live our lives on emotion. Music makes people feel good, or sad, which sometimes feels good.
How many times have we heard someone say, ‘He flirts with me so I thought he was interested. How embarrassing when he put me in the friend zone after I tried for more’? ”
“Good point. We’ve all been on one side of that or the other. I guess you just go for it and see.”
“Too risky until I get a better feel for it. But I can’t wait until my next class. I want to make him proud.” Christine took a bite of her garlic bread and gave Julianna a thumbs-up. It was that good.
“I’m sure you will. You seem to be feeling better in general,” Julianna said.
“I am. Social media has been quiet, and I’ve been staying away from Austin, so I’m not giving them ammo.
But it leads me to believe the person who left the notes is probably behind most of the harassment.
Who knows? Maybe she has a dozen screen names and makes it seem like everyone hates me when it’s just her.
The cops have no clues to go on. I called again today, but they just said they’re working on it and to keep updating them. ”
“People open multiple accounts all the time,” Julianna said. “You’re one strong woman for putting up with this. And now learning how to defend yourself in case it gets worse. Damn.”
Christine thought about how anger was making her stronger.
When she felt sad and defeated, she was weak.
She’d gotten mad the night she was assaulted in high school, and as scared as she was then, her anger was stronger.
She’d struck out instead of cowering. That feeling was coming back.
The more this unknown person attacked her, the madder she got.
The madder she got, the stronger she felt.
Nobody had a right to come into her home and make her scared in the one place where she should feel safe.
In general, she wasn’t a fan of anger; she felt it was better to talk things through and let calm prevail.
But in this case, she’d been pushed to her limits.
“You never know until it happens to you.”