The Clinch

Chapter Three

Chapter Three

If I never see Gabriel again, it’ll be too soon. What an arrogant… Hmph.

See? He’s reduced me to indecipherable grunts and gripes now. And I’ve been thinking about his stupid face for the past five hours straight and that cocky ass grin that I bet he used on every woman who crossed him in the street.

Shoving my legs into my tapered track pants and snapping my sport bra into place, I grab my MP3 before tucking my sports headphones into my ears and jogging out of my room, down the hall and out the front door.

Lucky for me, our gym next door is practically empty except for Po the desk guy who’s leant back in his chair with his feet on the desk whilst furiously tapping at his phone screen. “I told you to quit it with the Flappy Birds Po, jump on a treadmill instead, I think my mum’s cookies are finally getting to you.” I remark, directing my gaze to the slight paunch of Po’s stomach where my mum has been overfeeding everyone at the gym with snacks.

Po rolls his eyes comically at me, tilting his phone towards me in greeting. “I’ll stop just as soon as I beat your brother’s record.”

Knowing AJ and Ray’s tenacity for video games, I doubt Po will ever be able to reach even half of the boy’s high scores. When those boys put their heads together, they’re really something. “Right, when you get repetitive strain injury in your thumb, I’m going to enjoy saying ‘I told you so’.”

He flips me off as I buzz my key card in and bop through the empty gym, banging my head to the Lindsey Stirling feeding through my headphones until I reach the room full of boxing equipment. Slumping my kit bag down on the floor, I swiftly bandage my wrists and approach the speed ball with a smirk; I’m going to enjoy pretending this speed ball is Gabriel’s face.

After fifteen tiring minutes of drumming my fists into the ball, I cast aside my wraps and hop onto a treadmill for a cool down run that lasts until my legs start buckling from exhaustion. I slow my pace down to walking speed until the treadmill reaches a standstill and I climb off, my legs finally giving in to gravity as I fall straight for the floor.

“What the fuck?” I hear someone roar over the volume of the music in my headphones and I open my eyes lethargically to stare up at one angry as hell face.

Confused as to why I’m in Gabriel’s arms, I quickly pull out my headphones and shake my head for some equilibrium. Huh, he must have caught me before I hit the floor. Mmm… His arms are incredibly warm.  

“Were you trying to kill yourself princess?” He growls, heaving me up against his chest, bridal style as he strides towards the set of weight benches in the corner where he retrieves a water bottle and pushes it into my hands.

“Just let me sleep, I’m real tired.” There is no way I can move a single muscle in my body, and Gabriel must sense this as he settles down on the weight bench with me straddling his lap; his hand between my shoulder blades and pressing my chest to his, is the only thing keeping me from turning liquid. He’s so goddamn comfortable.

My eyes flutter closed but open when I feel the push of something cold to my lower lip and I stare down at the water bottle – his water bottle – that Gabriel is pressing to my mouth. I sip cautiously at the bottle, downing the liquid to quench the thirst in my throat whilst Gabriel tenderly pushes hair from my forehead.

Once I’m thoroughly hydrated, I look up at Gabriel with tired eyes and wait for him to say something. “It’s okay princess, you can sleep now.”

And with those words, I’m out like a freaking light.

(A/N) Song Suggestion: Lindsey Sterling- Crystallize