AllFreeNovel
Share Us
If it was only that simple…
Mike steps back into the changing room, and despite myself, I feel hope rise in my chest. He shakes his head, and it all comes plummeting down.
“Fuck, man, I can’t do this any longer. I can’t keep pining over her, trying to get her to answer my calls, hoping she’ll come root for me. What the hell is happening to me, Mike?”
Much to my surprise, Mike throws his hands up in the air and starts laughing. I sit there, staring up at him, baffled by his unexpected reaction. “What the hell, man? It’s not fucking funny.”
“It’s fucking hilarious, is what it is. Damn, Gray, most of us learn this as teenagers. You’re a grown man who’s spent your whole life not giving a shit about any woman that waltzes in and out of it. They’ve all been replaceable to you, and let me tell you, that’s a shitty way to treat another person. Sure, some of them were only in for the money and fame, but some tried to reach you, and you brushed them off like they were nothing.”
“You’re making me sound like a villain.”
“No, you’re not a villain. You’re just an asshole. And that worked fine for you until you stumbled into someone who made you realize you’re human, too. So, yeah, being rejected by someone you love sucks. And it sucks twice as much when you’re the reason they don’t want anything to do with you. You can fix this—you just got to wave goodbye to that temper and pride of yours and be willing to admit you fucked up.”
I grit my teeth, tension throbbing at my temples. What the hell is going on here? When did people suddenly begin telling me I needed to apologize for things I did, like I murdered someone?
“Why should I apologize? If she had just let me see her phone, we would be okay.”
“Let me ask you something, Gray. If she had demanded you let her see your phone, listen to every conversation, and try to force you not to hang out with me or any of your friends, would you have let her?”
“Hell no! But that’s different.”
“Is it now?”
“Fuck you, Mike.”
“If you think cursing at me will solve anything, go right ahead and do it. But I’m telling you, this is going to keep being a problem for you with Tyley or any other woman you let into your life until you take a good look at the way you treat others.”
“Are you trying to tell me I treat you like shit too?”
“Nah, you and I are fine. I’ve gotten used to your shitty temper, and I know you mean well, deep down. Now, the fight is about to start, and as much as I would like to help you with this issue, I need you to focus on winning. Your woman problem will have to wait until another day.”
The roar of the crowd washes over me as I step into the bright lights of the octagon. The air thrums with anticipation, hundreds of eyes focused on me and thousands more from their living room sofas. But all I can focus on is Tyley’s empty seat, right in the front row, a gaping hole that feels so much larger than it truly is.
nineteen
Tyley
Perched on the edge of Sarah's sofa, I watch my phone buzz with yet another incoming message. They've been coming in at least once per hour, and so far, I've managed to resist the urge to respond.
Sarah hovers nearby, her expression unreadable. I'm not sure if she's for or against me blocking Grayson out of my life, and though, in the end, it'll be my decision to make, I need her advice more than ever.
“Are you going to his fight?” she asks tentatively.
I bite my lip, torn between the desire to see Grayson in the ring and the fear that it'll prompt me to fall right back into his arms. I want to forgive him, pretend like nothing happened, and I’m sane enough to know that’s batshit crazy.
"I don't know. I mean, I do want to support him, and he's counting on me. Plus, it would be nice to see him humiliate Adam publicly after everything he put both of us through. But at the same time—"
I drift off, waving my hands in a feeble attempt to express the turmoil growing within me.
“But it’s complicated,” Sarah finishes, understanding glinting in her eyes. She settles onto the sofa beside me, and I sigh.
"So, what would you do?"
"Wrong question, honey. I would have kicked him in the balls the first time he snapped at me, but that's how I deal with guys—I would not recommend it. You’re too level-headed for that."
"Alright then, what should I do?"
Sarah places a hand on my shoulder, her touch grounding me in the present. “There's no right or wrong decision. Was he an asshole? Absolutely. Does he deserve to be brought down a peg or two? Oh, you betcha. Is he beyond repair?” She hesitates. “I think so,” then, begrudging, “but you know him, and I don’t. Your call, Ty."
