Heart Shaped Bruises

Chapter 3

"That depends, what would it be?" Allie turned around to face Hunter and quickly realized that she wasn't wearing anything. Color rushed into her face and she quickly covered up with the towel lying nearby.

Hunter smirked, casting his eyes downwards for a brief second.

"Y-you saw, didn't you?"

He grinned, "Not at all."

Allie wasn't convinced at all, but she let it go. "So, what would I have to do?"

Hunter hesitated for a few moments, thinking about how he could take the most advantage out of this. "I'll call in the favor another time," he finally decided, "Deal?"

Although Allie knew that it would be dangerous to bargain with a guy like Hunter, she had never felt such an immediate attraction to someone as she did with Michael. Besides, she had been single for a long two years and vowed to herself that she would become more assertive. "Fine. Now tell me."

Hunter once again leaned in close and whispered in her ear, "Just listen to your soul," carrying heavy emphasis on the last word.

What? Nothing about that sentence made sense to Allie and it didn't help her in the least, but before she had time to question it, Hunter added, "Don't worry, I know you'll figure it out. You seem like a smart woman." A slight snicker played on the corners of his lips with a hint of condescension that irks Allie and gets under her skin. Even though she would love to talk back to Hunter with a bitterly sarcastic comeback, she'll have to bear with him if it guides her closer to Michael.

The clinking of bottles snapped her back into reality and she looked up to see Hunter cleaning up. It seemed that the hour was already over and Allie slipped her robe back on to change back into her clothes. In the changing room, as Allie was pulling her shirt over her head, she noticed that something felt different. Her body felt much lighter, and the tense knots that used to reside in her shoulders had now vanished. For the whole hour, Allie had no recollection of ever stressing over tomorrows lesson plan, or grading her students' tests in time. This much needed break from school had proven to be beneficial for both her physical and mental state. She could almost understand why students played hooky.

What's more, Allie grudgingly admitted to herself that Hunter was an excellent masseur. He had managed to take her mind off of her problems and draw her into a ridiculous daydream with his masterful hands. Of course, there was no way she would ever convey this to Hunter himself, because he didn't need more compliments to feed his ego.

Before Allie approached the front desk to check out, she took a moment to collect herself and prayed to a higher being that she wouldn't appear a nervous wreck. When she stepped out of the changing room, Allie pushed her shoulders back and strolled out in her most confident manner, walking up to see Michael laughing alongside the snob.

When Hunter spied her out of the corner of his eye, he announced-- clearly directed more towards Allie than Michael-- "So how are those cycling sessions going? You started last Saturday, right?"

"You won't believe it; you're going to regret not joining me. By the time I stumbled out of that class, I was full on covered in sweat."

"Gross, no one needs details." Hunter grinned and stole a quick wink at Allie before heading off to prep for the next customer.

Michael was still shaking his head when he turned his attention towards Allie, who had been awkwardly standing there, listening in on their conversation. "Ms. Parker, sorry about that! How was your massage? I heard quite some chattering from behind the curtains. It looks to me like you and my friend over there are getting along smoothly." He flashed his pearly whites that made her feel like she had been sent to heaven and blessed by the angels.

She was not pleased, however, that Michael had gotten the completely wrong impression. She simply smiled and said, "There's nothing going on between us." Big mistake. Wrong choice of words. This made it sound like Allie was trying to deny that there was chemistry, when all Michael was implying was the start of a new friendship.

Michael was taken aback by the statement, but recovered quickly, "Well, I hope not. That would ruin my chances."

Wait. Did he just say that? I think I need to clean my ears, because this can't be right. Is he flirting with me??

Desperate and bewildered, Allie attempted to ask, "Sorry, can you repeat-"

"Here is your receipt and there was no charge because of the coupon you handed in earlier. I hope you enjoyed your massage and I'm looking forward to seeing you again next time," Michael interrupted her by sliding the thin white paper across the counter.

At first, Allie perceived this as rude, but then she observed the way his eyes were looking down, not meeting hers, and the tinge of pink that was spreading through his ears. All Allie could think was how could he be this cute? Michael was actually embarrassed. She spared him any further embarrassment and headed out after thanking him with the cutest smile she could muster.

Allie was overall very satisfied with this trip to the spa, but she just couldn't piece together why Hunter had so obviously mentioned cycling, hinting at something. And halfway on the walk back to her car, her sandals stilled on the pavement. It hit her: soul cycling.