27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

ALEX

A fter dropping the kids off, Roman looked uneasy. I’m sure it was about my training. I wanted him to watch me. I know I had all this energy from playing with the kids, but I was wondering if it would go away after we dropped them off. Roman made me feel powerful the last time he came. I needed to convince him to stay and watch again, so I don’t go in there and get laid out.

As we pulled into the parking lot I could feel his uneasiness again. “Babe, it’s going to be fine. It’s just sparring, not fighting, and no one is trying to hurt me.” I put my hand on his arm and gave him a reassuring look.

“I know, just give me a minute to breathe and I’ll be in.”

I waved to Bruce at the counter as I walked up. “You alone again? Roman couldn’t handle it huh?”

“No, he’s out in the car. He’ll be in shortly. I’m going to try and get the guys to sign up for kickboxing with us on Wednesdays. What do you think of that?”

He laughed and said, “Damn, girl. Bring 'em all. Pay my bills.”

“Bruce, I can have this place filled up.”

“Are the guys as fun as you girls?”

“Probably not, but someone’s got to be the adult in the group. We all have fun when we’re together, though.”

“That’s awesome, I’d love to have them all here.” We headed to the ring to get ready, and I saw Roman come in looking much better than I left him in the car. I wondered what kind of pep talk he gave himself.

Before we got started, Bruce got my attention. He had his hands on my shoulders, and he was bent over a little so he could look down at my face. “Now Alex, this is the last class before the hearing starts on Tuesday. I’m not expecting you in class on Tuesday no matter what happens.”

I don’t know if I’m okay with that. I may need the class after the hearing.

“In fact, your class is canceled on Tuesday.”

I’m sure Bruce was reading my facial expressions now.

“I’m going to go sit with Roman and keep him occupied while you and Raphael spar today. I told him to fight you, but not try to hurt you, but I want you to fight for real. ”

A worried look crossed my face when I realized Roman was going to be watching this. I was scared of what he might do if he thought for one minute that I might get hurt in here. Raphael is not known for going easy on you. I nodded and shot a quick smile and wink in Roman’s direction.

When Raphael entered the ring, he came over to me and whispered in my ear, “I’m going to kick your ass and humiliate you in front of your boyfriend, there, and there’s nothing he’ll be able to do about it.”

My heart started racing and adrenaline pumped through my veins. I shoved him away from me and he started laughing.

Bruce yelled, “What are you waiting for? Get to it.”

***

ROMAN

Why is this so hard? It’s not like anything’s going to happen to her. They’re just training her to defend herself, not trying to hurt her. Maybe I should relay my concerns to my mom and let her reassure me that I’m not crazy.

She picked up on the first ring, “Hi Honey. How are you? Harrison and Amelia tell me you and Alex had a sleepover with her godchildren last night and that you both spent the day with them today. How did that go?”

I nervously said, “It went well. Can I elaborate on that later?”

“Sure, is everything okay?”

That’s a loaded question.

“I don’t know yet. I let Alex talk me into watching her train again and I feel like I’m going to be sick. She told me she feels powerful with me there. Stronger. How am I supposed to sit there and watch her get hit like that?”

“Does she actually get hurt?”

“I don’t think so. She’s never said she’s gotten hurt. She always comes back with a bruise or two, though.”

She chuckled. “I think you may be overreacting then.”

Ugh. I never used to overreact. This girl makes me nuts.

I groaned, “You may be right. I guess I should just go in there, sit down and shut up.”

“Exactly. Love you, honey, talk to you later.”

Looks like my mom just told me to man up.

Alex was in the ring talking to Bruce. Felix waved to me across the room, and I waved back. I wonder if he’s ever had to spar with her. Doesn’t matter. I know Bruce won’t hurt her and he’s in there with her.

Wait, what’s this? Why is Bruce getting out of the ring? Why is some guy twice her size now in there with her? He doesn’t look friendly and I’m getting a bad vibe.

Bruce sat down next to me and said, “Hey Roman. I didn’t think we’d see you here again.”

I kept staring at Alex. “Mhmm. Me either.”

I think Bruce laughed. I couldn’t really hear him.

“I told her that classes on Tuesday are canceled, so today is the last training before the hearing.”

That snapped me out of it.

I looked over and said, “Oh shit, it’s almost here, isn’t it?” He shook his head and yelled over his shoulder, “What are you waiting for? Get to it.”

Right as I looked up, Alex’s opponent had her on the ground. I jumped off the bench. Bruce stopped me with one hand on my shoulder.

“Roman, this is what I’ve been training her for. I told Raphael to get her all worked up and go after her. I promise he won’t hurt her, but I want to see where she’s at. Raphael is about the same size as Mr. Ellington, and he’s not afraid to get hit. She came in here the other day and said she might be too tired to fight because she didn’t get enough sleep. She’s talked to me about what’s happened and how self-defense classes were too easy. She’s scared something like that could happen again and she wants to be prepared. She’s afraid of that guy. He’s not going to stop and ask if she’s ready, you know? I’m trying to take that fear away, so just stay calm and watch.”

Now I was going to throw up. I put my head down for a minute and Bruce patted me on the back. I took a few deep breaths and then looked up. What I saw blew my mind. That guy was big, and he was coming at her, and she had an answer for everything. She looked pissed though. She took him down over and over, blocking everything he threw at her.

About fifteen minutes in, Bruce stood up and said, “That’s good. Let’s get some water.” The guy patted her on the head, and she hit his hand away, still not smiling. I stayed right where I was, not saying one word. Bruce went to talk to her, and she listened, then she shook her head. She was bouncing a bit on her toes, biting her lip like she did when she was anxious. He made her sit down and drink some water. I could feel the intensity easing up from that and one of the female fighters came over and sat with me after Bruce motioned her over.

“Hi, I’m Jules.” I looked at her knowing she was just there for me.

“Are you my next distraction?”

She snorted and said, “Yep. ”

“It’s nice to meet you Jules, I’m Roman.”

“Yeah, we all know who you are.”

Great. The pitiful boyfriend.

“That bad, am I?”

She put her hand on my shoulder. “I’ve been doing this for years, Roman, and let me tell you. She’s a natural. You shouldn’t worry about her so much.”

“Jules, I don’t know if that helped. Telling me my girlfriend is a natural fighter makes me worry that she may have some serious anger issues.”

She had a surprised expression and laughed. “Alex? She’s the least angry person in this place. If you knew some of the stories in here it would make you cringe and have nightmares.” I think I already do, but I’m not interested in another cringeworthy story, maybe forever.

“You’re not planning to tell me any of them, are you?”

She shook her head hanging it low trying not to laugh at me. “Nope, I just wanted you to know that she’s not alone and we’re all a big family here. Think of it like siblings fighting.”

That made more sense to me except Harrison and I didn’t really fight, we played pranks on each other. He wasn’t interested in physical altercations like I was. He always ran to our parents crying, getting me in trouble. Those were easier memories than this was going to be. I think that’s when my mom introduced me to dogs, but that was a bust. I wonder if kickboxing would’ve been good for me back then? I think after the empathy really kicked in, when I was a teen, I no longer wanted to fight anyone anyway, until recently.

I think Jules helped me the most. She put it in a better perspective than anyone else. I don’t think I’ll need another person to distract me. I thanked her and she smiled and went back to her training .

I figured I could look up and watch what was going on now. Maybe not. I just caught the moment that Alex got punched in the face.

***

ALEX

Okay, cute asshole . Let’s see what you got. He wasn’t playing around. He came at me and it was everything I could do to fight back. I held my own even when he had me on the ground. I fought my way out and took him down. He was not going to lay another hand on me, and he didn’t.

When Bruce called for us to take a water break, I was so pumped that I couldn’t sit still. I know I got hit a few times out there and slammed to the ground, but I couldn’t feel a thing right now. My insides were vibrating and sweat was pouring off me, but I was ready to go again. I could barely hear what Bruce was saying to me. I think he wanted me to calm down, but I couldn’t.

Then he said something about the case. I needed to calm down so I could hear him. He pulled over a stool and made me sit, directing me to look at him. I tried my best to stay engaged with him as he spoke and I drank the water.

He had his hands on my shoulders again. I think that helps me too. “Deep breaths.” I did what he said, feeling my body start to relax.

“How did that feel?”

Like someone else was in control.

“I don’t really remember what I did or how I did it, I just know that after he took me down for the third time, I wasn’t going to let him do it again. ”

Bruce laughed and said, “That’s my girl. That’s exactly how I want you to feel in that courtroom. He’s not going to touch you ever again.”

I smiled at Bruce and asked, “How’s Roman?” I couldn’t get a read on him during the sparring, so I wasn’t sure if he was okay.

He snorted. “I had to restrain him, but I sent Jules over to help out. She’s got a way about her that calms the nerves. All things considered; I think he’s good. I don't think he liked what I had to tell him about this match up, but he understood it.”

Ugh, he’s probably a mess.

“Raphael was mean. You’ve never matched me with him before, did you do that on purpose?”

Bruce nodded. “I had a talk with him before this. I know he can be an asshole, and I told him to get you worked up. I told him not to go easy on you, but not to try and hurt you either. I needed you to push yourself hard. I picked someone about Tanner’s size and made sure he wasn’t afraid to say something nasty to you.”

“Well, it worked. I wanted to tear his head off. That was a lot of anger I didn’t know I had in me.”

“I’m looking forward to hearing what he has to say later about how you did. I know he’d never let another fighter, much less a girl, do to him what you did to him in there. If he says he was going easy on you, he’s lying.”

It didn’t feel like he was taking it easy on me.

“He’s not going to be mad at me, is he?”

He laughed. “He’ll get over it. Don’t let your guard down in this ring for one second.”

Those were Bruce’s words from day one. I guess I forgot for one second and that right hook I just got to the face is going to leave a mark. I finished with some conditioning and punching bag exercises. I did a bit of jumping rope and rope climbing as a cool down. When training was over, Bruce asked me to come over where all the fighters were. They had a good luck card signed for me, and I got a hug from everyone, including Raphael who said, “That motherfucker doesn’t stand a chance against you.”

I was choking back tears as I smiled, nodded and hurried to the front door— walking right past Roman.

***

ROMAN

Okay I can watch this stuff. Jumping rope, rope climbing and hitting something that won’t hit her back. This I can handle. The guy that was in the ring with her, came over to me and looked me up and down like I was some punk.

He said, “Your girl is dope.” What does that mean?

“Thanks, I think.”

“Not to piss you off, but I didn’t hold back much on her so if y'all get in a fight, I’m betting on the girl.” If we get in a fight like that, things have taken a turn for the worst between us.

“Thanks for the heads up. I’ll be sure not to piss her off.”

He laughed, reaching out his hand to me in a gesture of peace it seemed. I reluctantly shook it thinking he might sucker punch me or something, but he said good luck and went back over to the group of people around Alex. Next thing I know she’s running out the door with tears streaming down her face.

“Alex. Hold up baby.” I grabbed her hand, and she spun around, launching herself at me, burying her face in my chest.

“Hey, what happened? ”

She took a deep breath and looked up at me and said, “I did it.”

“Did what?”

“I conquered my fears.”

I was confused. What fears was she talking about?

“I don’t understand.”

She stood there catching her breath before she stammered out, “I was so scared of this court hearing on Tuesday. It was consuming me. I was afraid of Tanner coming after me again. Now, I’m not.”

“So why are you crying?”

“I'm overwhelmed with joy. This whole place has my back. I have so much support behind me there’s no way I can lose.”

I hugged her, hoping that this was the plan she didn’t think I’d like, because I definitely didn’t like this.

“Can we go out and celebrate tonight? I just want to be normal and go out to dinner and not be worried and looking over my shoulder.”

She seemed relieved. Awesome. This I feel good about.

“Absolutely. Are we dressing up or down, your choice?”

“Let’s dress up.”

On the ride back to the penthouse, I called one of my new favorite restaurants and made a reservation. You usually need at least a couple months ahead to get a reservation for this place, but knowing the owner has its perks. When we arrived at the penthouse, Alex headed in to take a shower and I got a text.

GRANT: “You’ll get the best table in the house tonight.”

ME: “Does she know you own a restaurant?”

GRANT: “You know, I don’t think she does.”

ME: “Is that a secret, too?”

GRANT: “No, I just own a lot of things.” Then the phone started ringing and I picked up.

“Hello Grant. ”

“Hey, Roman. I feel like you might be feeling more at ease with me since you’ve decided to bring her to my restaurant.”

Nope, not really.

“Yeah, or I was trying to impress her by getting a reservation at the only restaurant in town that has a two-month long waiting list.” I don’t know if I’ll ever feel comfortable around him again actually.

“I hear your meeting and dinner with the Santoros was a good one.”

“It would’ve been better had I not known what I know.”

He laughed then asked, “Is this a special occasion?”

“Yes. Alex said she conquered her fears, and she wanted to celebrate. I figured I needed to conquer mine and celebrate at your restaurant.”

His chuckle was at my expense. “Roman, that's exceptional. Dinner is on me tonight. I’ll have a nice bottle of Dom chilling for you when you get there and whatever you want is all yours. I may stop in to say hi to both of you.”

I hope he knows I’m not coming there so he’ll pay the bill. We hung up and I went to get ready.

She came out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel and said, “What time is our reservation?”

“When we get there.” She looked at me with that don’t start face, hands firmly set on her hips.

“Another one of those ‘I know the owner’ favors?”

I laughed and said, “Yep!” But this time it’s all you baby. She rolled her eyes and walked past me. I grabbed her by the arm.

“Oh no you don’t. You don’t get to roll your eyes at me whenever you feel like it.” She rolled her eyes again only with more exaggeration.

“That right there is what I’m talking about.” I pulled her in close and kissed her lips, then her jaw and neck. When I looked up at her face, she rolled her eyes again, and I whispered in her ear. “That’s when it’s okay.”

I let her go and jumped in the shower.

***

ALEX

That kiss took my breath away and if he's going to kiss me like that every time I rolled my eyes at him, then he better be prepared for all the eye rolls I can muster. I should have followed him back into the shower. I contemplated doing just that, but I didn't want to be late for the surprise reservation even though I had no idea what time we were supposed to be there.

I finished getting dressed in a black sleeveless vee-neck dress and black heels. I had my hair up in a wavy ponytail and minimal makeup, but I made sure to use his favorite red lipstick. I wished I hadn’t gotten dressed yet when he walked out of the bathroom in just a towel. I remembered the time in Florida on vacation when he came out of the bathroom in just a towel, dropping it right in front of me. I got a front row seat to his bare ass. What a freaking lucky day that was for me. As he was walking into the closet, he dropped the towel so I could have that view once more. That’s it, I'm going in there. Screw being on time for the reservation.