6. Chapter Six #2
They both scrambled into the muck, waiting for Sam to toss a coin in. When he gave them the call to begin, Eli darted in one direction while Nik darted straight toward him.
It didn’t take more than three steps for Nik to wrap his arms around Eli, pulling them both into the mud.
Eli had enough sense to close his mouth and breath out his nose before he went under.
When he resurfaced, he sputtered and did his best to wipe the mud from his face.
Though his eyes stung, he blinked quickly, aware that he wouldn’t have much time during the actual competition.
He started toward the center again but immediately felt the weight of Nik on his back.
This time he managed to stay above the surface, but it was difficult to move with an extra body hanging off him.
He clawed at Nik’s arms and swung back and forth, hoping to knock him loose, but Nik’s grip stayed firm.
Nik pulled on his arm, and Eli wobbled. Maybe Nick was larger and stronger than Eli, but he was clumsy as hell.
“Fight me,” Nik grumbled.
Gladly, Eli thought. He jammed his elbow behind him, knocking the wind out of Nik. He heard him cough and sputter, but he was already making his escape. If he could put a few steps between them, it would make his search much easier.
But his freedom was short-lived. He felt around with his hands and feet for the smooth coin, but seconds later, Nik was shoving him over.
Eli sent a frustrated slap of mud at Nik’s head, which surprisingly worked in his favor, giving him another second to continue his search while Nik wiped the muck from his face.
He just needed to feel…there! It happened so fast he almost missed it. But he felt the cool, familiar metal slide against his foot and spun to grab it with his hand.
He surged forward, arm outstretched, and just as his fingers connected with the coin, Nik slammed into him again.
His face smashed into the mud once more and he pressed with all his might, trying to break the surface so he could breathe.
But Nik was impossibly heavy. Maybe it was his weight, or maybe Eli was exhausted after hours of training, but it felt like he was no match.
Eli panicked as his lungs burned. His foot slipped, and he felt himself fall further into the depths.
But that was enough for Nik’s weight to lift, and Eli took the opportunity to twist and turn out of his clutches and pop his head up.
He coughed and inhaled. The crisp air had never tasted so sweet.
Without bothering to clear his eyes, he started to trudge back to the border of the pool. It didn’t matter what direction; he needed out.
“Giving up so soon?” Nik called.
Eli responded with one arm raised high in the air, a golden coin beneath a layer of mud held tight between his fingers.
He could’ve sworn he heard an impressed huff behind him.
Once out of the pit, they both did their best to clean themselves, especially Eli’s eyes and nose, before they sat down for a break. Sam searched through Eli’s bag for water and a snack so Eli didn’t get mud all over his belongings.
“Well?” Sam asked.
Eli tossed a handful of nuts into his mouth, then washed away the saltiness with a swig of water. “Well, what?”
“I was right, wasn’t I?”
“Don’t get all cocky with us,” Nik said. “It’s not a good look.”
Eli snorted. “He would know.”
The words had no sooner left Eli’s mouth than Sam burst into laughter. Nik stared, appalled, at the man who was supposed to be his friend. Once he regained his composure, Sam shrugged. “Sorry.”
“You don’t seem to be.”
Sam’s eyes met Eli’s, and they both tried very hard to stifle another round of laughter.
“Don’t be grumpy, Nik. It’s not a good look.” Sam mimicked Nik’s intonation, and Eli almost rolled over in amusement.
He tossed the bag of nuts back into his backpack and stood, clapping his hands together to remove the debris left by his snack. It was best to get back to training. Any more teasing Nik and his head might explode. “Ready to go again?”
Nik sighed, but stood and brushed his hands off as well. “Yes, let’s get—”
His words tapered off, and he hardened to a statue.
“Something wrong?” Eli ran a hand over his face, feeling as if something were marking it. Something other than the dried mud which fell off in flakes. Did he have something in his teeth? A bug in his hair? “What are you looking at?”
“What the fuck is that?” Nik demanded, rage simmering in his eyes. He pointed at Eli’s torso.
Eli searched himself, expecting to find some horrid, bloody injury or maybe one of the mud snakes had bitten him. But he saw none of those things. “What are you talking about?”
“That,” Nik said again, angrier this time. He stepped closer and jabbed a finger at Eli’s chest, right where a small tattoo covered his skin.
The moon to Ali’s sun.
Eli smirked, tapping the dark ink on his chest. “This? Oh, that’s just the tattoo I got with my best friend. Do you recognize it? They’re not identical, but it is very similar to the one on her chest.”
At the mention of Ali’s chest, Nik launched forward and sent Eli tumbling to the ground. He was on him within seconds, pulling his arm back to throw the first punch.
Eli blocked it as well as he could, and Nik slammed his fist into Eli’s arms over and over again, trying to get past his defenses. His punches were sloppy, full of fury, not the skilled blows Eli had seen him make plenty of times before.
Nik was like a wild dog. Eli had never seen him so riled up. He couldn’t stifle the inappropriate laugh that bubbled out of him. There was just something so comical about seeing him this way.
“You think it’s funny?” Nik said through gritted teeth, his cheeks and forehead a fiery red.
Eli chose not to answer. Instead, he smiled so wide he thought Nik might knock out every single one of his teeth.
Nik took one rabid look at Eli’s smug grin before bending down and biting Eli’s flesh.
Eli howled and tried to throw Nik off, but he only dug his teeth in harder, doing his best to pry the tattoo from Eli’s body.
“Have you lost your fucking mind?”
Somewhere in the distance, Sam was yelling, but his pleas to end this nonsense were drowned out by Eli’s pained yelps and Nik’s ravenous grunts.
When he finally released Eli, blood trickled from his lips and tarnished his chin. He spat, and a mixture of reddish saliva landed next to Eli’s head. Glancing down, Eli found a ring of angry teeth marks circling the tattoo on his chest. Likely deep enough to scar. He snarled at his attacker.
Now it was Nik’s turn to look smug. When he smiled, red stained his teeth and the fire in his eyes turned to ash. “Now, wherever you may find Ali, you’ll find me as well.”
Eli shoved him, and Nik tumbled to the side. “You’re insane. She didn’t even know you when we got those tattoos. Why does it matter now?”
His fingers grazed the tender skin where Nik had sunk his teeth in, and he hissed at the stinging pain. He would never understand Nik. His jealousy was completely unwarranted. Ali was in love with him—something Eli would also never understand—and Eli had moved on too.
“She chose you,” he said, gently wiping away the blood smeared across his chest.
Nik spoke quietly, anger still lacing his words. “She still needs you.”
Eli could practically feel the pain it took for him to admit it. It was enough to almost make Eli feel sorry for him, but the burning pain in his chest ripped away that potential.
The silence that settled around them was unnerving. Even Sam seemed unsure of what to do, his gaze flicking back and forth between them, waiting for someone to make the first move.
“She loves you,” Eli said finally. “For reasons that I’ll never understand, but she does. Ali is my best friend, and you’re right—we will always need each other. But not the same way she needs you. When are you going to get over it?”
The flare in Nik’s eyes said it wouldn’t be anytime soon.
Sighing, Eli pulled himself off the ground and stretched out a hand to Nik. A peace offering, even if he couldn’t stand to offer Nik an apology for antagonizing him. He doubted Nik expected one and knew he’d never get one in return, either.
Nik’s eyes narrowed to slits as he stared at Eli’s hand, but after a moment’s hesitation, he took it and Eli pulled him up.
They were still trapped in awkward tension when the sound of someone clearing their throat rang out.
“Hope I’m not interrupting anything, boys.” Trevor sauntered toward them with a haughty grin and his shoulders slung back in an attempt to make him seem brawnier than he truly was. “Let me guess—Eli needed some extra time in the pit to ensure he wouldn’t make a fool of himself.”
Nobody joined in his chuckling.
Ignoring that, Trevor carried on, clapping Eli on the back. “First round shouldn’t be too bad…even for a scrawny kid like yourself. Personally, I can’t wait to kick your ass in the second round.”
Eli shoved Trevor’s hand away. Sam moved to step between them, but Nik pressed an arm to his chest, holding him back. Trevor merely looked at them like they were beneath it all. He was only here to torment Eli.
Eli looked him up and down. “Careful, Trevor. One of these days, you’re going to get what you deserve. I only hope to be the one who gives it to you.”