Chosen

~12~

My body freezes and i stand there gawking, absolutely astounded by his physique.

He's in grey sweatpants and um.... Shirtless! He's lifting dumbbells which complement his perfectly chiseled torso and toned muscles, I make out a scar on his chest which in no way reduce the beauty of his body.

He looks like a freaking Greek god!

I move inside and crouch behind a long old couch, to get a better view.

My eyes are permanently stuck on him when his eyes meet mine.

My stomach flutters and blood rushes to my cheeks..i'd probably pass out any minute.

He's about to speak when I feel a presence behind me. immediately I'm hit by a strong stench of sweat as an old man sends a hard glare in my direction.

What are you doing here?!" His pop-eyes scanning my face.

Shivers run down my spine and I'm too frightened to speak.

"This is no place for a girl-"

"It's alright chief, she's with me" Philip says.

"You know the rules Phil, no chicks in the dome" he responds.

"I know..we're on this school project together..that's why she came over" Philip says, gesturing in my direction to play along.

"Yeah...we need to discuss a few things" i reply, nervousness evident in my tone.

"Tommorrow. 5pm sharp, don't be late." He replies in his gruff voice.

"yes chief"

Philip throws on a black tank top, gets his duffel bag and walks in my direction.

My heart is beating a million times per minute while my mind is piled up with thoughts.

" I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cause any trouble..i was walking home but the usual route was under construction then I took an alternate route. I saw this building and I thought I heard your voice..I decided to check..I guess that was a bad idea.

"You look cute when you rant" he wears a cute smile, his eyes fixed on mine.

I blush so hard I could disgrace the colour, red.

"So you're not mad"

"No"

"What about chief?"

"He's always cranky..you have nothing to worry about"

We leave the building and continue on the tarred empty road.

"So..this is where you work out?" I ask

"Yeah...more like destress".

"Oh"

"I've been here every single day after my mum's divorce. It has become my second home"

"That's really nice, chief must be a nice man"

"His name's actually Pablo, we call him chief because he runs the dome and yes he's one of the nicest men you'll ever meet. Rough on the outside, sweet on the inside"

"How long have you known him?"

"Five years"

"That's a long time, why did he build this place anyway" i ask, flowing with the rhythm of our conversation.

"I met chief a few years after the loss of his daughters, he said he wanted to create a place where people with similar pain could express themselves without harm"

"That's very thoughtful"

"Yeah it is"

"Why do you come here Philip?..I'm sorry i didn't mean to pry" I say avoiding his brilliant blue eyes.

"It's okay..personal, but i feel i can share this with you"

I blush lightly and try to calm the butterflies in my stomach

"I told you my mum got divorced"

"Yeah?" I reply.

The sparkle in his eyes vanishes and they become unsteady. His voice cracks as he tries to fight the emotions forcing their way through.

"I had just finished soccer practice that day. I was so eager so see her 'cause I scored my first goal, I really couldn't contain my excitement so I ran home to tell her all about it."

"As I got closer to the house, I could hear her screaming for help. At first, I thought we we're being robbed but we weren't...it was my dad"

"He hit my mum several times but she never told me, it was at that moment i knew why she wanted a divorce and why we needed to move".

"Philip..I'm so sorry to hear that"

He gives me a warm smile then continues.

" i tried to stop him..in the process got a deep cut"

"The one on your chest?" I ask.

"Were you staring at me?" He responds, wearing a smirk causing me to blush uncontrollably.

"No..I wasn't.."

He smiles weakly, his emotions coming back to the surface.

"She was in so much pain but I couldn't do anything...I just stood frozen. I remember the emptiness in her eyes, the weakness in her voice. I t hurts me everyday that i couldn't do anything about it. Working out everyday takes it off my mind and assures me i would be able to protect my mum when the need arises."

Silence fills the air as we continue walking.

"I totally understand, if i could have done anything to protect my parents, i wouldn't hesistate" familiar emotions fill my voice, turning my gaze to the tarred road.

He nods in response.

"We have quite a few things in common and i look forward to discovering more" he smiles at me erasing every unwanted emotion in my chest.

I simply blush in return.

"My house's a few streets from here..I'm sorry again for interrupting your work out session" I turn to face him.

He simply nods and lets out a toothy grin.

We continue to walk in silence as my house comes in view.

"Every Friday there's the brawl"

"Brawl?"

" Yeah.. It's when guys come to show off their skills and earn a lot of money..local rivalries are settled there also..and anyone interested  is invited so you should totally come"

"I don't know..i don't do too well with violence" i reply coyly.

"Trust me it's not as bad as it sounds, so you'll come?" he says with a fake pout.

"Fine, I'll come"

His face suddenly lights up and that familiar smile catches my attention once again.

We near my house and i stop to say bye. We make eye contact for a micro second then speak at the same time causing me to smile sheepishly.

"Bye Diane"

"Bye Philip"