All Of You (Terry Silver // Cobra Kai)

7 - Early Mornings

I wake before my hips have had a chance to recover, and start the day with some gentle stretches. Usually, this grounds me. Allows me to find peace in my mind and body. Today, it makes me angry. I am entirely distracted.

I play and replay last night, looking for some rational explanation or reasoning. What I thought was a one-sided crush, one that I was only marginally aware of, now felt like it teetered on reality. Was he going to kiss me? I come out of a splits stretch poorly and curse at my new yoga mat. I go back into child's pose, back into thought. My body is sore from overtraining and I just can't give it what it needs. I can't give it what it wants.  What it wants. Fuck.

I try to convince myself it was my own tiredness or a misunderstanding. But no one mistakenly stands that close. No one speaks to another person like that without....

I decide to give up and shower. I head to college in a daze. In my anatomy class, I am disorganised and useless, full of conflict and confusion. At lunch, I run into Anthony and sit next to him, without saying a word.

"It's nice to ask first, you know that right?"

"And you'd rather sit alone? Why are you here, I thought you were a teacher."

"I don't only teach guitar, you know. I'm doing my PhD here in sports science. We've had this conversation." I don't remember. I pick at my overboiled broccoli and look at him. He's everything a girl my age would dream of. A musician with the body of a god. Thoughtful, considered, kind.

"Sorry, Ant. I've been really overworking myself lately and I think it's taking a toll on my mind."

"So I've heard. Don't worry about it. I've been pretty busy myself. Did you ever hear back about practicing at Dragonfly? Since the second graduate studio shut down it's been a nightmare booking practice time. If you let me come with you we could work on a doubles routine for your end of term?"

"What a way to bribe someone. Do you know, I've actually forgotten to ask. I'll speak to Sensei as soon as I know. And I may well take you up on that offer."

"I eagerly await it." He packs his bag and stands up with his plate. "I've got class, so I'll catch you around. Let me know if you'd like to hang out sometime."

I'm left alone with my remaining carrots and my Capri-sun. I pull out my phone and quickly type a message to Meg.

"Meet me in Sam's Café?"

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"He did what?!" Meg nearly chokes on her iced Americano as I finish explaining what happened last night. "And how do you feel now???"

"I'm so unsure, Meg. Firstly, I just don't understand why they're making all this fuss about me teaching the students. There's something suspicious about them. More than that, if it was just to get closer to me why wouldn't he be direct? He clearly has no issue dating younger women."

Her eyebrows raise and she tucks a piece of hair behind her ear, before we both burst out into laughter. "Okay, okay seriously though.... what are you going to do now?"

"Pay him a visit, I suppose."