The Rules of Dating(24)

Billie nodded. “Sounds good.”

After we did some stretches and warmed up, Taylor showed us some kickboxing moves. We practiced foot jabs and sidekicks, and then he told the class to pair up for some light sparring. I looked over at Billie. “Should we pair up with someone more our sizes?”

Billie put her hands on her hips. “Are you saying you don’t think I’m a match for you because you’re a foot taller than me?”

I chuckled and shrugged. “Kinda makes sense, doesn’t it?”

The instructor walked around the room, talking to all the pairs, and when he got to us, he put his arm around Billie’s shoulders again.

“I’ll take this little troublemaker.” He pointed to a guy in the back of the room. “Colby, why don’t you spar with that guy? It doesn’t look like he has a partner yet.”

Yeah, like I was letting him put his hands all over Billie. I shook my head. “It’s fine. I’ll stick with Billie. Don’t worry. I’ll go easy on her.”

Billie and Taylor looked at each other and burst out laughing. “You’re going to go easy on Billie?” he asked. “Tell me, does that mean Billie has to go easy on you?”

I shrugged. “Nah. She can take her best shot.”

Taylor patted my shoulder with a chuckle as he walked away. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you, friend.”

My brows drew together as I looked at Billie. “What was that all about?”

She held up her hands in the kickboxing stance the instructor had taught us. “Are you ready to fight, Lennon?”

The gleam in her eye should’ve told me I had no damn clue what I was in for. But I shrugged like an arrogant idiot. “I’m always ready.”

***

I rubbed my lower back as I killed the car’s engine in the IKEA parking lot. There was definitely going to be a bruise there. “I still can’t believe you didn’t tell me you had a damn black belt.”

Billie chuckled. “We tried to warn you, but you were too busy assuring me you wouldn’t hurt me. You know, because I’m so small and helpless.”

“I never said helpless.”

Billie opened the passenger door. “Come on, Wussy.”

I shook my head as I got out. Not only had I not landed a single shot on her, but Billie had flipped me over her shoulder like I was a damn rag doll. I’d gone from thinking I was going to impress her with my six-pack to being completely emasculated.

As we walked from the parking lot to the entrance, Billie couldn’t stop laughing. “I’ll tell you what,” she said. “You can push the cart. That’s a tough-guy job. It’ll make you feel more manly.”

“You know what will make me feel more manly? If you could reach up and pull my balls back down out of my body cavity. I’m pretty sure that’s where they’ve been hiding all afternoon.”

Billie yanked a shopping cart from a row of them and pushed it in my direction. “If you keep whining, I’m going to change your name from Wussy to something that rhymes with it and starts with a P.”

***

Crash!

Shit. Billie and I looked at each other. A devilish smirk spread across her face…and then she turned and bolted.

I looked around. The coast seemed clear, so I ran as fast as I could while pushing a heaping cart full of crap. For the last hour and a half, Billie had been picking things out and holding them up to show me. If I agreed, she chucked them over her shoulder for me to catch with the cart. I’d been zigging and zagging, trying to scoop up all the merchandise she threw as I followed her around—both of us laughing like school kids the entire time. That is, until I missed that last toss and a glass bowl shattered on the floor.

IKEA was a giant maze, and both of us kept running, turning left and then right, until we finally arrived in the warehouse portion of the store, which was right before the checkout line. Billie leaned over with her hands on her knees, huffing and puffing.

“I think we’re in the clear,” she said.

“Pretty sure I would’ve rather paid for the twelve-dollar bowl than make a run for it. This cart is so full, it almost tipped like ten times.”

She laughed. “Did we get everything we need?”

“I’m not sure. But we definitely bought a lot of shit we don’t need. Like I think we could have done without the motorized ice cream cone spinners. The tenant can lick their own ice cream.”

Billie grinned. “Those are for me and Saylor. They light up, too!”

I snorted. “Come on, let’s check out before I’m completely broke.”

While we loaded everything onto the conveyor belt, I lifted my chin toward the in-store restaurant located just after the cashier stations. “You still up for meatballs?”

“Uh…hello? It’s the only reason I came.”

I clutched my hand over my heart. “Oww, that hurts. And here I thought you came for the company.”

After we were all checked out, I wheeled the cart over to a table for two in the corner of the restaurant. “Why don’t you stay here with the stuff, and I’ll go get us some meatballs.”

“Okay. But can you get me a drink, too, please? I’m so thirsty.”

When I came back, I set two big plates of meatballs on the table.