Seven

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I had come to start loving mornings, before I used to wish for just a little bit more sleep

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I had come to start loving mornings, before I used to wish for just a little bit more sleep. Of course, I still followed Ella on her morning ventures, but not quite with the same spirit as I do now. Recently I've found solace in them, away from the dozen curious eyes that seem to watch Ella and I with the same amount of caution and awe. We've been here less than a week and I'm already sick of the rules and lack of freedom I've always been used to.

I've never had to ask for permission to leave the house, or to buy something. I've never had my daily activities more monitored, I've hardly had any alone time with my girlfriend, there is always someone coming to join us, or calling us down when we're alone in the other's bedroom.

From spending almost all hours of the day with someone pressed against me to getting looks of shame for holding her hand to not something I'm used to.

"Steady Ella." I remind her, ready to catch the weight if she happens to drop it. I know she's too stubborn to give up on it even if she's struggling with it but I'm glad she calls me to spot her when she's doing weight lifting, it puts my mind at ease. She eventually places the weight back and sits up on the bench press. Her cheeks are flushed red and the half-hearted ponytail she had thrown her hair into was now sagging from where it had been sitting on the top of her head earlier letting a halo of curly fly-aways to sit atop of her head, looking golden from the light shining through them from the window outside.

We had finally decided to use the police gym we had been invited to and we were pretty impressed. It wasn't as fancy as the gyms we were used to but it was pretty nice, and all the people working out in here were polite but ultimately left us to our own needs. The police force of this town and the neighbouring ones that had pretty high ranks were all pulled into the dilemma we had been brought in on. They didn't know the details because I was pretty sure NITE had at least a couple corrupt cops working for him.

They had been told of our reputation but I think most were wary of our age. We kept getting glances from across the gym, especially when we changed equipment. I think to make sure we could actually use it correctly, but once they saw we knew what we were doing they left us alone to finish our workout. I watched as Ella stretched out her shoulders and arms, catching the water bottle easily as I chucked it at her, taking small sips from it as we watched the cop that had picked us up from the airport walk towards us.

"Good morning Cody." Ella greets politely and I repeat it. The man grins at us with a goofy smile taking a seat on the floor where I was.

"Good morning you two, how have you been settling in?" He had a southern accent like almost everyone seemed to, and it worked for him. It matched his vibe as Ella would say and seemed to pull his look together.

"It's been okay." I answered this time, with a shrug taking sips from the bottle Ella had handed back to me. "We haven't done too much."

"And you guys are starting school today, that's exciting." He sounded like a parent when he said that and laughed as Ella and I both let out soft groans at the reminder. "Come on guys, schools are important."

"Not when you've graduated and are repeating the work." Ella argues her point, a light pout on her lips.

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