Free Me (Caged Hearts Book 1) (8 page)

Chapter 22

The air smelt of sweat and determination as Kait entered the gym. She was wearing tight fitting sweat pants and a crop top which showed off her slim figure. Her hair was held up in a ponytail and bobbed as she walked. As she left the sanctuary of the ladies’ dressing room, she instantly felt like a fish out of water. This was Jasper’s territory, not hers. She couldn’t even remember the last time she’d been to a gym. She’d had to pay a day rate just to get in. Luckily her office was partnered with the gym and offered staff a discount.

As Kait signed up for her day rate, the muscular receptionist did his best to make her a more permanent member. He seemed utterly baffled by her decision to visit the gym just the once.

The gym was a wide open space with white painted walls where mirrors weren’t already hanging. Televisions were suspended from the television which people gazed at as they ran on treadmills or worked the cross trainers.

Glancing around, Kait took a deep breath and tried to appear like she belonged. She clutched the bottle of water she was holding a little too tightly, wishing that she’d asked Anna to come along with her. But if Anna had come, there would have been someone to witness her humiliation if Jasper rebuffed her. She certainly didn’t want anyone present to see that.

Oddly, everyone at the gym was either slender or covered in strong, bulging muscles. No one looked like they actually needed to be there, and no one looked like they only came in for the one visit.

As people sprinted on the treadmills and lifted dumbbells the equivalent of Kait’s entire weight, they didn’t even break a sweat. This was a gym for professionals. Everyone there clearly took their physical fitness extremely seriously.

Kait started to wish she could just fade in to the background. She feared that she stood out like a sore thumb thanks to her lack of muscle definition and general look of unease. She was considering turning around and leaving when she spotted him.

It was as if there was a magnet within him which Kait couldn’t help but be drawn to. Like a moth to a flame, she gazed helplessly at Jasper as she perched on the edge of a metal bench and lifted a small, singular dumbbell with one hand. Each time he raised the weight, his impressive muscles contracted. Kait shivered as she remembered how it felt to be wrapped in his powerful embrace. Shaking away the thoughts, she lifted her chin defiantly and pushed back her shoulders. It was time to face Jasper Duboix and silence any doubts she had between them once and for all.

“Jasper, hey,” she announced herself nervously, aware that at this point she must look like a stalker. Jasper ceased raising the dumbbell and looked up at her. His eyes widened in surprise as his jaw clenched. Was he annoyed to see her?

“I’m not even going to pretend this is a coincidence,” Kait admitted boldly. “I came here deliberately to see you since you scamper from my place before we’ve had a chance to talk.”

Glancing around, she was relieved to see that the particular part of the gym they were occupying was blissfully quiet, meaning they could talk candidly.

Jasper ran his free hand down his face and set his weight on the ground. He straightened and focused his chocolate gaze upon Kait.

“What do you want to talk about?” He asked in his deep, gravelly voice.

“Well,” Kait could feel herself becoming flustered. “Really, I want to talk about us.”

“Us?” One of Jasper’s eyebrows shot up as he echoed the word. Was he intrigued by the topic of discussion or just annoyed?

“Yes, us,” Kait confirmed with a brisk nod of her head. “I feel like we’ve seen each other a number of times now,” she was interlocking her fingers together and then releasing them as she spoke. “There have been flowers and a dinner and more than one night spent together.”

“What’s your point?” Jasper asked curtly.

For a moment, Kait’s mouth flapped open and closed.

“My, my point,” she tried to recover. He was being surprisingly abrupt with her given the subject matter.

“My point is that I’d like to know where we stand. Together. Are we friends? Are we a couple? Are we on the way to being a couple?”

Shaking his head, Jasper looked down at the floor.

“What?” Kait’s hands landed on her hips to reflect her indignation at his response.

“You came here to ask me if I’m your boyfriend?” There was something mocking to Jasper’s tone which Kait didn’t appreciate one bit. “What are we, ten?” Jasper was still shaking his head as he picked his weight back up and continued to work out.

“I’m not asking for a label!” Kait insisted, though in reality she was. “I just need to know where this is headed.”

Jasper continued working out.

“Well?”

With a roll of his eyes, he looked up at her.

“I’ve got a huge match coming up this Friday.”

“Right, yeah,” Kait already knew this. Why was he even bothering to tell her? What did it matter?

“So I need to be focused on that.” Jasper explained.

“Okay.” Kait still wasn’t following.

“I need to focus solely on that,” Jasper spoke slowly, ensuring she got the point he was making. Kait’s mouth fell open once more as her cheeks began to burn. He was blowing her off. Her worst case scenario was coming true. He was telling her that his focus needed to be on his big fight, not on her. He was letting her go.

“Right, okay, I see,” Kait did her best to remain calm and collected. She blinked away her tears and continued to hold her head high. “Well good luck with that.”

She turned on her heel and marched her way back through the gym, desperate to reach the changing rooms so that she could release the tears which gathering behind her eyes. She swallowed down a lump in her throat, and as she reached the double doors, she took a second to glance back at Jasper. He was staring intently at the weight he was currently working out with; he wasn’t even looking at Kait. She pushed the doors open in despair and made it in to the changing rooms just as the tears came.

Chapter 23

It was early Friday evening and Kait was doing her best not to think about Jasper. Yet she found herself checking his Twitter account at least once an hour. His big fight was now just hours away.

“I hope you lose,” Kait seethed at her phone when she saw yet another Tweet from Jasper about how confident he was about this latest bout. She plunged her spoon in to the bowl of ice cream she was clutching and looked back at the television where her favourite film was playing. She refused to let Jasper Duboix bring her down. Yet she knew how pathetic she was to be wearing her flannel pyjamas and tucked up before the television when it was only six in the evening and still light outside.

Kait pushed the spoonful of ice cream in to her mouth and closed her eyes in satisfaction. The sweet, cold chocolate flavour was a welcome respite from the pain which burned through her core. She couldn’t believe that Jasper had so readily pushed her aside. And what for? For a fight. Did she mean so little to him?

Tears trickled from her blood shot eyes, but she ignored them as they journeyed down her cheeks. The curtains in her apartment were drawn, sealing out the sun. The room hadn’t seen daylight for several days. Kait wanted to enshroud herself with darkness to match her mood. When she managed to sleep, she dreamt only of him. Despite washing her sheets his scent continued to cling to her bed. It was as if she couldn’t be truly rid of him no matter how hard she tried.

Her phone beeped, but Kait ignored it. She knew full well it wouldn’t be Jasper texting her. He had all the time in the world to Tweet his followers and communicate with them. But for Kait, he had quickly become a ghost. She wondered if he’d even thought about her since their encounter at the gym.

Her phone beeped again, and Kait rolled her eyes and turned up the volume on the television. The film had reached one of her favourite scenes where the lead characters first kiss. As she watched their on screen romance blossom, she wondered why real life couldn’t be that easy. The way she’d met Jasper had felt like a fairy tale. He’d appeared at her darkest hour like a knight in shining armour. He’d been valiant and brave. He’d even bled for her. Then there had been the flowers and the date.

Kait’s tears intensified so that she was sobbing. Her shoulders shook as she tried to focus on the movie, but instead all she could think about was Jasper, how he’d be wonderful to her one moment and brutal the next. Why would she even want to be in a relationship with someone like that?

“Because of caramel kisses,” Kait mumbled forlornly to herself. She’d decided after their second night together that Jasper’s kisses were like caramel because they were ridiculously sweet and no matter how many you had you always wanted more.

She swallowed down another spoonful of ice cream when her phone began to softly chirp. Groaning Kait picked it up and answered the incoming call which she could see was from Anna.

“Hey,” Kait mumbled in greeting.

“Hey, you! Are you feeling better?”

Kait looked down at her lap where she was cradling the tub of ice cream.

“Not really, no.”

“So you don’t feel up to coming out tonight?”

“Absolutely not.” The last thing Kait needed that night was alcohol. She needed to just go to bed and hide beneath the covers and not think about Jasper and his precious big fight. A fight that was more important to him than she was.

“Things didn’t work out with that guy, did they?” Anna inquired knowingly.

“What makes you say that?” Kait wondered suspiciously, glancing around her apartment as if her friend had someone bugged the place without her knowing.

“Just a hunch,” Anna declared brightly. “Am I wrong?”

“Umm…”

“Are you currently sat in those gross red flannel pyjamas eating chocolate ice cream?”

Kait stiffened on the sofa.

“Are you watching me?”

On the other end of the line, Anna started laughing.

“I don’t need to watch you to know what you’re doing. You’re my best friend, Kaitie Kins, I know your post break up routine better than my own.”

Kait dropped her spoon in to the bowl of ice cream. This was her post break up routine. She hadn’t even realized she was doing it.

“So the guy is history, so what? Let’s move on!” Anna urged.

“Not yet.” Kait wasn’t ready to face the world. She wanted to remain locked up in her apartment with her old movies for company.

“Take off those nasty old pyjamas and come out with me.”

“Another time.” Kait picked her spoon up again. The stress of the conversation was making her need more ice cream.

“You’re coming out tonight, I insist,” Anna told her.

“Anna - ”

Knock knock
.
The second after Anna had said the words, two brisk knocks landed on Kait’s apartment door. She raised the remote and paused the DVD she was watching.

“Anna, are you here?” She asked slowly.

“You bet your ass I am!” Anna enthused excitedly. “I’m here to pull you out of your post break up slump and remind you what a fabulous, beautiful woman you are!”

Kait glanced hesitantly in the direction of her front door.

“Either you open this door or I’m kicking it in! When your landlord gives you grief for damaged property, don’t say I didn’t warn you!”

Kait hurried to her feet and went to let her friend in.

Chapter 24

Two hours later, and Kait was wearing her favourite leather skirt and a sheer white blouse and clutching a large glass of wine.

“See, isn’t this better than moping around your apartment?” Anna asked from beside her, raising her voice to be heard over the steady throb of the music.

“Yeah,” Kait nodded in agreement. “It is.”

Within the sea of dancing bodies, it was easy to get lost. Easy to forget about the gaping hole in her heart which Jasper had left.

The music became faster, and Kait allowed herself to relax to the beat. She swayed as she stood beside her friend and even attracted some admiring glances from nearby men. She was starting to slowly feel better again. She was glad that her friend had managed to peel her away from her sofa and the half eaten tub of ice cream. If Anna hadn’t showed up, she’d still be crying in front of the television.

“So many guys are checking you out,” Anna edged closer to her friend so that she could whisper the comment in to her ear. “You could totally find a rebound guy in here.”

Kait smiled, but the comment stung her more than she thought it would. She didn’t need a rebound guy. She needed Jasper. How was she supposed to contemplate getting over him when a part of her was still falling for him?

“I need another drink,” Kait declared before promptly finishing off the remainder of her wine.

“That’s the spirit!” Anna giggled as she followed her friend to the bar.