Page 14 of Quake
Luckily, I knew he was taking the piss, and I laughed. “Don’t forget it.”
He shook me off and grunted before striding off toward the group of women assembled and waiting.
As I followed his progress, my gaze met Juliette’s, and her eyes widened slightly. Her cheeks began to turn red, and she turned away, her slender hand rising and wrapping around the end of her ponytail.
Juliette.
Realizing I was staring, I averted my gaze and turned my thoughts to how I was going to approach her. After class, when everyone was leaving. She wouldn’t feel so singled out then, and there would be minimal attention from the other women.
Going back to the office, I watched another class unfold and saw nothing had changed. Tommy ignored her same as always, likely a deliberate act after my reprimand.
When the clock flicked over to seven, I went downstairs. The class was dispersing, and Tommy was already nowhere to be seen, so I approached the dwindling group, my hands shoved into my pockets. She stood apart, gathering her things while the others talked among themselves.
“Hey,” I said, approaching her with a smile. “Juliette?”
She turned, her eyes wide with panic. “Uh… Yeah?”
“Caleb,” I said, pointing to myself. “We spoke the other week, remember?”
She nodded. “I remember.How could I forget.”
The last part was muttered under her breath, but I heard her loud and clear.
“Tommy mentioned to me you’ve been a little behind the others,” I went on, hiding a smile.
“Behind?” she asked with a moan. “I suck. I try, I do…”
“It’s confidence,” I said, so completely drawn to her the rest of the studio had fallen away until it felt like it was just us standing there. “You need a little more attention, is all.”
He breath caught slightly. “Attention?”
“Personal training,” I explained. “You’d improve in no time with a little one-on-one. In a class environment, it’s easy for the quieter students to be overlooked.”
“Oh, I…” She glanced away, looking uncomfortable.
I didn’t want to lose her, not yet, so I added, “You could give it a go, just one time to see how you like it. No pressure. I just think you would benefit more from it than the group class.”
“How…” She frowned and tried again. “How much? I’m only on an assistant’s wage…and…”
“First one’s free. See what you think. If you like it, then we’ll work something out.”
“Who…who would train me?” She wrapped her arms around her waist, and her eyes finally met mine.
She hadn’t really looked at me until that moment, and the blue staring at me was something else. I didn’t know what I saw there, but I imagined it was a spark of hope.
“I would,” I murmured.
She looked bewildered for a moment, then asked, “When?”
“Whenever you like,” I replied, smiling like a fucking idiot.
“Whenever?”
“I’m free, believe me.”
“But I thought…” She glanced at the boxing ring. “Do you usually do this? For people like me?”
I could lie and tell her I did this shit all the time, or I could tell her the truth and make her feel welcome. That she mattered. I don’t know why I hesitated, but in the end, I went with the truth.
