The Grind

Chapter Two

We had been meeting at The Grind on Tuesday's, Wednesday's, & Saturday's for the last two weeks. We discussed last names, home towns, the obvious sports, and the strange hatred we shared for cherry licorice. I took notes on the path that led him to becoming a fighter, & he filled me in on his basic training habits for a fight of this magnitude. He had been on the wrestling team throughout high school, & could've hand picked from the patch any college he wanted, and would've been given a scholarship. For a moment, I let myself envision him sporting a varsity letterman jacket, which caused me to shift a bit where I sat, probably obviously, in a pool of lust. He chose a rowdier way instead, consisting of drugs, & some extreme gambling debt, leaving him in need for some quick cash before he "got ran down". That's where the cage fighting came into play.

The first two matches had been easy defeats to his pleasant surprise, & a blue fired flame had been lit in his core. The adrenaline. The passion. The sheer ruthlessness was something he said he became dangerously addicted to. Along the way, his mom had fallen ill, leading him eagerly back home to her side, leaving the hazardous habits of drugs & betting behind. But the fighting, no. It became his way of life, he said. And he was right about the story scoring major pats on the back from my bosses at the Pilot. Ryan had guaranteed me a full page for my "excellent snag" & promised FRONT page if Colton took the win against Mendez.

This particular Saturday morning strayed away from the typical routine the two of us had going. Colton suggested I join him for his morning run through the city. If I'm truthful, nothing about trouncing through the freezing streets of downtown Pittsburgh, in the dead of winter, at 4 a.m. appealed to me one bit. However, the added minutes of Colton to my day, were ones I would gladly grasped on to. He offered to meet at my place, because it was "a real bad idea for a girl like me to be wondering alone in the streets at the break of daylight." I wasn't sure what that meant, but I chose to lean on the idea of a compliment. Finishing my second layer of apparel, I took one last survey in the mirror dragging on the thermal elastic headpiece. My dirty blonde waves were tied in a tight ponytail, and I nixed the makeup, concluding this morning would involve ample sweating. I checked my watch spitting out the last remnants of toothpaste, assuring I wouldn't have my running partner waiting. At that very second, I heard a heavy knock on my door. I took a deep breath, then made my way to the front of the apartment. This was a run, not a date. He would probably have headphones stuffed in his ears the entire time, forgetting I was even tagging along at his side. WHY was my stomach twisting somersaults?

I swung the dark green barrier open, "good-morning sunshine." He checked his watch. "And I see you're right on schedule."

I slung the thick mane off my shoulder as a "take that" to his cheeky tone. I squeezed the handle closing the door behind me assuring I had locked it, and we made our way down the stairs from my upper level abode.

"How far are we going exactly?" Kicking myself for not asking that question prior to this very moment.

"I tracked a course that'll bring us right back to your place. Just 4 miles, hot shot. I think ya' can handle it." He winked & began jogging out of sight without any warning. What had I gotten myself into?

Just as he'd promised, we completed his perfectly mapped out 4 mile route, ending at the very steps of my apartment complex. There wasn't much talking along the way, but he'd shoot me a wink shaking his head impressed that I was able to keep up. We'd decided to skip out on The Grind this morning & instead, I extended an invite for coffee at my place.

"Make yourself at home, I'll get the pot started." As I was pulling mugs & filling the Mr. Coffee, I watched him intently from afar. He began wondering around my living room looking at every picture I had on display. Senior prom with all the girls from the team, my best friend Sara & I on our unplanned trip to Mexico before I left home. He seemed genuinely interested in seeing more of me. Who I really was, and where I came from. I could feel a warm smile sneak onto my lips at the realization. While the liquid brewed in the kitchen, I found my way back to the living room to join my guest. I dead-weighted myself onto the leather couch with a dramatic sigh.

"And here I thought you were in shape after staying on my ass this morning." He laughed, making his way to the open seat next to me. I extended a light kick in his direction for the insult.

"Next time, my rules. Let's see how the big bad cage fighter takes on 100 suicide sprints, huh?" Suicides were Coach Gibson's chosen form of torture, and boy, did he torture us. I considered myself a master of the trade by sophomore year.

"Do you ever miss it? Basketball, I mean?" He propped his sculpted arm on the back of the couch and turned to face me, and his eyes held such sincere interest.

"Every day. It was my way of life. I think, maybe my injury was life's way of telling me it was time to expand. Grow up, ya' know? Time to make another name for myself."

"You have no idea much I get that, Liv. Honestly. But, it looks like you done pretty well for yourself on ya' own two feet."

That was enough about me, and the basketball topic for today. Ball would lead to my parents, my parents would unveil the family drama, and it wasn't the right time for such. I needed to shift his attention to something lighter, and quick. But the shift it took, wasn't one I expected...

"I still can't seem to get warm! My whole face is numb," I shuddered. He reached his masculine hands over playfully to smoosh my cheeks, my lips forming into that of a duck face, in an attempt to warm my frozen skin. I reached for his wrist, giving little effort to pry his scorching hands from my face with a chuckle. My doe eyes locked with his, and I watched them turn from lighthearted and tender, to darkly mischievous. Our bodies tensed in unison, and he lightened the grip he had on my now very flushed skin, but didn't release. His dark shadow slowly carried itself into my personal space, and I knew what was coming next. I didn't dare rush the intensity of this moment, nor doing anything to stop the inevitable. The misty bluish orbs on his face danced from my eyes, to my lips. Eyes, to lips. Eyes, to lips. His left hand eased back a fly away strand of hair that was sticking to the apple balm on my mouth, then his own lips finally reached their desired destination.

They were every bit as perfect, and downy as I knew they'd be. Instantly, my first reaction was to melt to putty when his large arms slowly began to cloak my small form. I was nearly high from the sheer bliss, and my entire body appeared to lose feeling. Yet, it seemed feel everything in the air at the very same time. Limbs immobilized, along with my mouth, which was doing little to sustain my role in what was happening between us. I pinched my thigh between two fingers to awaken myself, & suddenly my body caught up with my mind. I reached my arm up to caress the back of his thick neck as he began to deepen the kiss, grazing my fingers through the baby hairs that laid sweat slicked there.

We just jogged 4 miles, how does he smell so good?

I could vaguely taste drops of salty sweat leftover from our morning adventure. His hands wandered over my hips to the small of my back, squeezing almost as if he didn't realize his own strength. A slick tongue tickled my lips gently requesting entrance. All too eagerly I obliged, & opened my mouth to welcome him in with lazy mewl of approval & need. Our tongues danced to an unfamiliar rhythm in efforts to learn how the other moved. I could feel the build between my thighs, causing me to pull away abruptly, full knowing this night would likely end with a forbidden visit from my battery operated friend stored in my bedside table.

"Woah, Ritter. Let's take a breather, yeah? Didn't see that one coming."

His face still dangerously minimal inches from mine he spoke, "honest? I saw it comin' the second I laid eyes on ya', kid." He winked & bit his pillowy bottom lip, nearly sending me over the edge.

I dipped my head feeling the flush rise up my neck. Colton Ritter was pushing all the right buttons & he knew it. "How about that coffee now? Although, I'd say it's plenty warm in here at this point..." I grinned.

I escorted him to the kitchen, seemingly walking with the legs of a clumsy fawn, and served him a dark cup of caffeine. He asked about some of the pictures he'd noticed throughout the house, & I told a few old basketball tales from my "glory days."

"What would you say to gettin' together again sometime, Liv? Someplace other than The Grind, & no damn sweats allowed. For either of us."

I patiently held off on answering giving my best effort to play it off calmly. "I think I could manage that just fine. I might even like it. Very much."