The Fighter and His Tiger (Unexpected Love #1)

7. Sunday Week Two

7. Sunday Week Two

Excitement coursed through me like the blood in my veins. I was finally gonna learn how to fight, finally going to know how to defend myself. And I guess maybe a teensy part of me was excited to see Elias again. Only a teensy part.

Okay, fine. What complete and utter bullshit.

Ever since he messaged me on Friday I had felt nothing but butterflies and anticipation about today which made no sense because I didn't know the boy. Pulling up to Maxon's Fighters, I felt those emotions skyrocket. Here goes nothing. All my anxieties were at the forefront of my mind. Was I dressed right? Was this the right place? Was the time right? Was Eli pranking me?

Pushing those thoughts to the back of my mind I grabbed my bag and made my way towards the gym, shivering from both the cold and something else entirely. The gym was in a shady part of town which confused me as I recalled the lavish mansion Eli lived in.

The second before I stepped through the doors a large burly man with a beard stepped out of the shadows and grabbed my arm confirming how dodgy this place was.

"Hey! Get the fuck off me!" I yelled at him.

He gave me a creepy as hell smile and began dragging me further into the darkness of an alley by the gym. Fear washed over me, shit like this was why I needed to know how to fight.

"Get off of her Jake, she's with me." 

Calm washed over me as Elias's emotionless face appeared in the entrance of the alley and I know other things should be on my mind but damn did he look fine. He was in a pair of black gym shorts and trainers with no shirt on cause let's be honest if you had a body like that, why on earth would you ever cover it up?

"I don't recognise her so she's fair game," he said in a gravelly voice whilst frowning at Elias. I felt a shiver of disgust run down my spine and I started struggling in his hold again, repulsed by his words.

Eli's eyes flickered to me and I saw them flame in anger as he must have seen the fear I'm sure was present on my face. He took a step closer to him until he was right in front of the guy, Jake.

"That's 'cause she's with me," Eli looked downright terrifying as he squared off with the creep, taller than him by a few inches and broader than him by a few more, "Now get the fuck off her."

Jake the Creep seemed to heed the warning as let go off me and shoved me into Eli's arms roughly, "See you around sweetheart," he said with a sly smile and gross wink. He slinked off back into the shadows and I shivered again in Eli's arms.

"Not if I can help it," Eli muttered under his breath. I don't think I was meant to hear him but he still had his arms around me, his chest to my back, so I did.

"What was that about, Eli?" I asked him softly, wanting to get a straight answer out of him. He released me instantly as if hearing me speak made him remember I was there.

He grunted, "Don't call me Eli." Everyone at school called him Ryker, I guess he preferred to be known only by his last name; for some reason, I had never thought to call him that.

Deciding to let the incident with Jake the Creep drop, for now, seemed like the best thing to do so instead I turned around and cocked my head to the side, "So why did you sign the end of your text with it."

His eyes scanned me up and down making me very conscious of the fact that I was just wearing a black sports bra and black sports leggings with a violet hoody unzipped on top. I crossed my arms over my chest whilst I was waiting for his reply and his eyes flamed again but this time it was not anger dancing in them.