The Elites

Chapter 16

Nash

Nash curled his dumbbells towards his chest. He sat on the workbench in front of Caiden who curled dumbbells standing up. The both of them had come to the gym early in the morning - the only time the gym was completely empty and they worked out for twenty minutes, coming to the end of their workout soon.

But instead of worrying about his workout, Nash thought about Chloe the entire time. He thought of her sleeping in her bed, how soft her skin was when he touched her face, and just her. What had gotten into him? The only things he used to care about was being first and his annoyance at his parents, but lately, Chloe was all that infiltrated his mind.

"Thinking about Chloe?" Caiden teased.

"I am," Nash confessed, unable to help it. "I think about her all the time."

Nash flushed, stunned he had confessed so easily and Caiden laughed. He dropped his dumbbells and moved to sit with Nash on the bench.

"Finally you admit it." Caiden grinned. "Let's be honest, from the moment you met her all you've wanted to do was spend more time with her. That's really what these competitions are about."

"No, I really did want to beat her..." He flushed, crossing his arms over his chest as he began to mumble. "But spending time with her was a bonus."

Caiden laughed again. "You've grown soft, Nash. For Chloe."

Nash rolled his eyes, but Caiden was right. He had grown soft. All because of one girl. One annoyingly small girl with those stupid green eyes.

He sat in silence for a moment, thinking that him and Chloe rarely interacted since he visited her. She didn't seem mad at him, but she seemed almost afraid of him and Nash wondered if it was because he knew about her home life. Was she still trying to push him away? Even though Nash had made it clear he only wanted to help?

He glanced at Caiden. Should he tell Caiden? Should he open up? But, he thought of Chloe and how horrified she'd be, so he kept his mouth shut. For some insane reason Chloe was ashamed of her circumstances, even though they were entirely out of her control, and he'd respect her wishes. At least, a bit.

"I don't know what it is about Chloe, but I just want to be there for her and help her, but I don't know... Chloe keeps pushing me away. And I don't want to keep pushing her to let me in. I feel like I'm overstepping," Nash admitted.

"Everyone wants to be helped." Caiden frowned. "I'm sure she appreciates your effort."

"No, trust me. Not everyone wants help. Some people rather take on all their struggles on their own, even if it hurts them."

Caiden frowned and Nash sighed. He wished he could give Caiden more details, but for Chloe - just for her, he wouldn't.

"Well, there's no harm in trying to help her, even if she seems adamant on pushing you away," Caiden said. "You have to try. Don't give up on her, even if it annoys her. Because maybe eventually, she'll finally let you in."

Nash stared at the ground. Would she? Chloe was awfully stubborn for someone so sweet. The only time he'd ever seen her angry was when he either saw her personal life or tried to help her, and he wondered if he kept pushing she'd keep getting angrier until she'd finally cut him off. But, he had to try. After witnessing her struggles, he couldn't let her suffer alone.

"Maybe. I don't know how this will end, but you're right, I have to try." Nash smiled at Caiden. "Thanks dude. I never thought I'd have girl troubles, but here I am."

Caiden chuckled. "I've been shipping this since last year, so I'm glad you're at least admitting you care."

Nash blushed, but he didn't deny it. Day after day, it became more and more obvious how much he cared for Chloe. But, his priority was to help her. His feelings for her would come next.