Jeremiah
Chase following me into my early morning jit-jitsu session was not scheduled into my morning. It’s like he has every intention to deter me off my routine every chance he can get.
And I hate how much it thrills me.
I make my way into the center of one of the rings and turn to watch Chase follow me in. He quickly slips under the ropes and bounces lightly on his toes, obviously pulsing with excitement. I clench my jaw, if only to hold back my amusement.
“I’m not gonna lie, this is really fucking cool.” Chase laughs, running his hand through his slicked hair.
He must’ve thrown off his hat to the side. His damp hair flops in his face as he pushes it back out of his eyes.
“Okay, you’re a beginner so let’s start off at the basics,” I say calmly.
I tug my hoodie over my head and toss it toward the side of the ring.
He stills, lips parting slightly as his eyes travel across my chest. I guess he hasn’t seen my tattoos in all their glory yet.
Might be surprising to someone who hasn’t seen me topless.
Not like I have with him. For some reason, I feel like I’ve been seeing him without a shirt more often than not, lately. Hm.
“Sure, but I really do think I know my way around the ring. I’ve been watching MMA for years and—“ He begins throwing fake jabs into the air.
“I’m gonna stop you right there.” I cut in, stepping closer to him. “You may know your way around a gym, however, there’s a lot of differences between working out and martial arts. You’re going to want to follow my lead. Can you do that?” I tilt my head, looking into his eyes.
His throat audibly clicks. “Y-yeah, I can do that,” he answers softly.
“Great.” I step back, giving him some space.
“Let’s start with you in my closed guard position,” I say, lowering myself onto the mat.
I reach up and grasp his arm firmly, pulling him down toward me.
His eyes go wide when I wrap my legs around his waist, but he obeys.
Unfortunately, when my legs wrap around his waist, I feel something twists low in my stomach, making me jolt.
Our eyes connect for a moment, and I can see the nerves on his face.
“Just relax. I’m not going to hurt you.” I remind him.
He nods, licking his bottom lip and I ignore the way it makes me feel.
“Okay, brace your core,” I mutter as I grasp one of his wrists. His skin is hot, slick from the run, and I swear he tenses at my touch making me pause. “You sure you want to do this, Rutherford?” I ask.
A soft laugh slips past his lips. “You have your legs around me, Blackwood.
You tell me—“ he answers but before he can finish, I hook one of his legs with mine and roll my hips to one side, using a butterfly sweep to flip him. A loud thud erupts through the gym the moment his back hits the mat. It’s sudden and unexpected and I can see the shock written all over his face the moment it happens.
Chase gasps, staring at the ceiling like he’s rethinking all his life choices as his chest rises and falls. I hover above him for a second. He doesn’t move and for a moment, I fear I might’ve actually hurt him.
“You dick!” he shouts, finally coming back to earth.
I can’t help but laugh and once it starts, I can’t stop. I just flipped him so damn hard and it was incredible.
“You’ve been holding on to that one for a while, haven’t you?” he chuckles, shaking his head. I laugh through the tears and soon we’re both hunched over struggling to breathe.
“Damn, I think I needed that.” I wrap my arm around my stomach. I haven’t laughed like this in what seems like forever. It feels good.
“Alright, teach me how you just did that,” Chase says, getting back into position. “No funny business this time.” He squints, pointing at me.
“Oh, but where’s the fun in that?” I tease, getting down on the mat, once again. Chase's lips curve into a slow smile as though he’s seeing me for the first time.
Following me to the floor, he climbs on top of me as I softly grasp his wrist. His skin is so soft and warm, sunkissed no doubt.
I give him a nod. “You ready?”
Chase smirks. “Show me who’s boss, boss.”
***
“Jesus.” Air rushes from my lungs as my back hits the mat.
“You all good?” A mischievous grin plays on Chase’s lips as he hovers over me, legs planted on either side of me, as his hands press into my shoulders.
Whether he’s a fast learner, or I’m just a really good teacher, I can’t help but feel proud as he looks down at me in all his glory.
Our heavy breaths mingle in my ears as he pants over me, our faces inches apart. Being so close, I can see the faintest freckles dusting over his nose.
I know I should roll him off me, for goodness sake. He’s lingering way longer than he’s supposed to.
And yet, I’m not moving.
It’s funny, really. For the past few weeks, coming here has been how I’ve tried to settle my mind about Chase. Yet all it took was having him here with me to do exactly that.
I feel surprisingly calm.
“Your cut is healing well,” he breathes, his one hand coming up to my face.
Against my control, my eyelids flutter shut as his thumb grazes my bottom lip, gently.
I open my eyes slightly only to see his locked on my lips.
He’s so close I can smell the peppermint toothpaste on his breath, and for some reason, it makes my hands resting on his thighs, involuntarily squeeze like a reflex.
A small curve appears at his mouth and suddenly I don't know who’s affecting who more.
Panic collides with heat inside my chest, and I shift beneath him. To get away? To pull him closer? Hell if I know.
“Chase—“ I begin. Even though I have no idea how to finish that sentence. Do I want him to get off?
No. Yes? Fuck…no.
He lowers just a touch, but it’s enough to feel his lip graze mine. My eyelids feel heavy as I lift my chin just slightly—
“You boys all finished up or should I tell the next round to wait for a while?” Coach Reggie’s voice thunders into my ears, cutting through the tension like a knife and waking us both up from whatever trance we were under.
Chase scrambles off of me, sitting upright. I sit up, leaning back on my elbows and see Coach standing there as he always does, with his hands on his hips. His eyes flicker between Chase and I.
“We, uh—“ I look over at Chase but I can see from his darting eyes and flushed face that he looks…embarrassed? Ashamed?
I clench my jaw. Maybe I read the moment wrong. It wouldn’t be the first time.
“Yeah. We’re done here,” I answer, getting up on my feet.
“Wait. That’s it?” Chase asks, gripping my wrist as I step to pass him.
I look down at his hand around me. “Yeah. That’s it.”
“What about work?” He looks at me like he's scared I'm going to leave.
I’m not sure why but I want to soothe that worry inside of him. “I just need to shower and get ready. I’ll send an Uber for you at three.” I reassure him.
“You don’t have to do that. I can walk,” he says, shaking his head.
“No, it’s too far to walk. I’d pick you up myself but there’s a couple things I needed to do today before you come over.”
He leans back just slightly, nodding once, lips curved in quiet approval. “Okay. I’ll see you later then.” His gaze lingers a second too long before he starts to stand up.
I give him a polite nod and begin walking off, grabbing my duffel bag from the corner.
“Hey, Blackwood,” Chase calls out.
I turn to look at him.
“That was fun. Thanks.” He smiles, soft and genuine, the kind of smile that reaches his eyes.
A sudden realization hits me like a freight train. That was fun.
“Yeah,” I answer. I nod one last time and walk away determined to get to the showers as fast as possible.
I need a freezing cold shower after whatever that was.