Irritation is clear in her expression, and as she stands waiting for an answer with her arms crossed over her chest, her stomach suddenly gives an audible growl. She blinks, looking surprised, then rests a hand over her stomach.

I smile knowingly as comprehension clicks into place in my brain, and I hold up a hand to pause the conversation and walk over to the gym bag I brought with me. I tucked a protein bar into its pocket on my way out of my apartment, planning to eat it after our lesson, but she clearly needs it more than I do.

“Peace offering?” I say, holding the protein bar out to her. “I bet you haven’t eaten anything all day, have you? I know you don’t always get the chance when you have back-to-back classes and teaching.”

Something I can’t quite read passes across her face, and the little line between her brows smooths out. She lets out a breath, the irritation melting away from her features as she takes the protein bar from me. She tears it open and takes a small bite, and I start doing some warmup stretches while she eats so she doesn’t feel like I’m watching her. A few minutes later, I hear a crinkling sound as she crumples up the wrapper and tosses it in the trash nearby.

“Thanks. Sorry I got cranky,” she says softly as she joins me in stretching. A few quiet moments pass before she turns to me again as we’re both bent over and reaching for the floor. “Can I ask you something?”

“Anything you want.” And I mean it.

“Why are you so adamant about pursuing me?”

I laugh quietly and slowly right myself. She follows and looks into my eyes, watching me and waiting for an answer. I know exactly what I want to say, but I’m not sure how she’s going to take it, so I wait. But she keeps going. “I mean, you lived in San Diego, so I’m sure you went to Opal and Oak more than once. You must’ve met plenty of other women there, so why are you so caught up on me?”

She thinks this is all just about sex.

The realization hits me like a punch in the gut. She must think that’s all I want from her, and that it’s the only reason I’ve been chasing her since we saw each other again in the locker room. But she couldn’t be further from the truth. Would I love to have more sex like we did that first night all those months ago? Abso-fucking-lutely. But it’s so much more than that to me. The more I get to know her, the more she lets me see of who she really is, the more I want her. And I can’t go another second without making sure she sees that.