Dear Citlali [Completed]

Chapter 25. Citlali

In the afternoon, I felt restless. We were still at Kai's apartment, and all the emotions that had gone through me had left me with a nervous energy I couldn't get rid of.

"You brought Dovi to a gym the other day, right?" I asked Kai, handing her an umpteenth cup of coffee.

She lifted her head and nodded. "Yes, Diego's place! Why?"

"Can we go?"

Her face lit up. "Sure! Dovi, you want to come with us?"

"I would love to."

We borrowed some sports clothes from Kai. They were too long for me but I managed to build a look that suited my size and my curves. Kai eyed my naked shoulder, the loose t-shirt falling on my arm. "Beautiful," she said.

I smiled, took her glasses off of her nose, and kissed her.

Diego's gym was not what I was expecting. It was simple and homey. Clean and comfortable but not modern at all. Apart from the machines themselves, the place did not seem to have changed much since the 1970s, maybe even before.

"Come, I'll introduce you to Diego," Kai said, holding my hand to lead me toward an office at the back of the room.

She waved through the glass that allowed the owner to keep an eye on the room and he gestured us to enter.

I knew vampires were welcome here, but after having read Ameyal's diary, I could not prevent myself from being a little wary about meeting this immortal. It was ridiculous; I knew it. But I felt on edge and raw.

"I brought you another patron," Kai said. "You should give me a sponsorship discount, or something."

Diego laughed, with warmth and spontaneity, and my nervousness disappeared almost immediately.

"I'm Citlali. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too."

After a few minutes of small talk, his phone rang. "I have to take this! Sorry. Enjoy your time here and if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask!"

He took the call and greeted the person on the phone in French while we shut the door behind us and went back to the main room.

We trained and talked and laughed, and the tension in my body and my soul dissipated.

"In terms of boxing or martial arts stuff, where do you stand?" Kai asked us, with a curious smile.

Dovi tilted their head and looked at me as if to test the waters. I chuckled and answered. "I can do a thing or two."

Kai narrowed her eyes. "Meaning?"

"I know how to defend myself." My smile grew teasingly.

"And you?" Kai asked Dovi.

"I can defend myself too."

The immortal's eyes widened. "Oh my god, I'm with kung fu masters. I knew it."

Dovi and I laughed. "We can teach you if you want. Well, not kung fu, because I don't know the first thing about that." They turned towards me. "You?"

"Some." I winked, and Kai gasped.

We trained for a while and taught Kai some basics. I loved to watch her move, to see the concentration she put into controlling her tall and strong body. Now and then, I pushed a red curl from her face or kissed her temple, or took her hand while Dovi explained something to her. And each of these moments had an everyday quality that never ceased to surprise me.

Finally, tiredness caught up with me now the tension had vanished and I sat on the floor against the wall, looking at my lovers, until we had to leave because the gym closed.