Knockout (Gaslight spin-off)

42| Piece of you

As soon as the gym closes, I sit on the steps and wait for Nico. Not because we're training tonight – today is supposed to be a rest day – but because it feels strange going a day without seeing him when I've seen him every night. He's built into my routine, the part of my day I look forward to most, and tonight is no exception.

The second he walks out, I get a rush of butterflies in my stomach. He pulls down his hood, pausing on the sidewalk's edge as he squints to where I'm sitting. Slowly, like a kid whose mom just agreed to take him to Disneyland, he grins.

I swear, it's as if all the stress I've felt these last few hours dissipates. Gone is the nausea over my upcoming fight, replaced with a rush of excitement. I rise to my feet as he makes his way over before throwing my arms around him. It feels overly affectionate, given our typical business-as-usual greeting, but I need this after the stressful day I've had.

Despite his surprise, his arms fall around me, pulling me closer. I easily fall into his chest, pressing my face against his hoody. Somewhere along the line, it's become evident the gym is not my only safe place – Nico is too.

After a moment, he lowers his head, using his hand to tuck back my hair before pressing his mouth to my ear. "I thought we weren't training tonight."

"We're not." I lean further into him, breathing in his clean, cotton scent. Unlike GymCon, Box Inc comes equipped with rainfall showers and a changing room fit for the Gods, which is why he's often late. "I'm just thanking you for training me." I start pulling back, but he draws me closer, keeping me pressed to his chest.

When his eyes find mine, they are bright with something wicked. "That all I get?"

The thump of my heart is immediate. I tilt my head, watching the way he drops his gaze until it hovers on my mouth. Using his hand, he cups my face to draw me closer, pressing his mouth against mine.

His lips meet mine, gentle and tender. I close my eyes and breathe him in, feeling like I'm floating. While the beach had helped to give me a break, this, I realize, is what I needed.

Nico.

When we finally pull back, my lips tingle like I'm still kissing him. His eyes turn hooded, filled with what I'm sure is frustration, but he's trying to control himself. "Since we're not training tonight," he says, "you want to get some food?"

I look up at him slowly, biting my lip. "Actually, I was thinking you could show me your house."

He laughs a little, not the least bit surprised by my strange request. "What is this obsession with my house?"

"It's not an obsession," I say, because he's making me sound stalkerish. "I just want to see where you live."

His eyebrow arches. "Why?"

It's hard to explain, but his house is like a part of him I haven't yet accessed. As close as we've gotten, I want to know the basics, like where he sleeps or eats or what he does when he's not training; I want to see him living.

"Because," I say, "sometimes it feels like we only exist in the gym."

I hold my breath while waiting for his answer, suddenly feeling exposed. He looks at me for a long time, several reactions crossing his face, none of which I can work out. "Alright," he says, grabbing my hand, "let's go."

Grinning from ear to ear, I follow him to his car, where we spend the whole ride discussing things we don't always have time to talk about while training, and I'll admit, it feels nice to take my mind off the fight.

"Come on," I say when Nico scrunches his nose at beach destinations. "If you don't sit by the pool all day, are you even on vacation?"

"Cassandra," he says as he makes a left turn, "I'd be bored out of my goddamn mind."