Her demeanor quickly changed on the drive back to Brooklyn. She was quiet and closed off. The moment we got back to the gym, she thanked me for a lovely day and bolted upstairs to her room.
I know something’s bothering her. I’m wondering if someone said something insulting, but I know my family wouldn’t do that. They loved her.
I jack off in a long, hot shower, the erotic visions of Mila tormenting me. I need to relieve some of this tension I’m feeling and get rid of this permanent hard-on I seem to have whenever I’m around her.
I toss and turn for a few minutes in my bed, thinking about the day and how much I like Mila. I think about my conversation earlier with Roy about hosting fights in the gym. He thinks it’s an excellent way for me to get back into the cage by having my first fight here. He says we can make a ton of money, since people still remember how good I was. I just hope my family can forgive me.
I promised them I wouldn’t fight again, but I need to save this gym. I need to fight for a future and win over this woman who’s opened my eyes to what my life could be. I haven’t known her very long, but since she’s entered my life, I see my destiny so clearly.
I climb out of bed, unable to sleep, and open up all the industrial-style windows since it’s a cool evening with a gentle breeze. It’s dark enough no one can see I’m in my boxer briefs. I climb out the large square next to the fire escape that opens in, and sit on the ledge. I stare up at the black sky, enjoying the quiet, except for the faint hum of traffic and occasional horns in the distance.
I need to focus and start training, but I can’t seem to concentrate on anything. Not since I met the sexy, mysterious woman ten feet away, sleeping in my teenage waterbed. I chuckle, thinking about how many girls I was going to romance into the monstrosity when my parents weren’t home. Turned out to be a big fat zero. I was a tall, skinny, geeky kid with no confidence until I started working out. I didn’t lose my virginity until after I quit college and began fighting.
I freeze when I hear soft whimpers and some muffled cries. I look over and notice Mila’s window open. Our fire escapes are close together, and I could easily jump over and peek in, but I don’t think she’d like a half-naked man peering into her window in the middle of the night. I love my balls too much.
I start to climb back inside. I’ll throw on some basketball shorts and knock on Mila’s door to make sure she’s okay. I hear a sharp whine followed by a struggled cry coming from Mila’s window. It sounds like someone’s hurting her. I don’t think twice before bolting over the ledge and jump the metal railing to her side.
I burst into the dimly lit room and she’s thrashing in the bed but she’s still asleep. The sheet is tangled loosely around her waist, and from the way she’s squirming and mumbling in the bed, she’s probably having a nightmare. Naked. Shit.
“Mila,” I whisper loudly. Christ, her perfectly round breasts are on display, her taut dark nipples calling to me like a lighthouse beacon. “Are you okay? It’s me, Marco.
Mila sits up, letting out a harsh scream when she sees me standing next to the window. Brilliant, asshole. You scared the shit out of her.
“Marco?” She bolts out of the bed, cocooning the sheet around her body. She scrambles over and turns on the light switch, illuminating the room. “What the fuck, Marco?” She pulls the sheet tighter to her body. “How did you get in here?”
“I…the fire escape. I heard you crying…screaming...I jumped over,” I point to the window behind me, “…to make sure you were okay.”
“Like that?” Her eyes point down to my boxers, hovering a little too long over the current bulge I’m sporting, which is not helping the situation at all.
“I thought someone was hurting you.”
“I’m fucking naked.”
“I can see that. I’m sorry. I don’t mean sorry you’re naked…because your body is...” Shut up, Marco. “I’m sorry I burst in and scared you. I thought you were hurt.” Jesus, I must look like such a creeper right now the way my eyes continue to roam her body. “I’ll just…” I point my thumb toward the window and crab walk backward. “Go now…out the…”
“Wait,” she sighs. “Don’t go,” she whispers, blinking with glossy doe eyes. “I can let you out the door.”
I don’t miss her quietly swiping the tears swimming in her eyes. It’s obvious she needs some comfort. I can’t leave her like this.
I step closer and smooth my hands up and down the silky-smooth skin of her arms. “Talk to me.”
She shakes her head back and forth, barely getting out the word. “Nightmare.” Her tears flow, and my chest tightens. I pull her in, hugging her close to my body, and she breaks down, sobbing into my chest. Holding her tight, I let her cry it out.
I glance around the room, searching for a place for us to sit, remembering there’s no furniture besides the bed. The only signs someone lives here are her duffle bag sitting in the corner and the empty coffee cup on the nightstand. I realize she could cut and run anytime. Nothing’s stopping her. I would never see her again. I am not okay with that; in fact, the thought makes my stomach coil.
I lift her in my arms and carry her over to the bed. “I’ll stay for a little while.” I place her gently on the bed. We chuckle as I climb in next to her on the other side. The waves of the bed flop our bodies around like fish on dry land. “We need to buy you a real bed,” I groan, causing her to giggle.
She cuddles into me, and I tighten my arms around her, breathing in her sweet scent. “You can trust me.”
“It was nice seeing you all together today…as a family.”
“They like you.”
“Yeah?” She stares up at me.
“Yeah.” I wipe the tears off her cheek. “You know who else really likes you?”
“Who?”
“Me,” I say in a serious tone.
She blushes a little, sinking back into my chest. She doesn’t say anything as we lie together.
“I’m sorry. I was fine. Seeing you with your niece completely blindsided me,” she mumbles into my chest after a few minutes of quiet. I’m wondering what she means. “It brought everything back.”
She’s silent for a few more minutes, and I wonder if she fell asleep until she says, “I smelled the alcohol on his breath. It was my fault for telling him when he was drunk.”
It pisses me off she believes whatever she’s about to tell me is her fault, but I don’t say anything, fearing it might make her hold back. She’s finally opening up. I want to know everything about her, the good and the bad. She’s about to share something private, and I’ll let it be at her pace.
She draws in a deep breath. “I ignored the warning signs. I was desperate for love.” She pulls back, making eye contact. “I was lonely after my father died. I had no one, and Louis was there for me. It was good at first.” She pauses for a few seconds, and I see the dread on her face as she falls back on the memories. “He started to lose his temper over stupid things...say mean things. He never hit me…in the beginning...but he would do things…little things…like, slamming his fist on the table to startle me if I burned dinner.”