Chapter 2
Julian
Ialmost took out Allie’s new project. Typical teenager, earbuds in and no clue of their surroundings.
I should’ve helped her with the towels. I should’ve asked her if she was okay.
But one look at the saucer-sized doe eyes .
. . and then the stammering. You were one of those projects once, so don’t be such a dick.
But Jesus, she might as well have been screaming “Save me.” I had to get the hell out of there.
And I usually reserve the sauna for post workouts, but I admit it, I’m hiding.
Like a little kid. I’ve got almost an hour before my first client.
I just need five minutes in here to warm up my muscles, then I can hide upstairs with the free weights.
Where I don’t have to hear the stammering.
See the sad, broken eyes. Eyes like ones I haven’t seen in almost three years.
The color might be different, but that pain looks the same.
Most might miss it. For me it might as well have been a neon sign on her forehead.
Fuck, Julian. Get your shit together.
I could feel the fissure in my wall like a physical cut. Three years is a long time to feel nothing. I worked at it, got used to it, counted on it. So how could this girl cause a crack within seconds? The sting, the ache was not only shocking. It was unwelcome.
I take a couple deep breaths and let the dry heat do what it does.
As my heart rate slows, I continue to berate myself.
Allie would be pissed if she knew I came in here commando, but the towels haven’t been restocked yet, and I couldn’t exactly wear my clothes in here.
Plus, I needed to chill the fuck out. I didn’t expect Allie’s project to affect me like that.
Or even make the radar. Beyond wanting to be helpful in a good human kind of way, I’ve gotten pretty good at turning off my feelings.
Why now? Why her? But I’m also good at ignoring anything resembling a feeling, should one arise.
It’s just been a minute since I’ve needed to.
Because it caught me off-guard, I’m now hiding.
Wait. Why am I hiding? From this girl?
Pissed at myself for acting like a prepubescent boy, I throw the sauna door open to head to the locker area to get dressed. One step out of the sauna, however, I slam into a wall of towels. Again! And send the girl flying. Again. What. The. Fuck.
“What the fuck?” I say it more to myself because how is she here smashing into me again?
But there she is, sprawled at my feet. The storm-cloud eyes, deer in headlights, staring up at me with her cheeks flaming.
At least the flush makes her look less haunted.
But I’m no better. I stand there frozen a second too long.
Realizing she’s seeing all my junk, I grab a towel from the floor, wrap it around my lower half and find my voice.
“I mean, shit, I’m . . . uh, I’m sorry. Are you alright?
I’m not usually in here this early. Can I .
. . help you with the towels? Or I can just take them for you.
Seriously, are you okay? Uh, Ev . . . Ever .
. .?” Jesus, now I’m stammering. What’s her name again?
It’s not a common one. And she’s not offering it up.
This waifish girl is just wide-eyed staring up at me, feet out, knees together, legs in an upside-down V, leaning back on her hands.
She scoots backward like a scared animal backing down from a predator.
Once she’s a few feet away, she finds her voice.
“I agree. What the fuck? And, yeah, why don’t you fold them this time?
Since I’ve already done it twice.” She stands as she says it, dusting off her butt.
“She told me . . . Allie said no one was in here.” And with that, she turned and practically ran out of the locker room.
So much for scared animal. Except for the retreating part. I stare at the place she vacated, trying to get my bearings. I may have misjudged the save me part too. That sass I just witnessed didn’t scream save me. But somehow it captivated me more.
Instead of the locker room, I aim for the nearest sink and splash icy cold water on my sauna-heated face.
I ignore my shaky hands, yank the towel off my waist and swipe it down my face.
This is going to be a problem. She’s going to be a problem.
Bracing my fists on the edges of the sink, I stare at myself, willing my heartrate to return to normal.
You can’t save her, man. Who says she needs saving? I argue with the guy in the mirror.
Didn’t all of Allie’s projects need saving from something at first, including me?
Fighting the urge to smash the reflection, I turn and stalk to the locker to retrieve my clothes and get ready for my first client of the day, Drea.
I could always count on Drea for a solid distraction.
Most days her neediness and blatant attempts at seduction annoy me.
Today I welcome it. I only hope she doesn’t bathe in her perfume today. I’m already feeling a little nauseous.