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“Shit,” I can’t stop myself from giving voice to my realization.
“You don’t have to tell me that I’m right,” he says, chuckling now.
“I wasn’t going to.”
“But I am right, aren’t I?”
An annoyed growl is all I can muster in response before I realize that there really is no use in lying to Aston.
“She’s quite something, yeah. Won’t leave my goddamn head, no matter how much I try,” I finally admit, unsure what to do with that realization myself.
“You’ve got yourself in quite a pickle there, young man,” he jokes. “But can I give you a piece of advice?”
“I have a feeling you’re going to either way.”
“Correct,” he says. “If you really like this girl, don’t play around. Don’t mess it up by being your stupid teenage boy self. Forget about the company for a while, and see what happens when you two aren’t fighting about this buyout.”
“I’m not so sure that’s a smart thing to do,” I say. “I don’t want to lose out on this—”
“Do you want to lose out on a chance with her?” he cuts me off. “If she’s that special, isn’t she worth a little risk?”
His words hit me by surprise. Of all people, Aston is the last person I expected to hear these words from.
“That’s what you did, back then,” I say, cautiously. “And don’t you remember how that ended?”
He groans, as if in pain, and I almost feel sorry for what I said.
“That was different,” he says. “And you shouldn’t let my personal experiences scare you. I don’t regret what I did back then, and I would do it all over again, despite everything that happened.”
“Who says I’m scared?” I object, even though I know he’s right.
“We both know you are,” Aston says calmly. “Do the scary thing, my friend. It might be worth it.”
“Thanks, Dad,” I joke—and we both laugh.
My thoughts are still racing after Aston and I end our conversation shortly after.
Do the scary thing. The scary thing would be to ignore all that stands between us and pursue Madison like I would pursue any other girl. A girl who is not coincidentally the CEO of a company I want to acquire. A girl who I just happened to run into. She could just be the girl I met at the Tensho, the girl who I have yet to submit—either on or off the mat. The girl who’s been haunting my thoughts ever since that very first moment I saw her.
It’s scary to think of her that way because it could mean I’m losing sight of my goal, and the main reason I got so close to Madison in the first place. And I really don’t want that to happen.
But that fucking kiss… How am I supposed to ignore what that did to me?
Do the scary thing.
Easier said than done, but Aston is right: it might be worth it.
Madison might be worth it.
Chapter 22
Madison
Today is not my day. That must have been one the worst Jiu-Jitsu classes I ever attended. My usual fiery determination was replaced by a nagging sense of distraction, and it reflected in my performance on the mat. It’s rare for me to be submitted by a blue belt these days, but today, it happened. I can still feel the heat of shame radiating on my cheeks as I make my way out of the Tensho, hastily darting through the door with a slumped posture.
I glance around the parking lot, hoping that he might be around. Chase has been taking private lessons with Raymond, so I’ve never seen him in one of our classes again, but there’s always a chance of running into him in the parking lot. It’s happened before, so I almost expect to find him waiting for me out here, stopping me dead in my tracks with one of his surprise appearances.
My heart sinks at the realization that he’s not here today. I can’t find him anywhere inside or outside the Tensho. We haven’t talked since the gala a couple of days ago, and I’m beginning to feel like an idiot for believing that he might actually be into me for anything other than my company.
