And it’s too late now to imagine a life where it’s only two of us in this relationship. We’re stuck.
“After the fight, would you two like to sleep at my place?” I ask, holding Freya against my body and staring into Julian’s eyes. She turns her head and glances up at me.
“Sure.”
He hesitates, and I see the nervous energy behind his eyes. Finally, he nods. I know it’s the fight that has him acting this way. But he’ll see. Afterward, he’ll feel so much better.
When we reach our Métro stop, the three of us climb off, and I lead them to the location Rex sent me. The two of them walk behind me, clutched together as I get myself in my prefight mind space.
Rex is waiting out front, bouncing on his feet, when he sees me coming. Then his eyes land on the couple behind me, and they widen with surprise. He probably thinks I’m out of my mind for bringing them, but I’m not worried. They’ll be fine.
“Hey, Chunks,” I say, clapping his hand and pulling him in for a quick hug.
“Hey, Chopper,” he mutters with nervous energy.
Turning back, I hold out my hand for the other two. “This is Freya and Julian. They’re just here to watch.”
Rex pastes a beaming smile on his handsome face. “Nice to meet you both,” he says before giving them a wave.
“Chopper?” Freya asks, glancing at me with curiosity.
I laugh out loud. “You know…helicopters.” I make a gesture with my hand, moving in circles above my head.
“Ah…gotcha,” she replies with a smile. She’s at least trying to look excited and casual. Julian, on the other hand, is wearing a scowl so deep I worry it will indent into his skull.
Rex turns to me with a look of worry too. “So this guy’s been training, and he doesn’t look anything like the one in the pictures I sent you. The bookies are rightfully pissed, Arch. But the manager says he’s not calling the fight.”
With a cynical smile, I shake my head. “Why the hell would they call it? What? So the guy did some workouts at the gym? You think I can’t handle him?”
“They’re fucking with us, Archer. It’s not a fair fight.”
I suck in through my teeth and wave a hand at my friend. “You’re being paranoid. I can take him. Relax.”
“What’s going on?” Freya asks with fear.
I turn toward her, trying to calm her worries. “It’s fine. Rex is just cautious. He does this every time.” I clap a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t you?”
His lips pressed together tightly, he nods. “It’s my job.”
No one looks convinced.
There’s really no fanfare in these fights. No announcer or seats or rules or anything really. I walk into the gym with Rex by my side. I tear off my shirt and pass it to him, along with my phone and wallet.
I take about thirty seconds to get warmed up, and then I walk into the ring to meet my opponent. We don’t have timers or points or even a real referee. It’s just a matter of who can knock the other down first.
When the other fighter walks in, I see what Rex was talkingabout. The guy in the video he sent me was lanky and tall. This guy looks about fifty pounds heavier and twice the size.
My teeth clench as I watch him walk in. Angry murmurs ripple through the small crowd gathered around us, and rightfully so. The fighter they thought they were betting against looked like the prepubescent version of this guy.
And it’s not like I’m worried. I’ll still get them their wins and beat his ass. I just realize now that it’s going to hurt a hell of a lot more. And I wasn’t really anticipating that. In fact, the cut above my eye isn’t fully healed, and it’s about to get a lot worse.
Let’s hope he doesn’t know how to throw a punch.
Rex wraps my hands in gauze, which is about the only gear I’ll take with me into the fight. That and a mouth guard so I don’t have to eat the rest of my meals through a straw, but that’s it. Nothing else is allowed. Although once, I took a mean right hook from a guy who I was pretty sure had a pair of brass knuckles of some sort under his gauze. But I only let him get one punch in, so I couldn’t be sure.
Taking a deep breath, I bounce around on the balls of my feet. Julian and Freya are at the back of the crowd, near the door, which is exactly where I want them. I trust him that if things get ugly, he’ll take care of her. Under any other circumstance, I wouldn’t want her anywhere near this place. Either of them really. But I have confidence tonight.
Maybe too much.
