"Oh, my darling sister Elle!" Rio's voice called from downstairs, making me roll my eyes. I already know that he wants something.

I gave myself one final look in the mirror. I wore a white exercise skirt and a black t-shirt, ready for my training session with Sin. I kept my hair down but had an elastic on my wrist just in case.

Rio was standing there with a smile once I reached the bottom of the stairs. He asked, "Can you drop me off at my friends' house on your way to the gym?"

"I guess," I shrugged, grabbing a water bottle out of the fridge.

I watched Rio nearly fall over while putting on his white high-top converse, before standing back up to his full height. We walked outside together, the sun shining brightly as if it hadn't stormed at all yesterday.

Rio typed his friends' address into my GPS before I pulled out of the driveway, and Rio kept going, "Careful, don't hit that biker. Careful, don't hit that old lady. Careful, don't hit that baby."

"There's nobody around, Rio! Shut up," I muttered, making him laugh as if irritating me was his goal. Which it probably was, because that's what he loves to do as a younger sibling.

Once I parked in the driveway, I locked the door before he could get out, making him roll his eyes. I told him sternly, "Remember, if they start doing anything you shouldn't, call me. I'll show up, kick their ass, and then bring you home."

"Got it. Anything else, mom?"

"Get out before I hit you," I said while unlocking his door.

He got out and rushed into his friends house, and I waited until he was all the way in before pulling out and starting to drive to my training session with Sin.

----------

I swung the door open, ready to greet Sin with a smile. But a random guy stood in the middle of the room, making my eyebrows draw together.

His eyes met mine, "Hey. Sin is still sick, so I'm in to cover for him today. My name's Berry."

"Hey," I smiled at him.

I walked over to him and tossed my bag onto the floor before meeting my eyes with his again. I pursed my lips and looked away when I realized he was looking my body up and down. I cleared my throat, "So, lets get started?"

"Sure thing. Come here," he cocked his head over to the mat.

I walked over with him, and he told me, "We're gonna spar."

"Cool. I hope you have insurance, Berry, because I'm about to put you in the hospital," I hyped myself up. I'm trying to manifest kicking his ass.

A laugh came out of him. He smirked at me, "You can definitely put your hands on me."

I cringed internally. Never say that again.

I went to get into a fighter's stance when he stopped me, "You gotta stand like this."

He stood behind me, and my jaw dropped out of disgust as I felt his hard-on graze my back.

"Just...like....this..." he spoke, his hands on my waist moving me around.

I gulped uncomfortably. The way his hands were on me didn't feel helpful, they felt like they wanted something else. I looked over my shoulder, but quickly snapped my head back around once I saw that his eyes were looking at my ass.

"Okay, yeah, I got it," I took a step away from him. "So, can we spar now?"

"Of course," he said, moving to stand across from me.

I threw a punch, but he dodged it. I used my knee, but he grabbed my leg while it was in the air and lifted it, making me fall onto my back. He laid on top of me, pinning my hands behind my head. He smirked, "Got ya."

"Well, you won't next time," I replied, trying to move to get from underneath him. But he didn't move.

"You're very pretty, Elle," he smiled, and usually that would make me smile. But given the circumstance, I didn't feel like smiling. "Do you have a boyfriend?"

"I don't think that's an appropriate question to be asking right now," I tried to move my wrists from his grip. "Now can you get off of me, please?"

"Oh, do you like being on top?" he cocked an eyebrow, making disgust form on my face.

I spoke sternly, "Off. Now."

He laughed as if I were joking, but thankfully, he stood up. I pushed myself up, pulling my shirt back down that had risen up. I picked up my bag and told him without making eye contact, "I think I'm gonna go home now."

"Don't be ridiculous. We just started," he smiled. "Here. I'll grab some tape and we can use the punching bag."

"I think I'm just gonna go-"

"I think you're gonna stay, Elle," he spoke sternly, but he kept a smile on his face so it didn't seem as aggressive.

I gulped. He walked toward the tape that was sitting on a table near the front door, so I knew that I couldn't go out through that door.

My eyes looked around the room while he spoke with his back facing me, "It's a good thing a small girl like you is taking a self-defense class. You'd definitely be an easy target."

I froze. Yea, I'm getting the fuck out of here.

My eyes landed on the vent above one of the tables. I replied casually while quietly walking over to it, "Yea, but I'm supposed to be taller than I am. I blame my mom because my dad is 6'3."

"It's cute, I'm not dissing it," he replied, and I fought back the face of disgust that I wanted to make.

I silently got up on the table, reached up on my tiptoes, and moved what was blocking the vent. He continued, "I've always had a thing for brunettes, too. Maybe Sin getting sick was destiny."

"Maybe. Mercury is in retrograde, so you never know," I replied, having no idea was retrograde means.

I put my hands on the vent before jumping up and pulling my body weight. As I entered the vent, I heard him say, "You should come back to my place after this."

I didn't reply since I was in the vent now, and the material around me would make it echo and made him turn around. I quietly put the screen back on the vent before starting to crawl around in it on my hands and knees.

As I crawled, the hard steel hurt my knees and hands.

"Ow," I mumbled while crawling. "Ow."

My eyes landed on the opening of a vent in front of me. With how long I was crawling for, it was surely a different room. Didn't even matter what room, because I was just going to make a break for it anyways to my Porsche outside.

I opened the vent, only being able to see the ground below me. It looked like a pretty far jump, but I was sure I'd probably be fine. Most definitely. Unless I died, then I wouldn't be fine.

I jumped down, ready for the impact of my legs breaking underneath me. I even planned out what I was going to say when I called 911 and asked for an ambulance. I'd quote Spongebob and go, "My leg!"

When I didn't make contact with the ground, I opened my eyes. They widened seeing that Nico had caught me and that I was in his office. The man looked so confused as if he had just witnessed the strangest thing ever.

I smiled at him, "Hey. What's up?"

"Why the fuck did you just fall from a vent?" he asked while setting me back on the ground.

I got my footing on the ground, pursing my lips and looking around while I thought of an excuse. My eyes landed on his chair, which was knocked over, telling me that he had jumped out of it so fast that it fell backward.

"Why not?" I asked, shrugging and raising my eyebrows.

His eyes narrowed, "I'm serious. The fuck were you doing in the vents? Isn't Sin training you right now?"

"Turns out Sin is still sick and he just so happen to ask nobody other than Bryce Walker to train me," I told him. "Not actually since he isn't a real person. But somebody just as creepy."

"What was he doing?" he asked.

"It was clear he only wanted one thing, you know? Even after I made it clear I didn't want to," I told him, and his face turned even more serious. Didn't even know that was possible.

"I'll make sure he never trains here again," he said confidently as if he could get it done easily. I nodded, happy that no other girls would have to be trained by him.

I hopped up on his desk and took a seat, and he gave an 'I-didn't-tell-you-that-you-could-do-that' look. So I stayed exactly where I was.

He rolled his eyes but stepped in front of me. He asked, "How's your bruise?"

"Better, but still there. I don't have to sleep on my back anymore, though," I shrugged, crossing my legs that dangled at my ankles.

"Can I see it?"

For some reason, his question gave me butterflies. I nodded my head, and he took a step forward. He lifted my shirt up, but stopped at the exact spot where my bra started. His thumb brushed over the bruise as he stared at it, and goosebumps covered my arms. He asked, "Can I put more stuff on it? Should be completely healed in a few days."

"Sure," I agreed.

He reached into his drawer and pulled out the container. He scooped some with his fingers before putting it onto my skin, rubbing it in gently. As he did this, I asked him, "How often do you fight? And why?"

His hands stopped for a second. He looked up at me through his eyelashes and said, "No questions about my life, remember?"

I let out a sigh. How boring.

Once he was done rubbing it into my ribcage, his fingertips grazed my skin as he pulled my shirt down. I held in my breath until he took a step back,

But he didn't.

"What time am I picking you up tomorrow?" he asked me.

Shit. If Romeo or my parents are home, they're going to ask how I met Nico again. I know for a fact that none of them remember him being our neighbor for a day ten years ago, and even if they did, they would still ask how we got in contact again.

Maybe I'll just tell them. I'm getting self-defense classes because I want to be able to protect myself. Nothing happened, just want to be able to in case something happens. I'm sure they'd believe that.

"Whenever," I told him. "What are we going to do?"

"Don't know. Stuff."

"Oh my gosh that sounds like so much fun," I spoke sarcastically. "Can I pick what we do?"

He shook his head, "Hell no. You'll pick something I don't want to do."

"You don't know that!"

"Yes, I do."

I hopped down from the desk, staring up at him. I proposed, "How about this. If I pick one thing for us to do, and you like it, you owe me some ice cream. But if you hate it, you can punch me in the face."

"Deal," he said instantly, making me narrow my eyes. I hope he doesn't actually punch me because I think I would die.

I started to walk to exit the room, when he asked, "Where are you going?"

"Home. I need to take a shower."

"Could come back to the tattoo parlor with me," he said, and I fought back the smile that wanted to form on my face.

"I have to work a short shift soon at the flower shop. Try not to daydream about me," I smiled at him, ignoring the fact that he rolled his eyes.

As I exited, he called out to me, "Only if it's of me practicing punching that face of yours!"

I let the comment slide when I heard the faintest laugh come from him after. I bit my bottom lip while I stepped outside, getting into my car and out of the bright sun.

So I guess he does know what laughing is.

---------

"Have a good day!" I said to the customer before they exited the store.

My grandparents went home again early, so I was going to close up the shop by myself. I headed over to the door to flip the sign from 'Open' to 'Closed' but stopped when I saw somebody park in front of the shop.

I froze for a moment seeing that it was the same guy that Nico said had a knife in here.

I took a few steps back as he swung the door open. He smiled at me, "Hey. You're working again, good."

I nodded my head, and he turned his head toward the speaker. He asked, "Why is Cheif Keef playing?"

"Helps the flowers bloom," I pulled out of my ass, making a laugh escape his lips. "So, what are you here for?"

"Well, I was actually here to talk to you," he said, and I tilted my head, unsure if that was good or bad.

"Okay, what's up?"

He walked over and picked up a bouquet of red roses. He handed them to me and smiled, "Here to give you your favorite flowers."

I said my favorite flower is a purple carnation.

"You shouldn't have," I tried to keep the sarcasm out of my tone.

"So, do you think I could get your phone number?"

Hell fucking no.

"I-"

The door opened behind him, and relief washed over me seeing that it was Nico. But my eyebrows lowered wondering why he was here.

Nico looked the guy up and down, "You again. He bothering you, Elle?"

"No, I'm not," the guy replied.

"Wasn't fucking asking you," Nico spat.

I set the bouquet of flowers down, and said to the guy, "My phone is broken right now, sorry. I'm also not allowed on dates, so maybe you should ask somebody else?"

Nico cut him off before he could speak, "In other words, get the fuck out."

The guy looked at Nico with hate, and Nico did it back. They held each other's eyes before the other guy backed down, and exited the store.

Once he was in his car and drove away, I asked Nico, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to buy some fuckin' flowers, what does it look like?" he replied. "And save your ass from getting robbed apparently."

I rolled my eyes, but walked over to the daises. I got him some white ones, knowing that it would be for free since I hadn't paid for any of my sessions yet. I handed him the bouquet, and asked softly, "Who are the flowers for?"

"Remember what I've told you, Elle?" he said, making me let out a disappointed sigh.

He claims he doesn't have a girlfriend, yet is buying white daises for a girl. He could be lying to me and secretly have a girlfriend, but he doesn't strike me as a liar.

"How long do we have to be friends until you'll start to tell me about your life?"

He held the flowers in his hands. He moved his eyes away from the flowers, to meet mine.

"I don't think I ever will," he replied.

I felt confused as I watched him turn around. I watched until he was out of view, hundreds of questions sticking in my brain.

He's hiding something.

And eventually, I'll find out what it is.