"To be honest, I was quite surprised when I saw your name on the signup sheet. I figured that since one has to be comfortable to learn, it would be better if someone you know trains you instead of a stranger." Detective Russel tells me after examining my shocked face.

"That's very thoughtful of you, Detective, but I don't actually know you so that statement has a lot of flaws." I put my head back in between my thighs.

"You can call me, Nathan... or Nate, whichever you prefer but I'm not on duty so Detective feels...off. And are you okay?" he asks, I feel him sit beside me. It takes all of my willpower not to shift away; I don't want to call any more attention to myself.

"I'm fine," I lie, "Just dizzy."

For someone who valued the truth a lot, you've become an awful liar.

"Well... maybe you can rest for today and just observe the other students. I remember that you're quite an observant person."

I don't reply him but I raise my head and look around the room. All the teachers seem to have different techniques for teaching but at the core, it's the same lesson. D.R. looks like she wishes she was somewhere else.

The silence between Detective Russel –Nathan ¬–and I stretches on. In my peripheral, I can see him tapping his fingers on his wrist in time with the tapping of his feet and I wonder if it's something he does when nervous. Like his work shoes, the ones he's wearing are very near spotless.

"So... how was your ballet practice?" He finally says.

"What?"

"That day at the diner you said you had a class the next day." His voice is steady and confident, even though he's talking about a terrible event.

"Oh, wow, I can't believe you remembered that." I, on the other hand, do not possess said gift and my voice comes out a bit shaky. I try to cover it up by clearing my throat. "I've had better," I tell him.

"You got home safe, right?" Is this an interrogation or a conversation?

"Yes, I did."

He nods his head but doesn't say anything; it's my turn to get nervous. I tap my different fingers with my thumb in an organized sequence whilst trying to steady my breathing.

"I'm quite observant too; it's one of the reasons I'm good at my job," he informs me, "And I can tell you're lying."

"I don't know what you are talking about," I say as calmly as possible.

He moves to sit in front of me and I relax a little. "See," he gestures to my body, "I noticed that you tensed tense up when I sat beside you but I felt that you might be embarrassed if I pointed it out immediately."

He's right, I would have been. I squint at him. "So why are you bringing it up now?"

"Because of the way your voice changed when I brought up that night; it gave me cause for concern."

I don't know if it's his unwavering gaze or the look of pure concern in his eyes but I feel that maybe I can trust him.

You can trust him, Annelise, and you can trust Me too.

Unfortunately, trust has to be earned. "I'm hungry."

His face scrunches up in confusion, "What?"

His reaction is expected because we aren't on the topic of food, but what I find unusual is that although I didn't mean to say that, the statement holds true. "I'm hungry," I repeat, shrugging my shoulders.

He laughs a low laugh that sends tingles down my spine. "Alright, how about we grab something to eat?" He suggests.

"Are we allowed to just leave? Plus you just got here so it wouldn't responsible of you to just leave." I'm trying to act as normal as possible so he doesn't notice any slight changes.

"Think of it as part of your training; you wouldn't be able to learn you're uncomfortable around me and the only way to break that might be to get to know each other."

I look past him at the other students then back at him. "I don't think that's a good idea," I say, shaking my head.

"Getting to know each other?"

Yes, that. "No, leaving to go eat. Logan might not say anything but he would probably mind," I tell him instead.

He turns to look at Logan then gets up. I get up too and grab his arm. "What do you think you're doing?" I whisper yell at him.

He reaches to remove my hand but I let go of him before he can. "I'm going to get you food. I'll let Logan know that you're feeling under the weather because you're hungry and I can't start training you if you don't have energy."

I want to tell him that that isn't true but I stop myself. "Okay," I squeak out.

"I'll be back in a jiffy." He goes to exchange a few words with Logan and throws me a cheeky thumbs up from behind him as he leaves.

I shake my head at him but I find myself smiling.

--------------------------

By the time Nathan gets back the class is on a break and D.R. and I are chatting. "So why'd you join a self-defense class," I'm asking her as he walks to us.

"Some kids in my little brother's class like to pick on him, I want to show them that it's not only boys that can fight." My eyes go wide in shock and she laughs. "Don't worry I won't beat them up, I'll just show them that I can."

"How do you plan on doing that without beating them up?"

"I'll..." Her face falls as she realizes that she hadn't really thought things through.

"Stage a fight?" Nathan suggests as he joins us on the floor. He turns to me and raises a paper bag, "I brought donuts. I wasn't sure which one you would like so I just bought a bunch."

My eyes go wide as the aroma donuts fills my nose. "Are those what I think they are?"

"Freshly baked donuts from The Donut Hole? Yup," he says with a smug look on his face.

"Can we please switch trainers?" Diana whines, "Mine is so boring and keeps talking about her experiences in life as if I care."

"At least she's teaching you," I laugh, "this one here is only good for buying donuts." I grab the bag from him bring it close to my face, savoring the smell.

"Haha, very funny," he replies in a monotone way. I can tell he's joking though because of the twinkle in his eyes.

"Hey! Don't inhale the whole bag," says Diana as she snatches the bag from me. "You can eat after you help me figure out what to do. You were saying something about staging a fight, Donut Man?"

"Donut Man? My name is Nathan," he says, feigning offense.

"Nathan, Nate, Donut Man; I'm hearing the same thing," she retorts, waving her hand in the air. "Tell me about your plan."

He looks at me and I shrug. "Uhh, do you have any friends that are willing to fake a fight with you?"

"Nahh, I'm a one-woman army and friends end up disappointing anyway." She looks down and picks at her shoelaces. It makes me sad and I wonder what made her come to that conclusion.

Nathan and I exchange a look of understanding. I scoot closer to her and put my hand on her shoulders, "You're breaking my heart here, D.R., here I was thinking we were friends."

"It's different," she says under her breath.

"High School friends are overrated anyway," Nathan pitches in, "Plus, like Annelise said, you have us. So we'll come up with a better plan."

"How about you save an old lady from a thief?" They both look at me like I'm crazy but before either of them can say anything Logan calls for the end of the break.

"I'll save some donuts for you," I yell to her as she leaves to meet Ugly New Balance's to continue her lesson.

Nathan is giving me a funny expression when I turn back to him. "An old lady and a thief? Isn't that a bit extreme?"

"Who's to say?" I ask dramatically as I open the bag of donuts. I raise my hand to him as he moves to speak, "No more questions; it's donut time."

He chuckles and lays down, "No problem, I need a break anyways." He closes his eyes and crosses his arms over his chest. "Leave some for me as well."

I make a noncommittal sound and wolf down my first one, trying not to moan as the flavor explodes on my tongue.

-------------------------

"How many donuts did you buy, Donut Man?" Diana asks as we walk out of the class, shaking the bag as if she was expecting more to appear.

"Six, why?"

"You ate three donuts, Triple A?" She shouts in shock. "Do you normally eat that much? Where's all the food going?"

"Triple A?"

"Shhh, no need to tell everyone," I say to her, embarrassed, "And I did say I was hungry. One is for Nathan by the way."

"Why? How do we know he didn't take one at the shop?" We both stare at him and he raises his hands in innocence.

"I didn't, I swear."

She looks him up and down with slit eyes but eventually gives in. "Fine, since you want it so bad. I gotta go anyway, I have a bus to catch."

I give her a tight hug. "See you Wednesday, we'll figure out a plan before class starts."

"Meh," she replies, punching Nathan as she passes him.

"Do you want a ride or is your boyfriend going to pick you up," he says laughing as he turns to me.

My brain goes into panic mode as the events of that night start to play in my head. My breathing escalates and I back into a wall then immediately jerk away from it. There are tears in my eyes and I suddenly can't see. There are hands on me and I fight against them, punching the figure in front of me.

The figure curses but it doesn't sound like the man from the dinner, it sounds like Nathan. Clarity comes to my vision and I see Nathan holding his cradling his jaw.

"Are you sure you need self-defense classes?" He grunts out.

"I'm so sorry," I cry as I touch his face. His hands close over mine and I feel transported. The moment passes and I remove my hand. "I'm sorry," I say again.

I spent the whole day not thinking about it Not reliving it. How?

"I have to go," I tell him, moving away.

"Wait, Annelise, don't go," he calls out and for some reason, I stop. "Let me drop you at home, please."

Say yes.

I blink the tears away and nod my head. He lets out a sigh and points me in the direction of his car and thankfully it isn't the same one from that night. I don't think I would have been able to enter if it was.

"That was an official police car and this one is mine," he says, noticing me staring. I nod my head again and enter the passenger's seat. The car still has a new smell and I enjoy it as I sink into the leather seat.

Nathan is on a phone call outside but I can't make out what he's saying. He doesn't say anything when he enters the car just starts it and drives out of the parking lot. The steady moving of the car soothes me and I eventually fall asleep.

Someone saying my name rouses me out of my state of tranquillity; for the first time in a while, I didn't dream. "We're here," the voice says again, louder than before. I open my eyes to see Nathan standing beside the open passenger door. "You must have been really tired."

"How did you know where I lived?"

"I called the station... I figured you might not want to talk..." he looks embarrassed but I think it's very thoughtful of him.

He moves out of the way for me to step out. "Thank you for today. I didn't realize I needed... whatever I got but I'm grateful I got it."

"Annelise," he shouts to me when I reach my door, "Please take care of yourself."

Patricia is back from work and eating at the dining table, my body aches to run to her and tell her everything but I don't. Not yet. "I'm taking self-defense classes," I say to her, joining her in the kitchen.

She doesn't say anything for a while and I wonder if she won't. She eventually gives me a small smile and says a simple, "Good."

It's enough for me and I smile to myself. Watch out, Titanic, this iceberg is melting.