Crushed (20 page)

"Can I start training now?" Sophie asked, nudging Robert in the side.

He smirked, as if he had some kind of joke planned. "I thought you'd never ask."

"Training?" Gwyn watched them with narrowed eyes. "In here?" The way she said it was scolding, assuming they would break something.

"It won't be that rigorous. Just a few self-defense moves." Robert stood, holding out his hand to Sophie.

She took it impulsively, but realized her mistake a second after her hand touched his. In one swift moment he'd twisted her arm behind her back, placing her in a position that she couldn't move.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch!" Sophie yelled in pain. "I get it! Let go!"

He released her at her command. She rubbed her wrist gently, glaring at him in fury.

"Lesson one." He bowed theatrically, though he was caught off guard by the pillow she pelted at him.

"Next time give me a heads up, jerk." Now ready, she stood up straighter, preparing for his next move.

Gwyn and Teddy had abandoned the carpet to sit near the edge of the room, where they'd be less likely to get involved. While Gwyn seemed annoyed at the two of them, Teddy was watching them with eyes filled with interest.

"I'll try." Robert grinned wickedly. "So, what would you like to work on? Offense or Defense?"

"Offense." Sophie pulled up her fists in a fighting position.

"Wrong answer. In case you haven't noticed, you're small." He emphasized his point by placing a hand on her head, motioning towards how short she was compared to him. "In a fight where strength is involved, you won't have a chance. I'm not a professional fighter, so I can't teach you how to use your size to your advantage."

"What can you teach me?" She dropped her fists and crossed her arms.

"How to deflect blows, how to escape when someone's grabbed you, and most importantly, how to run away."

Sophie felt disappointment wash over her. "That's it?"

"It's better than nothing." He lifted his arms, motioning for her to do so as well. "Let's begin."

The training session was truthfully more interesting than she'd thought it would be. While Robert hadn't been able to teach her how to take down someone with punches or kicks, he'd given her invaluable knowledge on how to escape.

She didn't want to admit it, but working with him was almost fun. For the first half of his instruction he'd seemed like he was playing with her. Though the deeper they focused on training, the more serious they'd both become. By the end, Sophie felt like she understood more about Robert on a personal level. He'd unknowingly given her a glimpse of how his mind worked, and she found that she was able to work better with him as an instructor.

She'd had teachers in the past that she'd worked well with, but she seemed to sync with Robert on an entirely different level.

They'd been committed to keep training until Rylan entered the room, his eyes daring them to argue.

"Dinner's been ready for thirty minutes." He began angrily. "If you don't come eat right now, I'm going to throw everything anyway."

Robert and Sophie wiped off the sweat from their foreheads, exchanging a surprised look. It hadn't seemed like they'd been working for so long.

Instead of waiting for them to come on their own, Rylan herded them into the kitchen.

"I spend hours cooking for you, and this is the thanks I get."

Gwyn and Teddy were already sitting at the table, having waited for them to join before they started eating. The moment they sat down, everyone began talking at once.

Sophie watched them in surprise, having been used to mealtimes being silent occasions. Then, she realized that the tension that had been surrounding them was gone. Now that everyone was comfortable with her, there was no reason to act unnaturally.

Teddy was busy quizzing Robert on everything he'd taught Sophie. He begged to be taught too, though he didn't give Robert an opportunity to answer. Gwyn was informing Rylan of how well Sophie was keeping up with the training. Sophie grinned to herself when she noticed how Rylan wasn't really paying attention. Now that his annoyance had faded away, he was free to stare at Gwyn like a lovesick puppy.

Sophie doubted Gwyn realized how hopelessly he adored her. She also knew that Rylan had no idea how much Gwyn idolized him. They were as close as best friends, but they still seemed to be one step away from expressing their feelings to one another.

She turned her attention back to Robert, who appeared the most natural she'd ever seen him. When he smiled down at Teddy, his eyes seemed to be smiling as well.

It seemed impossible that such a boyish man was twenty-nine years old. His handsome features took at least five years off his age. Sophie momentarily did the math, realizing that he was eight years older than herself.

At first, it seemed like a huge age difference. She wondered if would be awkward to date someone that old.

Her last thought was so unnatural she ended up choking on the water she'd been drinking. Sophie's cheeks lit up a bright red as she tried to stop coughing.

"Are you okay?" Robert asked, his deep blue gaze examining her.

His stare only made her feel more embarrassed. "Yeah." She coughed again, covering her mouth so that the others couldn't see her face.

"Don't tell me you were thinking bad thoughts." Rob guessed, his eyes flickering with interest.

"O..of course not!" She hissed back.

"Thinking about Luke?" Gwyn asked innocently. The entire table turned to look at her. "I mean, ignoring the fact he works for Max, he's kind of attractive." She seemed like she wanted to take back her comment. "I saw him when he came over before." She glanced down at the table shyly.

Rylan's mouth had twisted into a frown. "He wasn't that attractive." He sounded hurt. "Do you like guys like him?"

"I told her I thought he was cute." Sophie broke in, hoping to prevent a fight between them. The last thing the two of them needed was a misunderstanding.

"Is that so?" Robert had caught her attention again, though he was no longer smiling.

"Well..." Sophie felt frozen by his gaze. She hadn't even considered what she was saying before she'd blurted it out.

"I have an idea!" Teddy broke in, looking like he resented the fact he was being left out of the conversation. "Let's play a game!"

Everyone fell silent. "What kind of game?" Gwyn asked, standing from the table nervously. She began clearing off the plates to give her something to do. Sensing an escape, everyone except Teddy follow suit.

"Hide and seek." Teddy slipped out of his chair, placing his small hands on his hips. "Unless you guys are too chicken."

"Sounds fun." Rylan offered, though Sophie sensed he had an alternative reason for joining. He reached out to grab Gwyn's hand, squeezing it pointedly.

"You have to be it, then." Gwyn continued, understanding Rylan's unspoken message.

"Okay!" Teddy immediately closed his eyes. "Ninety-nine, ninety-eight, ninety-seven..."

Rylan tugged Gwyn behind him as he rushed out of the kitchen. Sophie suspected he was using the game as an excuse to get Gwyn alone so he could make sure she didn't have feelings for Luke.

"Ninety-six, ninety-five, ninety-four..."

"It seems we're playing in teams." Robert mused, grabbing onto Sophie's hands before she could react. He led her out of the kitchen and through the living room. Sophie hadn't noticed it before but there was a door hidden towards the back of the room. Robert swiftly opened it, slipping through as silently as he could.

"Where are we going?" Sophie hissed, too surprised to pull away.

"If you knew, it wouldn't be half as fun."

The warm burst of night air alerted Sophie to the fact they were headed outside.

"Is this legal?" She asked, wondering if Teddy would search outside.

"I hope not." His hand tightened around hers as they darted through the back yard to a line of trees that surrounded the house.

She could barely make it out with the fading light, but there was a treehouse positioned above them.

"I don't like heights." She whispered, her stomach dropping.

"I don't like it when you complain." He pulled her to the rope ladder. She didn't have time to protest when he lifted her by her waist, forcing her to grab onto the ladder for support. "Hurry."

She began climbing, knowing hanging in the air would be worse than standing on something firm. The treehouse was farther away than she'd hoped. Once she'd entered inside she found that it was large enough for the two of them to sit comfortably.

"Here we are." Robert hoisted the rope ladder.

They both sighed in relief, without considering that they were only playing a game.

"He'll never find us in here." Sophie accused, pulling her legs to her chest. "That's not fair."

"Which means he'll find Rylan and Gwyn first." He smiled crookedly.

"Is winning that important?"

"If my brilliant plan makes you uncomfortable, feel free to find your own hiding place." He offered the rope ladder out to her.

The thought of crawling down the ladder made her stomach turn. "No thanks." She tried to remind herself that the treehouse felt sturdy.

She turned to look outside the window, feeling awkward now that they were both sitting in almost complete darkness. Robert solved the unspoken problem by pulling out a flashlight from nowhere. When he turned it on, the whole tree house was illuminated.

Sophie raised her eyebrows in surprise as she noticed all the hidden loot around her. Candy wrappers surrounded her feet, and comic books were strewn everywhere.

"Teddy did all this?" She tried to sweep the trash into a pile, but it soon became a mountain of wrappers.

"I might've helped." Robert sat the flashlight facing upwards in his lap, giving his face an eerie glow. "I feel like telling ghost stories." He mused.

"Were you messing with me when you said you were twenty-nine?" She accused, her eyes narrowing.

"You're really stuck on that age thing, aren't you?" Though his comment was joking, his eyes were serious. "It couldn't be that you've fallen for me?"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves here." Sophie rolled her eyes.

"Oh, that's right. You prefer the dark and mysterious types like Luke."

"That's what you really wanted to get at, isn't it?" Sophie leaned forward, knowing she was on to something. "You want to make sure I'm really not love with Luke."

Robert shrugged, deciding not to reply. "You know." He began. "This light kind of makes you look like a fox." He reached out to lift her chin, staring pointedly at her eyes. "You're sharper than I gave you credit for."

"You should know that changing the subject won't work on me. I'm very persistent." She narrowed her eyes, daring him to try to keep joking around.

Robert sighed, leaning back as if he'd given up. "How boring." He tossed her the flashlight, and she focused it on the ceiling so she could still see his face without blinding him. "I don't want to be the bad guy here, but being attracted to Luke isn't...in your best interest."

"You haven't minded being the bad guy in the past."

"I'm turning over a new leaf." He fiddled with the wrappers around him. "If we're going to do this...working together thing, you're going to have to listen to me."

"I'm not good at that."

"I've noticed." His eyes locked with hers. "There are things you don't know."

"Things you won't tell me."

"Things you don't need to know." He whispered.

"That doesn't change anything. Need and want are the same to me, and I want to know."

"I won't be the one to tell you." Robert seemed like he was no longer in the mood to joke. "I don't want you involved with the bulk of what Cleo's going to ask us to do."