Page 36 of The Knockout

Damn. He’s a pretty package.

My eyes jump down to his actual package, and I look away.

Yup. That’s impressive in those jeans too.

I throw on my cross-body bag and grab my keys. Lennon was picked up a few hours ago, leaving Ares and me alone. I didn’t have the heart to tell him I don’t really feel like sightseeing. I just wanted to stretch and rest today. But I can do that tomorrow instead. “Ready.”

“Come on. We’ve got time to stop by Westminster Abbey before we have to be in line at the London Eye. Our reservation is for eight.” I link my arm through Ares and rest my head on his shoulder as we stroll slowly through the city.

Ares hasn’t noticed that my foot’s been bothering me, or at the very least, he’s been kind enough not to say anything about our slow pace today. We did a lot of hopping on and off the double-decker tour bus that took us around the city, so I wasable to rest it then. I doubt he noticed it was swollen under my maxi dress.

Other than the slight throb in my ankle, the day has been a little slice of heaven. Ares and I had never done anything alone before the night of Everly’s wedding. We were always surrounded by our friends and family. That never left for much of a chance to get to know each other. But once I left and our texts and calls started, that all changed. Today might have been the first time we spent a day together, but it felt like I was with my best friend. I’m not sure exactly when that happened.

“Tell me your favorite thing about living in this city.”

I think about that for a minute. Really think about it before I answer.

“The lack of expectations. No one expects me to fit in a perfect little box here. No one has known me since I was born. No one knows my family. There are no preconceived ideas about who I am or who I need to be. Back home, it’s different.Not bad.Just different.” I look around at the people mulling around us. “There’s a kind of freedom here that I love.”

“What about dance?”

“What about it?” I look up at him and run my fingers along his clenched jaw. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t like that you felt that way in Kroydon Hills,” he growls, and that sound does crazy things to my body. “You should always feel free, Grace.”

“It wasn’t always bad. But the pressure can be a lot to deal with.” I shrug, not wanting to overthink too hard. “It’s just different now.”

“Do you ever think about what comes next? What does life look like after ballet?”

“No.” My answer is automatic.

It’s a short answer to a complicated question.

It’s also a lie.

I think about it every day.

Because I don’t know if I want to keep doing this to myself anymore.

But I don’t have any idea what else is out there or what comes next.

Is it possible to have a midlife crisis at twenty-six?

I don’t want to know the answer, so I spin the question. “What about you, god of war? Are you making Kroydon Hills a permanent thing? Do you want to stay with the Revolution until you retire?”

We stop in front of the ancient abbey, beautiful and lit up under the starry sky. It’s awe-inspiring and humbling with its hundreds of years of history behind those doors.

Ares brushes a lock of hair over my shoulder, and goosebumps skip over my skin as he cups my face in his hands. “I’ll stay with the Revolution as long as they’ll have me. I’m hoping I can retire there. I could see staying in Kroydon Hills if the reason to stay was there.”

“Yeah...” I trail off because I get it. This day has been amazing. Too good to be true. And that’s because it is... too good to be true. Nothing this good can last. No matter what he wants to believe. We have no future. Not while we live on two different continents.

But I refuse to let that negativity ruin such an amazing day.

I look up at the abbey. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

“Yeah . . . beautiful.”

When I turn my head, he’s looking at me, not the abbey.

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