6
Tegyn
I’d barely parkedin front of the building when my phone rang. According to the car’s clock, I had time to answer it. Then I realized it was Annie and reconsidered. This could go either way. I’d been dodging her calls for days, ever since I opened my email the day after the letter arrived.
Immediately my heart had started pounding when I saw the contact name on the form. DeSean Brown. The name probably wasn’t uncommon for these parts especially. Scrolling further down the form, I saw the phone number he’d listed. I would’ve checked it against the one in my phone, only Trent had erased all male names from my contacts while I slept one night, which meant I also lost the information for countless female friends with nicknames as well.
With a sigh, I decided to check out the ticket information. He needed two. One for Arionna Brown. One for Necie Brown. I swallowed hard. One way from San Francisco. I stared out into the yard. I could either be upset about this for no good reason, or I could just get the man his tickets. So, I did the research and emailed him some time options. Usually, I’d have called, offered a more personal touch, but I wasn’t in a good place.
Once the email was sent, however, I felt better and decided to select that self-defense class I’d been considering. There were plenty to choose from in Charlotte, but my schedule could be demanding. I needed a Saturday one for sure, which was how I’d ended up here. Realizing I could use this as an excuse, I decided to answer the insistent ringing.
“Hey, what’s up?” I grinned, waiting for her to snap on me.
“What’s up? You’re kidding right?” She huffed. “You tell me you received a new letter and you never called me back after deciding what to do about it. Did you talk to the police?”
“Yes, I did. And there’s not much they can do other than document it at the moment. So…” I nibbled on my lower lip.
“Honestly,” Annie grumbled. “Is there nothing they can do to protect you? No suggestions?”
“I can carry a bat,” I joked.
She snorted. “Pass. You’d only be beaten to death with it. What else?”
“Well, I’m starting a self-defense class in a few minutes. Wanna come with me next week?” I held my breath. I never planned to ask her. I never meant to tell her. Truth be told, I didn’t really want her to go with me. This felt like something I needed to do on my own, for me.
“Please. That sounds remarkably like exercise.” She laughed.
“Okay, well, when I’m fierce, you’ll be sorry,” I teased.
“You’re already fierce.” In the background, I heard a crash. “And the hubby’s home breaking things. So…gotta go!” She sighed as she ended the call.
Relieved, I took a deep breath and exited my vehicle. As I made my way to the door, I realized there were other adults and kids doing the same, which made me feel less scared and alone. One woman, already in her white uniform and wearing a yellow belt, motioned for me to follow her. She had a big, curvy build and long, curly dark hair pulled back in a ponytail.
“Hi, I’m Liz. First class?” she asked as we gathered in the hall. When I nodded, she smiled widely. “Thank God. I’m tired of being the new kid.”
“Oh.” I licked my lips. “I’m…”
“Tegyn.” His voice was breathy, deep, and directly behind me. I’d recognize it anywhere. Immediately, I stiffened. He was the guy I’d never forgotten, the guy my mind always drifted to when I was sad or stressed. Obviously, I’d been thinking of him more than a little these past few years.
Liz bowed. “Sabonim,” she murmured respectfully.
My brows rose. I glanced back and forth between them for a second until I realized what was going on. “You’re the instructor?” My voice was barely a squeak and my heart raced.
He glanced at the clock, reminding me that I only had a few minutes to get ready and pull myself together. “Here’s the uniform. Can we talk after class?”
I nodded numbly and reached for the clothes he passed me. The air between us crackled with electric currents as our fingers brushed, but I didn’t have time to revel in it or analyze what it meant. A second later, a tweenage girl appeared behind him with a woman. Mentally doing the math, I realized I was probably looking at Necie and Arionna. Their plane would’ve landed all of forty minutes ago. No wonder they looked out of breath. Unlike me, the girl was already in her uniform and lugging a couple of bags.
“Go line up,” D told her, but even as ordered her out of the lobby and into the room with the rest of the students, he never took his eyes off me.
Arionna glanced between us and her brow rose. “Come on, baby,” she murmured as she motioned for her daughter to follow her into the training area.
I swallowed hard. Even with Arionna there, he had brushed his fingers against mine while passing me the clothes and dammit, I already wanted to fall into his arms. In an instant, the years between us melted away and I was the younger, more carefree woman who loved to make him stop and take notice.
Liz tugged on my sleeve and pointed toward the restroom. “I’ll teach you how to tie your belt.”
“Thanks,” I murmured, determined to follow her so he’d get one more glimpse of my ass in yoga pants. I turned purposefully on my heels and allowed my hips to swing a little more than I normally would’ve as I made my way to the bathroom. Behind me, I heard him groan, and I smiled while feeling powerful again.
Once we disappeared inside the bathroom, Liz murmured, “Wow, the minute you saw him, you turned white. I mean, you were pale before, but when you saw him, you went pasty white, like Casper looked tan compared to you.”