Now open your eyes

Mia laid her hand over my wrist. “I’m in awe of you. No matter how mad or angry I was, I couldn’t help but smile, knowing you did it. You deserve this, and people are listening.”

“Was?” I smirked, “You’re not mad anymore?”

“It’s fading.” She covered her mouth, certainly not hiding food. Probably her smile. “But I’m mad at some of the reviews though. Some people are rude.”

I laughed. “Rude, yeah?”

“Have you looked?”

“No, I’ve been too busy looking for your arse.” Laurie had mentioned not to look, too, that people could be hateful, and there would always be criticism. It came with the territory. Unfortunately, you couldn’t write for everyone.

“I’m proud of you,” she finally said, holding her fork to her mouth.

“I’m proud of you too.”

Mia smiled. I gri

I took her to Bushkill falls afterward. The cold front still stirred in the late April air, but the trees were slowly coming back to life after the harsh winter, painting the canopies green. It was early Sunday morning, and we walked the wooden, manmade decks, and I saw the regret in Mia’s eyes for not bringing her camera.

“We can always come back,” I reminded her with her gaze fixed on the waterfall.

It was quiet out here in the open woods aside from the water crashing at the bottom. The only sound within miles was nature. Mist from the falls dusted our faces, and Mia closed her eyes to drink it in. “We are definitely coming back.”

Taking a chance, I stepped behind her and leaned my hands over the railing, caging her in. I needed to be close to her. “You lived here for how long? And you’ve never been to the waterfalls?”

“Ten years and not once.” Mia backed into me and let the back of her head rest against my chest. The single gesture permitted me to breathe normally again.

Passed the falls and hiking trails laid a clearing in the woods. We’d been here for over an hour now, and I had to bring up the main reason why we’d come, dressed in comfortable gym attire. She looked at me curiously as I spun in place with my palms raised at my sides. There was no one around. We were way off the beaten path of the hiking trails, needing privacy for what we were about to do. “I’d say here is perfect.”

Her brow arched high in the air. “Perfect for what?”

“Teaching you how to defend yourself.”

“Ollie …”

“I debated on taking you to a gym this morning, have some other bloke teach you because I’m not a fighter—”

“Bullshit.”

I chuckled. “You think I’m a fighter?”

“You’ve been fighting for me for two years. You’re a fighter, Ollie.”

The truth was, I could fight, but never wanted to be the one to fight her. I had no idea if I could actually go through with this, putting my hands on her in ways I never wanted. “Yeah, I suppose when I have the right motivation. Anyway, are you willing to learn?”

“No.”

Her reaction set me off, and I stepped forward. “I’ve promised you over and over again that I’d protect you, but I’ve been doing it all wrong. You have to start fighting back, Mia. You said a week ago, cried in my arms how you hated how weak you were, how angry you were, and how you never wanted to depend on anyone. Well, here is your chance,” I raised my palms in the air, “what are you going to do with it?”

“Is this why you brought me here? To teach me to fight?”

“To defend yourself,” I corrected her.

“This is stupid.”

Mia turned to walk away. “Stupid?” I asked her back, and Mia turned around. “I bet you felt stupid when Ethan grabbed you and knocked you out. When you were tied up for days in that cabin, or should I remind you about the prankster, Mia? Nice nickname by the way, hardly a fucking prankster.”

“Stop!”

“How did you feel? Because I feel like a tosser for not teaching you this before. That I didn’t give you every tool necessary to protect yourself when I can’t be there. Every day, it tears me up inside. Every scar on your body is a reminder that I’ve failed you. I’m not doing that this time, Mia. I’m fighting for you, but you have to fight for yourself too.” Mia shoved me in the chest, but I wasn’t backing down. “Are you getting mad, love?”

“Why are you doing this?”

“Because I fucking love you.”

She went to hit me, and I snatched her wrist, spun her around, and slammed her back into my front, my chest heaving. “You always step with your left foot when you come at me. You’re predictable and slow.”

“I’m not doing this with you.” She jerked her arm out of my grasp and walked away, but I grabbed her hips and yanked her back to my chest. I was asking for it, and if I wasn’t careful, this could be grounds to never trust me again. But it was a risk worth taking.

After a brief struggle, I secured her wrists in one hand and pushed her against a tree. My entire weight pressed against her, and my other palm covered her mouth. Her silent tears fell over my hand, but I couldn’t stop. Not now. I was already too far in. “If someone comes at you from behind,” I continued in her ear, “use that other hand and go for my face—for my eyes.”

Mia threw her thumb backward and jabbed the soft tissue below my eye, and my first reaction was to take a step back, removing my hand from her mouth, which gave her the chance to turn and face me. Confusion swam inside those glazed brown eyes.

I nodded. “Let’s keep going.”

I showed her different scenarios and how to get out of them. With each one, Mia became braver, and the light gradually came back to life in her eyes. It was hard, being this close and keeping my head trained at the task at hand, but she needed this. Mia needed to know she could fight back, that she was strong enough all on her own.

Returning in front of her, I wrapped my hand around her throat to move on to the next move. Loose strands fell from her ponytail, framing her face. Mia’s rapid pulse in her neck tapped religiously against my grip, her chest rising and falling in short breaths. Her glassy brown eyes locked on mine weakened me, and my hand relaxed from around her throat. I couldn’t do it. Putting my hands on her in this way was hard enough, and I wished I’d just taken her to the gym.

“Keep going,” she challenged me.

“I can’t. I thought I could, but I can’t.”

Mia lifted my hand and placed it back on her throat. “What do I do next?”

Sucking in a breath, I pinched the bridge of my nose with my other hand.

“Ollie, I trust you,” Mia whispered with tears in her eyes. “What do I do next?”

“All right,” I ran a palm down my face and adjusted my hat, “You have a few options. First, you always want to drop your chin to your chest as soon as you feel a hand at your throat. Give them as little access as you can. You could grab my wrist with a free hand and yank it down. You could twist your body, throwing this arm up and over to use your elbow to snap co

Mia bit her lip and wrapped her tiny fingers around my wrist. When I thought she’d yank my wrist down, she surprised me with a twist of her body and throwing her elbow up, slamming it into my forearm, breaking the co

Her knee came up, and I quickly blocked it. “I said, not the groin,” I growled.