Closer

Chapter 23

Unfortunately, I had to head down to the training room after stopping at my apartment for a quick shower. I was in my typical black tank top and pants, hair up in a messy ponytail. I took my time getting to the training room, knowing there was a good chance he would be there. If I could, I would avoid him for as long as possible, but seeing that it was my job, that wasn't going to happen.

To my surprise, Eric was nowhere in sight when I stepped through the doors. I felt a small stab of disappointment, but that feeling was outweighed by my feeling of relief. I started with some stretching and jumped right into training, trying to focus on the exercises at hand instead of what happened last night and this morning. I'm sure the thing was just a drunk action on Jake's part. We were all pretty wasted so there was no point in bringing it up to Eric and making shit worse than it already was.

I was nearly ready to head out after about an hour when I heard the doors open. My heart nearly stopped. I knew exactly who it without even affording him a glance in his direction. "In the ring."

"Have you calmed down yet?" I asked, turning towards him, making my way to the ring.

He didn't grace me with an answer, just an expression. My chest tightened at the look on his face. This was Eric. My instructor that knocked me unconscious and stabbed me with an airborne knife. This was not going to end well. It never ended well when he was in a mood like this.

"I'll take that a no," I signed as I squared up to his broad frame. "So this is how we're gonna settle our disagreements, then?"

"If we can't solve them with words, then yes," his tone was flat and reflected his facial expression.

"We'd be able to solve them if you didn't shut out everything I said and made assumptions," it was true. He didn't even give me a chance explain this morning.

"Assumptions? I know what I saw," I could hear him start to get agitated.

"You saw me passed out on a couch after drinking way to many beers," I informed him. "Four was there last night, you really think he would let anything happen?"

"He wasn't there this morning," he countered.

"Are you calling me a lair?" I asked, offended.

"No, I'm just saying that he wasn't there when I was," It was nice to see that we were getting somewhere now, even if he still seemed pissed. I mean damn, I'd probably be pissed too if it was reversed, but I would at least give him a chance to explain himself, or I hoped I would.

"He probably had an early shift in the control room," I reasoned. I didn't know exactly why Tobias wasn't there, but it was a pretty good guess as to where he went.

"Okay, we'll go with that," he grumbled.

Tired of arguing, I took a swing at him, which he easily dodged. "How do you expect me to tell you shit if you're going to overreact to it?"

He dodged another punch, grabbing my fist and twisting it behind my back. He pressed himself up against me. "Well is there anything you'd like me to not 'overreact' too?" he said, his breath on my neck.

I didn't answer. I twisted out of his hold and kicked the back of his knee, making this leg buckle. He landed on one knee, looking up at me.

"Is there something else you want to share?" He questioned, knowing I was hiding something.

"I just want to say it was a stupid game, we were drunk," I tried to fluff it and not make it seem as bad as he would probably take it.

He swept his arms at my legs, causing me to land hard on my back. "What happened?" he growled.