By the time the lesson was over, he found himself more excited for the next lesson than he'd anticipated.
A few of the students stayed behind to ask questions: what kind of swords they'd use, how long it took to learn, and where to buy swords. That was what Chase wanted to know. The instructor said the club had some practice gear to provide and then rent after the course was done. Those who liked the aesthetic of weapons were welcome to buy them, but almost all weren't competition-legal.
Chase didn't care. The idea of having a blade in his house that made him feel safer. He didn't really care about competition. He just wanted to be able to keep people out of his space.
He smiled as he headed out onto the street, noting how far away objects he passed were – telephone posts, street signs, even parked cars. In my bubble – outside of my bubble – oh, that one's inside my bubble...
He'd never had the best sense of spatial dimensions aside from micro-scale proportions on people's bodies. People often startled him by getting close before he even knew it, and it always made his heart leap into his throat. Tonight, he didn't feel anxious walking through the downtown bustle and back to his apartment building.
Something subtle had changed within him at class that evening.
Chapter 10
Jackson
"Look at how far along I am," Jackson grinned. He lowered the heavy wrought iron piece to rest against Cam's living room carpet.
"Oh wow, that whole section is complete, isn't it? It looks finished..."
"Yeah, it's done. That's the whole section between those staircase landings," Jackson told him. "Then I just have to do the section along the top. You like it?"
"What does it look like in place?"
Jackson laughed. "You're just making me work for it, aren't you?" He hauled it up a few steps and over the edge of the bannister. "Now, imagine that the other crappy railings aren't there..."
"Oh, no, I see what you mean. Wow. That'll look stunning," Cam told him sincerely. "Thank you, bro. That's... really cool."
Jackson's chest swelled. He carried the section back downstairs and leaned it behind the couch with the other two. "No problem."
"Will it fit the code?"
"Building code? I already measured like eight times, man."
Cameron frowned. "But it will?"
Jackson groaned. "Yes. I know the codes, man."
"I'm just saying, this is a big custom piece. No builder involved to get the permits and stuff like usual..."
"You're a stickler for the rules, aren't you?" Jackson's temper was heating up, but he tried to take a breath and cool it off.
"Do I need to hire a lead contractor here to keep you in line?" Cam smirked. There was an edge of tension between them that Jackson didn't like. Cam was worried he'd fuck up the spacing between the stairs and open air and fail inspection.
Jackson punched Cameron's arm a little harder than usual. "I'm not gonna fuck up. I've been working with carpenters and inspectors longer than you were a carpenter – for what, one summer?"
Cameron's cheeks flushed red and he took the point. "Yeah. Sorry."
"Yeah." Jackson rubbed his chin. "Okay, I gotta blow this popsicle stand. See you later, man."
"You too."
Once he was in the backyard, Jackson scowled at the gate as he stepped through it, then slid it shut. His little brother usually believed in him, but now he was suddenly questioning him?
Jackson knew it was just Cam being cautious, but it still rankled. If only he didn't know the code by heart. He wished he could work mostly on art or armor or fireplace accessories. He didn't love railings and balusters. But the home builders were expanding suburbs rapidly. They built new subdivisions every year. Their jobs were the most consistent and straightforward... and paid well.
They just bored the crap out of him.
He knew when he started to get annoyed easily, it was time to step back from work. He went to his forge to shut everything down. Ryan and Kevin and the guys were all busy and he hadn't heard from Chase since they'd set up his dating profile. He sent a text.
Wanna hang out?
He didn't know why his heart thumped as he waited for a response.
Chapter 11
Chase
"En garde."
Chase's hand almost shook, even though the flexible sword in his hand was surprisingly light. It wasn't even as heavy as his tattoo gun. The tip was covered in a bright orange cover, yet it felt... far more deadly.
His opponent, Belle, was clad in a mask and heavy clothing. She looked far more intimidating than he'd expected. He swallowed hard, trying to keep his feet pointed like he'd been taught. He imagined the tennis ball between them. Seconds later, that was forgotten. Belle lunged forward and he hastily brought his blade across to parry the blow.
Every second felt like years when he was waiting for the next blow.
Twice more his opponent tried before he got up the courage to lunge, too. Belle had fenced before, and it showed in the smooth way she moved.
"That's it, Chase," their teacher, Mike, called out. "Keep going."
Belle lunged again. This time, he noticed the moment the lightweight foil entered his personal space. The moment he'd parried her blow, he countered and the orange tip pressed against her chest plate.
"Whoa, good," she praised, and her voice sounded surprised but pleased for him.
Mike echoed, "Good. Both of you stand down. You two, you're next."
As they rotated off and set down their foils, Belle lifted her mask and smiled at Chase as soon as his was off. "That was great."
Chase was still shaking. His adrenaline was through the roof. His thick protective equipment weighed him down and grounded him at least. "Thanks."
"You go to school here?"
"No, but I just moved here a few months ago."
Belle smiled, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Cool. I can't believe this is only the third lesson. I've learned a lot."
"Really? You seemed pretty good already."
"Oh, no, I forgot most of what I learned before," Belle laughed. "But it does come more naturally to you after lessons, I guess. You're coming along fast too."
"Thanks."
They turned their attention back to the current pair to try to study them. Chase smiled as he leaned back against the wall. Maybe he could pick up a couple friends here, too.
By the time the session was done, Chase was ready to run out of there. When he got a text message from Jackson asking him to hang out, he stopped mid-walk to Tim Horton's to answer.
Sure :) I was just about to grab supper.
Let's meet up for supper? Jackson answered.
"Yes," Chase whispered under his breath and answered, Sure! It would give him the chance to propose a crazy little idea. He told himself that was the only reason he was excited. Something about the way his heart warmed up said otherwise.
Jackson was dressed up nicely and waiting at the door to the restaurant. Chase's heart unexpectedly fluttered. It had been a long time since his last date.
Not that he wanted one with Jackson.
Chase cleared his throat and raised a hand to wave. He tried not to notice Jackson's clean, dark jeans, freshly-styled hair, or the ironed collared shirt. This was a step up from the usual t-shirt and jeans.
"Hey," Jackson smiled, and for a moment, there was that hesitation again. Just like when he saw me off last time.
Chase broke the tension by smiling and clapping Jackson's arm. He pulled open the door for them both. If Jackson didn't want things to be romantic between them, he wouldn't make this awkward. "How's it going?"
Jackson relaxed and offered him a smile. "Thanks. Not bad, just finished up some work for my brother. It's nice getting to swap work, even if it's a bit more of the same. Table for two, please."
Once they were seated, Chase leaned in across the table and folded his arms. "More of the same?"
"Always staircases," Jackson groaned. "I'm getting tired of them. I just want to make, I don't know... armor."
Chase's cheeks turned pink. This was going to sound so cheeky, but... "Well, I have an idea. Um, I kind of want... a sword..."
"Yeah?" Jackson clearly saw where this was going.
"We could trade, somehow... if you're interested. I mean, back when we met, you said you were thinking of getting a secret tattoo. I don't know if you did that yet--" Jackson shook his head, so Chase continued, "--but I could help."
"In exchange for a sword? What kind? I can't do copyrighted stuff," Jackson told him upfront. "And I can't do something you can actually fight with – at least, it'd take me a long time."
Chase blinked and laughed. "No, I'm not going for Lord of the Rings-style swords," he reassured Jackson.
"You'd be surprised how many guys want to pretend they're in it," Jackson grinned.