“Andi, we’re going to be late if you don’t hurry up,” Travis calls from the door.
After we broke the news to the group, we got a suite at the Bellagio for the weekend. Katelyn had someone from Travis’s L.A. house deliver his motorcycle to us, so we spent the day acting like tourists. This is my first trip to Vegas, and there are so many things I want to see.
The main title bout starts at ten o’clock tonight, while the exhibition and ranking bouts start at six. Shane and Luke both fight closer to the main event, so Travis and I decided on an eight o’clock arrival. That gives us time to get dressed up and have dinner first. Never mind the fact that I’m now running late for our dinner reservations.
“Andi,” Travis calls again, stretching my name out into multiple syllables as he taunts me.
“I’m here, I’m here,” I call as I rush into the living area to meet him.
“You look beautiful,” he says, smiling appreciatively.
“Thank you, Travis. You look handsome yourself.”
I take his arm and we walk together down to the hotel lobby restaurant. As soon as we’re seated, I recognize the fixtures even though I’ve never been here.
This is one of the places where Luke and Syndi were photographed together.
Pushing that visual from my head, I try to enjoy my time with Travis. We order our meals and engage in everyday chitchat while we wait for our food.
“Have you ever been to a real boxing match before?” I ask Travis.
“No. I’ve never really had a desire to see one live before now. I’ve watched plenty on TV.”
“It’s so much different seeing it in person. I think you’ll like it much more. The audience really gets behind their pick and they cheer them on. It can get pretty crazy. You’ll see a lot of bets being placed under the table,” I laugh.
“It’s been a huge part of your life, hasn’t it?” he asks, genuinely interested.
“It really has. Working at Mack’s gym all those years has just ingrained it in me, I guess,” I say with a shrug. “I hope you like it, too.”
“I’m sure I will, baby.”
After dinner, we head over to the MGM Grand and find our seats. I picked floor seats as close to the action as we can get. I can’t wait to see Shane fight against his first contender. If he wins this match, he’ll be considered the next great fighter and will be well on his way to the world title fight.
“I’m so excited,” I squeal to Travis.
He laughs at my obvious declaration. “Really? I could never tell.”
We both have a good laugh and enjoy each other’s company. Then Luke’s name is announced over the PA system, and I feel like all the oxygen has been sucked from the room. Syndi is sitting close to Luke’s corner, and she’s beaming up at him. She stands to help him remove his robe and strokes his face before he turns to climb into the ring.
Travis reaches over and takes my hand in his, squeezing it as he watches my reaction to the scene unfolding in front of us. Looking at Travis, I give him a small smile of appreciation. “You know, the more I see it, the faster it helps me get over it,” I tell him. Although, I don’t believe the words myself. It cuts deeper every time.
“Let me record it then. You can watch it on my phone repeatedly until you’re completely over it,” he offers.
“That’s so very considerate of you to offer,” I deadpan before bursting out in laughter.
“You know me, I’m just thoughtful like that,” he winks.
The bell rings, and the two men come out ready to fight. This guy Luke’s fighting already has an established record, and beating him won’t be easy. Not that I’ve cyberstalked him or anything, but I may have watched one or two videos of his previous fights.
Sitting stoically, pretending to be unaffected by the fight, I secretly feel like I’m on the edge of my seat as the two men go at it. They’re equally matched in height and arm reach, but the gleam in Luke’s eye says he has more of a hunger for the win.
By the third round, Luke has worn the other guy down, making him do most of the work while Luke takes advantage of every opening the guy gives him. When he makes one major mistake, Luke takes full advantage of it. He throws a right hook into the other guy’s body and quickly follows up with another right hook, but this time to the chin.
The guy crumples to the ground, and the referee sends Luke to a neutral corner while he counts. For the first few counts, the guy doesn’t move at all. Luke is pacing back and forth in the neutral corner, watching his opponent carefully. The guy starts crawling across the mat, trying to reach for the ropes as the referee continues his count. His hand barely reaches the rope when the referee reaches ten.
Luke is declared the winner by a knockout, and his excitement is uncontainable. Bouncing up and down on his toes, he holds both arms up in the air and swings around in circles in appreciation to his adoring fans. When his eyes land on Syndi, he motions for her to climb in the ring with him. The guys hold the ropes for her to get in, and she rushes to him.
He lifts her off the mat and plants a kiss firmly on her lips. The smile he gives her makes my heart drop to my feet. That wasmysmile. He’s never smiled that smile at anyone else before—it was always saved for me. It seems like such a small thing, having a special smile. But it meant something to me. It was something that was special between us because it was only mine.
