“Might be a good idea.”
“Ok,” he mutters, already heading for the door. “But no more than six percent of the conversations
may be about feelings.” He’s already done the math, counted up all the time we spend together, and
come up with a percentage offeelingshe can handle.
Jesus, he’s weirdly brilliant.
I am so fucking proud of him.
“Wait,” I yell after him, chasing him out of the room, laughing. “Is that an aggregate total, or is that
limit per conversation? Like, can we cry on each other’s shoulder one night, then do manly shit the
rest of the week?”
His snarl and tackle are expected. The moves he uses to pin me after aren’t. All too quickly, I’m
laying on the floor panting, staring up at Nick and Becca’s dumb faces.
“Looks like you need to get your ass to a class, dude,” she says with a smirk.
I stick out my tongue at her, then roll away as she comes after me. When she’s pinned me in
seconds, I admit defeat. “Sign me up for whatever will teach me to kick your ass the fastest,” I
mumble into the mat my face is currently pressed into.
She pats my head like a child and hops off me. I roll over with a groan.
“This is going to be fun,” she says, eyeing me with a calculated gleam in her eyes.
“Oh, I very much doubt that,” I say, already wishing I’d run instead.
“MY EYEBROWS HURT,” I WHINE, LEANING MY HEAD AGAINST THE WINDOW. JONAS SNICKERS FROM THE
driver’s seat, but Nick’s groan from the back is full of the same pain I’m feeling.
“Mine too. Why the hell did we agree to stay for three classes? I don’t think I can lift my arms.”
“You need to spend less time with the weights,” Jonas says smugly, “both of you. I keep telling
you, body weight exercise and real-world challenges are better for you.”
I curl my lip and mimic him in a whiney voice, but it’s halfhearted at best. He worked his ass off
in those classes, picking up the movements way quicker than we did.
“I’m pretty sure I coughed up a lung when you threw me that last time, Jonas,” Nick says.
Jonas doesn’t reply, just shoots him a smirk in the rearview mirror.
“You’re right,” I say quietly. “You are a strong, capable man. I’m sorry it took me so long to see
it.” He grins bashfully. “But brother, I am going to learn how to kick your ass, then we’re gonna spar.
And I’m going to make you cry.”
