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“I mean, I’m still waiting for you to teach me how to bake bread.”
This shit again?
“I told you! YouTube!”
He quickly leans forward so we’re practically nose to nose. “I don’t want to learn on YouTube. I want to learn from you.” He jabs his index finger on the bartop.Fuck.I forgot how rough his voice becomes when he’s angry.
I’m so exasperated with him and this damn bread lesson thing. I study his face.
“Fine. But it’s going to cost you.”
“Name your price.”
“A thousand dollars. Take it or leave it.”
If he takes the offer, I’m a grand richer, and if he leaves it, I won’t have to listen to him ask about bread ever again.Win-win.
“Done.”
What?
“I want the money up front,” I add as a clause.
“I’ll drop it off tonight.”
My head tilts to one side. He’s being ridiculous. “Rhys, why are you doing this?”
“When is my lesson?”
My mouth doesn’t move. I can’t fathom somebody paying a thousand dollars to learn something so simple.Hat Trick Swayze wanted to learn how to bake bread, this is him showing himself.
“Wednesday at four. If you’re a minute late, the lesson will be canceled, I keep your money, and you’ll owe me another thousand just for wasting my fucking time.”
His smile says he won. And maybe he did.
Rhys pays his tab and heads back upstairs through the rear stairwell. Still no tip for drinks. He’s paying enough for the dumb bread lesson, I don’t care if he never tips for his drinks again.
Two hours later, I clock out. I don’t go to Citra to watch live music. I go home to snuggle up in bed and watch a movie. Alone. My pillow is tucked into my side, my arms squeezed around it. Maybe I should get a dog if it’s the loneliness that’s getting me down. But dogs cost money, and deep down, I know it’s not just that. I want human companionship. Someone who I can come home to and who’ll ask about my night at work. Against my leg, my phone vibrates with a text message.
Rhys: How was the rest of your night at work?
SIXTEEN
My trainer has me sprinting back and forth on the green turf in the Lakes’ athletic room. Every couple sprints, he changes the distance at which I need to decelerate. Charging at a dead run and stopping at the drop of a hat is a bitch. I’m relieved when we wrap up. I still have another hour of strength and conditioning after this.
The coaches say that my technique is getting better, and I’m hitting all the benchmarks, but there’s a few things I need to improve upon. Thankfully, we’ll work through them next time. A few of the other guys are in their own lanes running drills. It’s crazy how fast they are.Do I look that fast when I run them?
I squeeze my water bottle, shooting water into my mouth after my last squat jump with the second trainer. My muscles burn, but they go harder on us whenever we get a few extra days between games. The music coming from my earbuds motivates me to keep my reps up and pace each lift. It’s easy to zone out, but unfortunately, every time I do, it strays to Freya or Anna.
Between Freya coming around and Anna getting clean, it’s an upswing. Spending time with my sister while she’s sober gives me so much hope. She’s turning a corner in her life. I don’t remember the last time she hung around for two weeks straight. Granted, she said her apartment is having construction done and it’s been noisy, so that might account for her recent occupancy. I don’t mind, it’s nice to have someone around, we usually have dinner together when I’m home. She’s been staying at my place and trying to find a new job during the day. I’m proud of how hard she’s working.
Freya has tolerated me well in our last few interactions. I wonder if she watched the video I sent her or saved it for when I eventually fuck up. For now, I’m making headway, though I still don’t know what the hell I’m doing with her. After everything with Anna, it was like something snapped in me. I didn’t care about my no-dating rule anymore. Life will pass me by either way. When Mom and Dad died, I became numb, but when I’m with her, I feel something. I don’t want to lose that.
She gives me a rush the way hockey does. Like she’s someone I could devote myself to. And dominate. I’ve seen the guys take home any women that saddles up next to them at the bar, and it’s just not my bag. Avoiding women was easy when it was other women.
But Freya...She’s my dream girl. How often does that come around? When we’re not at each other’s throats, we’re like hot chocolate and snowy mornings. Unfortunately, I had committed myself to ignoring her so much that switching gears has proven challenging. Yesterday I went out and picked her up some things as a thank-you for her help with Anna, just some items that needed replacing. Like her cleaning supplies and a few clothes. I mean, she loaned Anna her underwear.I don’t want to check her out and wonder if she’s wearing the same underwear my sister had on.
I wrap up a set and grab my water bottle, wiping my brow with the hem of my shirt. What are the odds that I ended up next door, in the only two apartments, to Queen of Tarts? I don’t believe in fate, but if I did, this would be damning evidence. Do I feel guilty for not exposing my identity immediately? A little, but I was still getting my head out of my ass.
