~ Fray's POV ~
It had been a couple of days since I saw the woman in the apartment across from mine. I'd ridden any thoughts I had of her, from my conscious mind. But as I'd walk into my apartment I found myself secretly waiting for the door to open again.
Before everything went south for me in the Chi, I worked in construction.
After school, I'd go straight to the work site around the block and do whatever it was I could. I got paid under the table and it was good money that I put aside for myself. The older guys were nice and took me in as their own, they knew I'd been going through a lot back at home and gave me a safe place. I enjoyed it, it was loud and distracting, but there was nothing like starting something and seeing the finished product of your hard work.
I pulled into an empty spot. Beside me, was one of the new workers. His name was Austin. He'd only been around for a week or two, but I could tell there was something off about him. Apart from him dealing and flunking out of high school, I couldn't put my finger on it. I wasn't one to judge. I knew firsthand what it was like to struggle, but him? He lived on the north side of Seattle, the guys had told me that he was raised with a literal gold spoon in his mouth.
I heard a knock on the passenger door. I calmly turned my head to the right seeing Austin with a weird grin. I rolled down the window with the slightest bit of space. When I didn't say anything he said, "You heading up?" I slowly nodded taking a bite of my bagel. "Just asking. Wake up on the wrong side of the bed, Martin?" I rolled my window back up and opened my phone.
He thought he was funny...he wasn't. There was no point in trying to entertain him so most of the time I gave him looks or ignored him. There was no pressure, I'd be damned if I ever let a white man get the best of me, ever again.
Eventually, I got out of my car with my tool belt in hand and got to work.
~~~~~
I sat in the locker of the gym. This was the second job I picked up. The schedule was flexible, I usually worked the weekends no one wanted to come in on, but on some days during the week, I'd find myself here.
My days blended in one as usual. I found that my social life here was a 180 compared to back home. I felt drained and jittery, having only eaten a bagel this morning and 2 cups of tea.
Then I realized it was Tuesday. On Tuesday, Liz, would come in. She was a member of the gym who I helped recently, she had no idea what she was doing...if anything it was embarrassing. The days she came in, she'd keep her eyes on me and constantly ask for help.
I watched her as she walked to the same locker she did every time she came to the gym. We made brief eye contact, really she looked around the gym and stared at me until I finish my last set of Russian twists so that we could make eye contact.
Granted, she was on the pretty side, but not my type. I couldn't get past the paleness of her skin, and her thin blonde hair and blue eyes that seemed icy cold. She resembled a vampire with a creepy stare. There was no attraction on my side. To me, she came off as desperate. Trying to seduce me after gym hours like we were in some kind of movie.
I wasn't that kind of person either, anything sexual to me was mind, body, and soul. When she came around she gave no sense of anything.
"Hi Fray!" She came out of nowhere as I was in between my sets. My abs were on fire and sweat dripped down my neck."What are we hitting today? Legs...glutes? Both?" I looked up, and Liz was, standing above me with a massive smile. I stood up not liking how she towered over me.
