“Yeah.” Finally, the computer had finished booting up, and I tapped out the password to log in. I opened the ledger software and began the monotonous task of checking back through the records. “We were down 3–1, but we managed to pull it back in the third period.”
“Good job. I knew you’d do it.” He paused for anabnormally long time, and I glanced up from my screen to see him eyeing me contemplatively.
“What?”
“I was wondering what your thoughts were regarding tomorrow’s event.”
The buzzing grew more insistent, impossible to ignore as my jaw tensed. “The engagement party?”
“Mmm.”
“None of my business, is it?” When my dad continued to stare at me, I groaned under my breath. “It’s not something I’d personally wish on anyone. I think people should be free to make their own choices. But this world is messed up, so.” I shrugged.
“You know, I met your mother on our second day at Cardiff Uni. She was…she was so beautiful. I never thought I’d have a chance with her. I was just a working-class boy from Gloucester. But somehow, she gave me a chance.”
“Dad, I know how you met.”
He held up his hand. “No. Listen to me. We reached our third year, and she began talking about perhaps going to join her grandmother in India after she graduated. Permanently. I was—I was gutted. It felt as if I’d already lost her.”
“But she didn’t go.”
“No, and do you know why? After a few weeks of moping around, I took a good look at myself. Did some reflecting. Told myself I needed to pull myself together so I didn’t lose the best thing that had ever happened to me.”
The ledgers were forgotten as I stared at him, caught up in this part of my parents’ story I’d never heard before. “What did you do?”
He gave me a wry smile. “Something I should have done much sooner. I sat her down and talked to her honestly. Laidit all out. I told her exactly what she meant to me and how I didn’t want to hold her back, but I didn’t want her to go. Said that if she was in, I was all in. Even if she did still want to go, I’d find a way to go with her, if that was something she wanted.” His voice grew firmer. “Jay. It was the hardest conversation I’d ever had, baring myself without knowing the outcome, but I didn’t regret a second of it.”
“Because she stayed.”
“Yes. She stayed. Sometimes, people don’t realise how much they mean to someone unless it’s spelled out plainly. They might not realise they have other options.”
“Except when they don’t.”
“There’s always a way,” he said. “Always. I want you to remember that.”
13
NOVA
The yard was less crowded than usual, but there were still too many people blocking my view. Students from both Cranham and Whelford lined the chain-link fence, taunting and cheering and restlessly shifting in an ever-changing wave, their focus intent on the two opponents going at it in the centre. Through a gap in the crowd, I caught a glimpse of the fight. The motion of Ryker’s tattooed arms was almost too quick to follow, one punch after the other, sending his opponent flying to the side. I pushed forwards, my hood covering my hair and shadowing my face. If I dared to walk tall and proud instead of hiding myself, people would move for me, knowing who I was. But tonight, I needed the anonymity. It was amazing what a nondescript hoodie and a small change in posture could actually do.
I had no idea what time it actually was, but I guessed it must be close to 1:00 a.m. I’d left my phone in my room because I was planning to go to the barrow later, and I’d never risk my parents being able to track me to my hiding place. The fights would be winding down soon, althoughselfishly, I wished they’d continue all night. Anything to drag out the period of time before the morning came.
The morning, which would bring a family brunch to celebrate mine and Ryker’s twentieth birthday, followed by a full day of pampering, professional hair and makeup, and then… My engagement.
“Bets on the next fight!”
I glanced to my left to see Toby Wells holding his hand up. Jay had been in charge of the betting earlier, which meant?—
Slipping through the crowd with mumbled apologies, I reached the front.
Kane was pacing up and down in the centre, his lean, defined body glistening under the lights mounted on the tops of the chain-link fence. He was insanely hot, if you liked the bad-boy type, but I barely paid any attention to him.
Because Jay had entered the centre of the ring—the area marked out in the dirt as the fighting zone. His hands went to the hem of his hoodie, and he tugged it and the T-shirt below off in one smooth movement. My breath caught in my throat at the sight of the chiselled planes of his torso, and I immediately cursed myself for noticing.
He threw the bundle of clothes to Daniel and then ran a hand through his hair, tousling it. There was a dark expression on his face that I hadn’t seen before when I’d watched him fight, and as he began to circle Kane, it seemed as if Kane realised it too.His eyes narrowed before he smirked, tapping his cheekbone. “Remember you promised not to mess up my pretty face.”
That seemed to snap Jay out of it. The corners of his lips kicked up as he met Kane’s gaze. “I think it was the other way around.”
