Chapter 66: Chapter Thirty Six-1

He pushes his hand through his hair as he gives me a smile. "Any friend of the Collins', is a friend of mine. And as friends, we stand up for each other. Even if it is to other friends," he tells me firmly. "No one is going to get belittled under my watch." He holds his hand out and I shake it firmly. "Just don't let me down," he says quietly, meeting my eyes. "Otherwise there's nothing I can do to help you." "I won't," I reply instantly, my face serious. "I promise." --------------------- "You're an idiot." "I think you mean charming?" "No, I mean idiot," I huff as I grit my teeth together, pulling Finn from out of the passenger seat of my car. "I've gone from practice and working out almost every day, to nothing. I need this," he whines to me and pouts, making my glare soften. "Yeah, I know," I reply quietly as I loop my hand around his waist, to make sure he doesn't fall, while I fling the door shut with my other. I swiftly press the button on my keys and hear the distinct click as the doors lock. He pushes off from the car and straightens. I pass him one crutch, and then the other. He settles his arms over them and wriggles for a moment, before getting comfortable. "Ready?" I ask. "Yep." I walk slowly beside him as he hobbles towards the entrance of the gym. I feel really stupid bringing my brother, with a broken leg, to the gym, but he insists. As I hold the door open for him, the bell above us chimes, letting the staff know someone has entered. "Finn Collins, you crazy mother fucker," I hear a deep voice say and I glance over to where Dave, one of the personal trainers, is stood. He is a tall, broad-shouldered man with thick arms and a deep voice. "What the hell are you doing here?" "My legs might be out of action, but I can still do arm day," he laughs, even though you can see the strain on his face from using the crutches and dragging his heavily cast-clad leg. "Touche, my brother," Dave says to him with a grin. "When you're back in action, give me a holler. I'll give you a freebie." "Legend," Finn nods to him. "Don't be too hard on him," he winks to me, before he saunters off in the opposite direction we're heading. "Did he just wink at you?" Finn laughs. "He's old enough to be our dad." "I know," I laugh as well, heading over to the counter. "Hey Skye." "Hey girl," Skye replies as she holds her hand out. I drop both mine and Finn's gym passes into her palm. She swipes them into the card processor. I take a moment to drag my eyes across her brightly coloured tattoos, briefly wondering what I would look like with them, not that I ever would. "How're you doing, Finn?" she asks him with a sly grin, looking over the counter at his cast. "Fantastic, thanks for asking," Finn sarcastically replies. "Seems a bit weird going to the gym when you have a broken leg," she points out, curving her dark eyebrow at him. "Arm day, okay? Arm day!" he practically shouts at her. Skye and I exchange a look with each other, before laughing. Finn mutters under his breath as she passes the cards back to me. We go over to the weights and I help him lay down. "I got this," a voice says to my right and I glance up, to see Alec. "I don't mind," I tell him and feel a little awkward. "I'll spot him, I've already completed my work out." "Okay, if you're sure?" I ask him, noticing the excess sweat beading across his forehead. "Yes," he replies tersely and steps in front of me, before smiling down to my brother. "How's it hanging, mate?" "I needed to get out of the house," Finn's huffs and I take a step back, to get out of Alec's way. "I feel like I'm going insane being cooped inside all day." "You're back to school next week, right?" Alec asks him. "You bet I am." "Has Jai spoken to you? About what he did?" I feel the corners of my mouth tug down at his tone. "About putting Miles on the team? Yeah," he shrugs. "And?" Alec presses, glaring down at him. "And I think it's a good idea. He's the only good enough player to cover me. We needed someone else anyway." With a satisfied smile, I turn and walk away, ignoring the steam that is coming out of Alec's ears. I make my way over to the treadmill and begin my warm up. I spend twenty minutes on there, before moving over to do some core strengthening. I push myself to do five extra minutes than I normally would. When I'm heading over to the weights, I wipe at my brow and bend over. I feel two warm hands on my hips. I quickly drop the weight and spin around, to see Miles smiling down at me. "Hey," he greets me and before I can reply, plants a soft kiss on my lips. "Hi," I grin up at him. "I didn't know you were coming." "When you said you were bringing Finn, I thought I might as well," he replies, tightening his fingers around my shirt at my sides. I'm surprised I don't feel as self-conscious as I usually would, knowing that my cheeks are flushed and my skin clammy. This is what happens when you work out, I can't really hide that fact. I don't think Miles is shallow enough to judge my appearance. Not after everything we've been through. "I don't need much of an excuse to come see you." I beam at him and kiss him softly on the edge of his jaw. "Are you going to speak to Finn about the team?" I question. He nods. "Yeah, I think I will when he's finished." "Good idea." I look over my shoulder, to see Finn pushing weights off his chest and Alec spotting for him. They're both concentrating, not paying any mind to us. I suddenly reach for Miles' hands and drag him behind me. I rush towards the unisex, single bathroom and shove him inside, locking the door securely behind me, glad it somehow smells like vanilla scents in here. When I turn, he is right there. I step back in surprise, my back hitting the door behind me. He presses the palms of his hands beside my head, trapping me. "What are we doing in here?" he asks me softly, his eyes trained on my lips. I drag my tongue across my lower lip and hear him make a deep sound in the back of his throat. "Um..." I trail off, my mind getting stuck.