Prepared to Fight

by E. J. Shortall

  ~CHAPTER THREE~

  Back at my apartment block, I took the elevator to the fourth floor. When the doors slid open, I stepped out, rifling through my bag for my keys. Glancing up when I had them in my grasp, my step faltered.

  Adam was sat on the floor, leaning against my door.

  “What are you doing down there?” Tugging my bag further onto my shoulder, I stared down at Adam who’d made no attempt to stand.

  “Where were you?”

  “Where were you? When I came out of the gym you were nowhere to be found.” Stepping over his legs, I unlocked the door and made my way inside.

  “You didn’t answer my question, Liv. Where were you? I couldn’t find you in the gym but your car was still there.” Adam jumped to his feet and followed me inside closing the door behind him.

  I laughed and patted his cheek. He hadn’t looked worried about me when he was pulling his too-hot-for-you-to-handle routine with the brunette. “Aww was my Addy all worried about me?” I crooned.

  He scowled. “Yes, I was worried about you. Where did you disappear to?”

  I had cold beers in the fridge and they were calling my name. After a stressful day at work, and then having that interaction with Nathan, all I wanted to do was have a long soak in the bath and then a drink—or several. I thought for about a millisecond that maybe I shouldn’t be drinking after my exertions on the treadmill, but that thought soon disappeared. I dropped my bag to the floor and turned towards the kitchen.

  Pulling two bottles from the fridge, I handed one to Adam which he took without hesitation, twisting the top off but keeping his eyes on me.

  “I was happily doing my thing, running flat out on the treadmill,” I eventually replied after a taking a long gulp of the cool beverage, looking Adam square in the eyes. His lips twitched as his brow rose in amusement. “Okay, all right, so I was walking on the treadmill... fast. Anyway, I was watching some love fest, fighty thing on the screens when I saw… him.” I’d wandered into the living room and dropped over the arm and back onto the couch with a sigh.

  “Saw who?” Adam asked as he lowered himself gracefully onto the opposite end.

  “Him, Adam, him,” I said with far too much enthusiasm. “Mr. Hot Dude. Mr. I-should-come-with-my-very-own-warning-label-because-come-too-close-and-you’re-gonna-get-burned.” I peered over my shoulder and Adam was listening to me intently but he didn’t look happy. “I was so engrossed in what I was looking at I wasn’t concentrating. I choked on my water, stumbled on the treadmill and arse planted onto the floor.”

  Adam re-enacted the very sound I’d made when he choked on the mouthful of beer he’d just swallowed. “You fell off?” he asked through a laughter filled coughing fit.

  “Yes, dumb arse, I fell off. It fucking hurt!”

  “I’m sorry, Liv, but oh how I wish I would’ve been there to witness it.”

  “Yeah, thanks,” I mumbled under my breath and took another swig from my bottle.

  “That still doesn’t explain where you were. I checked the cardio suite, you weren’t there. I asked some girl to see if you were in the changing rooms and you weren’t.”

  I smiled at the memories of my interactions with Nathan and how he made me feel. I sighed remembering the bliss of the massage. “Well, you see, after I got changed, he was waiting for me. He’d seen me take the dive and was worried I’d hurt myself. When he saw I was in pain, he offered me a massage—”

  “He what?” Adam shouted, sitting bolt upright. “Some strange guy offered you a massage? You said no, right?” I turned further in my seat to face him and pulled my legs up underneath me. Adam had his gaze locked on me, his eyes wide. His knees were bouncing slightly in agitation.

  “No, I said yes.” Adam’s lips parted as if he were about to say something then he slammed them shut and gestured with his hand for me to continue. “The guy works there, Adam. He’s some sort of personal trainer. It was a no strings attached offer of a free massage in the spa. I would have been crazy to turn it down.”

  I closed my eyes and wiggled my shoulders, feeling the looseness of my now tension free neck and back. The massage had also left me feeling relaxed and therefore sleepy. A yawn escaped me as I rested my head against the plump cushions of my couch. “Besides,” I continued without opening my eyes, “with the worry of this bloody presentation tomorrow, I needed it. Hopefully now I’ll be relaxed and stress free so I can go in there and smash it.”

  “You’d smash it anyway. You always do. It’s about time you got some recognition for the amazing work you do.”

  I peeled an eye open and took another swig from my bottle. I’d always had a flair for design. Even from a young age, I would be found doodling buildings while everyone else was drawing unrecognisable stick figures of mummy and daddy. By the time I was a teenager, I was hooked on simulation games—not for the fun of playing a character through their life, but so I could design their homes. That transferred into drawing and design programmes I found online. I couldn’t get enough of it. If I wasn’t in front of my computer working on something, I would be out with a sketch book immortalising buildings, statues, scenes… anything… for reference at a later date. My parents hadn’t been overly keen on me going into architecture, mainly because they were worried about me joining a male dominated field and being taken advantage of. But I used to laugh and say, ‘Have you looked at me recently?’ And besides, more and more women were taking up the profession. Eventually, they accepted my choices, knowing I was as strong minded as any man and could handle myself. Studying buildings and design was in my blood. It was the path that had been set out for me. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else, so I’d worked bloody hard to get to where I was.

  This project for GO, though, was my first solo assignment and one I was extremely privileged to have been handed, considering my fairly recent graduation and accreditation as a chartered architect. I hadn’t undertaken the job lightly and had put everything into making the plans eco-friendly and sympathetic to the lay of the land surrounding the site but still keeping in tune with the client’s expectations.

  “This job is a huge stepping stone for me, Ad. I want your dad to see all I’ve put into this project, and I hope it lives up to his exacting standards.”

  Adam settled back on the couch and began rubbing across the light stubble on his chin. It was a sign of his nerves. “You know my dad, nothing will ever be good enough. He lives by the motto that your best is never enough and perfect doesn’t exist. As far as the grumpy old bastard is concerned there is always something that can be improved in everything. You show him a Van Gogh, and he’ll show you a brush stroke that could have been better. People travel thousands of miles to visit some of the most beautiful buildings in the world, he’ll take one look and tell you how he would have done it differently. That’s just Dad.” He sucked down the last of his beer and placed the bottle on the coffee table.

  Our conversation stalled for a moment as Adam seemed to get lost in thought. I didn’t want to disturb him so I grabbed his empty bottle and walked through to the kitchen.

  The sky was inky black as I looked out of my kitchen window and across the roofs of nearby houses. Being in a busy suburb of London with lots of street lighting we didn’t often get to see stars. Tonight, though, I spotted something moving and twinkling in the darkness. I wasn’t sure if it was a star or not, but right at that moment I needed to place some of my burden on something or someone beyond me. I needed to believe there was a power out there bigger than me that would help me through. Closing my eyes, I made a wish. I wished that the meeting with GO Sport and Leisure would go well and we would get the final approval for the plans. I wished for the courage to go back to the gym so I could work on making me a fitter and healthier person. But mostly, I wished that while I was there, I would run into Nathan again. Seeing him would certainly make gym visits a lot more bearable.

  “What are you thinking about out here by yourself?” Adam said from somewhere behind me.

&nbs
p; “Oh, just this and that.” The star, or whatever it had been, had disappeared from view, so I closed the blind and turned to face my best friend.

  “What else happened at the gym? I’m sure there was more to that story than you’re letting on.” He had kicked his trainers and socks off and was leaning against the door frame, his legs crossed at the ankles. That was Adam’s thing. He hated shoes and would end up going barefoot whenever he could, preferring the feel of fresh air around his toes to the confines of leather. I joked with him constantly that he had been born into the wrong family. With his golden skin, shaggy dark blond hair, deep blue eyes and lean body, he looked more like a surf bum than the well-respected, second-generation architect he was becoming.

  As I looked down, I couldn’t help but notice that Adam had sexy feet. They were long and masculine with neatly trimmed nails and a hint of dark hair dusting the top. Why had I never noticed his feet before? That got me thinking about Nathan and whether he had sexy feet. With his height, he was sure to have long, lean feet, maybe with a smattering of dark hair covering the top. And if his feet were big he was sure to have a big…

  “Liv?”

  Snapping my gaze up into Adam’s deep, Mediterranean blue eyes I thought I saw something I’d never seen from him before. Longing maybe? For me? I narrowed my eyes and cocked my head to the side, trying to decipher his look. As soon as I did Adam closed his eyes for a brief moment. When he reopened them, the look had gone.

  Beer, I needed another beer. This whole fascination with Nathan was getting to me. He had roused feelings in me I’d not had in a long time, and now I’d begun to project those on to my dear friend. I shook my head to clear it and reached into the fridge for another couple of bottles. I continued with my tale of the gym, how Nathan had made me feel, how good the massage was, and finally our jokey interaction before I left.

  Adam pulled his bottle to his lips. “Do you like him… you know like, like him?”

  “Despite popular belief, Adam, I am a girl, and when a hot guy like that is presented to a girl, she cannot help but admire him. What was there not to admire? He’s tall, muscular, obviously fit beyond belief and has a deep voice that makes your undies wet. Quite frankly, I was kind of relieved when you weren’t at the gym when I left. I was hoping to get home and play make believe with my vibrator.” Adam choked on his beer and looked as though I’d just kicked him in the gut.

  “Jesus, Liv,” he sputtered, “I really didn’t need to know that.” I grinned sheepishly and pulled my beer to my lips.

  ***

  The next morning I woke before the alarm went off. Two hours before the alarm was due to go off in fact. Still, I rushed through my morning shower and then dug around in my wardrobe for something super smart to wear. Thanks to my slowly expanding waistline, my choices were restricted so it didn’t take long. I pulled out a grey and white skater dress and yanked it over my head. The dress had always been a favourite of mine, flirty and fun but still all business. I twirled in front of the mirror a couple of times, checking my appearance from different angles before deciding it made me look like a rhino and yanking it off again. Maybe it wasn’t a favourite after all. In the end, I settled for yet another unassuming trouser suit. Teamed with a plain white blouse, pale pink and grey scarf, black pumps and subtle silver jewellery, I felt strong and powerful. I looked like the respected professional I was striving to become.

  An hour before I was due to start work, I dropped my bag into the drawer of my desk and tried to think. Everything I had planned on saying, everything I had planned on showing, the direction I wanted to give, it was gone. I was as blank as one of my father’s unwritten cheques.

  “Olivia!”

  I looked up from my blank computer screen and into the stern face of Robert Ashworth, my boss’s, boss’s, boss, and Adam’s overbearing, perfectionist father. “Good morning,” I said with a forced smile.

  “It will be when you finalise those plans with GO today. Need I remind you that we have taken a huge risk giving you such a high profile project at this stage of your career? Don’t let me down.”

  “No, sir.” I projected my voice, hoping to sound strong and in control even though inside I was a frightened little girl and wanted to run home to mummy and tell her the bad man was upsetting me.

  With a nod of his head—no smile—he turned and left me to resume staring at my blank screen.

  I felt better after grabbing a coffee and actually managed to work through the morning and into early afternoon. If everything went well with the GO account, I was hoping to land another large project for a famous toy retailer who was looking to expand their current research headquarters. I spent the morning researching the location, company, local architecture and building regulations, basically anything that would help me build a case for Mr. Ashworth awarding the contract to me. To succeed I needed to be organised, and to be organised I needed to be prepared.

  At two thirty, I began packing everything I would need to take into the boardroom for the presentation. A wave of nervous nausea washed over me, and I had to grab the edge of the table to stabilise myself when I felt lightheaded. With my head bowed, I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths, trying to draw on the meditation classes I’d taken for about two weeks a few years before.

  “Hey, Liv. You need a hand?” I’d never been so grateful to hear Adam’s voice. He’d been mysteriously absent all morning when all I’d wanted was his strong shoulder to lean on and for him to reassure me that everything would be okay.

  “Thank you!” I sighed. “I’m so nervous, Ad. What if I totally mess this up? What if they hate the plans? What if your dad thinks I did a shit job and he fires me?”

  Adam sauntered into the room, looking his usual cool, calm and collected self. Wearing his professional uniform of a deep navy three-piece suit, pale blue shirt, navy tie and dark rimmed glasses, he looked every bit the high-flyer. In that moment, I looked and felt anything but. I’d never been one to feel nervous; usually I thrived on the butterflies, using them to push me and centre me on my task. For some reason though, this meeting had me all flustered.

  Adam stopped in front of me, bending his knees slightly so he could look me in the eye. “Firstly, what’s this all about, Liv? You have to be the most confident person I know. You never get flustered like this. You will not muck up the presentation. You know it inside and out. Besides, all the tough work was done during previous visits. This is just a formality to approve the final plans. Cross the T’s and dot the I’s as it were.” He tapped the papers rolled up in my arms. “Secondly, my dad will not fire you. Despite what you think of yourself, you are already well respected in this place, so don’t worry about that.”

  I dropped the plans on the table and wrapped my arms around Adam’s waist, snuggling my head into the crook of his neck and inhaling his familiar and calming scent. “Thanks, Ad, what would I do without you?”

  It was a moment before Adam spoke but when he did, his voice cracked with emotion. “One for all and all for one, right?”

  “Isn’t that supposed to be The Three Musketeers?” I heard his chuckle rumble deep in his chest.

  “Well, yeah, but it’s still appropriate. Even for the dangerous duo.” This time it was my turn to chuckle at the name given to us as children by our parents. Tentative hands snaked around my back and rested there with just enough pressure that I could tell Adam was pulling me into him. He inhaled deeply and held the breath.

  “Ad?”

  “Hm mm?”

  “You might want to let that breath out now before you pass out on me.” His chest deflated as air whooshed out of his semi parted lips over the top of my head. “And thanks, Ad, I really do mean it when I say I don’t know what I would do without you.”

  “I know, princess,” he replied with a grin. I growled. I hated that name. In fact I hated any pet names. My parents had given me a name for a reason and I happened to love my name. I could just about tolerate people calling me Liv; after all, it was a shorte
ned version of Olivia. Princess, though, that was a complete no, no and he knew it. He’d called me it once when we were younger when I’d been whining like a brat about something. Of course, when I got on my high horse and bitched him out about it, he’d continued using it just to piss me off. I had never been able to get him to stop after that.

  Reluctantly, Adam disentangled himself and took a step back, suddenly looking nervous. “You know I know you’ve got this, right?” I nodded. “Well… um… Dad wants me to sit in there with you, just to make sure everything goes okay.” He winced when I scowled at him. I couldn’t believe that after Adam’s ego boosting words of encouragement I was back to feeling edgy again. In that simple gesture, Mr. Ashworth had clearly shown he had no faith in me. Not for the first time did I attribute that lack of belief to the fact that I was not male. I’m sure the only reason he gave me a job in the first place was because of Adam.

  “Fine,” I said, grabbing the plans. “But this is my baby, Adam. I’ve put blood, sweat and tears into getting this just right to try to please your father and please him I will, if it’s the last thing I do.”

  I stomped out of my office with a pounding heart and absolute focus. Angry was good. Angry meant I wasn’t curled up in a corner sucking my thumb and crying for my mum. Angry meant I had fire, and I was going to need that to deliver the presentation of my life.

  ***

  In the meeting room, everything was set up and ready to go. I had everything set up and chosen where I wanted the clients to sit. All that was left was to wait for them to show up. The nerves were really starting to kick in and my mouth was parched. Jugs of iced water enticed me from their position in the middle of the large table. I was debating whether or not to pour a glass when there was a knock on the boardroom door. Trish, the receptionist, poked her head in with a smile. “The representatives from GO Sport and Leisure are here. Shall I send them in or do you need a few?”