A low whistle coming from behind me has me straightening and turning around. Abe is leaning back against one of the rings, his massive arms crossed over his chest. He’s as black as midnight, as big as a linebacker, and still as strong as an ox, despite being in his mid-sixties. He’s also not afraid to give it to you straight, is a no-bullshitter, and if you come into his gym, you respect him and his equipment, or he won’t hesitate to kick your ass to the curb.
“What has your panties in a twist?” he asks, moving away from his perch. He throws me a water bottle when he’s close enough, and I catch it. Twisting off the cap, I down half the bottle before walking over and grabbing my shirt to wipe away the sweat from my face.
“What are you doing here?” I ask, instead of answering.
His eyes assess me critically, accepting my avoidance for the moment. It won’t last long.
“Damn arthritis woke me up. I heard your snarls and grumbles from upstairs and decided to check things out.”
I grunt and finish off the water. Abe owns this whole building, including the apartment upstairs, which is where he lives.
“Sorry,” I mutter.
After a moment of silence, my short reprieve is over.
“You gonna tell me what’s botherin’ you, boy? And don’t even try denyin’ it, ‘cause that beatin’ you were just givin’ that bag was aimed at someone.”
I crush the water bottle, then stalk over to the trash can and toss it. Walking over to a bench, I straddle it before looking back at Abe.
“I’m an asshole, that’s what.”
One of his brows rises in amusement. “That shit ain’t nothin’ new, but what makes you an asshole this time?”
Closing my eyes, I lean my head against the wall at my back, exhaustion suddenly hitting me.
“Theo’s married. Has been for years.”
“What the fuck?” he asks in disbelief.
I nod. “Yeah. I didn’t find out until a couple days ago.” I’m quiet for a moment, before admitting, “I’ve been dreaming about her for years, and I don’t know why. Tonight, I dreamed of them together, and I wanted to slaughter Theo for touching her.”
Abe’s low whistle sounds again, and I open my eyes. Both brows are now raised.
“Damn, boy. That is some fucked-up shit right there.”
Suppressing the growl wanting to slip free, I let my head fall back against the wall. “Yeah.”
Abe sighs. “Luca.” I lift my head again at his irritated use of my name. “Don’t beat
yourself up over this shit. Feeling’ are something we have no control over. It’s obvious you don’t want to feel them, and as long as you don’t act on them, then you’ve got nothin’ to worry about.”
A harsh laugh escapes my lips. “Even if I wanted to act on them, which I would never do to Theo, I couldn’t. She’s been in a coma for seven years.”
“Say what now?” he says incredulously.
“Apparently, they met and were going to run off together, but someone attacked her. No one knew about her. I only found out because I saw her in a hospital room and recognized her from my dreams.”
“Wait. So how have you been dreamin’ about her if you’ve only recently met her?”
I blow out a tired breath. “Fuck if I know.”
“That’s some weird unnatural shit.”
“Tell me about it,” I agree.
It turns silent after that. The fan for the heating unit clicks on and the air that hits me from above hasn’t had the chance to warm from the coils yet. It feels good against my sweaty chest.
I slip off my gloves and stand. I throw my shirt on and face Abe.