Page 38 of A Major Love

“Maybe.”

He shook his head and left the room. I rushed to catch up with him, closing the door behind me.

“Are you mad?” I asked, stopping him before he reached the stairs.

“No. I’m not mad, but if you’ve already given yourself a tour, we didn’t need to do it again.”

“My bad. I looked around last night before coming to your room, but I didn’t go to the basement,” I confessed.

“So, you already knew about my paintings?”

“I did, and they brought me to tears when I saw them. You’re so talented, Major, and I’m glad you’re going to share your talent with the world.”

“I’ve already sold a few under my alias.”

“Really? What’s your alias?”

“Maj.”

“And nobody knows it’s you?”

He shook his head as he responded.

“If they know, they haven’t said anything.”

“I’m so proud of you, baby. I hope you’re planning to add this to your memoir and documentary. Your fans will love it, and I can’t imagine how many new fans you’ll gain.”

“I know you’ll write in a way that’ll make me appeal to the masses. I’m not worried. Let’s go see the basement.”

I was excited because it was the only part of the house I hadn’t seen, and he was just as excited to show me.

“You know more than anybody that I don’t like people, so it was important for me to have a private place to train. One of the reasons I chose this house was because the basement was huge and unfinished.”

He opened the door and turned on the light, then we headed down the stairs. As the space came into view, I was in awe. This man had built himself a private boxing studio, and I’d venture to say it would give boxing studios with paying customers a run for their money.

“This is a lot more than I expected,” I said when we made it to the bottom of the stairs.

“That’s what most people say when they see it for the first time. I went all out and have no regrets.”

“I guess it makes sense. NBA players have full-length basketball courts in their homes, so why wouldn’t you have a boxing ring?”

“Exactly. I used almost every square foot of this space, so I had to put a little more into the media and game room upstairs for Maja. She does have a small space over there in the corner in case she’s down here while I’m training.”

“It’s only fair. I love this. Don’t take this the wrong way, but I had to mute all mentions of you on my social media. Have you ever allowed anyone from the media into this space?”

“Never. If any pictures or video footage were needed for an interview, I paid to use one of the studios in the area.”

“Is that what you plan to do for your memoir and documentary?”

He shrugged. “I hadn’t given it much thought. What do you think?”

“It would be much more personal and authentic if they both included pictures and videos from where the magic actually happens. Has your team found a film crew?”

“Brax is looking but hasn’t reported back to me yet. You got a crew in mind?”

“Not a crew, per se, but they’re both up and coming in the field and not well known, but their work is amazing.”

“Bet. I actually kinda like the idea of helping some newbies make a name for themselves. Let’s set up a meeting.”