The Cherry Blossom Tree

Cherry Chapter Nine

I paused at the sight of Gryphon carrying three or four pieces of timber over his shoulder.  He carried them with such ease it amazed me.  Though I knew the image he presented was deceptive.  I could see the way his biceps bulged and his back muscles pulled taut over the weight.  

That white tank he was wearing certainly left nothing to the imagination, I thought, watching as he turned to face me.  I could clearly see every indentation of his six pack of abs, as well as a defined set of pectorals.  I wondered what he did in his spare time that resulted in such a toned body.  God knew I had to do yoga five times a week just to keep a slight definition in my biceps and to stop my tummy from drooping.

Speaking of, it was about time I ventured into town to find a local gym.  Cheetos, Doritos, Twix bars, Skittles and Fig Newtons may be super tasty, but they were a far cry from a balanced nutritious diet, and my waistline was starting to suffer for it.

I moved out of the way as Gryphon climbed the stairs and passed me with his load, and followed him around the left hand side of the house.  In the time it had taken me to change and argue with Annabel, he’d transferred nearly all of his materials and pulled the barrier down, throwing the debris over the side where it formed a small rubbish pile.  Leaning the timber against the side of the house, he swiped at his damp forehead.

“That should be enough for now,” he said, wiping his hands on his jeans.  “I doubt I’ll get the entire thing done today.”

I nodded along dumbly.  When it came to anything that involved manual labour I was completely useless and I could freely admit it.  The only time I’d ever been in a situation involving a hammer was when I’d mistakenly been placed in an auto shop class in sophomore year.  We’d been tasked to build a birdhouse, and I’d actually been pretty excited to get started.

Unfortunately my first ever swing with the hammer had missed the nail by a mile.  I’d used all of my strength to hit it as well - after all, I’d seen plenty of DIY programs and all of them boasted techniques where they could hit the nail on the head and send it home in one smooth swing.  The end result had been me in the nurse’s office with a split thumbnail and tiny bone fracture.  I’d been removed from auto shop and placed in a sewing class before the day was out.

“Pass me a hammer,” Gryphon said, lowering himself into the gaping hole in our porch. 

I turned around and crouched to dig through the bag he indicated, cursing my low rise jeans as they slipped down my hips.  They were the third pair Annabel had bought me, and I was fast realising they were more her style, not mine.  I preferred my pants to cover my bottom at all times, no matter what position I ended up in.

Locating it, I turned to pass it over and hesitated at the look on Gryphon’s face.  His cheeks had a faint pink blush to them, his overall expression bemused as he raked his gaze over me from head to toe.  Anyone would think he’d never seen me before.

“What?” I asked, glancing around me like the answer itself would become apparent.

Dark brows rose to meet his hairline.  He cleared his throat.  “Uh, when did you…” he started, then shook his head.  “No, never mind.  It’s nothing.”