The Age of Wiccans

Hysterically Underweight

It was amazing, to say the least. Over the rest of the week we went out twice again and then, he asked me out. So, I guess it's official. I am finally allowed to go to training away, and I hoped nothing had changed in the three weeks I hadn't gone.

Boy was I wrong.

As soon as I got out of the girl's changing room, I bumped into Dominic. I didn't bump bump into him. It was more like he was waiting outside for me.

'Hey!' I greeted.

'Eliana, how are you?'

'I am great. All healed up!'

'That's nice. I wanted to ask you something.'

Please don't propose, please don't propose. I thought. I just got a boyfriend. I am going crazy, I realized. Of course he wasn't going down on one knee. Something was clearly wrong with my head.

'I am one of the coaches now, my position might not be permanent, but I would like to train you, if you would like that.' Never in my life had I seen Dominic stutter as much as he had saying that line.

I raised my eyebrows. 'You told me I should I quit fighting!' I spoke, a little amused.

'No, I said that you should either put on some pounds or quit fighting.'

'I would love to be trained by you!'

'Good, then we're putting up a few pounds. Come with me.' It took everything in me not to tell him the truth, not to tell him that it wasn't possible for me to gain weight. I merely nodded and followed him to a lady.

She had a writing pad in her hands and she stood near a weighing scale.

Uh-oh, I thought. This was way worse than what I'd thought. It didn't take me long to figure out that she was a dietitian. I looked at Dominic pleadingly as he asked me to stand on the weighing scale.

'Hey, no need to be ashamed, it's not like you're going to be overweight!' he joked. He took both my hand and made me walk over to the dietitian. I shook my head, while he tilted his worriedly. 'Eliana it won't kill you!' I gave him one last pleading look before stepping on the weighing scale.

He let go of my hands and the dietitian stared at my weight in horror. I had gained two pounds! I stared at it proudly while Dominic looked at me with an expression filled with both anger and horror.

'87 pounds! Are you kidding me, Eliana?' I looked at him with my best helpless expression. He turned to the dietitian and said, 'Give her her diet plan, Camryn!' he stormed off in another direction and Camryn pitifully watched me.

'Is there something you're hiding, Eliana?' she asked. From her voice, I could tell that she was French. She looked over thirty and had a kind face. Her voice was filled with concern as if she knew something was wrong with me.

'Please don't tell him!' she nodded, as if understanding my situation. She measured my height, my waist, my arms, and other body parts before making a chart then and there for me. She handed it to me, and spoke,

'I hope this helps. And Eliana, I've known Dominic for over a decade. The fact that he's so mad means that he's actually concerned for you. Tell him whatever it is that you're suffering from. He deserves to know!'

'I've only talked with Dominic properly twice before. He doesn't care much about me, okay? I've seen this man rip people apart. I hardly think he cares for anyone!' My voice was filled with bitterness and sorrow for some reason. Did he think I was a kid? Did he think I couldn't handle myself? Did he think of me as a silly stupid little girl?

'I was there when he fought you, Eliana. Tell me, did he rip you apart? Tell me, was he a monster to you? He's not a bad person, Eliana. He must've felt the need to protect you, seeing the fragile state you are in. He has spent his whole life around warriors, buffy big men and women. And then he laid eyes on you; from what sense would he think of you as someone who fights? Rather, he thought of you as someone who needed protection. And do you not? Whatever it is that you're suffering from, it will only get worse. He feels the need to protect you. I cannot say what he thinks of you as yet. What I can do say is that he feels protective of you. Talk to him once.' I laughed in my head. This wasn't a movie or a book. Dominic would never care for a girl he met three weeks ago. Sure, he'd gotten light on me, but that was just him being a decent human being. He was being "protective" of me. Nonetheless, I heeded Camryn's advice and decided to go talk to him.