this last week. But one more of these outbursts of yours and you’re out. I’ll see to it that you never fight in this town again.”
Without a word, Tyler made his way to the change room. He didn’t see the small creature who still sat, confused, on the bench against the opposite wall.
----
N aomi slipped into the women’s locker room after Tyler had disappeared. For a moment she contemplated leaving, escaping that look that she’d seen on his face. Much as she’d known that something was inside him, hidden, secret and dark, she hadn’t anticipated this. To the untrained eye it might have appeared to be a simple killer instinct, as though he was nothing more than a boxer—or shifter—out to win a bout. But Naomi had talked a lot with Miri about this—it was what Miri had feared in Malcolm before she’d come to understand his protective nature. This, she knew, was something else entirely. A dark, bitter rage that sat in him. But a rage at what?
She shifted and dressed, deciding that she’d get to the bottom of it. Maybe there was no hope for their relationship, but if that was the case, there was no real risk.
At the other end of the locker room was an emergency exit; the sort that claims with a warning sign that the building will implode if you open it. Naomi decided to take her chances, to push it open and slip out into the alleyway. Somehow, she couldn’t imagine that Tyler would like knowing what she’d just seen. Sure enough, no alarm sounded.
She let the door close gently behind her and trotted down the alley towards the sidewalk. It was now closing in on 7:00 and the sun had already all but disappeared, leaving only a faint orange glow in the distance.
Slipping around the front of the gym, she breathed deeply as she waited for the door to open.
And a minute later, it did. As soon as he saw her he smiled, that gleaming, friendly grin of his, concealing everything that had just occurred; everything she’d witnessed inside. He approached her even as she considered walking the other way.
“How are you doing?” he asked. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”
“I’m fine. Just fine. But more importantly, how are you?” She winced as she asked the question, which revealed too much. It sounded like she cared, damn it.
“I’m fine. Shouldn’t I be? All the better for seeing you.”
She felt the endorphins make their way through her body. He was charming her again, as though everything that had happened was unimportant.
“Tyler,” she said. “What the hell was that in there?”
“What do you mean?”
“I was in the gym a few minutes ago. I saw you fighting.”
“Ah.” His voice was expressionless, his features blank.
“That’s it?” she asked. “Ah? So you’re not going to explain to me why you looked like you were going to kill that guy?”
Tyler began to pace along the sidewalk, strain showing once again on his face. “I fight. I box. It’s what we do.”
“Yeah, well, presumably when you box you don’t do it in the form of a lion whose teeth could eviscerate a blue whale.”
“It got out of hand,” he growled.
Naomi stood. “That wasn’t out of hand,” she said. “That was psychotic. That other guy was playing dirty, I’ll admit, but the mature thing would’ve been to stop the fight.”
“Mature? Stop the fight? You think a man can just say, ‘Hey now, play fair,’ and another man will stop being an asshole? Is that what you think?”
His voice was raised now, the rage returning. Naomi moved away, stepping out of arm’s reach. “I’m leaving. I’ve heard enough, I think.”
Tyler’s hands balled into fists once again before he released them. “I’ll take you home.”
“It’s fine. I’ll walk.” She turned away and began the trek.
“Naomi,” said the deep voice behind her.
“What?” she asked, turning to him as the tears burned her eyes.
“You deserve every good thing in the world. You don’t deserve a jerk like me.”
“Good to
Without a word, Tyler made his way to the change room. He didn’t see the small creature who still sat, confused, on the bench against the opposite wall.
----
N aomi slipped into the women’s locker room after Tyler had disappeared. For a moment she contemplated leaving, escaping that look that she’d seen on his face. Much as she’d known that something was inside him, hidden, secret and dark, she hadn’t anticipated this. To the untrained eye it might have appeared to be a simple killer instinct, as though he was nothing more than a boxer—or shifter—out to win a bout. But Naomi had talked a lot with Miri about this—it was what Miri had feared in Malcolm before she’d come to understand his protective nature. This, she knew, was something else entirely. A dark, bitter rage that sat in him. But a rage at what?
She shifted and dressed, deciding that she’d get to the bottom of it. Maybe there was no hope for their relationship, but if that was the case, there was no real risk.
At the other end of the locker room was an emergency exit; the sort that claims with a warning sign that the building will implode if you open it. Naomi decided to take her chances, to push it open and slip out into the alleyway. Somehow, she couldn’t imagine that Tyler would like knowing what she’d just seen. Sure enough, no alarm sounded.
She let the door close gently behind her and trotted down the alley towards the sidewalk. It was now closing in on 7:00 and the sun had already all but disappeared, leaving only a faint orange glow in the distance.
Slipping around the front of the gym, she breathed deeply as she waited for the door to open.
And a minute later, it did. As soon as he saw her he smiled, that gleaming, friendly grin of his, concealing everything that had just occurred; everything she’d witnessed inside. He approached her even as she considered walking the other way.
“How are you doing?” he asked. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”
“I’m fine. Just fine. But more importantly, how are you?” She winced as she asked the question, which revealed too much. It sounded like she cared, damn it.
“I’m fine. Shouldn’t I be? All the better for seeing you.”
She felt the endorphins make their way through her body. He was charming her again, as though everything that had happened was unimportant.
“Tyler,” she said. “What the hell was that in there?”
“What do you mean?”
“I was in the gym a few minutes ago. I saw you fighting.”
“Ah.” His voice was expressionless, his features blank.
“That’s it?” she asked. “Ah? So you’re not going to explain to me why you looked like you were going to kill that guy?”
Tyler began to pace along the sidewalk, strain showing once again on his face. “I fight. I box. It’s what we do.”
“Yeah, well, presumably when you box you don’t do it in the form of a lion whose teeth could eviscerate a blue whale.”
“It got out of hand,” he growled.
Naomi stood. “That wasn’t out of hand,” she said. “That was psychotic. That other guy was playing dirty, I’ll admit, but the mature thing would’ve been to stop the fight.”
“Mature? Stop the fight? You think a man can just say, ‘Hey now, play fair,’ and another man will stop being an asshole? Is that what you think?”
His voice was raised now, the rage returning. Naomi moved away, stepping out of arm’s reach. “I’m leaving. I’ve heard enough, I think.”
Tyler’s hands balled into fists once again before he released them. “I’ll take you home.”
“It’s fine. I’ll walk.” She turned away and began the trek.
“Naomi,” said the deep voice behind her.
“What?” she asked, turning to him as the tears burned her eyes.
“You deserve every good thing in the world. You don’t deserve a jerk like me.”
“Good to
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