“How do you know about that?” I asked, leaning across the table as I frowned at her, my voice coming out in a low hiss.
Annara laughed at me, the fine features of her pretty face filled with glee. “Calm down, will you! I was going to the supermarket to buy some things when I just saw you there. You know, in that restaurant that has the big window in the front? I didn’t think it was you for a moment because you said you didn’t plan on seeing anyone, so it was a surprise.”
I covered my eyes with my palm.
“It’s…” I started to explain, only my voice trailed off because I didn’t know how to begin.
“I think it’s nice that you’re trying to move on from your husband,” she said. “It’ll do you good, and he seemed like a nice guy. You should try it, see where it’ll lead.”
My hand dropped and I opened my mouth to explain things, but the waiter was back with the food. We both sent him smiles in thanks, then I turned back to her.
“It’s not like that,” I said immediately, so there wouldn’t be any misunderstanding.
No matter how hot Ken was, he lived right next door to me, and he probably wouldn’t be moving anytime soon. I didn’t do booty calls. If it was just a one night stand, I could get it out of my system, but you didn’t want to see your one night stands in the morning. Or to accidentally bump into them on your way to work, or when you’re bringing your son home.
“What do you mean it isn’t like that?” Annara complained immediately, even as she stuffed her mouth with food. “I’m telling you, for those of us watching, you two looked close, and I could swear he looked interested in you.”
I frowned. “You weren’t even close enough to see him. I would have noticed.”
She rolled her eyes. “It’s not just looking at a guy’s expression, its body language, too. And his body language meant he wanted to take you home and have fun with you. So don’t hold yourself back.”
I pouted, picking up my fork and poking at the food. It looked delicious, but suddenly it was like I had butterflies in my stomach.
There was no way Ken and I could have a fling and just pretend like it never happened. But would he even be interested in something like that with me? In spite of Annara’s confidence, I didn’t think so.
Surely, he must see my age! And even if he didn’t, the fact that I had an eight-year-old son said things, although I’d had him a little late. Not to mention, I’d told Ken all about my husband, even mentioning that he’d left us. It had been more than a year since we’d heard from Mike, but I wasn’t ready to forget my husband of more than a decade yet.
Why do I have to think about him, though? He doesn’t seem to ever think about me, just up and disappearing after filing for divorce without telling me…
He’d waited until the papers were finalized and told me that either I signed them or I didn’t, but he would be going anyway. I couldn’t even cry at the time; I was so numb. I signed the papers and he left, and that was it. Without explanation, he turned his back on me and walked away.
I’d had plenty of time to cry myself to sleep after that.
“Lydia.”
I looked up at Annara’s gentle tone. She was looking at me, her expression full of sympathy, and I had to look away because I couldn’t stand it.
“Look, I know you, okay? I know you’re still hurting. But please. Try and think about yourself, and the future of your kid. You can't stay hung up on Mike for forever.”
I pursed my lips. “I know that…”
I did, but it would be hard to say I wasn’t affected. It took a lot out of me. The fucker practically abandoned me after all. And I’d spent days worrying if I was the problem, or if it was Bryson or a million other things. He’d made me doubt myself, the people around me, even my friends. Everything I thought to be true was suddenly foreign. It had taken a while before I could blame only him, the cause of it all, but I hadn't progressed too far.
“Tell me one thing,” Annara said. “What’s the guy’s name?”
“Ken,” I said immediately. It wasn’t a secret, right?
She nodded. “Well, then. If you’re asking for advice, I’ve got it for you. Don’t take too long, just take what you want. But first, you have to decide what you want. Do you understand me?”
I nodded my head slowly. What I wanted from a man like Ken. A young man. A very hot, steamy, young man. I imagined it was the same as most of the female population would want if they could lay eyes on him.
“I want him to want me,” I said out loud. Annara paused eating, and it made me feel a little self-conscious. But I didn’t shut up. “I want him to ask me to his bed, to ask to do fun and sexy things to me. So maybe if he offered, I wouldn’t have to be so fucking shy like a teenager and I can just… go with the flow.”
Even as I said it, though, I didn’t think it would amount to anything. If it ever did happen… I’d probably agree to it because it wasn’t like I could get a chance this great again. If Ken could keep quiet and had himself under control, then just maybe.
Maybe, I would consider it.
8
Kenji
I looked around the room, studying and admiring. All of this was now mine. There was still work to be done at home, but this was something I couldn’t neglect, either. This was where I’d put in most of my cash after getting the house. Some new place to live wasn’t enough to make me move.
“The equipment looks good,” I said to myself as I walked around. “Now I just have to keep it up. Maintenance can be such a bitch…”
I was looking through the equipment and layout of my new school, or studio. I wasn’t sure what to call it yet. Or I could name it a club instead of a school. I wasn’t sure which was the best name, and my vision for what I wanted kept changing, so I’d kept putting off the decision. It was something simple, but also something that meant a lot to me, so I wasn’t just going to pick something on a whim.
Mom and Dad would probably be proud if they saw this, I said to myself. Shit.
The relationship between my parents and me was incredibly shaky. Still, there were a few things I’d managed to pick up from them. I liked to think I’d inherited a little bit of their craziness.
This boxing school/studio/club was one of them.
Still, I hadn’t been able to get in touch with them. They were probably on some mountain somewhere, doing whatever it was they did outdoors that was so interesting they kept doing it several times a year.
I sat down on a bench and tested its strength, then squirmed around a little, to be sure the supports were set right. If someone had to sit down on a bench to lift some weights or barbells, the worst thing that could happen was that the bench turned out to be wobbly.
Once I was satisfied, I got up.
The room was large, and while I hadn't gotten it cheap, it was still cheaper than what I’d paid for the house. One side of it was set up almost like a gym, with a bunch of weight lifting and exercising equipment. The other side of it was purely a boxing set up, with some handbags hung up, a few other things thrown here and there. I was thinking of setting up a boxing ring, but for the moment, I’d left it out of the plans.
I glanced at the door, frowning. Where are those people?
I was waiting for a crew to come in from the telephone company to do some installations. I’d specifically stopped working at home so I could be here while doing a last minute check, and these guys were taking way too long. I’d been waiting for an hour already, and they’d got me out of the house pretty damn early to begin with.
Even with all the work at the house, I didn’t spend all day at home working, like a lot of people probably thought. Sometimes I’d take a break from fixing the place up to come and set up the studio.
“I should be able to open it soon. I’m probably going to need to do some advertising, and I don’t know how long I want to keep this up to myself. But I do need that phone…”
As if in reply to my words, there was a knock on the door. I sighed in relief
as I headed for it, opening it to find a couple of guys in uniform.
“You guys took your time,” I reprimanded lightly. “Please come in. I’m in a hurry, so if you guys could set up as quickly as possible, I would appreciate it, thanks.”
“Sure, sir. We’re sorry for being late. We had a few other stops before we got here.”
I stepped to the side and both men walked in, another coming in behind them with the equipment they’d need for the installations. I left them to their work because I doubted hovering would help them go any faster. Instead, I went back to check the equipment.
“Damn,” I muttered, going back to the bench.
It had been half an hour, I was done with the inspection, but they still weren’t done yet. So I relaxed and looked around the room once more, feeling my mouth turn up at the corners in a smile.
I wouldn’t have had this place if I hadn't received a small inheritance from a distant aunt. She wasn’t someone I’d met all that often in life. She was my mom’s oldest sister, and for a time when I was a kid and my parents still wanted to move around, but I was too young to be going with them, I stayed with my aunt. Of course, I didn’t remember much from that time in my life, but I’d met her a few times after that. She was probably the closest relative I had since my dad’s family refused to have anything to do with him, or with me, because of his lifestyle choices.
The money had been a godsend. I’d been moving around feeling listless at the time, not knowing what to do with my life. With a failed relationship, a failed career, and a somewhat strained relationship with my family, I felt I was at the end of the line. When I got the news that the money had been left to me, I’d started thinking up plans.
It was total luck that I even found this town. The house was listed, and in the same area I found a large, free open space that would just be perfect to open up a boxing studio. Everything had been pretty much set after that.
A lot of my old friends thought it was a waste, but that was probably why they were my ‘old’ friends. They saw waste, while I saw nothing wrong with spending money to invest in the one thing that I enjoyed, something I’d learned to do well from a young age.
I got into boxing pretty young. At first, it was because of all the bullying I got in school. I never actually fought back, but I grew to love the sport. At one point, I’d thought I could make it to the big leagues, but it never happened. Still, I believed the progress I’d made was alright for me. I could have gone further if only I hadn't gotten a shoulder injury, and because of that, major competitions were out of the question for me.
That, and it was dangerous in a lot of ways. Who wanted to get punched in the face? I wasn’t good enough to stop it from happening all the time, and sooner or later, my brains would have been scrambled. Now, I could make something out of everything I’d learned growing up.
“Sir?”
I looked up at the call. It was the telephone people. One of them had stayed behind to talk to me, and I could see the other two walking out, one of them carrying their equipment. I stood up, brushing my hands on my thighs.
“Are you all done, now?”
He nodded. “Everything is done just as you wanted, but if you have any trouble, feel free to call back. We’ll fix whatever it is, free of charge.”
“Thank you,” I said, holding my hand out for a shake.
He smiled, accepting the handshake. With a last nod, he was turning around and walking away. I waited until they’d closed the door behind them, before going to inspect their work. It took me ten minutes before I was satisfied with everything.
“Damn, I better hurry up soon. My studio…”
I was growing excited, the more I thought about it. Pretty soon I would be open for business, and I couldn’t wait to start.
My plans for starting up a boxing studio were pretty simple. It wasn’t just for the income, though there was that. But I knew how much learning to box had helped me growing up, and if I could use it to help some kids outside of school, then I wanted to try. There might be adults that wanted to learn, that wanted the training and didn’t know where to get it. There was a gym in town, and they had most of the equipment I did, but boxing wasn’t their focus, or I would have been more cautious setting up shop so close to them. Whatever there was for me to do, I planned to do it.
Then I snorted to myself.
I have a different problem facing me right now, though. Lydia… I had to keep her in my mind. The sultry, sexy woman from before…
Crap.
Focus on your work, Kenji!
I cringed as I called myself my full name. If I had my way, no one around here would ever find out about it, and I wouldn’t have to hear anyone call me that, by accident or just to taunt me.
But Lydia most of all. Being around her was too dangerous. I wanted to curse when I remembered the rain on Sunday meant I hadn't fixed up her fence yet, and I still had to go over to finish it.
I rubbed a hand down my face. The more I was around Lydia, the more I thought about her, the more I wanted more, and that would be bad. Just thinking about it gave me the chills.
After Ella, I wanted to give women a wide berth for a while. When I decided I was over her, and I started looking for a partner again, I wanted to consider who it would be carefully. Just picking whoever looked good and caught my interest had gotten me into trouble before.
The worst part was that Ella and I had become serious before I discovered her true colors. It was good I didn’t have to go through an ugly divorce just to get away from her.
Lucky for me, she was never all that reliable.
I’d waited at the church with our friends and family, waiting for a bride that never showed up, for a wedding that didn’t take place, then or ever after. I didn’t find out until later that she’d gotten drunk the evening before and fallen asleep at a hotel with one of the groomsmen.
I grimaced, the thoughts coming back to me and giving me a bad taste in my mouth. She’d ruined relationships for me, and I wasn’t willing to forgive her for it so easily. Not that she tried too hard to get my forgiveness, anyway.
But I knew better, and I wasn’t going to let myself fall so easily again. I wasn’t ready for it. Not at all.
9
Kenji
There wasn’t that much left for me to do at the studio that day, but I decided to stay a bit longer. I tried, once again, to reach my parents, but they were still unreachable. So I decided to leave it for a couple of weeks first. They might even try to contact me themselves if they still remembered I existed.
I spent the rest of my time going around the place, re-inspecting the equipment, but doing more than just looking this time. I tried out just about everything that I’d bought, making sure it was all working. I did whatever I could find to do to pass the time and the workout helped me with some physical frustration, too. But only a little.
In the afternoon, I ordered out. Once the food came, I sat down and spent some time going over plans for the studio. I had everything planned already, how to get clientele, where to go from there, but a little fine tuning couldn’t hurt.
Later that evening, I left for home. I’d checked the time, and I practically ran out of the building.
Lydia should be home.
“Fuck,” I cursed as soon as I thought the words. Yeah, she was the real reason I was suddenly in a hurry to head home. I knew I could have gone home earlier, but I didn’t have any work to do in my front yard that would let me catch a glimpse of her. Even better if we got back at the same time and I could start up a conversation.
I drove back home in a hurry. When I got there, I was a little disappointed, because her car was already in the driveway. I sighed as I parked. But as soon as I stepped out the car, I could hear giggling and laughing. Curious, I followed the sound, and I saw them.
Lydia was back, and she was playing out in her front yard with her son. The sun was still up, and it was a warm day. She was still in her work clothes, a gray skirt and a pale blouse, but she
had replaced her work shoes for a pair of trainers, and her hair fell messily around her shoulders. The kid was running, and she was chasing him. The tree in her front yard had shed, and her son kicked through a pile of raked up autumn leaves, leaving the yard messy again. Her hair flew behind her, and she lunged, arms wrapping around him as they both rolled onto the ground, further messing up the leaves. Her body moved with an ease that didn’t match her age as they tumbled together.
Beautiful.
I could just picture it, if the scene were in a movie, it would have been in slow motion, and a beam of sunlight would have fallen on her face just right.
If that was me she was chasing… what would that be like?
I couldn’t help wondering.
Or if I got to chase her and caught her up in my arms. What would it feel like to hold her close to my chest, my arms around her gently so I didn’t hurt her, but tight enough so she couldn’t escape me easily. Would she want to escape, or let me cradle her against my body?
Fuck! You’re not supposed to think like that!
My sense of reason kicked in. I’d already decided nothing could happen between the two of us, so what was I doing, intruding on her time with her son and watching such a heartwarming scene as if I had the right? My thoughts about her had been less than decent recently, but that couldn’t continue. Her son was right there, and my mind was still wandering into the gutter.
For shame, Kenji.
I grimaced because I could almost imagine it was my mom’s voice scolding me. I had to get out of there before she noticed. How she’d missed the sound of my truck pulling up, I wouldn’t know. Or maybe, she thought it was just another car on the street. I’d think of something to do with her fence later.
I turned away and was already a few feet up my driveway when her voice came from behind me.
Boxer Next Door Page 6