“I was just trying to scare him. He acted like an honorless craven, hitting me while my back was to him.”
“This is pro wrestling.” She rolled her eyes. “You should have—you, know what, never mind. This is stupid.” With a dismissive wave of her hand, she walked away from him, sliding under the ropes to leave the ring.
“Zara, wait—” He attempted to chase after her, but the referee stopped him, placing a hand on his arm.
“Let me go,” he said.
“If you leave, then you forfeit the match,” the official said. “Do you want to do that?”
“Drekhar,” he cursed. He had to win this to prove to Zara he was worthy.
But did it matter, if she wasn’t around to see him?
She was already gone, anyway.
But he was determined to finish this task.
“So,” he said to the referee, “Whoever leaves, loses?”
“Yes,” the referee confirmed.
“Fine.” He turned to Calaway, who was seemingly frozen to the spot, still staring at him. “Leave,” he bellowed.
Calaway gulped audibly, then turned around and scrambled under the ropes as the crowd booed and jeered at him.
The referee reached for his hand, but Hektor evaded him and instead leaped over the ropes, landing on the floor with a great big thud.
“Where did she go?” he asked Roberto. “I must go after her and explain.”
“She’ll probably just go home,” Roberto said. “Give her some time. Come, let’s go back.”
Hektor’s instincts told him to go after her, but perhaps Roberto was right. She seemed really angry at him, and it wasn’t just because she thought he was going to expose his true nature to the unsuspecting crowd.
“Perhaps we should head back.”
After retrieving their things from the locker room, Roberto drove them back home. The knot in Hektor’s chest loosened the moment he spotted Zara’s car in the driveaway. Thank the gods she did go home and he did not drive her away further.
Pam was waiting for them outside the doorway. “We’re fine, don’t worry,” she said.
“I must speak to Zara,” Hektor said. “She must?—”
“Hold on there.” Pam held up a hand and blocked his way. “I think you need to give her some space.”
“But I must explain?—”
“She understands what you’re doing,” she said. “But—wait, let’s go inside and talk, shall we?”
“Breathe and give yourself a minute, Hektor,” Roberto urged. “You’ve been wound up tight, or tighter than usual, the whole drive home.”
“But—”
“I think it’s time we listened to a woman’s perspective.” He grinned at his wife. “My wife is usually not wrong about these things.”
Hektor unclenched his jaw. “Alright.” It was their house, after all, and he would respect their wishes.
He followed them inside, all the way to the kitchen where Pam gestured for him to sit at the tall counters where an array of refreshments had been laid out.
“I have beer, wine, alcohol, but also some soda and juice, plus some snacks in case you were hungry.”
