Eddie Wilder
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The Black Belt Affair Ch. 01
🕑 Added 2025-06-02 14:15:01 +0000 UTCThe soft glow of the television painted the walls of their small apartment in shifting blues and greens. Outside, the coastal wind rattled the windows, carrying with it the distant hush of waves breaking against the shore. Ashley had stopped watching the ocean-life documentary twenty minutes ago. Her thumb swiped across her phone screen, each flick revealing another image, another distraction.
Jacob sat beside her, his lanky frame folded into the corner of their secondhand couch, a worn paperback splayed across his lap. His hazel eyes moved behind his glasses, tracking words across the page with a quiet focus. She glanced at her husband, at the way his messy brown hair fell across his forehead, at the slight furrow between his brows that appeared whenever he was deep in a story. She loved that look, that complete absorption in another world. Once, she’d found it fascinating, this ability to lose himself so completely. Now, a small, restless part of her wondered when she’d started finding it so... ordinary.
“Shit,” Jacob muttered, reaching for his bookmark, a faded receipt, sliding it between the pages. “I think I missed something. The colony just collapsed, but I don’t remember why the oxygen systems failed.”
Ashley smiled. “Maybe if you didn’t read five books at the same time, you’d keep the plots straight.”
“Four books,” he corrected. “The Asimov doesn’t count because it’s short stories.”
“Nerd,” she said, the word softened by affection.
“Your nerd,” he replied, shifting to peer at her phone. “What’s got you so captivated over there? Please tell me it’s not another one of those pottery classes you’ll sign up for and abandon three weeks in.”
Ashley rolled her eyes, but the jab struck closer to home than she cared to admit. The pottery wheel gathering dust in their storage closet was a testament to her habit of chasing new fascinations, only to see them fizzle out when the initial thrill faded.
“It’s not pottery,” she said, angling her phone toward him. “It’s jiu-jitsu.”
Jacob blinked. “Jiu-jitsu? Like... martial arts? With the grappling and the...” He made a vague choking gesture with his hands.
“Yes, with the grappling and the choking,” Ashley laughed. “Someone posted about this place in the community group. Iron Grip Academy. It’s that converted warehouse down by the boardwalk.” She scrolled to a photo showing a spacious gym with black mats covering the floor, bodies in white uniforms twisted around each other in various holds. “They’re offering a two-for-one special for new members this month.”
Jacob’s eyebrows rose. “And you want us to... what? Learn how to break each other’s arms?”
“It’s not about breaking arms,” Ashley said. “It’s about technique. Using leverage instead of strength.” She nudged him playfully. “Even a beanpole like you could take down someone twice your size.”
Jacob snorted. “Right. Me, taking down someone twice my size. Have you met me? I got winded carrying groceries up the stairs last week.”
“That was because you insisted on bringing up all six bags in one trip.”
“It’s a matter of efficiency,” Jacob said with mock seriousness.
Ashley laughed, but her mind was already spinning with possibilities. She’d been feeling stagnant lately. Their life together was comfortable, secure, everything she’d thought she wanted. Yet lately, she’d catch herself staring out the window at the endless horizon of the ocean, wondering what lay beyond the predictable rhythm of their days.
Work at the graphic design firm. Dinner with Jacob. Weekend brunches with friends whose conversations revolved increasingly around mortgages and baby names. Netflix. Sleep. Repeat.
Her fingers tapped restlessly against her phone case. “I think we should do it,” she said, a familiar spark of impulse flaring. “Sign up for classes.”
Jacob’s smile faltered. “You’re serious?”
“Why not?” Ashley sat up straighter, energy flooding through her as the idea took hold. “It could be fun. Something different. Something we do together.” She paused, watching his hesitation. “Unless you’re scared I’ll kick your ass.”
“Oh, that’s how we’re playing this?” Jacob set his book aside, turning to face her fully. “You think that just because I spend my days wrangling code instead of, I don’t know, wrangling alligators, I can’t handle a little physical activity?”
“Your idea of cardio is reaching for the top shelf at the bookstore.”
“Ouch,” But he was grinning now, his initial reluctance softening under her teasing. “I just... I’ve never been the athletic type. You know that. I was the kid who got picked last for dodgeball and first for academic decathlon.”
Ashley slid closer, tucking herself against his side. She could feel his warmth through the thin cotton of his t-shirt. “I know. And I love your brain. But maybe it’s time we both tried something new.” She looked up at him, catching his eyes. “I’ve been feeling a little... stuck lately. Like we’re in a loop.”
Something flickered across Jacob’s face. Concern, maybe, or recognition. “Are you unhappy?” he asked quietly.
“No,” Ashley said quickly, and it wasn’t a lie. Not exactly. “Not unhappy. Just... restless.” She traced a pattern on his knee, searching for words. “Remember when we first met? How we stayed up all night talking about all the things we wanted to do? The places we’d go?”
Jacob nodded slowly. “You wanted to backpack through Europe. I wanted to learn to sail.”
“And we haven’t done any of it,” Ashley said, a note of frustration creeping into her voice. “We work, we come home, we watch TV. Then we do it all over again. I’m twenty-four, Jacob. Sometimes I feel like we’re just... waiting for our lives to begin.”
Jacob was quiet for a moment, his fingers absently playing with a strand of her hair. “I guess I didn’t realize you felt that way,” he said finally. “I’m happy with our life. With you. But if you need more...” He sighed, then offered a small smile. “Jiu-jitsu, huh?”
Ashley felt a rush of affection for him. This was what she loved about Jacob. His steadiness, his willingness to follow her into her enthusiasms, even when they baffled him. “It could be amazing,” she said, her voice brightening. “Think about it. We’ll get in shape, learn self-defense, maybe make some new friends.”
“Or I’ll get my face smashed into a mat while a bunch of muscle-bound bros laugh at the computer nerd,” Jacob muttered, but there was no real resistance in his tone.
“No one’s going to laugh at you,” Ashley assured him. “Besides, everyone’s a beginner at first.”
“Some people are more... naturally beginner-ish than others… but if this is something you really want to try...”
“It is,” Ashley said. She could see it so clearly, the two of them, stronger, more confident, breaking out of the rut they’d fallen into. Maybe this would be the thing that quieted the restlessness inside her, the nagging sense that somewhere along the way, they’d settled for safe when they’d promised each other adventure.
“Then let’s try it,” Jacob said. He pulled her closer, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “But when I’m tapping out because some guy built like a refrigerator is crushing my windpipe, I expect you to avenge me.”
Ashley laughed, wrapping her arms around his waist. “Deal. I’ll be your personal samurai.”
“I think samurai are Japanese, and jiu-jitsu is Brazilian. Or maybe originally Japanese? I should probably read up on the history before-”
Ashley silenced him with a kiss. “This is why I love you,” she murmured against his lips. “You’re going to be the only person at that gym who can cite the entire cultural lineage of what we’re doing.”
Jacob’s arms tightened around her. “And you’re going to be the only person who finds that even remotely attractive.”
“Mmm, your encyclopedic knowledge of obscure facts is pretty sexy.” She shifted, straddling his lap, her hands sliding up to cup his face. The book fell to the floor, forgotten. “In fact...”
The television droned on, unwatched, as Ashley lost herself in the familiar rhythm of their bodies moving together. She pushed away the small voice in the back of her mind that whispered this wasn’t desire, not really. It was habit, comfortable and safe. The same voice that had been growing louder lately, wondering if there was something more waiting for her beyond the boundaries of this life they’d built.
Later, as Jacob slept beside her, his breathing deep and even, Ashley stared at the ceiling, the glow of her phone illuminating her face as she filled out the registration form for Iron Grip Academy. Two memberships, beginner level, starting next week.
Her finger hovered over the submit button, a strange mix of excitement and apprehension fluttering in her stomach. There was no reason for the hesitation. It was just a gym membership, not a life-altering decision.
It was just jiu-jitsu. A new hobby. Something to break the monotony. Nothing more.
Comments
Hannah Baird
Absolutely love this. Tender, and emotionally well written, sharp dialogue.
