a lot more to it, but she hated the idea. Lex also didn’t relish the argument she knew she’d get when insisting on paying for her new suit herself. No matter how many times Kurt offered she still didn’t feel right about spending what probably amounted to his parents’ money. The other reason, contemplating lunch with his parents, usually made her feel a bit nauseous due to nervousness. Also, the pot pie she’d chosen was cardboard-like on the outside and unpleasantly gluey inside, which wasn’t helping in the least.
“All right, it’s settled, then,” Kurt said with an air of finality, trying to stifle a yawn. “And don’t be surprised if you do get this job. It sounds like they were impressed with you at the interview.”
Lex smiled a little uncertainly. “It’s just like nothing I’ve done before,” she replied. She hadn’t been sure exactly what she could reveal of her conversation with Sauer, so she’d just settled on telling Kurt that it looked like they would want her to do something different than she had been doing, something related to her martial arts training.
“Well, maybe it’s time for a change. And, there must have been a good reason for what they did because they contacted you , remember.”
Lex nodded, thinking maybe Kurt was right in that regard. They must have decided to contact her for some purpose, and maybe she should just trust in that. She smiled up at him. “Thanks. You always have a way of making me feel better.”
Kurt smiled in a way that made her heart jump. “That’s my job. Speaking of which,” he said, looking at the clock, “if I’m going to make it to my less-important day job tomorrow, I should think about turning in.”
Lex looked at the clock and noted that it was past nine thirty. “You’re right,” she said with a sigh. Then she looked at Kurt through the lashes of half-closed eyes. “So, would you like me to tuck you in?”
He chuckled low. “I thought you’d never ask.”
“Get ready for bed and I’ll join you there,” she said with a smile.
_____________________________________________________________
Forty minutes later in the gym downstairs, Lex hit the heavy bag as she went through one of her many forms. It could be done without using the bag, but she liked to do it this way if possible, since it kept her mindful of what it was like to hit a person, something she needed to remember when using martial arts. She took it easier than she normally would have, pulling some of the hand-intensive blows with her left hand so that her wound wouldn’t reopen. Lex could feel a trickle of sweat moving down her spine, under her t-shirt and sports bra, as she fluidly went through the movements. The bag stuck slightly to her arms as she hit it, and the familiar slick feel of it along with the usual smell of old sweat when she hit it seemed to relax her somehow. As she worked through the catalog of motions, she could feel her heart and lungs speeding up, and she moved with the heavy bag as if it were her dance partner or her lover.
At the same time, Lex found her mind wandering to a subject it had returned to again and again lately. She wondered if it was normal to feel like such an outsider with your partner’s family. Worse, the feeling had grown over the past few months to the point where she’d begun feeling more like a stranger even when it was just her and Kurt. Many things he seemed to understand naturally she felt she never would, and vice versa. Sighing, she made an effort to let go of those feelings, telling herself that, due to her bad upbringing, she just didn’t know how to connect with his family yet and that she had a case of nerves due to the mention of marriage. Smiling at herself, she punched the heavy bag squarely and moved on to the next sequence.
As she showered after her workout, Lex thought that tomorrow she'd apply for and follow up on job applications like she usually did, and she’d wait. If someone called for an
“All right, it’s settled, then,” Kurt said with an air of finality, trying to stifle a yawn. “And don’t be surprised if you do get this job. It sounds like they were impressed with you at the interview.”
Lex smiled a little uncertainly. “It’s just like nothing I’ve done before,” she replied. She hadn’t been sure exactly what she could reveal of her conversation with Sauer, so she’d just settled on telling Kurt that it looked like they would want her to do something different than she had been doing, something related to her martial arts training.
“Well, maybe it’s time for a change. And, there must have been a good reason for what they did because they contacted you , remember.”
Lex nodded, thinking maybe Kurt was right in that regard. They must have decided to contact her for some purpose, and maybe she should just trust in that. She smiled up at him. “Thanks. You always have a way of making me feel better.”
Kurt smiled in a way that made her heart jump. “That’s my job. Speaking of which,” he said, looking at the clock, “if I’m going to make it to my less-important day job tomorrow, I should think about turning in.”
Lex looked at the clock and noted that it was past nine thirty. “You’re right,” she said with a sigh. Then she looked at Kurt through the lashes of half-closed eyes. “So, would you like me to tuck you in?”
He chuckled low. “I thought you’d never ask.”
“Get ready for bed and I’ll join you there,” she said with a smile.
_____________________________________________________________
Forty minutes later in the gym downstairs, Lex hit the heavy bag as she went through one of her many forms. It could be done without using the bag, but she liked to do it this way if possible, since it kept her mindful of what it was like to hit a person, something she needed to remember when using martial arts. She took it easier than she normally would have, pulling some of the hand-intensive blows with her left hand so that her wound wouldn’t reopen. Lex could feel a trickle of sweat moving down her spine, under her t-shirt and sports bra, as she fluidly went through the movements. The bag stuck slightly to her arms as she hit it, and the familiar slick feel of it along with the usual smell of old sweat when she hit it seemed to relax her somehow. As she worked through the catalog of motions, she could feel her heart and lungs speeding up, and she moved with the heavy bag as if it were her dance partner or her lover.
At the same time, Lex found her mind wandering to a subject it had returned to again and again lately. She wondered if it was normal to feel like such an outsider with your partner’s family. Worse, the feeling had grown over the past few months to the point where she’d begun feeling more like a stranger even when it was just her and Kurt. Many things he seemed to understand naturally she felt she never would, and vice versa. Sighing, she made an effort to let go of those feelings, telling herself that, due to her bad upbringing, she just didn’t know how to connect with his family yet and that she had a case of nerves due to the mention of marriage. Smiling at herself, she punched the heavy bag squarely and moved on to the next sequence.
As she showered after her workout, Lex thought that tomorrow she'd apply for and follow up on job applications like she usually did, and she’d wait. If someone called for an
Similar Books
