Tate
“Dude, you look like ass.”
I sat down on the mat and pulled off my sparring gloves. “Remind me why the hell I’m your friend?”
Dante bounced around on the balls of his feet and circled the punching bag. “Because I’m irresistible.”
I scoffed and laid back with my arms over my head. “I haven’t been getting much sleep.”
“You still staying with Ryker while his aunt works?”
“Nah, that only lasted a week.” After seven days, Ryker had insisted he didn’t need me sitting with him anymore. As much as he loved hanging out with me, he said a man needed his space. I still gave Hadley a ride to and from work and stuck around to spend as much time with her as I could.
“So, what the hell are you so tired for?”
“Just been doing some stuff.”
Dante stopped jumping around and looked down at me. “Dude, we all know you’ve been seeing someone. Why the hell don’t you just tell us who?”
“What do you mean you know I’ve been seeing someone?” I was going to fucking kill Roman.
“We can just tell. You never hang out anymore, you’re always looking at the clock during classes waiting to leave, and you’re tired as fuck because you’re getting it. Every. Damn. Night.” Dante thrust his hips and acted like he was humping the air.
I tossed my arm over my eyes. “If I never see you do that again, it’ll be too soon.”
“Aw, come on, motherfucker. Tell me who the hell it is, and I’ll tell you what I’ve been up to.”
“I’m not interested.” Lord knew what the hell Dante was up to.
“Fuck you. I’m telling you anyway. You remember that instructor from Jim’s new dojo in town?”
I leaned up on my elbows and looked at Dante. What the hell was he going on about? “Yeah. I Ming a fling or something like that?”
“Mylin San. He’s a seventh-degree black belt. I’ve been watching.”
“What in the fuck do you mean you’ve been watching?”
“The studio.”
“Jim’s studio?”
Dante threw his hands up in the air. “Yes, who else’s studio do you think I’m talking about?”
“Have you been drinking?”
“No, asshole, I haven’t had a drink in fucking weeks. I’m just the only who is concerned about Jim moving into our town and taking away all of our students.”
I waved my hand. “You’re worrying about nothing. You and I both know that Jim is a bunch of smoke and mirrors that everyone eventually sees through him.”
“Except this time, he’s actually brought on an instructor that knows what the hell he’s talking about. I’ve been watching him.”
I stood up and grabbed my sparring gloves off the mat. “And you’re back to sounding like a psychopath.”
“I’m not fucking kidding here, Tate. “
“And neither am I, Dante. So, Jim finally has an instructor that knows what they’re talking about. Good for him. You wanna know why I don’t fucking care? Because the four of us know what we’re talking about too.” I bowed off the mat and grabbed my duffel bag.
“Hey, wait,” Dante called. “I told you what I’ve been up to, now you need to tell me what the hell is going on with you.”
I sighed, and my shoulders sagged. “I’m seeing someone, Dante, but that’s all you’re going to know.”
“Come on, we’re best fucking friends, and you can’t even tell me her name? Do I at least know her?”
“I’m not saying anything more. She doesn’t want anyone to know about us, and I’m okay with that.”
Dante stroked his chin. “Okay, man.”
Oh, hell no. That was the same look Dante gave me when he told me he had plans before, but couldn’t tell me what they were. “Leave it alone, Dante. You don’t need to know every damn thing going on in my life.”
He held up his hands and smirked. “Leaving it alone.”
I highly doubted that, but there wasn't much else I could do. “You’ll find out eventually, brother, just not right now.”
“How long have you been seeing her?”
“A little over a month.”
“Holy hell. That’s damn serious for you. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you date a chick for longer than two weeks. They typically annoy the fuck out of you, and you let ‘em go.”
I ran my fingers through my hair. “Well, this chick is different.”
Dante nodded. “Good, I’m happy for you even though you won’t even tell me her damn name.”
I flipped him off and headed to the bathroom to change. “Patience, asshole,” I mumbled. I shut the door and dropped my bag on the floor. That’s what I had been telling myself for the past month. Don’t get me wrong, sneaking around with Hadley was hot as hell, but I couldn’t tell you how many times I had to stop myself from touching or kissing her when Ryker was around. I felt like I was missing part of her by only being able to touch her when no one was around. I wanted the whole world to know that she belonged to me, but I couldn’t say anything. The only person who knew was Roman, and it wasn’t like I could talk to him about her. Hell, I think he forgot I was even seeing her.
I looked in the mirror and shook my head. I was thirty-one fucking years old, and I was sneaking around like a fucking high schooler hiding from their parents. Plus, I was fucking exhausted. Working and training all day, to then spend the night with Hadley, was taking its toll on me.
Something was going to have to change, and I wasn’t too sure Hadley was going to be okay with that.
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