Falling

"So am I," I breathed. I sighed, and opened the car door. "Thank you again, Annabelle."

"You're welcome, Isla. When will you be back at gym?"

"Tomorrow... I guess. I guess he will be too," I added, in an undertone.

"He's a gormless idiot, then. I'll keep an eye out for you. What time will you be there?"

"Probably around half past six I'd imagine. That's when I usually get there."

"I'll make sure I'm somewhere visible in case he shows his face."

I flushed. "Thank you," I whispered. "That's very kind of you. You really don't need to though..."

"It's fine. I'd do it anyway," she said. She smiled and waved at me, and I closed the door behind me.

She waited, her Renault rattling and grumbling noisily as I fumbled at the front door of the block of flats. She hooted once and drove off once she was sure that I was ok.

I stumbled my way upstairs, locked my door behind me, and shot the deadbolt home for good measure.

Then I poured myself a large glass of wine, sat on my hand-me-down couch, and waited for my sister to answer my call.

.:.

"Are you sure you're ok?"

I smiled gratefully at the concern I could hear in Emma's voice.

"Yeah. I'm ok now," I said. "Still shaking a bit. But the door is locked and I've got my wine and so I'm slowly calming down."

"God, I'm so glad you're ok. You know you shouldn't let your guard down like that, Izzy."

"I was busy texting you, you tart," I said.

"Sorry. Fuck, I'd never have forgiven myself if I caused you to get hurt. There I was ranting about trivialities..."

"It's my own stupidity. He seemed harmless. I should never have told him my name."

"He'd probably still have waited for you. It sounds like he thinks you owe him something for being a 'nice guy'. Ick."

"That's the last time I'm friendly with anyone there. Well. Make that any guy who I've not scrutinised and vetted first."

"You're learning. So... tell me about this girl who ran him off. She sounds awesome."

"She's amazing. She just came charging in like... like a Fury... and threatened to snap him like a twig. It was... magnificent. I'd have swooned at her feet if I wasn't on the verge of pissing myself."

"You should get her address so I can send her something to say thank you."

"Oh, Em, you really don't need to do that..."

"Of course I do, she almost certainly saved you from... well, you can probably imagine what a guy like that would do to you. And besides, I get tons of samples that we can never get rid of. Get her address, Izzy, and I'll send her a nice basket of goodies from both of us."

"Send me some too, please, I'm running low on sparklies."

"Sure. I've got some lipstick samples in the perfect colour for you - prostitute pink."

"Oh, you bitch!"

And we laughed in our age old way and diverged into our typical banter and nonsense. At a scant year and a bit older than me, Em was my closest friend and most important confidante.

She scolded me gently again once more before saying goodnight, and told me that I should watch my back.

And that put ice down my spine as I realised I'd have to have eyes on the back of my head for the next month or so, especially going to and from the gym.

I sighed.

What a pain in the proverbial.

I made myself a small meal and tried to find something to watch on Netflix, but the bruises he'd left on my left arm throbbed and I was grumpy and out of sorts so it took me some time to settle. I eventually found myself something suitably brainless, and nested under my duvet as time crawled past.

But my thoughts kept straying, replaying the scene. Again and again I relived the crippling dread I'd felt when he'd said my name, the choking fear of harm when I realised that I was out of my depth.

And the flood of relief that had washed over me when she'd charged in and run him off.

I hoped that she was having a good evening and enjoying a well-deserved showering of positive Karma from the Universe as a whole.

And I tried hard to ignore the tiny, vicious part of me that wished she'd kicked his arse so that I could have had an excuse to fall for her, just a little.

.:.

A large part of me had not wanted to go back.

But the stubborn core had dug its heels in and refused to let me back down.

So I'd packed my bag and taken it to work and set my shoulders doggedly when I left to go to gym.

I prayed to whatever gods might be listening that he would not be there.

And I sighed in unspeakable relief as I saw her loitering against the wall by the gym's front doors. She pushed away and came to greet me.

"All ok?" she asked, eyebrow arched. "Any sign of our friend?"

"No. Thank God."

"Ok then. Come on. I'm going to go have some fun on the wall but I'll keep an eye on you. If he shows up I'll see him and we'll come and flatten him."

"Not that I want you to think that I'm complaining... but..."

"Why am I doing this?" she asked, grinning as she held the door for me.

"Well... yes."

"Firstly, this is a gym, not a bar. Secondly, women come here to exercise, not to get hit on. Thirdly, I don't like him - at all. Fourthly, I never liked how he hovered around you; I found it offensive. Fifthly, you're sweet, and nice, and really don't deserve the griefing. And finally... well..."

"What?" I said, softly, as she paused.

"Someone like that... hurt my cousin, once."

"Oh."

I stared at the floor, not quite sure what to say in response.

"Hey, cheer up, life is short," she said. She touched my shoulder, and I looked up again. "Enjoy your gym session in peace. And don't you dare forget my coffee," she added, with a grin.

I flushed. "So I'll... see you later, then?"

"Yep. You know where to find me," she added, giving me a wink, and I flushed hotter and tried to ignore the stupid flutter in my chest.

She loped off, and I stared after her, wistfully admiring how lithe she was; wishing I were the same. Then I shook my head. I was what I was. At least I was slimmer than I had been.

I made for the locker room and got changed, then made my way out onto the floor.

I settled happily into my routine, quickly working up a sweat, moving from machine to machine, enjoying myself for the first time in over a month, stealing occasional quick glances at my benefactress to check what she was up to whenever I needed a breather.

She was showing off; climbing what I'd since learned were the most challenging routes up the various walls; I could see her grin even from where I was.

She was unbelievable.

I gasped as I saw her leap and catch a hold; I stared at her as she controlled her swing, pulled herself up and positioned her feet into spaces that I would swear under oath did not exist.

A small group of her friends were also watching her and whistling in appreciation; one of them turned away, laughing and shaking her head in disbelief.

The muscles of her arms stood out starkly in the halogen lighting, and I could see the faint sheen of sweat on her neck and forearms even from where I was.

Agile as a cat and utterly tenacious, she attacked route after route with what seemed like inexhaustible reserves of energy.

Then she misjudged a leap and fell hard, and I experienced a sudden stabbing chill of fear.

She bounced up, laughing, shrugging off the concern and questions of her friends and disciples.

But I could see the way her expression changed when she turned away from them all, and I watched as she limped carefully to an open area and lowered herself gingerly onto a mat.

She'd hurt herself.

There was no way that I couldn't go and check on her.

So I quickly aborted my own workout and then, shy and uncertain, made my way over to where she was sitting and massaging her right knee.

"Hey," she grinned up at me.

"Hey," I said, as I squatted down next to her. "Are you ok? I saw you fall."

"Yeah. Just twisted my leg when I landed. No biggie, I've had far worse. They clearly listened to the experts when they built this set of walls. They placed good mats to go with them," she said, slapping the vinyl under her. "I barely felt that one."

"It looks like a very dangerous sport," I said, unconvinced.

"It can be if you're silly about it," she agreed. "I'm... generally not."

"But those jumps you make..." I said.

"All planned," she said. "I know I can do them. I only fell because one of the holds was slippery. It probably hasn't been cleaned in a while and it's likely all gunky with sweat and old chalk powder."

"Gross," I shuddered.

"Yeah," she laughed. "Such is the glamour of climbing. So... how're you doing? Enjoying the workout tonight?"

"Yeah, it's so much nicer to be left alone."

"I know precisely what you mean."

"Um..."

"Oh. No, I didn't mean you, silly," she said. "Girls can't climb, you see. We're not evolved to do it like men can, or so I've been told many times. So most places I go climb at, there'll be a guy or two who view it as their role in life to show and tell me how to do things."

"Oh God. I bet that gets old."

"Very quickly," she agreed. "Thankfully there's no sign of that here. It's a nice gym. It's why I started to come here. Anyway, I'm fine. Thanks for checking on me though. You've still got some machines left in your routine," she added with a grin.

"Um... I'm kind of done for now..."

"Don't tell me you packed it in and came over just to check on me?"

"Guilty as charged," I said, flushing.

She laughed, delighted that she'd caught me out. "That's sweet, but unnecessary. I'm fine. But I appreciate the gesture," she added, smiling gently up at me, leaving me ever so slightly breathless and lightheaded.

"Are you going to climb any more?" I asked, softly.

"Not tonight. It would be stupid; I'd just injure myself more."

"Um... so... how about that... coffee I owe you?"

"Now that sounds like a great idea." She held out her hand. "Help me up, will you? I'm going to hit the showers, then I'll meet you by the cafe."

And that sounded eminently sensible, so I did the same.

.:.

I put her mug down in front of her, and sat down across from her. She set aside her phone and gave me a grateful smile. "Thanks," she said. "So. How're you really doing? Be honest with me. Are you ok?"

Her phone pinged; she ignored it.

"Oh, you know," I said softly. "Walking on eggshells, jumping at noises, living on my nerves. The usual."

"Any bad dreams?"

"No. Thankfully."

She snorted. "That's one positive then. Well, though I don't usually like handing out advice to strangers, I think that you could do a lot worse than taking some self-defence classes."

"I'm not strong enough," I protested.

"It's not about strength, it's about turning the experience into something positive. It worked for Marie... sort of, anyway."

"Marie?"

"My cousin. The one I... mentioned. It helped her recover... well, some of herself at least."

"Oh. Ok. I'll... think about it."

"You should."

She sipped her coffee, then winced and swore softly as she shifted her leg.

"Is it bad? Your leg?"

"Moderately," she muttered. "I'll crawl into the pharmacy on the way home and grab some painkillers. It's more the frustration that I can't stand - I know I'm going to have to rest when all I want to do is climb..."

Her phone pinged again, then again in short succession.

"Sorry," she said. "My partner's in a needy mood."

"Don't mind me," I answered. I dug my own phone out to give her a bit of space.

"I didn't say I wanted to deal with it right now," she added, wryly.

"Oh. Um..."

"I'm using you as an avoidance strategy, see."

"I... see. Um. Is everything ok?"

She snorted. "Not really. How long do you have?"

"An hour or two... I guess?"

"Can I be extremely selfish and self-centred and... beg some of your time?"

"Of course! I owe you so much..."

"You really don't," she interrupted me. "You'd have done the same thing for me or anyone else."

"I doubt I'd have needed to for you..."

She grinned. "Because I'm so hardcore and scary, right?"

She laughed at the way I flushed.

"I guess... um... so... what's on your mind? I'm... I don't want to pry, but..."

She made a face. "Just... I'm in a space where I don't like being home right now. And climbing is really the only escape I have available to me at the moment. So it's... complicated. Let's go with that."

"Is it because of... your partner?"

"Yea, some of it is."

I thought wistfully back on my own past wreckage. "I'd love to offer world-changing advice but it's not an area I excel in. The opposite, really..."

"How so?"

"It's... been a while since anyone rated me as worth anything other than a quick, anonymous shag," I said softly.

"What? What do you mean? You're a really pretty girl... Ugh. I was about to say that men must find you beautiful, but then I remembered our 'friend' and realised that would be a little off colour. Sorry. I'm just... startled, lets say, that you've been... treated like that. That's a crime."

I shrugged, embarrassed. "I'm a bit thinner than I used to be. Maybe that's what you're seeing."

She leaned to one side and gave me a blatant up and down evaluation. "You honestly don't look like you have much more to lose. Don't go any further, your proportions are to die for just the way they are."

I flushed hot and stammered something appreciative.

She waved my thanks away, and took another sip of coffee. "Anyway, you'll find someone. Just make sure it's the right someone. Don't settle for hot flames and a warm bed like I did; flames go out and beds cool down on you if you so much as glance away."

"How long have you been climbing?" I asked, desperate to change the subject and unnerved by her frankness.

"Oh. A long time. Since I was three. I think I was climbing things before I could walk. Trees. Rocks. The dog. Walls. Buildings..."

"Wait... buildings?"

"My father was an Alpinist and mountain guide, so stone was in my blood from the very beginning. My poor mother went grey before her time," she added. "It's just... I don't know. It's something I'm good at. One of the few things I am really good at. It makes me feel at peace to be up there on the wall, suspended in space, off the ground and separate from all the stupidity and distractions there... I should have been a bird. Or maybe a bat," she added, grinning.

I found myself smiling back at her, warming even more towards this strange, underdressed angel who slouched so carelessly across from me.

She lifted her injured leg and then let out a muted groan as she rubbed it. "This is going to be a frustrating one," she grumbled. "A week at least. Ah well. So... why did you tell that idiot your name?"

"I guess I found the attention... flattering. And he seemed nice... at first."

"Fair enough. It's hard to be cautious when you're lonely and someone reaches out. That's why I am where I am. See?" she added, as her phone pinged again. "No peace. I'll have twenty messages by the time we leave, ranging between "I'm lonely" and "You're cheating on me, aren't you" to my all-time favourite - "You don't love me any more." It's exhausting. I am too young for this shit," she sighed.

"Can't you just tell him to stop being so..."

"Melodramatic? It won't work. And anyway, she wouldn't understand."

"She... oh. Oh."

I was mortified. And... intrigued. But mostly mortified.

Annabelle laughed. "Your expression is priceless."

"Sorry... it was a really stupid assumption."

"A honest one, though. It's fine, I don't mind."

"Um... So what will you do?"

"Go back to work, finish admin tasks that aren't strictly necessary to finish today, go home, have an almighty row, and likely go to sleep on the couch. Again."

"Oh. Um... wouldn't she mind you telling me all this?"

"See? This is precisely the problem I have. I no longer care enough any more to care. I'm over all of her drama. I have enough to deal with, and now this on top of it," she added, gesturing at her knee.

"Well... I know we've just met, but... if you ever need someone to talk to..."

"That is sweet of you. Perhaps... we could do this again. Just sit and talk about... nothing in particular. I don't get to do that much, and... I like it. You're... remarkably easy to talk to," she added. "I miss that."

"Oh," I said, suddenly remembering Em's demand. "Um... I just remembered. Can I please have your home address?"

She tilted her head slightly. "Why?"

"My sister wants to send you something... to say thank you for looking out for me."

Annabelle smiled sadly. "No. I think rather not. But... thank you. That's really kind, and I'd love to be able to say yes... but I can't."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I don't feel like the extended argument it would cause," she said. "Freya is... easily offended and a grand master of leaping to conclusions." She sighed again, and I thought I caught a sudden undercurrent of bitter regret. "But... please tell your sister that I said thank you."

"Um... I will..."

"In the mean time, why don't you give me your number? That way I'll at least be able to schedule you in when I want to extort another coffee out of you," she added with a smile.

I flushed and stammered out the numbers, and she sent me a single smiling emoji to check it worked.

"Gotcha," she whispered, and I felt a sudden, strange shiver.

.:.

I helped her limp to her car, and gladly accepted the offer of a ride as opposed to waiting in the bitter cold for a bus. We stopped at the small moth-eaten pharmacy down the road from me, and I kept her company as she bought some anti-inflammatories and painkillers. She drove me back to my block of flats, waved me goodbye with a chirpy "See you soon!", and once again waited until I was safely through the front door before she eased her rattling Renault gingerly off into the night.

I hoped she'd feel better soon and that her partner would chill a bit.

I almost sent her a "Feel better soon," before I remembered what she'd said about her partner's moods, and I decided I didn't want to cause my new friend any more drama than I already had.

.:.

It was a bright but chilly day, and the post-lunch filing and bookkeeping was dragging. I was just sitting down with a cup of coffee when my phone pinged.

Hey. It's me. Are you going to be there tonight?

I stared down at Annabelle's text, and thought about it. I'd been planning to take the evening off and immerse myself in Sandra Bullock movies on Netflix. But the temptation of chatting to her instead was hard to resist...

Was going to binge on movies. But I'd enjoy company. What time will you be there?

Probably around 6:30... though movies sounds nice too, given the state of me and the fact that I'll be keeping the ground warm with my bum instead of climbing.

I mused for a moment.

So why don't you rest your knee and come over to mine instead? I'll cook something for supper - it will be nice to have company for once.

Are you sure? I don't want to impose...

I smiled. She was a considerate woman under her amazon's armour.

I wouldn't have invited you if it was an imposition. Allergic to anything?

Nothing that I've ever noticed. What should I bring? And what time?

Just yourself. I'll get everything else. Any time from six is fine.

See you at 6 then

I was pleased.

I got to spend a lot less time with Emma these days now that she was in a serious and mostly-committed relationship. And my other friends were scattered far and wide to the capricious four winds. So I was glad that I'd met Annabelle, in spite of the fucked up way it had come to pass.

She was fun and interesting to be around - it would make for an enjoyable evening.

I had a good feeling about her, and I liked her a lot - despite her uncanny ability to poke my buttons.

And she was superb eye candy, a subversive little voice whispered.