“You think you’ll be all right?” he asks, lacing up his shoes.
I furrow my brows, giving him a look. “What do you mean?” And then it hits me. He’s worried about me fighting on December fifth, just like Marianna was.
Ryker and I have been cool since I joined the UFC. I’ve kept my distance from pretty much everyone, but he’s the only one besides my family whom I talk to and share my thoughts with. He knows all about Sylvia and Gianna.
I nod and take a seat on the wooden bench next to him. “Oh, yeah. Of course, man. I’ll be fine.”
The expression on his face tells me he’s not convinced, but I pretend not to notice. I don’t want to get into it right now. I need to get out of here.
“All right, man. I’ll hit you up later,” I say, rising from my seat. I throw my bag over my shoulder, and as I exit the locker room, I faintly hear him say, “I have a hard time believing it.”
I exit the gym and head to my car. It’s time to go pick up my princess.
Chapter Seven
Carissa
I make my way to the breakroom, and upon entering, I pull out a chair and sit down. Today has been incredibly stressful, but I’m glad I get to take fifteen minutes to myself and not have to worry about patients or anything else.
Daniela marches in two minutes later, her cell phone in one hand and a Diet Coke in the other. Stomping and without meeting my gaze, she plops onto the seat next to mine. She’s stressed out too. Today has definitely been challenging.
I met Daniela when I first started working here at the hospital a few years back. She was my first friend here, and since then, we’ve been fairly close. I either talk to her, Emy, or my sister, Shannon.
“I can’t wait to get out of here,” she says, placing her arms on the table and scrolling through her cell phone.
I nod. “Yeah, me too. It’s definitely been a day.”
She faces me. “Definitely been a day,” she repeats. “What time do you get out tonight?” She places her phone onto the table and takes a sip of her Diet Coke.
“I’ll be done by eight tonight. I’ve been here since early this morning.”
“You pulled a double?” she asks, referring to my shifts, brushing her long blonde hair out of her face. “I did that yesterday. Couldn’t do it again today. I’m drained, and I haven’t even been here as long as you.”
I shrug. “I need the money.”
“Girl, you and me both. If I weren’t so exhausted, I’d ask for them to let me stay longer and get that OT in. What’s up for this weekend?”
This weekend? Ugh. I have been desperately trying not to think about it. Emy and Shannon are taking me to that fighting thing, but I still don’t see a point in going. All it is, is a bunch of big muscled men going after one another like gorillas. How is that appealing? I’d rather stay home and read more of my romance novels. Those guys in my steamy love stories are the type of men I’d love to one day meet. Too bad none of them exist, and too bad I’m no longer looking to fall in love. I’m so done with all of it.
“Emy and Shannon are forcing me to go to some stupid fighting match in—”
“You mean the UFC fights on the fifth?” She sits up straighter with her eyes lighting up, cutting me off. Is she seriously as excited for the damn thing as my friend and sister are? What is it with these chicks?
I nod again. “Yeah, that’s the one.”
“Oh my God, girl! How the hell did you score tickets for that? I heard they’ve been sold out for a while now. My brother has been driving me crazy to go, but he hasn’t been able to find a ticket.”
Shrugging, I say, “Yeah, apparently Emy has connections.”
She swallows another mouthful and says, “Emy is awesome. You have to invite me the next time you guys go out. She cracks me up, and I definitely need me some of those connections too.” She chuckles.
I roll my eyes playfully. “I don’t understand why you girls are going crazy over some stupid matchup.”
She gasps. “Woman, it’s not some stupid matchup. It’s the event of the year. It’s the biggest tournament in all of the UFC. Have you seen any of their advertisements on TV?” She looks at me, waiting for an answer, but I don’t have one for her.
When I shake my head no, she exclaims, “Oh my God, are you effing kidding me? Lorenzo Trevano is going to take on Dennis “The Big Shot” Mavis in the title match. You can’t honestly tell me you haven’t heard about it. It’s the biggest event of the year. And Lorenzo? Ufff… girl, he’s hot as hell.”
I give her a blank expression. “Sorry, girl. I don’t know who any of those guys are. Emy quickly showed me some flyer with a few guys in front.” And the man in the middle of it was definitely good looking. Even I have to admit that. But I’ll never tell them and give them the satisfaction. “But names? I have no idea.”
She shakes her head. Obviously, she disapproves of my ignorance in this matter. “Girl, you’re missing out on some serious heartthrobs. These men are hot like fire! I can’t wait to see them when they’re all hot, sweaty, and shirtless. Fucking yum… Anyway, just go to the website. There’s all their profiles on there. Some of them are so gorgeous.”
Instantly, Guns’s image from the poster Emy had shown me comes to my mind once more.
I did it again. Dammit, this is all Shannon and Emy’s fault. This name has gotten stuck in my head. Every time I think about him, it’s what I’ve been calling him. I can’t lie though. He does have an impressive set of biceps.
Shaking my head, I rise from my chair. “Yeah, I guess so. Anyway, I have to get back now… Time is already up.”
“Damn, break time always flies,” she responds. She rises from her chair and walks to the trash bin to throw away her empty can.
“It does. I’ll catch you later, girl.”
By the time I get home, I’m drained. All I want to do is lie down and not worry about a damn thing for the rest of the night. I don’t even want to eat dinner.
I throw my keys and a stack of mail onto the kitchen table and make my way into my bedroom. I strip out of my clothes and change into a gray T-shirt and black pajama pants. After pulling out the hair tie from my hair, I throw it on top of my dresser and decide that even though I’m not all that hungry, I should probably eat a little something. Not necessarily something heavy, but something that would just be enough so I don’t wake up at midnight, starving. The only thing I’ve eaten all day is a salad at lunch.
I head into the kitchen and walk straight toward the fridge. A leftover slice of pizza from last night sits on a plate on the second shelf, so I pull it out and place it on a baking sheet. My stomach growls. How did I go from not being hungry at all to starving? I set the oven to heat up, and after a few minutes, I place the tray inside it.
When the timer dings, I take my plate to the table. It’s just after nine, and once I finish eating, I’m looking forward to doing nothing else. Maybe I’ll see if I can drown myself in a good movie or, better yet, read in the bathtub.
I take my first bite, and as I chew, the doorbell sounds. It must be Emy. Sometimes she shows up here unexpectedly. I hope she’s not going to beg me to go out tonight because there is no way anyone is going to pull me out of these comfy pajama pants.