Chapter Nine
“Ah fuck,” I tilt my head back and tear my glove off so I can cup my nose.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Malice asks.
He just clipped me right in the nose, which is now bleeding. I’m getting no sympathy for it, which is fucking fair, given I’m the one who isn’t paying attention.
It stings like a sonofabitch. Getting punched in the nose is no fun, but it wasn’t hard enough to break. I’d have beaten the shit out of Malice if he broke my nose, my fault or not.
“Get out of the ring,” Malice tells me with a scowl.
I’m about to argue, but he’s right. Damn, I’m gonna have to clean the ring too. I try my best to catch the blood and head to the ropes. Malice holds them down for me so I can duck through and jump out of the ring. He tosses me a towel and I shove it up under my nostrils.
Out of the corner of my eye, I spot Sam. He’s working with Devon. Hopefully, he missed that. I’ll never hear the end of it if he saw Malice land that punch un-defended .
I follow Malice over to the fridge and he grabs us both a bottle of water. He drinks his while I pour some of mine into the towel and clean my face up.
“How’d I manage that?” Malice asks.
“Lucky shot.”
“Bullshit. Your head isn’t here. You know better than anyone else that any shit going on outside stays outside the ring. It’s too fucking dangerous to not be focused up there. Especially fighting me,” he adds with a cocky smirk. “So what gives?”
“I’m just tired, probably not fully recovered.”
“Man-baby.”
“Says the guy who didn’t show up for two weeks cos he sneezed.”
“I had stomach flu, you prick. I was shitting through the eye of a needle for days.”
“I didn’t need to hear that.” I throw the bloody towel at him.
He shrugs unapologetically. “So, what?”
“Nothing.”
“Liar.”
“Only one thing gets a guy lost like that.”
“Your sister?”
“You fucking asshole,” he snaps.
I laugh and walk away. Malice’s sister is hot, but I’ve never gone there. Never will. She’s younger than us. I only met her when she started at our college when we were Juniors. I made a joke about him hiding her away and he punched me so hard I was winded for hours. That’s when I figured his sister was off limits. Hasn’t stopped me from pissing him off about it over the years.
Especially when I need to divert his attention.
Truth is, my mind is elsewhere. On one thing specifically. Meg hasn’t answered my texts since the other night. I get it, I haven’t been able to work out with her. Today is the first day back at the gym. And I haven’t bothered doing any workouts at home either. Just didn’t feel up to it .
She always replies though. And my disappointment is turning to concern. Did I do something to put her off? Upset her. Was I too forward when I told her she should stay over?
Meg didn’t hang around the next day, getting up and leaving without even accepting the coffee I offered her. Being the anal-retentive ass I am, I went to change the bedsheets and realized straight away she’d taken my t-shirt when she left.
That had made me feel good and start reading into things I probably shouldn’t be. Then she ghosted me for three days. There are only so many times I can reach out before I look like a dick. Although, it’s not like we’re dating and she’s just stopped responding. I should be able to contact her to book in another session. She’s the one who wants me to teach her.
I swipe a hand down my face and wince when I catch my nose.
“Clean the ring.”
I turn to see Sam still working with Devon he isn’t even looking, but he sees everything. I roll my eyes but do as I’m told, grabbing the cleaning gear and heading back to make sure the floor of the ring is spotless.
My concentration is shot and, as of right now, Sam still hasn’t confirmed the fight with Marris, so I’m still technically off the hook training wise. I decide to call it a day and head home. I’m supposed to be meeting with my accountant in a couple of days, so I want to get everything straight for that.
Dixon, the guy who took me in after my parents died, is a retired navy seal. He was part of the reason I got into fighting. But another thing he taught me was to always have your affairs in order. Especially your money.
After a shower and flipping Malice off when he calls me a pussy for leaving after getting hit in the nose, I go out to my car.
I hit the grocery store to get some fresh produce for the next few days, then head home. My phone rings just after I pull into the underground parking lot at my building. It’s still connected to the car, so the name appears on the screen as I swerve into my spot.
Megan.
Fuck. I hit the brakes a little too hard and jolt forward. Luckily, I didn’t hit the gas and drive into the fucking wall. Jesus.
“Hey,” I answer.
“Hi Joey,” she answers after a few seconds of silence.
“Everything okay?” I set the parking brake and sit back in the chair. I wish I had a profile picture for her contact, so I could see her. I shake that thought away.
“Yeah, I’m sorry I’ve not been in touch. Work got busy. I picked up more shifts because someone was out sick and… You know how it is.”
She sounds nervous. I don’t like that. I don’t want her to be nervous around me. We’ve been doing good for the last few weeks. I mean, she isn’t exactly opening up, but we’re getting on fine. She’s been smiling a lot. And she’s coming along fitness wise.
“How are you feeling?” she asks.
“Yeah, I’m cool. Went back to the gym today. First time I felt normal. I got some more of that soup from the deli you recommended. Awesome place by the way, I’ll definitely be going there more often.”
I didn’t walk past her apartment building a few times while I was over there or nothing. That would be weird. I slap a hand over my face.
“That’s good news. And yeah, the food there is awesome, not just the soup.”
“Good to know.”
Silence. Shit.
“So I was-”
“Do you want-”
We both speak at the same time. I laugh and tell her to go ahead. She says I should, but I tell her to and then she says I should. It’s fucking ridiculous. And kinda cute .
“Meg, you go.”
“Oh… Okay. Well, I wanted to arrange a run. Maybe tomorrow? I’ve not had a chance to go the last few days, I feel awful about it.”
“Life sometimes gets in the way, don’t worry about it.”
What has she been doing?
“It’s not so much that I’ve been busy with other stuff,” she lets out a huge breath. “It’s because I didn’t want to go without you.”
A grin stretches across my face. I shouldn’t be smiling, it’s not like she just told me she wants to sit in my lap or anything. I mean, it could be because she just doesn’t want to run alone. I shake my head at myself.
“But, if you’re free tonight.”
“Tonight?” my brow creases.
“For… drinks or something to eat. I mean, if you want to. I’ll understand if you’re busy. Oh, you probably have something on.”
“Meg,” I cut her off gently. “Relax.”
“Sorry. Oh, sorry, shit, I keep apologizing for everything. I have to stop that.”
I chuckle, letting her know it’s fine. It’s actually endearing. She apologizes a lot for things she doesn’t need to apologize for.
“Dinner would be great, actually. I have nothing in.” I glance at the groceries behind me. Then I panic she’ll think I’m agreeing because it means I don’t have to cook. “And it will be nice to go out, to see you. Where are you thinking?” I add, to draw attention away from my fumble.
“I’m not sure. I mean, do you know anywhere you could recommend? I’ve not been out a lot lately.”
“Yeah, I know a place. And it’s over on your side of the bridge. So I can come over to you.”
“Great.”
“I’ll send you the details. Or I can pick you up at your place?”
“Um…”
“It’s a cab ride from your apartment, so if you’re good with it, I’ll pick you up. No big deal.”
“Okay. Is seven okay?”
“Perfect. I’ll see you then.”
“Thanks. See you then.”
She hangs on for a minute, then the phone clicks off. I grin as the display goes back to the GPS screen. Did Megan just call up and ask me out?
Well, I’ll be damned. Why would she do this now? Especially after ghosting me for a few days. What’s changed? And am I reading more into this than there is? She specifically asked me out to eat or for drinks.
Jesus Christ, when did I become such an idiot that I can’t even think straight? Meg does that to me. And shit, I’m actually nervous. We’ve only interacted through training, and yeah, I’m a chatterbox when we’re not focused, but she still hasn’t opened up to me.
I’m not gonna look this gift horse in the mouth. If we’re going out on a date, which I think this is, then I’m going to make it the best date she’s been on.
Grabbing the groceries, I hurry to my apartment. It’s only two, I still have five hours before I need to go over to pick her up. First things first, I call the restaurant and book us a table. It’s one of the best, most authentic Italian restaurants in New York, popular and always busy, but they never turn me away.
“You finally bringing a date, Joey?”
“No,” I kick off my sneakers and grin. “Maybe.”
“Oh-ho really? Is it serious? What’s her name? Is she Italian? How long have you known her?”
“Angelina, rein it in. And I’m not Italian.”
“You are an honorary Italian. You never bring girls here.”
“Wonder why? Don’t bother us.”
“Me?” she shrieks, and I pull the phone away from my ear.
Angelina is Dixon’s sister and for years has been reminding me to call her Aunty Angel. Always with a huge fucking grin on her face because she knows I will never call her Aunty Angel .
There are no fancy airs and graces at Angelina’s. The food is good, the ambience is relaxed. It’s the perfect place to take Megan.
“She’s not some fight whore, is she?”
“What? No,” I scowl. “Jesus, Angelina, what is a fight whore?”
“You know, one of those girls who only wants you cos of your body,” she laughs loudly, and I can imagine everyone staring at her. Angelina isn’t quiet, or shy about where she is or who is listening.
Yeah, this is a bad idea. Instead of getting annoyed, I play along.
“Don’t all women want me for my body?”
“ Cane da caccia ,” she laughs. “See you tonight. Best table in the house.”
I hang up laughing. I’ve picked up enough Italian over the years I’ve lived with Dixon to know she’s calling me a hound dog. So fucking untrue. I don’t go chasing after anyone. Although I’ve had a lot of sex. A lot.
Shit, I hope she doesn’t start telling Megan about all the women who follow me around, especially at fights. Maybe bringing Megan to my adopted family’s restaurant is a bad idea.
I can’t get out of it now. Angelina would never let me hear the end of it.
I’ll just give Megan fair warning. Shit…