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I step back and watch as she does it correctly this time, giving her a thumbs-up and a smile.
“Run away?” she asks, stepping back and wiping the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand.
“Yeah.” I nod. “You want to injure them enough that you can get away and call for help… nothing more and nothing less.”
She smiles in understanding before I walk away, continuing to watch them all as they practice. This class on a Friday is a beginner’s class and where I get my most frightened women. Taking that step and deciding to learn how to defend yourself can make you feel like you’re gaining some power back. I’ll do anything that I can to make these women feel safe.
I clap my hands as I stop at the front of the room. “That’s it for tonight, ladies!”
They all watch me with eager eyes as I look at them one by one, making sure to give each one the silent attention that they need.
“Remember, you’re not trying to beat an attacker, you’re just trying to get yourself out of the situation enough so that you can run away and get help. Don’t try and be a hero.” I wink on the last word and I’m rewarded with a few chuckles. “I hope to see you all here at the same time next week.”
I give a final nod of my head as I take a step back and watch them all gather their things from the back wall.
I don’t move from my position until they’ve all gone and when they have, I make my way down to the bathroom, needing to splash my face with water and get some of the sweat off.
The place is silent, much how it usually is, but I know I’m not going to run into Roy pottering about and fixing things because he’s not here in the evenings now and I’ve yet to meet the criminal he employed.
Once I’ve washed my face, I walk back to the room, locking the main doors before I go to put all the mats and equipment away. I grab my cell out of my pocket and put my playlist on, resting it on top of my bag and moving my shoulders up and down to the beat.
I get caught up in the songs on my party playlist, and before I know it I have all the mats rolled up and I’m juggling six of them in my arms while still dancing to the song that’s playing. I walk out of the room and to the door that sits right next to the main room, opening it and putting the mats away before spinning around and jumping five feet in the air.
“Fuck! Jesus, fuck, fuck, fuck.” I hold my hand over my chest, my heart pounding so hard that I can almost feel it thumping against the palm of my hand.
“I—sorry.” I step forward, closer to the girl who is standing in front of the closet door and she takes three large steps back.
“You scared the bejesus out of me.”
“I’ve been watching you,” she blurts out and then her eyes widen. “I didn’t mean—I meant—” Her chest rises and falls as she takes a big breath before she closes her eyes, clearly trying to get herself under control.
My gaze wanders over her as she centers herself and I take note of her dark, almost black hair and the tattoos that run along her arms, the red of the flower on her forearm popping against her skin.
I don’t think I’ve seen her here before. Was she in my self-defense class? No, I would have noticed her for sure. She’s wearing black leggings—the kind you wear when you’re working out and they cling to her shapely legs like a second skin. My eyes rove down to her toes and back up, an oversized wool, beige sweater covering her torso but hanging off one shoulder loosely.
“I meant, I saw you teaching. Not that I was watching you.” She snorts, opening and rolling her eyes. “I’m not some crazy person.”
I stare at her, words not able to come out of my mouth at the sound of her voice. I’ve never heard anyone like her before. Her voice is a soft whisper but has a slight rasp to it.
She suddenly steps toward me and throws her hand out, only she doesn’t judge the distance right and smacks me in the stomach, catching me completely off guard. I bend at the waist, my arm wrapping around my middle as I groan.
“Oh, shit,” she gasps. “I’m so sorry! I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
I lift my head, my eyes meeting hers and I have to swallow from the intensity that shines through them. I can’t quite place the color, it’s gold around her pupils and then fades into green and then brown. I’ve never seen eyes quite like them, and I don’t just mean the color, I mean the openness of her gaze, I feel like she just showed me her soul.
“I’m Evan,” I say, finally able to make words with my mouth.
“I’m Lexi,” she says, her shoulder sagging. “Roy employed me.”
My eyes widen as I realize who she is. What she is.
“You’re the… the…”
“I’m the one who just got out of prison.” She grimaces. “I understand if you don’t want to talk…” She trails off, the hope in her eyes dissipating to sadness. “I’ll just…” She hooks her thumb over her shoulder and nods at herself before scuttling off into the office behind the front desk.
What the hell just happened?
I can’t believe I did that! First, I tell him I’ve been watching him, and then I hit him; I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Maybe it’s because I’m not used to being around men, at least, not men who aren’t wearing a prison guard uniform.
