Karmin was really hoping for a calm, three-hour drive to Springfield, Massachusetts, but Maddox's occasional sass and her inability to not annoy him made it difficult.

They were off to meet his Dad, a gym owner, who was going to train her. The plan was to leave in the morning, learn some much-needed skills, and be back by the end of the day. She thought it would be a fun, laugh-filled day.

She wasn't totally wrong.

"Do you ever wear pants?" wondered Maddox genuinely the moment she got into the car.

Karmin glanced at her pleated, khaki shorts with love. "I'm sorry, do my legs bother you?" she fired back.

His eyes travelled down her long, tan legs for a brief second to only quickly turn his eyes back to the street. His cheeks dusted with red as he cleared his throat. "Never mind," he grumbled.

She contently patted down her shorts and crossed her legs. This morning, she woke up feeling energized; something that was hard to come by nowadays. Karmin had told her parents that she was off working on school assignments in the library, so that gave her all the time she needed.

All night and morning, she was excited for this little road trip. Sure, it was only three hours, but it meant she got to spend more time with Maddox. He couldn't run off or ignore her for the next few hours.

Plus, he was trapped with her in a moving vehicle. There was nowhere to go except for busy traffic.

"Does your Dad know we're coming?" she asked. The last thing she wanted was to show up out of nowhere and him having no idea as to who she was.

Maddox nodded. "I told him you're training for some boxing competition, so if he asks, say that."

"Got it."

"Just a small warning. He's a nice guy, but when it comes to training, he can be," paused Maddox, trying to find the right word, "intense sometimes. Don't take anything he says personally."

"I'm not very good with criticism," Karmin remarked, staring at him uneasily. It was true. Whenever people commented about what she did or how she did it, she felt greatly offended. Even constructive criticism felt like a personal attack.

"Please don't tell me you cry when people criticize you," he sighed, shaking his head.

Karmin raised her hands in defense. "I'm a sensitive person."

"So, you won't cry when you get punched in the face, but you'll cry if someone criticizes you?" he asked incredulously.

"Basically," she shrugged.

"Girls are so weird," mumbled Maddox to himself.

"You have three sisters. Shouldn't you be used to this by now?" Karmin pointed out as she slipped off her sneakers and rested her feet on the leather seats. She was going to be in this car for a while, so might as well get comfortable.

He side-eyed her, but he didn't say anything about her feet on his seats. "It's always something new every day."

"Tell me about them," she said, curious about his sisters. "You already know about my sister, Aaliyah, who by the way, has a huge crush on you," chuckled Karmin.

"Why?" wondered Maddox, completely shocked to hear that.

Karmin looked at him with wide eyes. "Um, dude. Look at you," she exclaimed, only for him to shift in his seat embarrassedly.

"Stop staring at me," he grumbled, taking his hand off the wheel to push her face in the other direction.

"Aw, Mads," she laughed, swatting his hand. "Don't be insecure. You're very handsome. The green eyes. The black hair. The jawline," poked Karmin with an overly dramatic voice.

"Leave me alone," he complained as he flushed a deep red.

"You don't know you're beautiful, so that's what makes you beautiful," she sang, bopping her head to the lyrics of One Direction.

"I hate you," he groaned annoyedly.

"Fine, fine," she sighed, putting her hands up in mock defense. "We were talking about your sisters."

"Um, the oldest, Amalia, is in business. She's getting her Master's and is hell-bent on becoming a millionaire one day. Then, there's Logan, who wants to become a middle school teacher. She's the nice one, but if you mess with her art, she will fight you. Both of them live in an apartment together since they go to Columbia. And then there's Sabina. She's the craziest one," he listed, smiling as he talked about them.

"They seem amazing," she said. "I think that's why you grew up to be such a good guy."

"And my Mom and two grandmothers. The six of them do not hesitate to beat me up when I say or do something wrong," he said, laughing softly.

Karmin smiled, happy to hear more about his family and his laugh she wished she could hear more. It must have been interesting for him to grow up surrounded by women. "I would love to see that. That reminds me, Rhys still hasn't sent me the video of you getting beat up by Nadeem," she said, shaking her head disappointingly.

"Why do you want to see me get beat up so badly?" he asked, astonished as he turned onto the highway.

"I just feel like it'll be a fun thing to see," she shrugged. "And I probably won't get the chance to see you lose anyway, since you don't fight anymore. Why is that?"

"I'm just more focused on you," replied Maddox simply.

Karmin arched a brow. "Focused on me?"

"Yeah, I'm trying to make sure you don't die," he emphasized, glancing at her momentarily. "And I don't want to risk fighting you again."

"And losing against me. Makes sense," she joked, shifting her body until she faced Maddox.

"You're never going to let that go, are you?"

"For the entirety of our friendship," emphasized Karmin, eyeing him carefully to see how he would react to it, "I will never let it go."

"One day, I will call for a rematch, and you'll lose," he said confidently.

"I'm sorry, what? I don't speak loser," she asked innocently, a grin threatening to break loose on her face when he didn't deny that they were friends.

He shook his head, his lips quirking slightly. "I will throw you out of this car."

"Please," she scoffed. "We both know you're a huge softie. Besides, I would take you down with me."

"I really wish this car could eject the passenger seat," murmured Maddox to himself.

***

Three hours later filled with arguing, constant radio station changes, and car games that led to more arguing, Karmin and Maddox finally made it to his Dad's gym.

It was small, but every inch was filled with equipment and machines. However, it didn't feel claustrophobic. Mirrors covered up a quarter of the walls with individuals lifting weights that looked heavier than her head. Other's ran on the treadmills, drenching in sweat. At the entrance was a desk with promotional coupons and inspiring quotes that were a bit too cheesy.

"Hey, Maddox," greeted the man that sat in the chair behind the desk. He was buff with rich, tan skin and a headband pushing away his dyed blond hair. He looked like a surfer who had swallowed to much sea water in his time. "Nice to see you again."

"How's it going, Jordan?" he replied, shaking his hand.

"Perfect. I got my morning workout in and had my protein shake," Jordan said happily. "Are you looking for your Dad?"

He nodded, scanning the busy gym to find him as Karmin stood beside him, teetering on the balls of her feet.

"I think I see him," said Maddox as he moved towards the direction. "I'll see you later, man."

Jordan waved, smiling at Karmin briefly. She waved and quickly scrambled to follow Maddox. They weaved through the room, and as they got closer, she saw a man that resembled him. He had the same black hair, but instead of green eyes, his were a dark brown. He was in great shape for a forty-something-year-old man with his grey athletic wear hugging his muscles.

"Dad," called out Maddox once they were a few feet away from him.

He turned around, a large grin making its way to his face immediately. "Hey, bud," he exclaimed, going in for a hug.

Karmin stood there awkwardly as they hugged, not sure of what to do.

They broke apart, and his Dad looked over to her. "And you must be Karmin," he said, reaching out a hand.

She shook it, offering him a smile. "Hi, Mr. Knight."

He waved his hand dismissively. "Call me Lincoln," he assured. "So, Maddox told me you're taking part in a boxing competition."

Karmin wrinkled her brows in confusion until Maddox nudged her in the shoulder. "Oh, yeah," she exclaimed. "It's this small match. You've probably never heard about it. I actually don't even remember the name, so don't bother asking –"

"We only have one day," Maddox interjected, offering her a what-is-wrong-with-you type of look. "So, just teach her as much as you can."

"Sounds like a plan," Lincoln said. "How about you go change. The changing rooms are right through there." He pointed past the vending machine.

She nodded, heaving her bag up her shoulder.

This was going to be a long day.

***

Author's Note:

Hi everyone!!

I hope you all liked this chapter! Did you guys guess that they were going to visit Maddox's Dad?

Also, how do you feel about Maddox's inability to take compliments?

By the way, I just finished reading The Song of Achilles, and it has to be my favourite book of all time! It made me cry and it was so so beautiful! Have any of you guys read it??

Until next time - m.k.t