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I throw my arm over her shoulder. “Good. He needs to take a chill pill himself. I told him no business talk tonight.”
This thing between us has always been easy, but tonight my skin feels like it's crawling from the touch of her.
Leslie makes small talk with my friends. She’s only been around them a couple of times when she’s visited me in Richmond Hills. I mostly see her when I travel to Charlotte for business with Cliff or for special events.
We kind of happened a few months ago after a long night out in Charlotte when she listened to my pathetic broken heart story.
Lost in thought, I feel the hairs on the back of my neck rise. Looking up, I see Emerson walking outside with her trainer. The sight of her with another man has my stomach churning with red-hot anger. No self-control can stop me from feeling this way, especially when I see the way he looks at her.Like she’s his.
Leslie must notice me stiffen, and she turns to see what I’m looking at. She stares for a few beats before bringing her gaze back to mine. With sympathy laced in her voice, she asks, “Is that her?”
Is that her?
Is that her? The girl who broke you, the one who shocked you by leaving you with nothing but a letter, the only girl you ever saw a future with. The girl who ruined you for someone like me.
Yeah, that’s her…
* * *
Emerson
The feeling of his eyes on me is overwhelming. But what did I expect…a warm, open-armed welcome home? I abandoned those I was closest to in order to save myself, all while hurting them in the process. By the looks on all their faces, they never expected me to show my face again.
Well, surprise.
The decision to come back to North Carolina wasn’t an easy one. No, I’ve been debating this for quite some time now. It won’t be easy gaining their trust back, but I hope deep down they can forgive me.
“You should be over the moon at your first official win tonight. Not over here wallowing in self-pity,” my coach, Ryan, whispers in my ear, his large hand resting on my shoulder.
“I’m good, I promise.” The lie slips out as easily as always. Ryan’s eyebrow lifts, questioning my bullshit.
“I think I’m coming down from the adrenaline high. The exhaustion is hitting me hard.” It’s not a lie, per se, but it certainly isn’t the only thing weighing on me.
“Do you want a ride back to the hotel?” he asks with genuine concern.
“I’m gonna hang for a bit. I’ll let you know when I'm ready.”
With one last squeeze of my shoulder, he walks away. Leaving me to my thoughts, and barely touched beer.
My eyes roam the room, unable to stop myself from searching for Nox. I know the feeling isn’t mutual, but I’m so fucking proud of him. The way he dominates the octagon is unmatched. Even though I haven’t been around to witness his career in person until tonight, I’ve been following it every step of the way. Cheering him on from the confines of my small, removed world.
It wasn’t an easy decision to make, showing back up here without warning. I contemplated calling him almost every day, but what I have to say deserves more than a phone call. The truth is that even if I warned him, his reaction to actually seeing me would have been the same.Disdain seeping from his every pore.
When the chance to come to Charlotte was dropped in my lap, it felt like fate was finally working in my favor. But I know, without a doubt, the fight ahead of me will be tougher than any opponent I could face in that octagon.
Speaking of the cage, I’m not sure if I’ll ever get over how it felt to fight and gain my first official win. The way my body gracefully moved around the mat, ducking and twisting away from my opponent.Throw your shoulder into it,I heard Nox’s voice chant in the back of my mind.The cheers from the spectators when I finally knocked her out, using every last ounce of strength not to let up. It felt incredible and well worth it. The cash I earned from tonight’s fight more than covers my travel expenses, leaving enough of a cushion to help with the stack of bills piling up back home.
Home.
How I wish my home was here with all my friends, all the people who were there for me… andNox. But no matter how much damage I caused, I had to get out of here.You did what you had to.
“It’s like I’m seeing a ghost,” Lottie says, her sudden presence surprising me as she hands me a beer.
“Yeah, I guess it would seem like that.” I give her an apologetic smile.
“I would ask how you're doing, but after seeing your fight tonight…I assume you’re doing alright.”
“Things aren’t always what they seem, Lottie. You know more than anyone the truth in that.” Like the fact I would give almost anything to be celebrating tonight's wins with that small circle of friends she just parted from.
