Just Me (You & Me 1)

“Wow! You must want me to write a big check,” Ben joked. He knew his friend was always in need of donations, and a new charity event was typically what brought him to Ben’s office.

“I do have a new event coming up, and that’s what I wanted to talk to you about,” Will grinned, caught by his friend.

They were only teenagers when they met, but over the years Will and Ben had helped each other through the pitfalls of college, careers, and countless charity events. While their careers landed on the opposite sides of the profit line, they were both extremely passionate about what they did.

Unable to choose one charity to devote all his time and efforts to, Will instead chose to create a career that allowed him to work with over a dozen charities every year. His laid-back attitude not only made him a great fit for friendship with Ben, but also to work with a variety of organizations around the world.

“Here are your drinks,” the blonde-haired waitress announced as she sat the four small glasses filled to the brim on the table.

After downing the two shots, they each ordered a burrito as they caught up on life. With such busy schedules, it was rare that they got to spend an afternoon just being friends. Ben laughed as he heard about Will’s latest charity crisis before sharing his big news about large breed dog accessories.

“It’s not like you needed any more success, but congratulations, man. That is gonna be huge!” Will slapped the table as he spoke to add emphasis.

“Well to hear Rachel tell it, I need to focus on my personal life a little more,” Ben shared, looking forward to hearing Will’s perspective on the issue.

“I’m sure she knows best. I was going to tell you to bring her to this event, by the way,” Will said, squinting his eyes as if he had just come up with the idea, but Ben knew better than to believe that.

His old friend had been crushing on Rachel for too long for it to be a coincidence. For years, Ben had wanted to find a way to set the two up, but now Will was giving him the perfect opportunity. He was certain that if he could get Will and Rachel together, they would hit it off.

“You should bring her,” Ben shrugged, trying to downplay his suggestion.

“I should bring Rachel?” Will asked, although he was sure he hadn’t misheard him.

“Yeah! You two would hit it off. Plus, it’s a charity event, so there’s no pressure at all,” Ben reasoned.

Will shook his head while contemplating Ben’s proposal. Watching his friend’s face, Ben decided against telling Will about Katherine. It was too personal, and he still didn’t know what he would do

or if it would work. The last thing he wanted was another set of judgmental eyes, poking fun at his mishap.

“I’ll think about it,” Will finally said.

Ben knew he had pushed his friend far enough, so he chose not to pry any further. If Will wanted to get in touch with Rachel, he knew how. For now, he just wanted to enjoy his afternoon instead of playing matchmaker.

“Here you go, fellas,” the waitress said, as she arrived carrying a tray with two plates. After setting the plates in front of Ben and Will, she left them to enjoy their meal.

For the next hour, the two friends hung out discussing all the details of Will’s upcoming charity event, and who Ben could expect to see there.

All Ben’s thoughts led back to Katherine, however, and how he could ever convince her to forgive him. He wanted it to be lighthearted, so he tried to convince himself that he didn’t care much about the girl. But sitting across from his best friend, he knew that Katherine had gotten under his skin, because all he could think about was her.

Chapter Eleven

Katherine

“CHIN UP!” THE INSTRUCTOR barked.

Katherine was stepping out of her comfort zone again, this time at the gym. After noticing an opening in the self-defense class, she decided to sign up. What she didn’t expect was the one on one attention that Katie, the instructor, gave her.

It was just the two of them in the ring, after no one else showed up for the early session. Initially, she was intimidated, but after reminding herself why she was doing it, Katherine decided to take a leap of faith.

Running from Tim wasn’t that great of a life plan, so she had to prepare for the inevitable confrontation if she ever had a chance of reclaiming a normal life. Katherine hated to think of herself as weak, or defenseless, so learning how to protect herself was empowering.

With every punch thrown, she could feel her confidence building. More than she needed to develop a new personality, Katherine felt she just had to break down all the walls she had built up to protect herself in her marriage. Tim was so controlling and abusive, he made her believe she was worthless.

Now, it was up to her to remind herself just how powerful and special she was. Working out was one of the best ways to do that, because the results were tangible—she could feel her strength grow and see the changes in her body.

“Right hook!” Katie yelled, holding her hand up as the target. Katherine did as instructed, using great form and she was rewarded with praise.

Circling around the ring, the two women exchanged punches as they worked through the routine. Soon, all of Katherine’s jitters were gone and she was completely focused on the workout, keeping perfect form and hitting each target Katie threw her way.