SIX
After unpacking most of my stuff, I head to bed a little after midnight but I don’t fall sleep until an hour later. My mind keeps being invaded by thoughts of Kayden. What an enigma he is. I’ve been watching fights in the underground for years and most of these fighters are typically easy to read. Their motivations are usually simple and obvious in the way that they carry themselves—there’s always a few local guy with grudges, blue-collar workers looking to blow off some stream, or ex-UFC fighters looking to reclaim their glory days. But with Kayden, he doesn’t feel like he belongs to any of those.
I’ve only seen little bursts of emotions from him, but most of the time he’s careful with me. Careful to keep his distance. And it’s clear he knows how to do it well.
So I’m not surprised that Kayden doesn’t trust me. And I can’t really blame him either; I do seem like someone who’s up to no good. But I don’t know how to get it in his head that it’s not because I’m planning a double cross.
I just really want to fuck my ex up.
When my alarm sounds at seven thirty, my body is on autopilot as I slide out of bed and shuffle into the bathroom.
I’ve got a couple of training sessions booked starting at noon, and I always make an early start to the day to get some cardio in.
After slipping into a black sports bra, a pair of gym shorts, and a windbreaker so I won’t freeze my ass off in this early February air, I head out of my room to grab my trainers. I notice Kayden’s door is slightly ajar, and when I take a quick peek inside, the room is empty.
The rest of the apartment is eerily silent. I scour the place for any kind of note explaining where he ran off to but come up short. And then I realize Kayden probably isn’t the kind of guy who would tell his new roommate about his whereabouts. I scribble a note for him anyway on the off chance that he suddenly swells up with yearning to know where I’m going today. I’m sure he doesn’t care, but I like to think I grow on people over time.
Gone out for a jog. Let’s talk when I come back.
– Sienna
When I head out, the roads are empty and quiet, which is ideal. I usually prefer doing my cardio away from UFG because I’m not a fan of treadmills or weaving through a mass of people and equipment every time I do laps around the gym.
I start out slow for the first few yards, and then increase speed when I feel like I’ve found a good pace. Adrenaline starts to spike in my body, propelling me forward with every step I take. I pick up even more speed a couple of minutes later when I spot a familiar inked body in front of me.
Kayden’s wearing a navy-blue hoodie and joggers, and he doesn’t appear to notice me come up from behind him. As I inch closer, I notice he has a pair of wireless earbuds too.
“Hey!” I call loudly, and Kayden whips his head back, pulling out one of his earbuds. “You didn’t leave a note before you went out.”
“I didn’t agree to do notes,” he replies sharply, looking me up and down. “Nor did I agree to be stalked.”
“What?” My eyebrows dip low in confusion. “I haven’t been stalking you.”
Kayden cocks his head sideways, eyes narrowed like he’s waiting for me to rethink my answer. I purse my lips into a frown when I ruminate on the past couple of days.
Okay, maybe he has a point. I do seem sketchy as hell, with me first going to his apartment, then ambushing him yesterday at Breaking Point, and now this.
“I didn’t follow you out here today, okay?” I point out.
“I’m here to keep in shape, just like you.”
“They have cardio equipment at UFG.”
“Yeah, but I like the fresh air,” I say. “And the sight of hot guys running.” I jerk my head at a dark-haired man running in the opposite direction. Despite the white long-sleeved shirt that covers most of his body, his muscular frame alone is enough to draw my attention longer than it should. As we cross paths, I’m unable to stop myself from turning back to sneak a peek of his perky, rounded butt, cupped by those black tights. “Wow. Look at him go. He’s gorgeous.”
Kayden rolls his eyes, feigning annoyance at my brazenness. He remains quiet as he squeezes his earbud back into his ear and continues his jog.
There’s more silence as we go for another mile, zipping through the endless rows of shops and restaurants then finally reaching Marsh Chapel, which is predictably sparse with students today. I’m half tempted to make an escape through there so I don’t have to endure the tension between us as we jog, but on the other hand, the fighter in me pushes me to keep going and see if I can find some way to dissolve the awkwardness. I need to find some kind of common ground with this guy since I’m not only going to be his trainer, but his roommate as well.
“So I guess you don’t like to talk much?” I ask lamely.
I’m determined to find a way in, even if the observation was obvious.
Kayden presses pause on the playlist shuffling on his phone and glares at me. “I don’t like talking when I’m jogging,” he replies with a controlled huff. “So do you mind?
I need to focus.”
“Ah . . . and it looks like you can’t focus around me,” I say, humor injected in my tone. “Because I’m distracting you.”