Undeniably Enemies: Chapter 27

Cold air whips along my face and neck making the sweat dripping in both places prickle. It’s not even four yet and the sun is already almost fully set. As pretty as fall and the holiday season are, I wouldn’t mind skipping over winter and hitting spring again. Going to work and leaving work when it’s dark sucks. It makes me feel like a vampire. A real one.

Today is one of my rare eight-hour instead of twelve-hour shifts and I’m taking advantage, running from work to the gym so I can lift some weights and not have to head directly home. It’s been a week since Wren and I became friends of a sort, and though it seems to be working well enough, with her leaving early from work today as she normally does on Tuesdays, I didn’t want to risk us being next door with nothing but hours to fill.

I haven’t avoided her, and she hasn’t avoided me, but that doesn’t mean I seek her out or go out of my way to talk to her or spend extra time with her. I’m taking this one day at a time and slowly adjusting myself to the notion that whatever we had truly is over and won’t happen again.

It’ll be easier when her rotation is done so that means I only have to get through one more week or so.

Turning the corner, I spot the gym and slow my pace to walk. I’m barely breathing heavily at this point, and I can blame the sprinting into work and home for that. Well, that and obviously the girl who has me running sprints twice a day.

Entering the building, I swipe my fob on the pad and wave hi to the kid who works behind the counter. The smell of rubber and sweat and the sound of clanking metal from the machines hits me and I sigh. I miss this. I haven’t had as much gym time as I’d like and I’m looking forward to pushing my muscles for an hour or so.

My feet carry me toward the weight machines, my eyes naturally scanning through the gym when I spot Wren running at a good clip on a treadmill. Of course she’s here now. That’s how my life works when it comes to this woman. She spots me and with a smirk on her lips, she shakes her head at me as if thinking the same thing I am.

I throw her a wave but leave it at that.

She returns my gesture but doesn’t slow, and I decide to start with legs first followed by abs and then arms. When I was playing football, I pretty much lived in the gym. Well, the gym and the library, but working doctor’s hours doesn’t always afford me this so I push the girl from my head, drop my AirPods in my ears, turn on the audiobook I’m listening to, and get going.

I should feel ridiculous listening to this here but screw it. No one knows I’m listening to a spicy romance book but me. I didn’t dare text Wren to ask her what I should read or listen to next. Instead I just went with the next in the series from the author of the book I liked better and now I’m nearly at the end of it.

The only downside is when the sex scenes are especially hot and steamy, and I get hard. Like right now. Except instead of allowing my blood flow to go to my dick, I work out the excess lust by pressing three twenty-five rather than my usual three hundred pounds. I push through my sets and get going on abs, working my way up my body because I like to end with arms.

I keep going, listening as the couple moves past their hot sex and into a fight. He wants her to stay, and she has to chase her dream job in the city. The couple goes back and forth, and I find myself doing two extra sets of twists and leg lifts because I’m so glued to the story. I mean, Christ. What is he supposed to do? He can’t just leave to follow her. He has a daughter and a business, but he can’t let her go either, right? I mean, she’s the love of his life and⁠—

“What has you so enthralled?”

A voice by my ear and a hand on my arm startles me so badly that I tumble to the mat from the hanging leg raise straight onto my ass causing the AirPods to go shooting from my ears and skid across the rubber. Shit.

I crawl to pick them up, but Wren is already there, squatting before me and popping one into her ear. A smile cracks clear across her lips and a giggle tickles them when she realizes it’s a romance book. Double shit. Not only did I just bust my ass right in front of my girl, but now she knows how deep into the book I am because I didn’t even hear or see her come up to my machine.

“I like this one,” she tells me, slipping the AirPod from her ear and handing it to me. “It’s not my favorite in the series, but it’s still good. You must have liked the scene where he spanks her.”

I glare as I pop the pods back into the case and stop the book so it doesn’t start blaring out through the speaker on my phone. “How was your run?” I ask instead of answering her non-question. She’s glistening with sweat and though I noticed before that she was only wearing yoga pants and a sports bra, I didn’t allow myself to linger on them. Or how her hair is up in a high ponytail, showing off her neck. But with her right in front of me, half bending forward in her crouch and giving me a hint of her cleavage with the smell of her skin permeating my senses, it’s the ultimate tease.

“Good,” she states breezily, still smiling teasingly at my expense. “I mean, probably not as good as your workout since I wasn’t listening to anything but a boring medical podcast on staph infections, but still good.”

This woman never misses a chance to mess with me. “You’re such a brat.”

“Only with you. Are you done?”

I shake my head and stand. “Arms and then I’m done.”

“Cool. Same. We can spot each other.”

I throw her a dubious look with a smile I can’t hide. “I bench two fifty, sweetheart.”

She shrugs. “Fine. You can spot me.”

“You use the bar?”

She laughs. “Hell no. I just wanted to see your face. I use dumbbells. That bar weighs like forty-five pounds and I’m a twelve-pound kind of girl.” She winks and I sigh, shaking my head in amusement. “Let’s see how many reps we can do. Loser buys the other a smoothie.”

“You’re on,” I say, knowing I’ll win, but having every intention of losing. I like doing this with her. I like talking like this. I like… being her friend, I guess is what this is.

She goes for her twelve-pound weights, and I hit the machine instead of the bench, loading it up since I don’t have a spotter and I don’t feel like dying today or trying to show off in front of the girl and ending up looking like more of a douche.

She takes the bench beside me, and we both start at the same time, watching each other out of the corner of our eyes. Me thrusting up and grunting as I go, her doing biceps and triceps curls and looking fucking adorable.

By our fourth set of twenty, I can tell she’s starting to struggle. She’s dripping sweat and gritting her teeth and her muscles are quivering. With one last thrust, I set the bar back in its holder on the machine and collapse, my hands on top of my head as I pant exaggeratedly.

“I’m done. No more.”

“Thank God,” she exclaims, walking over to return the dumbbells to the rack. “I’m not going to be able to lift my arms tomorrow.”

“Wimp,” I throw at her.

“Hey, you tapped out first.”

“I was benching like two of you.”

“Too bad that we’re just friends or I’d let you bench me for real.”

My jaw drops and my dick jerks, liking that idea far too much.

She breaks into a fit of giggles at my response. “Glad I can still affect you.”

“You’re a tease.” I toss her towel at her and grab mine to wipe my face and neck. She does the same with hers and I try not to watch. Especially when she runs it down her neck and across her upper chest.

“Maybe. But I know you stopped for me so that means I’m buying.”

“No way, Cinderella.” I grab her by the arm, trying not to think about how warm and soft her skin is or the last time I felt it this sweaty. I remember what it tastes like when it’s like this, and I’d give anything for another taste now. “Drinks are on me.”

“I could go for a real drink,” she states as she stares up at the menu of the smoothie stand inside the gym.

I glance down at her. I shouldn’t. I mean, I really shouldn’t. This is the most we’ve talked and hung out in a non-adversarial way, and I want to keep it going. If this is all I get of her, I’ll take it, even if it’s not nearly enough or anywhere close to what I want.

“Do you want to grab an early dinner with me?” It slips out, but I don’t take it back. I’d kill to take her out for dinner. To go on a date with her even if it’s not a real date.

She glances up at me, surprised by my offer. “I’m kind of gross.”

You’re kind of beautiful. “Another time,” I say indifferently and turn back to the menu.

“How come you’re here today? I never see you at this time and I’m always here. Besides, I thought you ran into and home from work.”

“I do, but I like to do weights too. Callan asked to switch shifts. He’s trying to be with Willow more and the board is taking forever to make its decision so he’s still a bit stuck with his schedule.”

“Huh,” is all she says before it’s our turn. I wave for her to go first and then I order, knocking her out of the way when she tries to pay.

“This is like when you bought me dinner,” she grouses, taking her berry smoothie over to the picnic benches they have in here and taking a seat.

“Damn, I’m such a jerk. What a dick I am for buying you dinner and a smoothie.”

She rolls her eyes at my sarcasm as I take the seat across from her. “I’m not used to men buying me drinks or dinner.”

I glower at that. “What the fuck kind of assholes have you been dating?”

“I don’t date,” she answers and before I can jump all over that, she comes back with, “Do you always buy your dates food and drinks?”

“I don’t date much either and I haven’t in a very long time, but whenever I do take a woman out, I always pay. I don’t care if that makes me old-fashioned or whatever. I know you can buy your own smoothie and salmon bowls. Hell, you could probably buy this gym and that restaurant if you wanted to. But I like being the guy who treats even though you don’t need me to.”

She takes a large sip of her drink and mumbles, “I like it” under her breath.

I hide the way that makes me feel by taking a sip of mine. “You want some?” I hold my cup and straw out to her.

Without answering, she climbs up onto her feet and leans across the table. Her lips close around my straw as she sucks in until she fills her mouth with blueberry smoothie.

“Mmm. Good.” She swallows. “I like mine better though. Here.” She holds out her cup for me and I do the same to hers as she did to mine while trying not to think about the fact that we’re sharing straws and spit and that’s an intimate gesture. Not something only friends typically do.

“I like yours better too.”

We drink our smoothies, going back and forth about work and what being an intern in the ER will be like for her. When we’re finished, I get up and throw out our cups.

“Walk me home?” she asks, and I want to take her hand and hold it as we leave. I want an excuse to touch her again, and this is torture. Being this close and not having her is killing me. And for what? Because she said goodbye? Because she told me it couldn’t happen? Fuck.

“Where’s your car?” I question.

“I drove it home and walked since parking here sucks. I just don’t love the walk home in the dark.”

I don’t like it for her either and I wonder if she’ll give me her schedule of when she comes here. If I can rearrange mine to match it so she doesn’t have to walk in the dark, even if it’s only a few blocks.

“I know you have your trauma surgery rotation next. What’s after that?” I ask as we step out into the cold Boston evening, the streets packed with the after-work crowd.

“Trauma surgery is followed by family medicine again. I also signed up for an ER elective as an away rotation in the spring at BMC.”

Exaggeratedly I wipe the dried sweat from my brow, and she laughs.

“Can’t get rid of me that easily.”

“Figured not. How’s Octavia?” I touch her lower back and shift her around a couple and their huge dog so she doesn’t get tangled up in them. “I called her the other day and she said she was doing well, but I’m not sure how honest she’d be with me since she doesn’t like to worry anyone.”

“I have no clue,” she admits honestly. “No one does. My parents were at the compound yesterday and said she seemed in good spirits and healing well. I can only hope that’s true. It’s only been a week or so since she fell.”

“I don’t have grandparents anymore. I mean, I never had a grandfather on my dad’s side, he died before I was born, but I lost the rest when I was just a kid. I think it’s great that you still have yours.”

“My mom’s parents are gone, and I didn’t exactly know them well before that. They lived in Australia for my entire life. But I can’t imagine a world without my dad’s parents.”

I smirk down at her. “Nor I. They’re like my surrogate grandparents.”

“Can I tell you a secret?” she asks, her voice just above a whisper as we get closer to our building.

My hand presses more firmly into her lower back because I haven’t bothered to remove it. I can’t seem to find it in me to try.

“You can tell me anything.”

“I had more than a crush on you growing up. I was kind of low-level obsessed. It’s why I didn’t know it was you when you texted.”

A strangled sort of laugh hits my lips. “I don’t understand.”

“I was eighteen and desperate to get over you. You were dating that girl who we won’t mention, and I was just going to college, desperate to shake the Wren I had been in high school. I didn’t save your name with your number because I was afraid I’d use it or stare at your name like a googly-eyed girl.”

“I had no clue you liked me like that. Not even a little. I didn’t see you that way, but you were also so much younger than me.” I lean in closer to her and whisper in her ear. “Can I tell you a secret, one you can never tell your brother or anyone else?” I unlock the front door of our building and we head up the stairs.

“Shoot.”

“I could have stopped that night. I just didn’t want to. You were incredible and I wanted… I just wanted you.”

She throws me a side-eye. “You realize we likely shouldn’t be saying these things since we’re friends and stuff now, right?”

I shrug. “Still good to air it out.” Especially when I’ll never be able to think of her as only a friend. I hate that term now even though I’m the one who suggested it. I want her. I just haven’t quite figured out a way to have her and keep her, especially since I don’t think that’s what she wants with me.

She smiles as she reaches her door and I reach mine. I smile back and for a moment, we just stare at each other, neither of us going inside, both of us trapped in this spell I never want to break.

“What are you doing Thursday at six?” she asks. “If you’re free, we could do this again.”

“I’ll be at the gym.” No matter what I have to do to get there. “Maybe that night you’ll let me buy you dinner.”

“Maybe. I guess I’ll see you then. Oh, and tomorrow morning too. Obviously.” She rolls her eyes in a self-deprecating way.

I mock her eye roll. “Obviously.” I pause. “Good night, Wren.”

“Night, Jack.” The door shuts behind her, and I blow out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. Already looking forward to Thursday at six. And tomorrow morning. Obviously.