Everlasting Bonds - COMPLETE

Chapter 13

                                                                                POV: Aidan

"Come on Aidan faster!", Xavier shouted at me. "Don't get sloppy on me now kid I've invested too much time in you". His sharp tone pushed me to work harder and step quicker. He had been drilling me on jab and duck moves for the past hour. We could both tell that my head wasn't in it.

 

"I think I'm done for the day X. I'll put in an extra work out this week, but there's no sense in me hurting myself from a stupid mistake because I'm distracted." I let my hands rest at my side as I worked to slow my breathing down.

Xavier looked at me for a couple of seconds before giving me a begrudging nod. He had been my coach for as long as I had been boxing. He and Colt helped create the athlete I was today.

I gave him a grateful smile before squeezing his shoulder as I walked past to the showers. I unwrapped my hands as I headed to my locker. Sticking the black material inside, I grabbed my phone to check the time. It was already 11:30 am. I was going to have to hurry to make sure I was on time for my lunch with Lark.

I decided to text her the address to the restaurant quickly before hopping in the shower. Washing the sweat off my body after a long workout always felt euphoric. Feeling my muscles relax after being put through the wringer was just what I needed. Normally I would spend a little more time to just enjoy the warm water, but I was extra conscious of the time.

I finished up quickly and grabbed my street clothes. By the time I was cleaned up and had my gear put away, it was almost noon.

I stepped out onto the street and put my sunglasses over my face. The place I was meeting Lark was only a few blocks away from my gym, and I was glad to have the short walk there to clear my head.

She was the reason I was so distracted in my workout today.

Thoughts of her and what her life had been like these past few years swam around relentlessly in my mind.

Why did she run from Grey when they first saw each other?

Why can't she tell us the whole story?

Does she not trust us anymore?

Does she like me?

Whoa. That last one came out of nowhere. Before we were all torn apart, Lark had been my partner in crime. She was a cute kid, but I never looked at her as more than my confidant. Now I couldn't deny that time had allowed her to grow into her beauty. She radiated grace and when I saw her for the first time in nine years all I could think about was holding her body close to mine.

 

I reached the restaurant and walked inside. Joe, the owner, was standing at the counter wiping down the surfaces. He looked up when he saw me and shot me a friendly wave. I was a regular here and Joe and I would often chat about my boxing, his family, and sports in general. He was a good guy and an even better sub maker. You could order the same thing every time and it would still come out differently whenever you ate it.