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Relieved he was around, she first went to the boxing ring, but no one was there. She went from one empty room to another, but he was nowhere to be found. Disappointed that she could not see him, she stood looking out into the open gardens through the window from one of the rooms.
Should she call him? Maybe he was out for dinner. What if he was with someone else?
The very thought made her stomach knot and her queasy. The entire campus thought they were a couple, but only they knew what the deal was. As she stood debating whether to call or not, she picked up a movement in the background. She looked keenly through the window, and that’s when she saw the tall figure she was seeking.
He was standing outside by himself, dressed for practice, but he looked lost in thought. Ecstatic to see him, she went toward the back door and stepped into the outdoor space.
Unsure of what it would be like to see him after so many days of ignoring him, she moved toward him with a lot of apprehension. She stopped when he turned his head slightly as if he felt her.
Her heart raced even faster, but she stayed still even as he turned to face her. It looked like he stepped out in the middle of practice as he still had his gloves on. A zap of energy passed through her as he walked toward her, and a smile formed on her face as soon as their eyes met. The pull they had felt the past couple of times they had met was back.
“What’s up, Varma?” His casual tone helped ease the growing tension.
Her mouth went dry when she picked up the scent of his cologne and could not form a sentence in response. “I… I… thank you for—”
“Let’s not talk about it.” He was abrupt and paused for a moment. “Ramya doing okay?”
She smiled, nodding. “She is relieved, and I haven’t seen her so chirpy in weeks.”
“Good.” A few more moments of silence, and then he asked, “Wanna practice?”
“Yes, of course. Why else do you think I’m here?” She was glad the awkwardness was diminishing by the minute.
With those words, she turned away from him, glad to be doing something they were comfortable with. She had been training with him for weeks, and it had turned into a good workout for her.
Nami hurried before him to get her gloves from her locker and went back to the ring. She scrunched her nose when she saw him use a stepper inside the ring. “What is that for?” she asked, sliding between the ropes of the ring.
“A new trick. I think we need to give you the height advantage and see how it works out.” He kept his eyes on the stepper, and she took the opportunity to look at him and take in that perfectly chiseled profile.
“So, I’m going to stand on this and punch you?” She tried to mimic one of his wicked grins.
“Just don’t beat the crap out of me,” he mocked, and she knew the punches she took were nowhere close to what he was used to, and yet, he wanted to practice with her. What annoyed and amused her earlier now excited her. Just the fact that she was part of something so important to him made her heart flutter.
“I’ll try not to hurt your pretty face,” she retorted, biting back a smile.
He grinned. “If you do, my girlfriend will come after you.” He started with his footwork as she adjusted her gloves.
“The fake one?” She took one punch in the air, and he moved back. She realized the added height under her feet did, in fact, add an advantage for her.
“Oh, she is very real.” He kept moving around avoiding the random shots she took. “She is a tigress who will not shy away from ripping off someone’s face if you go anywhere near her people.”
Nami tried to hide the hard blush that crept up her cheeks. “I can deal with her.” She was enjoying every moment of being with him, and even as she targeted him from various directions, she kept her eyes on him while he focused on her moves.
Her heart fluttered with joy to be so close to him. She would throw punches all day if she could be this close to him. As if he sensed her eyes on him, for a fraction of a second, he took his focus off her moves, and their eyes clashed.
As if lightning struck her, she felt the zap of electricity and like it started a fire, she felt heat grow from within. In that very moment, her fist landed right on his face, and she felt him let out a groan.
The very sound of him being in pain crashed the euphoric moment. “On no, I’m sorry.” A tightness formed in the pit of her stomach.
He waved away her concern as he pressed the back of his hand to his mouth.
“Rana, what happened? Let me see.” She pulled on his hand, taking full advantage of standing on the stepper that placed her eye to eye with him.
“It’s nothing.” He didn’t let her inspect the result of her handiwork.
“Stop being a child. Let me see,” she demanded and pushed away his hand.
Her heart came to her mouth when she saw that his lip had cracked and was bleeding. “Oh no, I’m sorry.”
