Into Your Arms

“Want to try again?” Rhett says. He’s being uncharacteristically quiet and that almost freaks me out more than the fact that we apparently work well together. He wipes the sweat off his hands on the bottoms of his shoes. I avoid looking at Tobi and instead scan the room to see how the other pairs are doing. Not so good. I see a lot of mat eating and stunt dropping.

  Rhett and I set up again and perform the same stunt and get the same result. Only this time when he brings me back down to his shoulders, he asks if I want to try a cradle. Tobi volunteers to help catch if need be and I brace myself as Rhett dips and then throws me in the air. I just do a straight cradle, turning slightly to the side so he can catch me.

  I land in his arms and take a second to settle. My arms are around his neck, and his face is . . . really close to mine. We’re both breathing hard. Harder than we should be.

  “You wanna put me down?” I ask in a squeaky voice.

  “Yeah, right,” he says, practically dropping me.

  “Thanks, asshole,” I say as Tobi makes sure I don’t hit the mat.

  “Sorry! Sorry,” he says, reaching for me, but pulling back. What the actual fuck is happening right now? My skin is hot and feels too tight. I need . . . I need to get some air or water or something. I need to get away from the current situation.

  “I’m going to get a drink,” I mumble and rush out of the gym, in the opposite direction of the water fountain and drink machines.

  The sun is setting as I drag in deep breaths. I’m not having a panic attack, but things were definitely too much there for a minute. I close my eyes and roll my shoulders a few times. The best way to describe how I feel is disturbed. I feel rattled and off-balance, and it sucks. I don’t like it and I really wish there was something I could do about it. I don’t like the way Rhett looks at me. As if he sees more than he lets on. As if I’m stripped bare and all my secrets are his for the taking.

  I’m not giving anyone my secrets, least of all him.

  The sound of the door to the gym makes me turn around and, of course, there he is.

  “Hey, I just wanted to come and check on you. You seemed a little rattled.” Bastard. I don’t like him reading my mind. I don’t like the feeling I have when he lifts me. I don’t like the way my body reacts to him. I don’t like any of it. I was going to try to keep my distance, but no chance of that happening now. Coach was busy with the other stunt groups, but I know that word will get back to her about how well Rhett and I work together. I’m never getting rid of him.

  “Shut up,” I say. Brilliant, Freya. Real top-notch comeback.

  Rhett just puts his hands up.

  “Hey, now, I didn’t ask for us to be put together. That just happened. And if can say this without you getting pissed, I think we were pretty damn good.” Too late. I’m already pissed, but that comment isn’t going to make things any worse.

  I glower at him and he just starts to laugh.

  “Is everything a joke to you? A bet, a laugh, a good time? Do you take anything seriously?” That shuts him up. He snaps his jaw shut, and it clenches in a way that makes my stomach do backflips.

  “Don’t act like you have me pegged, Freya. You don’t know me. I think you want to, but you won’t let yourself, which is a shame, because I’m a fantastic person. Excellent dancer. Good with kids. Able to eat an entire pizza by myself. Handsome. Suave. May I say debonair?” Where the hell is he getting this crap? He’s succeeded in moving me from pissed to confused. Who is this guy? He has a smirk on his face like he knows exactly what he’s doing and knows that it’s totally working.

  “You’re weird,” I say. Guess I’m not as good with words as he is. At least not at the current moment.

  “I take that as a compliment of the highest order,” he says, grinning and then bowing to me. “But we should probably get back inside, yes? Everyone will be wondering what we’re doing out here.” He wiggles his eyebrows up and down, and I want to shove him into the nearby Dumpster.

  But I walk with him back into the gym as he dramatically holds the door open for me, sweeping his arm into his waist in another bow.

  “You are so weird.”

  He chuckles.

  “Even better.”

  Rhett

  Partner stunts always make me nervous. Mostly because I’m the one who gets blamed if the flyer falls or gets injured. Honestly, I was terrified to lift Freya. What if I fucked up and dropped her? I’d feel even worse than I did when I dropped any other flyer. And that definitely wouldn’t endear her to me and might cement her dislike of me permanently.

  Then I put my hands on her waist, marveling at how strong she is. I mean, shit. She’s got curves and muscle and I really need to behave myself. Her hands tremble just a little as she puts them over mine and calls out the count. I have no idea how this is going to go, but I bend and toss hold onto her like my fucking life depends on it. I’m not dropping her. That’s a little dramatic, but I’m seriously fucking terrified.

  She’s stable. I’m stable. Not even a little bit of a wobble. I ask her if she wants to extend and we do, one smooth motion. Lifting Freya feels . . . Perfect. I lower her back down, and she’s a little shaky on her feet. We go a few more times and then I nearly drop her. I apologize, but she still seems pissed and heads off to get some water. I’m not sure what’s going on with her, so I wait a few minutes and then follow her to apologize. She’s still not happy with me.

  I laugh at her and then tell her what I’ve been wanting to say since the first time I saw her in the bar. She tells me I’m weird, and I swear, it’s the best compliment I’ve ever been paid by a gorgeous girl. I’ll take it.

  We go back into the gym and Coach is waiting for us. She’s looking pretty excited. There’s a gleam in her eye that’s a little manic.

  Tobi stands beside her with a smirk on her face. I can feel Freya’s thunderous look beside me without even glancing at her.

  “So? Show me what you’ve got.” I finally turn and look at Freya, and I can see her grinding her teeth.

  “Sure,” she says and we get into position. Even though we’ve done this less than a dozen times, it almost feels as if this is the thousandth time. She counts and I toss as I lift her from shoulder height to fully extended and then back down to a basic cradle.

  “Very nice,” Coach says, making a note on her clipboard. “Very smooth. I want you two to keep working together all this week.” Freya makes a little squeaking noise next to me, and I almost burst out laughing. Keep it cool, Rhett.

  I look at Freya, who’s wearing an odd expression. I raise my eyebrows and she shakes her head, like she’s trying to clear it. Practice ends a few minutes later, and I head out to my truck. Freya hangs around with Tobi and I want to talk to her, but I don’t want to irritate her any more than I already have, so I cut my losses and figure I’ve annoyed her enough for one day.

  But then as I’m putting my shit in my truck, a hand taps me on the shoulder. No way. I turn around, expecting Freya, but it’s Tobi.

  “Hello, Rhett,” she says, giving my name an ironic twist with her tone.

  “Is there something I can do for you?” I ask, crossing my arms. I know Tobi is protective of Freya. I’ve expected something like this for a while.

  “You can stop pissing off my friend, how about that?” Tobi is almost as tall as I am, and I wouldn’t fuck with her. She’s jacked, and I would put money on the fact that she could knock plenty of people on their asses. Not me, but that’s only because I have martial-arts training.

  “I’m not trying to do anything, Tobi,” I say. Her brown eyes narrow slowly. I know she has a bullshit detector, but I’m interested to see how far she’s going to take this.

  “Let’s not pretend that you don’t have a thing for her, okay? It’s insulting to both of our intelligence.” I keep my face neutral.

  “Who told you that?” I ask.

  She rolls her eyes and then smiles.

  “You did. The way you look at her, the way you talk to her. The way your eyes fol
low her around the room. Plus, the way you looked when you were stunting with her.” She whistles and shakes her head.

  “And?” I ask. “What’s your point?” I’m not going to deny it. Neither of us is an idiot.

  “And I think you need to back the fuck off. Seriously. Find some chill. Because it’s freaking her out, and if you want to be friends with her, you’re gonna have to stand back and let her come to you.” Is she giving me advice right now?

  “And how do you suggest I do that?” I ask. I’m still suspicious that this is some sort of elaborate ploy. If I annoy Freya so much, then why is Tobi giving me tips on how to be her friend?

  It’s true that I want to be more than Freya’s friend, but if that’s all I’m ever gonna get, I’ll take it. I just want to be around her shine.

  “Back. Off. Don’t follow her. Don’t fucking invite her to get pancakes with you. Don’t stalk her while she’s running. Just leave her alone. Don’t be rude, but don’t be all up in her face. Just give her time. She’s . . . she’s been through some stuff and she doesn’t trust easily.” I sort of got that. It’s nothing she’s said or done, but something in her eyes and just . . . I’ve been through my own shit and I can recognize that in another person. Like sees like.

  “Got it,” I say, putting my hands up. “I don’t want to hurt her or make her life more difficult. I really don’t.” Tobi nods, as if she believes me.

  “I get it. She’s gorgeous and a firecracker, and you’re a dude. But if you’re just into her for a good time, or a quick fling, than pick someone else. Seriously.” That’s definitely not what I want with Freya. I have no idea what I want, but something quick isn’t it.

  “I’m not into her just because she’s gorgeous.” Tobi gives me an appraising look.

  “Okay, Rhett. I’ll take your word for it now. But I’m keeping my eye on you.” She makes the hand motion with two fingers pointing to her eyes and then pointing to me.

  “Message received,” I call after her has she walks to her car. I’m not pissed that she accosted me. It actually makes me proud that Freya has such fierce friends in her corner. She should.

  * * *

  I take Tobi’s advice and pull back from interacting with Freya. The next morning run, I blow by her after saying a quick hello. At practice, I keep our conversation to stunting without any extraneous comments. If I see her in the library, I go to another floor.

  It’s complete shit. I fucking hate it. But I do it because if it makes her feel better about me, then that’s what I want. Even if I can’t stand it for a little while. At first, I can tell she’s puzzled, and I find her watching me, as if I’m going to say “boo!” in her face or attack her or something. I don’t, of course, but she still watches me. I pretend not to notice and try not to stare at her as much. Not sure how I do on that front. Tobi hovers, as if I need a physical reminder to stay away from Freya. Honestly, I think if I tried to have a regular conversation or flirt with her, Tobi would throw herself in front of Freya as if she was saving her from a bullet. She’s intense, that Tobi.

  I’m doing good about staying away from Freya (as much as I can when I have to have my hands all over her in order to stunt) until Friday night when Jem asks if I want to go out.

  He’s acting more like his old self, so I agree, knowing there’s a chance I could run into Freya and the rest of the squad. I know a lot of them hang out outside of practice, but I don’t feel like they’ve accepted me into the club yet. I’m fine with that. Socializing with big groups isn’t really my thing. I like just hanging out with Jem and having a few drinks.

  We claim a spot at the end of the bar, in full view of the door.

  “You gonna talk to her?” he asks. He doesn’t need to say Freya’s name.

  “Nope. I’m playing hard to get,” I say with a grin.

  “You’re a fucking idiot,” he replies, shaking his head. I shrug and nurse my beer. I do not want to get wasted tonight. That would definitely be a bad idea. I haven’t been shit-faced in a while, and the last time I got that way, it wasn’t pretty.

  I try not to watch the door and instead scope out the crowd. I see a few pretty girls here and there, but no one can match Freya. It’s not even her physical characteristics, although those are nice. I like the way she walks. The way she moves. Her presence.

  Jem nudges me and my eyes snap to the door. Speaking of Freya’s presence . . .

  I think about ducking under the bar so she can’t see me and then sneaking out like a loser, but I would never hear the end of it from Jem. So I sit on my stool and drink my fucking beer and try not to let my eyes be drawn to her.

  “She’s looking at you,” Jem says over the music. “I think she wants you to come over.” Nope. I’m gonna leave her alone.

  “Fine. If you won’t, I will,” he says, setting his drink down and getting up.

  “What are you doing?” I ask before Jem carves his way through the crowd, heading straight for Freya, Tobi, and the rest of the cheer girls. I’m not sure what to do, so I hang back a little, but then realize what he’s going to do. Fucking Jem.

  I push my way through the crowd, which isn’t that hard. There are quite a few advantages to being tall, and easily clearing a space to walk in a roomful of people is one of them. I reach the group just as Jem is turning on the charm. He’s gone full dimple.

  Freya’s eyes flick to me as I sling my arm around Jem.

  “You aren’t bothering these lovely ladies, are you, man?” I ask, squeezing his shoulder a little hard so he gets the message.

  “We were just talking. No law against that, is there?” he says, winking at Freya. She just rolls her eyes.

  “Did you send him over here?” she says to me.

  “Nope,” I say. Jem has now turned it on for Tobi, but she’s looking like she wants to kick him in the balls. Willow and Carrie are whispering together, and a few of the other girls from the squad have stopped dancing and are watching the show with interest.

  “Come on, Jem. Let’s not take up any more of their time, okay?” I say, but Jem has a gleam in his eye that I’ve seen before and don’t particularly like.

  “I just wanted to say hello to Freya, here. And meet the rest of your team. What’s wrong with that?” Our first game is tomorrow, and Jem had joked about coming, but now I’m thinking he’s definitely going to show up. Probably just to heckle me, but I would rather have him doing that than what he’s doing right now.

  Freya takes a breath and smiles. “It’s nice to meet you, Jem. But I’m not interested in whatever it is you’re selling. Thanks, but no thanks.” I’ve never seen a girl shoot a guy down that quickly before. Jem chuckles.

  “That’s just fine. Anyone else interested?” He holds out his arms and turns to look around. A few of the girls snicker, and Tobi snorts and says “seriously?”

  “You wound me,” Jem says, pouting and then putting a hand on his heart. “Ah, you can’t win ’em all. It was lovely to meet all of you, and I look forward to seeing more of you at the game tomorrow.” With a quick grin, he’s off again, heading for another group of girls standing near the bar.

  I open my mouth to apologize, but I’m not really sure what to say.

  “That’s Jem?” Freya asks.

  “Yup. There’s really no explaining him,” I say, a little embarrassed by Jem’s display. He can’t help himself sometimes. It’s no wonder he can never get a girlfriend, even if he wanted one. He’s definitely not the kind of guy a girl wants to bring home to meet their mother. Jem’s more of the guy you bang in the dirty bar bathroom and never call again.

  “He’s . . . different,” she says. It almost sounds like a question.

  “Indeed he is,” I say. If Jem was still standing here, he wouldn’t deny it.

  “Huh,” she says, turning back to Tobi. “Shall we dance?” she says, and I know she’s not speaking to me. I’ve been dismissed. Tobi gives me a hard look so I don’t try to engage Freya further in conversation.

  “He’s not always
like that,” I blurt out, and Freya turns back around. “He’s a good guy, underneath all the bravado and swagger. He’s had my back more times than I can count.” She raises one pale eyebrow.

  “So are you telling me I should go for him?” I almost gape at her. This girl always manages to knock me off the feet with the things she says. She has a little smirk on her face, and it’s too cute.

  “Only if you want to?” She laughs.

  “Thanks, but I think I’ll pass. Bye, Rhett.” She gives me a little wave and heads off to the dance floor, the rest of the girls trailing behind her.

  I can’t help but laugh. That girl. She spins on the dance floor and meets my eyes. I give her a wink, and she puts her arms up in the air and slinks down to the floor and then back up. Teasing me. It makes me want to stalk over, put my hands on her hips, and pull her body to mine so she can make better use of it.

  But I won’t. I’m going to keep trying this staying away from her thing. For one more week. I can handle one more week.

  * * *

  I didn’t expect to be nervous for my first game, but I wake up on Saturday with my stomach churning. I guess when I first thought about joining the squad, I didn’t really consider the actual performance part. That I’d be standing up and yelling in front of hundreds of people. It’s also going to be broadcast, so there’s an added audience. Sure, I know that most of the people are watching the game instead of us, but still.

  I’m so jittery that I get to the field house at least a half hour before we’re supposed to be there. Since I have nothing to do, I end up just throwing some tumbling passes to warm up. I haven’t done power tumbling in a while, but I need to start back with it before it’s competition time. I miss the feel of a spring floor under my feet.

  I totally flub a pass and am glad that no one is there to see it when I hear the sound of someone clapping. Panting, I turn around and see Freya sitting on the bleachers with a smirk on her face.

  “You really fucked that one up, didn’t you?” Of course she had to be here. I wipe my forehead and walk over to where she’s sitting. Everyone else should be here soon, but for right now, it’s just the two of us.