Dante Harris was running. Running from an abusive past. Running from a messy break up. Running from the life he left in the small city of Round Rock Texas.
Somehow this small town boy has found himself in the busy streets of New York City, and in t...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
I wasn't sure how I got here.
And by here, I meant standing outside in the scorching evening heat, staring at the large unlit sign which said the words Fight Club.
I had zero intentions of seeing this place until tomorrow, but Sammy's unexpected call completely decimated my plans.
I tried to tell him that this really wasn't necessary. Pretty much begged actually. I knew it was my stubborn pride that made this entire situation uncomfortable for me, but Sammy didn't take no for an answer. I told him that I was really going to be fine, and I'd figure everything out with maintenance in the morning... yet he assured me that no one has seen a maintenance man in that building since Reagan was president.
The final nail to seal the coffin was when he said I either accepted his offer, or he'd come and try his hand at fixing my plumbing himself.
That was when it dawned on me that there really was no way out of this.
So I slipped on the sweaty clothes I had been wearing earlier, stuffed some clean clothes into a bag, and made my way out of my apartment building towards the gym.
I shot Sammy a text to let him know I had made it. Moments later, the lights inside flipped on. I watched as Sammy maneuvered through the gym equipment towards the door. He was wearing what looked to be a plain comfortable short sleeved shirt with a different pair of joggers.
"Hi again." He gave me a small smile as he held the door open. I cautiously stepped through.
"Hi." I nodded back. There was the briefest of pauses where no one said anything, but it felt like the pause itself lasted an eternity.
Sammy cleared his throat. "Sorry, um you must be exhausted. Let me show you over to the showers." He started to lead us through the poorly lit gym towards the locker room area. "They're just through here. I- uh, I set some essentials over on that counter for you. Just come on up and let me know when you're done."
I gave Sammy a nod and a smile. "Thank you. Y-You really didn't have to do."
He gave me a light chuckle. "I know I didn't have to. I wanted to. Plus NYC humidity isn't anything to play with." And he wasn't wrong. Even just the sweat from the walk over here had made my outfit completely mold to my skin. "Let me know if you need anything." Was the last thing he said before he left the locker rooms.
I walked over to the items Sammy had set out neatly for me. There was bar soap, liquid soap, shampoo, conditioner, a loofa, and like 5 different sized towels. "What in the hell..." I whispered to myself. There was no way I needed even half of this stuff... but when I caught a whiff of the shampoo scent, I wasn't so sure anymore.
When in Rome, right?
-
I stripped down and took the shower as quickly as I possibly could. The thought of Sammy staying up for me to finish and head home made me move even quicker. By the time I finished and got dressed, I was grateful for that feeling of cleanliness, but I waisted no time sprinting up the steps to let Sammy know I was taking off.
