“Have a seat,” I told her.
She carried her cup over to our small kitchen table. I prepared some plates with bacon and eggs and brought them over and sat them down.
“So I was thinking that maybe I could help you out today.”
“Help me again? I think you’re already doing that with my school assignment.”
“Yeah, well. Good thing I like you.”
She blushed, and I liked how the crimson went across her cheeks. “So how are you going to help me?”
“By teaching you some self-defense. That way, if you ever find yourself in a situation like yesterday, you will be able to defend yourself.”
She thought about it for a moment and then nodded. “I guess so.”
“Great. Let’s get going, then.”
We quickly finished our breakfast before heading to the gym.
“Okay, self-defense is really simple. The movements are basic, and they will ensure your safety the next time some guy gets in your face.”
I saw her shudder as she remembered what happened to her the night before. I went through some movements with her on how to get out of a choke hold, as well as a defensive hold. I showed her how to use her car keys as a weapon, and how to throw a punch.
“Okay, let's try an attack. I'll come up from behind you and put my arms around you, and you try to break the hold.”
She made a face, and then said, “Sure, let's give it a try.”
I went up behind her nice and close, wrapped my arms around her shoulders, and pulled tight. It was then that I realized her hair smelled like strawberries. My heart began to beat hard, and having her there in such close proximity aroused me the hell out of me.
“Jet?”
I hadn't realized I dazed out for a bit. I pulled her in tighter, trying to concentrate on the movement, and then told her to go for it.
In one fluid movement, she elbowed me in the stomach, which loosened my grip on her. She moved quickly, grabbing my arm and twisting it around so that I was forced to let go. She spun around, and only then did she let me go. She was blushing hard, and it made me think she knew why I was in such a daze. Oh boy.
“Well that's probably good for today, you got some basics down, and at least you can throw a clean punch.”
“Yup, and next time a guy tries to mug me, he’ll wish he didn’t.”
I wrapped my arm around her neck and held her for a second before letting her go.
“Well, let’s hope it never comes to that.”
Chapter Fifteen
Natalie
My phone began to ring, and it was my friend Benny. “Hey, what’s up?”
“Not a lot. Want to go out with me tonight?”
“Of course. I have been dying to go out all week. Since my incident, I have been sort of freaked out, but I think I’m ready.”
Benny also happened to be on the MMA team, though we never discussed Jet at all, oddly enough. Probably because when we hung out, we never really discussed fighting. Benny was an awesome friend, and we had a lot of fun together; we just never discussed sports, as he knew I wasn't into athletics that much.
“Meet me at my house.”
“Okay. Cya then.”