The Upside of Heartbreak

Toxic

I'd hoped to have this up slightly earlier this weekend, but my husband and I decided to take advantage of the gorgeous weather and go hiking instead. Anyways, enjoy all :) I'm off to nurse my aching quads now...lol

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After watching Astrid leave, Hayden quickly tidied up his condo from last night's impromptu party. Then he had simply paced around the empty space for a while. Unsure what to do, and not used to having this much extra time on his hands. He had already taken Toothless for a walk while Astrid was working on her homework. Then he had called Nancy to give her the day off with pay as well. His lessons for the next few months were already planned, so he couldn't even do that. He supposed he could always go tinker in his garage, but he just didn't feel like it at the moment.

Not wanting to stay up here with his thoughts any longer, Hayden finally grabbed his duffel bag and headed down to the gym. Scanning his card to access the more private section instead of the public use one made available to hotel patrons. He wasn't really in the mood to make small talk right now, and thankfully the gym was totally empty for once. Slipping into shorts and a loose shirt before popping in his earbuds, he left the change room with his Gatorade and sparring gloves. Opting to bypass all the other equipment and head straight for the bag as he selected his 'fight songs' playlist. Needing to vent at least some small portion of the feelings he'd been bottling up since last night.

It had been too long since he had last practiced, and he could feel the jarring impact of each strike through his hands, wrists, and feet more than usual. Not that he really cared though. The physical pain was helping to chase the memories away almost as well as Astrid had. Leaving his mind free to mull over recent events without all the annoying emotional pain it had stirred up yesterday. Hayden just couldn't believe that he was back here again. He was sure that he'd washed his hands of all this years ago, yet the ghosts of his past just kept finding ways to come back to haunt him.

Hayden honestly couldn't say how long he'd been in the gym. He'd removed his sweaty shirt some time ago, and he could feel the bruises forming beneath the gloves. Still he kept at it. Falling into a mindless and robotic rhythm as he began to focus solely on his heart rate and breathing instead. Not even aware of the sound of the door opening up behind him. The music pulsing through his ears drowning out the approach of soft footsteps.

"I thought I might find you in here," came a sudden voice from beside him as a small hand brushed across his bare back. The gentle touch and unexpected sound in the previously empty room making Hayden jump slightly, and he placed both hands on the bag to stop its swinging momentum. Turning his head to glance at the person that had interrupted him. Atali just gave him a shrug and a soft smile. Her gaze pointedly shifting to one of his ears.

Taking the hint and removing his earbuds with a sigh, Hayden adjusted his stance to face Atali full on now as he took a quick swig of blue gatorade. Noting distractedly that she was significantly dressed-down today in her old faded jeans and a baggy 3/4 sleeve sweater in a pale green. "I am a creature of habit," he drawled back blandly. Smirking slightly when she laughed in response and setting the bottle back down. Then he softened his tone considerably. "Well, you found me. So what's up?"

"I just wanted to check on you," Atali replied simply. "See how you're holding up."

"Oh, I'm great. Just practicing for when I want some more unscheduled vacation time," Hayden spouted. A distinct note of sarcasm creeping into every word. "Scott's hard head made my hand sore last time."

"Still using terrible humour and sarcasm to hide your inner pain I see," Atali mused mildly. One of her slender brows arching, but she didn't actually take the bait. Her tone remaining gentle and thoughtful.