Chapter Text
It was supposed to be just a regular gym session with his brothers. They came in probably five to six days a week, beelining for the back area where the free weights were located. Azriel wasn’t much of a cardio person—the thick muscles of his body confirmed that—but whenever he did want to run, he preferred the open air in his face and the hard pavement beneath his feet.
However, he was considering changing his tactic when she started showing up.
With a smile as warm as sunshine and curves he wanted to drown in, Azriel was completely smitten by the newest gym-goer.
And he didn’t even know her name.
He’d been trying to buck up the courage to go talk to her, and he knew his days were limited, not when both Rhys and Cassian saw just how much he looked in her direction even though he tried to hide it from them. They were probably one session away from going up to her on his behalf and that would be literally the worst thing possible.
Az would have to join a new gym.
Or she would, just to get away from them.
Typically, she remained towards the front of the building, where the cardio stations and the weight machines were. Occasionally, she would disappear upstairs for a spin class or some other group activity he’d never bothered with.
But today was different.
Because today, she and her two friends wandered into the free weight section, dangerously close to him and his brothers.
Cassian smirked at him, egging him to go talk to her while he spotted Rhys on the bench press.
Fuck, he really wanted to. Just not when his brothers would be eavesdropping on every word and criticizing him later for it. Ignoring how Cash’s hazel eyes bore a hole into the back of his skull, Az grabbed two loose, fifty-pound dumbbells, and laid down on one of the free, spare benches next to his brothers, intending to loosen up his chest before jumping on the bench press after Rhys.
What he did not expect was for the gorgeous girl to accidentally sit down right on top of his face.
She let out a squeak, leaping off him and dropping her weights on the floor with a loud clang. Her face turned instantly maroon, color dropping as far down as her exposed chest in her amethyst-colored sports bra.
Az sat up, twisting around to look at her. Fuck she was so cute when she blushed, especially like that.
“I—” she stuttered, somehow getting impossibly pinker. “I’m so sorry.” Not letting him get a word in edgewise, she bolted for the women’s locker room, her two friends sharing a look before quickly following after her.
Rhys was stopped mid-rep, both him and Cassian gaping.
Azriel glanced at them. “Did…did that just happen?”
Cassian gripped the bar for his brother, hauling it back up onto the hooks. “Let me just say Az, if that doesn’t get you a date, I don’t know what will.”
He shot him an unamused look. “She’s embarrassed,” he deadpanned. Fuck, this probably ruined any chance of him asking her out. Now she was definitely switching gyms.
“Because she sat on your face in a public space when she’d probably rather do it in private.”
“Cassian,” he hissed, rising to his feet to rerack his weights.
His brother flashed him an innocent look. “What? The girl is obviously into you—”
“You don’t know that,” Az countered.
Rhys shook his head, violet eyes rolling skyward. “Brother, for being someone so intelligent, you are also so incredibly stupid.”
He crossed his arms. “Care to elaborate on that insult?”
“She never comes back here. Ever. But today she does. And there’s nobody else here but us right now,” Rhys said carefully like it was enough for him to understand whatever he was getting at.
A dark brow raised, imploring him to continue. “And?”
Cassian let loose an exasperated sigh. “And, she comes to sit down on this bench, right where you were working out at.”
“You think she did that on purpose?”
“Sitting on your face, no. Her reaction and embarrassment were too genuine. But she was purposely getting closer to you. And when you were curling earlier, her eyes were glued to your biceps.” Cassian winked. “She’s got the hots for you, Az. So, make a damn move.”
“Today’s your last day,” Rhys added, grabbing his bottle of water and taking a swig.
Azriel frowned. “What makes you say that?”
“Because after that little incident, she won’t be coming back here if you don’t ask her out. Grow some balls, Az, and just do it.”
They were right, and he knew it. Grabbing his things, he told them, “I’ll see you guys later,” heading for the door. He didn’t want to wait in front of the women’s locker room like a stalker, but standing just outside the front door of the gym really didn’t make him seem like much less of a creep. But as the glass opened and the three women stepped outside, he wasn’t left with much of a choice.
“I’m never going to be able to show my face here again.”
“Stop being so melodramatic, Elain. It wasn’t that bad. And, to be honest, he probably liked it.”
Elain.
That was her name.
He was stuck stupid with the knowledge. A beautiful name for a beautiful woman. “Elain,” Az whispered to himself, tasting it on his tongue. Fuck, it was so sweet.
Elain smacked her friend’s shoulder. “You’re so crude, Nuala. Besides, he clearly didn’t like it since he’s long gone now.”
And he took that as his cue. “Excuse me!” he called over to her, jogging to reach where she and her friends had frozen in place.
She watched him come near, her friends patting her shoulder and muttering something about giving them a minute. Elain’s face was turning an adorable shade of pink again and it made him curious about where else he could get her to blush. “How much of that conversation did you hear?” she asked warily.
His lips turned up in the corner, taking in her damp hair from her recent shower, the pink bag hooked in the crook of her elbow. The smattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose. And those stunning doe eyes, so dark with strands of gold woven in her irises. She was even more beautiful up close. “Enough to hope that this conversation is going to go in my favor.”
Her brow arched and a quiet laugh passed through her parted, plump lips.
Very kissable lips if he were being honest with himself. Azriel had a sudden desire to lean in and see if she’d let him do just that, but he restrained his urge and held out a scarred hand instead. “I’m Azriel.”
She glanced at the damaged flesh, taking his hand in hers as a single word escaped her. “Beautiful.”
His cheeks heated, having never heard such a thing to describe the grotesqueness of his mangled scars, but he inclined his head in thanks, feeling especially vulnerable from it.
Her gaze returned to his. “My name is Elain,” she finally said, releasing his hand.
“I would say it’s nice to meet you, butttt,” he dragged out the ending syllable, making her laugh. And fuck him right there if he didn’t want to bottle up that sound to keep forever.
“At least it’s face-to-face this time,” she grinned.
He shook his head at the joke, feeling a smile break out and making him giddy like a teenage boy. “Would you like to get dinner sometime?”
“You’re not asking me just because I’ve already sat on you, right?”
Az could see the hesitancy, and he couldn’t blame her for questioning it. “No! No, of course not. To be honest with you, Elain, I’ve been wanting to ask you out for a while now and have just been too chicken-shit to do it.”
One side of her lips quirked up, revealing the cutest dimple. “So, it took for me to sit on you to ask me out then?” It was obviously a joke, but he still grew nervous that perhaps he was misreading the signs.
He rubbed the back of his head, bicep bulging and Az saw the way her eyes were drawn to it. Heat flared behind the gaze. So, Cassian hadn’t been lying then. “Actually, my brothers’ said that if I didn’t do it today after that,” he waved his hand in the general vicinity of the gym, “then I’d lose my shot. And I would hate to miss the opportunity to take you on a proper date.”
Her head cocked to the side, golden-brown hair sliding off her shoulder. “Well, I think your brothers may have been right.” She held out a hand, palm up. “Give me your phone.”
Az slid the electronic device from his pocket, unlocked it, and handed it over to her.
Elain’s thumbs flew across the screen, inputting her phone number into his contacts with a little flower emoji. She then sent herself a text to get his number. “Call me later?” she asked, passing his phone back over.
He smirked. “I will.”
Her chin dipped. “Good.” As she began to step back, Elain paused, her face turning a little mischievous. “Perhaps after a proper date, we can try that original introduction again.” She winked at him, turning on her heel. “See you later, Azriel.”
Az gapped after her retreating figure and was only brought back to reality when his brothers exited the gym and clapped him on the back.
“Well,” Cassian began, nudging him with his shoulder. “From the looks of it, that seemed to have gone well.” He pushed him towards his jeep, giving him an expectant look. “So, is she going to repeat what she did earlier?”
“Fuck off, Cassian,” he rolled his eyes even though in his head he was already imagining exactly that.
Because fuck yeah were they going to repeat that at some point. And this time, he’d be ready for it.