Page 102 of Broken By Silence
I step onto the mat and stretch my shoulders, keeping my movements deliberate. Slow, calm, like I’m not thinking about the way her shirt clings to her every curve, or the way she looks like she’d fit perfectly into my arms.
“Same rules?” I ask.
Lottie’s lip twitch. “You mean the ones Will set about not breaking me?”
“You’re much tougher than I am, baby.”
She grins, and I feel like I’ve achieved something. “You always were a bad liar, Crew.”
We circle each other for a few seconds before she moves quickly. A jab, then a kick. I block the first, catch the second. Her foot presses into my palm, balance shifting, and she uses that to twist and bring her elbow towards my jaw.
She’s good… really good.
I barely dodge it.
Her bare feet skid against the mat as she regains balance, and she smirks, breathless. “You’re slower than Claire.”
“Claire’s meaner,” I shoot back.
“Yeah, but you hit harder.”
We go again.
Each exchange is faster than the last. She’s learning my rhythm, adapting. Her punches snap through the air. I let her push me and keep up with her, but I didn’t overwhelm her. Then she catches me off guard, she ducks low, sweeps my leg, and I hit the mat flat on my back with a thud that knocks the air out of me.
Her laugh fills the basement. “Got you.”
I look up at her, the light catching the sheen of sweat on her collarbone. “You did.”
She crouches down next to me, eyes bright with pride. “You weren’t supposed to take it easy on me.”
“Only when I love my opponent,” I say without thinking.
Her smile falters for a second. Then she looks down, pretending to study the mat. “You used to call me Piglet.”
I blink, the shift catching me off guard. “Yeah. I did.”
“Why don’t you anymore?” she asks, eyes still fixed on the floor. Her tone isn’t accusing, it’s quiet. Curious. But the kind of curiosity that’s heavier than it sounds.
I sit up slowly, keeping my distance but close enough that she can see I’m not running from the question.
“I called you that because you used to stutter when we were kids,” I say. “You were small and shy, and it felt like a thing betweenus. Something only I got to say. But later…” I trail off, jaw tightening. “Later, it stopped being cute. I used it to make you feel small.”
Lottie looks up, and for the first time in a long time, I see the weight behind her eyes… not anger, or hurt, just the same understanding I used to see when we were younger. “We were young, Crew. Things were tough. I’m not excusing it, but it’s different now. I’ve forgiven you.”
“I know,” I say, “And I don’t want to use something that I used to hurt you. I want something new. Something that’s just us, not the bullshit of the past, now that I finally have a chance with you.”
Her throat works like she’s swallowing something hard, then she leans back on her heels. “You’re clean now. You’re here, and present, and you’ve let me get revenge on you and never once complained.”
I shrug. “It’s hot, and being clean only matters if I stay that way. For me, and for you.”
The silence stretches between us, not awkward, just there. Then she shifts closer, just a little. Her knees brush mine…. It’s such a small touch, but my whole body goes still. “I didn’t think I’d ever get to see you like this again,” she whispers softly.
“Like what?”
She gestures at me. “Like Crew. The boy who understood me in ways no one else did.”
I exhale, hard. “I never thought I’d see him again either,” I tell her. “The part of me that hurt you, he’s gone. I’m not him anymore. I don’t think I could be if I tried.”
