Chapter 38 #2
I ask the vendor if they have Nick’s size, and they only have one, which I buy for him. E buys a pair of workout shorts for himself. We continue to explore but find nothing else, so we return to our seats.
A short time later, Seb and Bay find us. After hugs, we settle in. Seb tells me about the security detail from this morning. It was a garden party at the governor’s summer home, and nothing exciting happened. He just had to check invitations and IDs at the door.
Soon we direct our attention to the cages as Ceres and Nick begin their next fights.
We’re down to 26 fighters now. Ceres is in the center again, with Nick to our right.
Ceres seems to have his match under control as I focus on Nick.
His opponent is a few inches shorter than he is, but seems really good, and they’re both getting solid hits in.
“I remember that guy from last year,” Seb says.
“He came in third, I think.” No wonder he’s good.
Ceres easily wins his round and walks over to Nick’s fight, along with Markus.
From the start of round four, Nick is on the attack and in control.
He consults with Markus and Ceres before the final round begins, and I can see him nodding at whatever they're saying. As the last round starts, he switches up his style to Aikido. That throws his opponent off-kilter. Both fighters are still standing at the end of the round, so we await the judge’s decision.
Nick wins as we holler and cheer for him from the stands.
He locks eyes with me for a minute before getting out of the cage.
There’s only an hour until the next matches, so we settle back into our seats.
Alex says goodbye, needing to drive back to Charleston for a social event, and I catch up with Bay, since I haven’t seen him much this week.
He’s found a few campsites for me to check out, so we look at them on our phones.
Ezra rejoins us just before the final round of the day begins.
Ceres is fighting in the far left cage this time, and Nick and Markus are standing outside the cage cheering him on.
The match is close, and by round four both fighters are winded, as Ceres takes a moment to consult with Nick and Markus.
We stand to cheer him on with Ezra as the last round starts.
As the final bell rings, the match is too close to call, so we must await the judges’ ruling.
Unfortunately, Ceres loses his match and is out of the tournament. You can see his disappointment from here as he shakes his head, but he follows Nick to the center cage for his match.
We stay standing as Nick’s last match of the day begins.
His opponent is a few inches shorter and is extremely ripped.
They both attack when the bell rings, so we have an exciting match on our hands, and four rounds go by quickly.
Nick is breathing easily, unlike his opponent, who's very winded. Nick’s stamina proves decisive in round five, overwhelming his exhausted opponent.
The judges announce Nick as the winner, then we file out to the front hall to wait for him.
“How is Neve doing?” I ask Ezra.
“Nauseous,” he smiles, “but okay. Her morning sickness is all day right now.”
“Aww, I’m sorry to hear that. I hope it passes quickly for her,” I reply, as Ceres and Nick join us.
I say goodbye to Ceres as we file out of the building.
I join Bay in his Honda while the rest of the guys file into the Jeep.
Bay follows Seb to the hotel, and we head upstairs after the guys grab their bags.
E and I peruse local menus for dinner while Nick showers in the main bathroom.
We decide on room service, so I make a list of what everyone wants, then E places the order.
I join Bay and Seb on the couch, and Seb immediately throws his arm over my shoulders to snuggle me into his side.
“What’s new, Sunshine? How are you doing?
What did you order for dinner? Is the tattoo all healed up? ”
“Nothing new since we’ve been together all afternoon. Good. Steak. Yes,” I reply with a smile.
He leans over to whisper in my ear, “Is your bed occupied tonight?”
“Probably,” I whisper back.
“Okay,” he smiles.
As Nick comes back out of our room, I hold up the bag with his t-shirt inside. “Here, Grumpy,” I say, shaking the bag.
He raises an eyebrow, but takes the bag and looks inside. Pulling out the shirt, he shakes it out. He checks the size and seems surprised. “My size?”
“Yup. They only had one.”
“Thanks Shortie. They never have my size,” he replies.
“You’re welcome, Grumpy. Hey, what happened to Juan and Hunter today? I saw them initially, but not for the rest of the day.”
“Juan twisted his ankle, and Hunter was out in the first round.”
“Wow, really? Hunter’s a good fighter.”
“Luck of the draw,” he shrugs, sitting in one of the armchairs.
“How are you feeling after today, man? Think you can win?” Seb asks.
“Maybe,” Nick replies.
“So talkative,” Seb shakes his head. “Is Ceres staying to watch tomorrow?”
“If Neve is feeling better, I said we’d drive him home,” Nick replies.
“Oh Hurry. Neve is pregnant but has terrible morning sickness,” I tell him.
“Really? That’s cool and not cool,” he ponders. “I wonder who the dad is.” Good question.
A knock at the door interrupts his musings. E answers, pulling a few trays into the room, tipping the server. The smell of food causes my stomach to rumble. “Sorry,” I say, covering my belly with my hands.
The guys chuckle as E hands each of us our orders. I set mine on the table and wait for the guys to get situated, then dig in. My steak is pretty good, but not as good as E cooks. Nick has two servings of chicken parm in front of him, while the other 3 guys have seafood dishes.
When we finish, E places several desserts in the middle of the table. Nick and I both grab the chocolate cake slices while E has tiramisu and Seb and Bay have cheesecake.
We relax and watch a movie for the evening, and I text Zander an update. By 9pm I’m getting tired, so I excuse myself to shower and get ready for bed. I give Seb, Bay, and E a hug before leaving the room.
Finishing up, I find Nick already in bed with his laptop. I crawl onto the far side and snuggle with him. “What are we watching tonight?” I ask.
“New series,” he grunts as he starts the show and wraps an arm around me. I get through most of the first episode before falling asleep.