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Ty lets out a large sigh and turns to face me. And I can’t help but smile at the exasperated expression on his face.
“Gotta climb those stairs, Tiger.”
As his eyes flick between mine, the hardness morphs into something he’s been showing a lot more of recently. Vulnerability.
I know letting someone into his world is difficult and completely foreign to him. He’s a grumpy asshole with sky-high walls, and I don’t expect that to change much. I fell in love with him, just as he is. But now he’s my grumpy asshole, and when the walls do come down, I love being able to show him how to experience and enjoy life outside of his head.
He nods slightly and shifts his bag on his shoulder. “My day was good.”
I press my lips together with a smile, trying not to push my luck here. It may not be much, but he tried. And that’s a win.
“Good.” I nod. “Now let’s go in. You’re keeping me from enjoying these cookies and I might die if I don’t eat one soon.”
The glare Ty aims my way as I push past him to open the door could burn a hole in the back of my head.
“You might die for another reason,” Ty mutters as he enters the gym behind me.
“Oh, come on.” I roll my eyes and head towards the kitchen, where I hear the voices of our teammates. “We both know you wouldn’t. Who else is going to put up with your attitude and let you get balls deep in their ass?”
“My attitude?” Ty scoffs. “And right now I’m tempted to go balls deep in your throat so you’ll shut the fuck–”
“Hey, guys.” Max pulls his office door shut behind him as he exits, glancing between us with a look of both amusement and horror. “Sorry to… interrupt.”
I wave a hand in the air. “Oh, no problem. Heading out?”
Max huffs a laugh and nods. “Yeah. Just running some errands, I’ll be back later. What are you working on tonight?”
Ty opens his mouth to answer, but I lift my finger and press it to his lips. “No,” I say with a shake of my head.
If he had a fiery glare before, it’s nothing compared to the inferno brewing in his dark eyes now. He smacks my hand away, practically snarling at me.
I chuckle and turn to Max as he observes us cautiously. “We’re grappling today.”
The inferno is now raging as Ty tenses beside me. “No, we’re–”
My head tilts back as I let out a groan. “My god.” I point my finger at him. “You need a mental break, and I need to work on sweeps. You put me in charge, remember?”
“I didn’t fucking put you in charge,” Ty grits out.
“Well, that’s not how I remember it. But either way, I am.” I nod at him. “And I say it’s time to let go. So, what do you say, Ty… can you?”
His jaw tics, and my lips tilt up in a smirk. After everything we’ve been through, pissing him off is still just so much fun.
But truthfully, we both need this. I need to work on sweeps, as I struggle to execute them effectively, and Ty could use a confidence boost. With Ty’s help I’ve been able to strengthen my guard passing, so now I want to focus on reversing position from guard in an effective sweep. And I’m going to try really fucking hard to let Ty have this one, and teach me what I need to know… really fucking hard.
As Ty continues to scowl at me, Max chuckles. “Sounds like a good plan.” He walks past us towards the gym door, patting my shoulder on the way. “I’ll check in when I’m back.”
“Have fun!” I call to him as he leaves, and I head towards the kitchen.
“I want to get into the ring tonight too,” Ty grumbles behind me. “We don’t have a lot of time and–”
I scoff and glance at him over my shoulder as we approach the kitchen. “What part of ‘let go’ do you still not understand?”
He sighs and continues towards the locker room, but I grab him, pulling him into the kitchen with me. Inside, everyone is gathered around the kitchen table as they catch up over pre-workout shakes.
“Oh my god.” Seb stares at the plate in my hands. “Are those cookies?!”
“Yup.” I set the plate down on the table to a round of cheers. “Peanut butter chocolate chip.”
