A Player With a Game

I had woken up with sore legs. My back ached and my intestines felt as if they would be peed out. I ran into the bathroom, not bothering to close the door behind me, and relieved myself, "It's like a waterfall," I whispered to myself, giggling at the thought of how crazy I sounded.

I had spent the entire night working out and drinking water. I wanted to be prepared for the work out I would be having with Matt, and doing a work out beforehand seemed like a good idea...at the time. But as I washed my hands I realized it might not have been a bad idea. It had been months since I worked out like I did that day. And it actually felt great, even if my muscles were killing me.

I decided to undress myself and take a shower before doing anything else. I felt confused. Was I supposed to be that happy? A guy I hardly knew was taking over my thoughts, my thoughts were supposed to be with my uncle. The words that had left his lips were perfect, more beautiful than your typical, "I'm sorry for your loss".

He seemed to understand what I was going through, he seemed to care about me. None of Damen's "friends" had even bothered to show up at our doorstep to show some sort of sympathy or support. Yet, a guy who hardly remembered Damen's name seemed to care about my well being.

I turned off the water, not bothering to wash my hair since it'd look bad by the time I got back anyway. I stepped onto the cold, white, tile floor, wrapping my rather cold towel around me. I walked into my room and drying myself off, decided to go for black leggings and a sports tank. I put on my clothes and looked in the mirror before deciding that wearing eyeliner and mascara would be a good idea. I started wondering if he was attracted to me in any sort of way. The way he grabbed my hand wasn't a way someone who thought you were ugly would hold your hand. Well, maybe someone who felt pity towards you.

I hoped he felt attracted to me, but there was no way that a guy who saw me without makeup would think I'm anything but a plain Jane. Especially a tattoo covered, beautiful man like himself. I left my hair down since I liked the way it looked when I'd sweat. Maybe he'd think it was sexy. I ran out of my room, looking at my watch that read 9:55. As I ran down the steps, the doorbell rang.

"Crap." I whispered to myself, running into the kitchen and grabbing a water bottle from my fridge. I took an apple in my free hand and ran towards the door, making sure I looked okay before opening it.

"I thought you had stayed asleep. I was going to keep ringing until you opened." he laughed.

"No, I'm all ready," I smiled, looking into his deep green eyes.

"Except your sneakers, don't forget that." he said. I snapped out of my slight fantasy I was forming and realized that I only had socks on.

"Oh, crap!" I yelled, "Here, hold this." I gave him my water bottle and apple, running back upstairs to put on my sneakers.

How could I be so forgetful? I guess I'm one of those people who forget to put their pants on in the morning. I laughed at my thoughts and carefully walked back downstairs.

"All ready?" he asked.

"Yup." I smiled. I closed the door behind me, making sure to lock it. We walked down the steps and I searched for his car.

"I hope it's alright if we walk, we'll get a head start," he smiled, "and you can eat your apple on the way."

"Yeah, that's fine." I lied. I hated walking on the street. The idea of having to smile at strangers and perhaps even talk to them made me sick to my stomach. Besides, the one time I did it walk on the street, I almost lost my keys. But at least I met Matt. I dug into my apple, feeling awkward and hoping he didn't notice me.

"Don't be shy," he laughed, "so, tell me more about yourself."

"Um, well, what is there to know? I'm twenty-one, I recently discovered that I like to torture myself with the bad taste of beer. I need to get a job. I'm depressed, I hardly know myself. Hmm, well I lived with my uncle after my father passed away. Since I don't know who my mother is and I have no siblings I know of...yeah."

"Did he take you in after your father died."

"I never really met my father either. My uncle was always like my father. I mean, he was around at times, but Damen was the one who really acted as my father."

"So you have no other family?"

"Nope, just Damen."

"How about friends, a girl like you has to have a friend or two?"

"Not really. Well, Lisa, she sort of dated my uncle. But I never heard from her again. We weren't too close, but the closest thing I had to a friend."

"What about me?"

I laughed at his question, playfully hitting him on his arm. He rubbed it as if I had hit him harder than I actually had. We continued constantly looking at each other and giggling the rest of the way. When we arrived at the gym, it was empty, something unusual for a Saturday. That was a place where I used spend most of my time when I had just moved into this town. But then Damen bought me some gym equipment and I didn't have to spend as much on a gym.

We walked straight toward the softer ground where we started stretching. He'd occasionally look at me up and down, then he'd smile but he'd try to hide it if I noticed. My heart started racing when he started helping me stretch. His big hands moved across my skin and pushed my weak leg towards the ground. I tried my hardest to look strong, as if it didn't hurt one bit, but it was starting to kill me. However, the gentle look in his eyes made it a lot easier. We finished stretching and headed for the treadmills.

"You ready for this?" he smiled.

"Sure am."

"Well, if we do good here, I wanna take you out for a drink later, is that alright?"

"Sure." I smiled.

"Then it's a date."

I felt myself blushing and put my head down as I turned up the speed on my treadmill.