I’m about to ask him what the hell all of this means when he charges forward. He swallows up the distance between us in two huge strides, then lunges at me. His body smashes into mine and we hit the floor in a painful tangle of limbs.
I’m so dazed and taken aback that he gets the first blow in before I even think to defend myself. He punches me once in the face, hard. He’s rearing back for a second one when I finally come to my senses and knee him in the stomach before the next strike lands.
It feels like we’ve regressed back decades. Not much has changed. When he was a little boy, Adrian didn’t know the meaning of protecting himself. Now that he’s a man, he still fights the same way—all reckless offense, not a spare thought given to defending what matters most.
I smash my forehead into
