When He Falls

by Michelle Jo Quinn

  I brought my small purse with me to carry a few things. It didn't totally clash with my outfit, so Bailey didn't complain. I had ID with me, but I worried that I wouldn't be let in since I was underage.

  When we reached a modern building with neon lights surrounding it and loud dance music blasting from inside, I slipped a hand in my purse, ready to take out my ID. But no one stopped us. Some of the guys, Zach included, shook hands with the bouncers. His other hand stayed on the small of my back the entire time.

  He let me enter the club first with his hand flat on my back. I halted as soon as I was able to see the inside of it. I'd never seen anything like it. The place was packed at ten o'clock. We'd passed a long line outside on the sidewalk. I doubted they could fit more people in. It would be too easy to get swallowed by the massive crowd. Zach must have felt my hesitation as he gripped my waist and brought me much closer to his side.

  While we continued to walk in, I tilted my head up to see people hanging, dancing, moving gracefully upside down on rings and long pieces of red fabric. Our group headed straight to the right side of the club, and occupied empty white leather seats. A waitress came and brought bottles of champagne, shots and colorful drinks in funky stemless martini glasses. I'd already told Zach I wasn't going to drink and had volunteered to be the designated driver. He didn't argue with me since he was in training too and he couldn't drink much. But he did take two flutes of champagne from Rick and handed me one.

  "Just take a little sip," he said to me, and I took his offer.

  The champagne was cool and crisp. It would be easy for me to drink the entire thing, but tonight wasn't about getting drunk. It was about having a great time with Zach and his friends.

  Zach, of course, had to drag me to the dance floor right away. All I did was sway while he literally danced circles around me. Each time he stepped closer, he would wrap his hands around me and move his hips to the music. His eyes bore into me. I got lost in him.

  After a few more songs, I excused myself and told Zach I had to go to the bathroom. He pointed me in the right direction and asked if I wanted him to come with me. I looked around hoping to see Bailey or any of the other girls we had come with around, but they were nowhere to be found. I declined his offer and told him I wouldn't be long.

  I slid between bodies on my way to the bathroom. Several guys tried to get me to stop and dance with them, but I easily pulled away. At those moments, I was grateful I didn't have much champagne to muddy my thoughts. When I got to the ladies' room, I had to wait in line. Once I was done using the facilities, I reapplied the gloss Bailey gave me and patted my hair, which thankfully had deflated a bit from the warmth inside the club.

  Getting back to the dance floor, I spotted Zach right away. He was surrounded by girls, of course, but he wasn't dancing with any of them, and some of his boys were around him too, scoping out the girls Zach had attracted. I smiled proudly, thinking I had nothing to worry about. Zach was with me. He didn't pay attention to other girls, and at the end of the night, he was coming back home with me.

  Somehow, even with the loud music, I heard my name called. Looking around, I checked to see where it had come from. To the right, two girls were staring at me. One of them was Bailey's friend. She wasn't smiling, so I didn't smile back, I assumed she was the one who’d called me. I couldn't place who the other girl was, but she was gorgeous, even under the pulsating lights of the club. Her blonde hair was perfect, big curls falling over her shoulders. Her tight dress, which displayed a more ample cleavage than mine, was even shorter than the one I was wearing, and it showed off long legs. Unlike me, she didn't have on flat sandals. Instead, she had silver high heels that made her legs even longer. All that was easy to ignore because of the angry scowl on her face, directed right at me. Bailey's friend whispered something to her ear, and her scowl turned to a menacing grin. It was off-putting, but not unexpected. In a place where a lot of people could be superficial, I stood out, even with Bailey's hard work. I was an outsider. I didn't belong.

  My attention was interrupted when a large man got between the two girls and me. So, I ignored the uncomfortable feeling of intimidation and joined Zach back on the floor.

  I didn't see the girl again for the rest of the night, but I couldn't shake the feeling I was being watched the entire time. Because of this, I drank a little bit more champagne than I should, but stopped when Zach handed me water instead. If I had seen the girl again, I could have asked Zach if he knew her, but she was never around. Bailey would have known too, but she was too busy making out with Travis everywhere, and her friend also hadn't returned to our group.

  At some point during the night, I couldn't stand upright anymore. I lounged on the leather seat, flanked by Rick and Zach. Everyone seemed to be having a great time.

  "I think it's time to take you home," Zach yelled in my ear. I was too exhausted to answer, so I let him pull me up.

  Several of his friends followed us out, including Rick, Ed with a girl he hooked up inside, Travis and a drunk Bailey who wouldn't stop telling me she loved me. Zach had my hand tightly in his, and it was too late for me to cover my face when bright lights flashed before us.

  Just like the night Zach and I met again in San Francisco, reporters circled the group, but this time, I was right smack in front of them. I shuddered to think how I would look on the tabloids after a whole night of partying. My ears were ringing from the blast of music inside the club that I couldn't hear what they were saying at first. Zach, ever the gallant man, tried his best to shield me from the cameras. Rick and Ed walked at my sides until the reporters gave up.

  When we made it to Zach's truck, he threw the keys to Rick and helped me sit in the backseat beside Bailey. Travis sat on the passenger seat, but he kept checking on Bailey. They were such a cute couple. Thankfully, Bai didn't throw up until she was in front of her apartment building. Rick drove Zach and me back to the apartment, and before he drove away in his own car, he hugged me tightly and wished me a happy birthday.

  As soon as we got out of the elevator, Zach picked me up and carried me inside his place, straight to the bedroom where he continued what he began before we left for the club.

  It was the best birthday anyone could ever hope for, until I received a call first thing in the morning.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Maggie

  Once again, I woke up alone, but I was able to peek through heavy lids when Zach crawled out of bed earlier that morning. My phone was ringing on the table beside me. Not bothering to open my eyes, I reached for it. Only opening my eyes into slits, enough to hit 'answer' and groggily greeted the person on the other line.

  "Thanks for not returning my text."

  My head was too heavy to lift off the pillow, but I tried anyway, widening my eyes more to double check who the caller was.

  "May?"

  "Yes, May, you know, your best friend back home. Or have you forgotten who I am since you're hanging out with celebrities now?" While at first she sounded upset, her tone changed to pouty.

  Laying my head back on the soft pillow, I tried an explanation. "I'm sorry. You're right, I'm horrible for not returning your message. I had such a busy day yesterday, May."

  "Looked like it!" Again, her tone changed into an excited one. "I had to replay the video over and over again this morning. I like the new look."

  "What? What video?" I scrunched my face into the pillow. I wasn't awake enough for this conversation.

  May giggled. "You don't even know? You're all over TMZ! I didn't recognize you at first, but when you looked straight at the camera, I knew it was you!"

  Confused, I sat up, pushing my hair off my face and bundling it in a loose bun on top of my head. I pulled the sheet over my body since Zach decided that from now on, I didn't need any clothes at all during sleep. "What are you talking about?"

  "You. Your face on TV and the Internet, looking like a model in that sparkly dress, with those MMA fighters. Why didn't you tell me you started seeing Zach Faus
tino?"

  "I'm on TV?" Shit. If May had seen it, mom would soon see it too, if she hadn't already. "Hold on. Let me find it."

  "I'll text you the link. Wait."

  I did as I was told and checked my phone when it buzzed on my hand. Clicking on May's text, I watched the exact time I, Zach, and his friends stepped out of the club last night...or this morning... the reporters fired up questions but only Rick answered. When one of them asked Zach if he was ready for his fight in a few weeks, he looked straight on and offered an intimidating smile.

  He was sexy. The camera loved him. I shuddered to think what damage his fighting in the ring would do to that gorgeous face.

  May texted again, telling me to call her. My head spun for a few minutes when I sat up. Champagne was a bad idea. My stomach grumbled. I scrambled around to find a shirt and bottoms and headed to the kitchen while I dialed May's number.

  "Did you see? You know I'm borrowing that dress!" May screamed on the phone. I shushed her and asked her to turn her volume down. My head was ready to explode. She laughed. "Whatever. You got to party with famous people. God. I’m so jealous! Oh, you should have seen Delaney's face. I wanted to take a picture of her, but June was there..."

  "Whoa! Whoa! Back it up!" I just opened the fridge door when she chatted, and I closed it after hearing June's name. "June saw it?"

  May didn't hesitate. "Yeah." At first, she sounded like she had a grin on her face, but her voice lowered. "Actually, they got into a huge fight after."

  "What? Why?" I held onto the fridge handle and gnawed at the inside of my cheeks. Delaney seeing me was one thing, but June? I didn't know what to do with this information. A lot of people would probably tell me it was a good thing. So now, he knew I moved on. But I couldn't get myself to celebrate just yet. I was devastated when I found out about Delaney and June. The pain was unbearable. It wasn't anything I wished on anyone, even Delaney, and not June. I wasn't that type of person.

  "Delaney saw you first. She stupidly pointed you out to us. June didn't say anything at first, but when we saw who you were with...and clearly, you've started dating again, his face changed. Delaney blew up and accused him of being jealous and wanting you back."

  "Oh my god."

  "I know. But they've been fighting so much more lately. Del is getting huge, and she thinks she's fat—"

  "She's pregnant. Weight gain happens."

  "Yeah, I know. But it's Del. She won't let June go out without her. She's always suspecting that he's cheating on her. Her insecurities are showing, like big time."

  "Is he?"

  "What?" I didn't want to say it out loud. I waited for May to understand. "Oh, you want to know if June is cheating?" May didn't say anything for a bit, and it worried me. It wasn't a good sign. Was this what June was now? A cheater? Or had he always been a cheater and I'd been so blind for so long? "Honestly, I don't know. But I think Delaney is lucky that you're away. He'd probably come crawling back to you."

  Would he? And if he did, how would I react? I pondered this while May continued to talk about life back home. She eventually switched to chats about her parents, school, and work.

  June and I had been together for so long. Our breakup was abrupt. It shocked me. It opened me up and hurt me. I blamed so many people. I blamed Delaney for stealing him. I blamed my Mom for not teaching me any better about men and relationships. I even blamed Nica, even though she had nothing to do with it. I even blamed me, but I never blamed June. Not really. He left. He slept with somebody else. He married that person. He stood me up on our wedding day. Yet, I didn't exactly blame him. I wished I shouted at him. Or had the chance to slap him or knee him in the junk. I wished I’d hurt him the way he hurt me. I wished this then, even though I didn't think to put the blame on him. Because I loved him. And I thought he still loved me.

  Life wasn't full of happily ever afters.

  Not my life, at least. It didn't work out with June, and I loved him for years.

  With Zach? Where's a magic ball when you need one?

  "Hello? Did you hear me? Maggie? Maggie!"

  May's screaming brought me back. "Yeah. I'm here. What's up?"

  "Were you even listening?"

  "I was. Yes."

  "Really?"

  "No. Sorry, May. I'm a little tired from last night."

  "I bet you are!" May said that too excitedly. "Are you sleeping with him?"

  "I'm not going to talk about that."

  "That means yes. Oh my god! He's so hot! I saw him on the cover of Men's Health a few months ago. Wow. He's so hot!" May gushed.

  I didn't feel uncomfortable with her talking about Zach that way. In fact, I felt prouder. It was the truth. Zach was hot. He was hot and caring and loving. And these were reasons why I should stop thinking about June. I opened the fridge again and took out a bottled water. As I twisted it open, I glanced at the clock on the stove.

  "May, I forgot. I have to be somewhere in half an hour. Can we talk later?

  "Aw. Promise you'll call me?"

  "I promise."

  "And give me the dirty details?" She giggled.

  A grin spread across my face. "No! I don't kiss and tell!"

  "But you do kiss! Ha! You just admitted it you are seeing him. Oh, my god, this is huge."

  "May! I have to go." In half an hour, Bailey or Travis was picking me up to bring me to see Lisa again. I was looking forward to my visit with her, hoping she was having another good day.

  Eventually, May let me go. I had to rush through the shower, scrubbing the gunk off my face a few times. Otherwise, I'd head out the door looking like a raccoon. I just put my hair up in a messy bun. With the two minutes I had left, I cleaned up in Zach's apartment, making a mental note to ask him about doing laundry. Somehow, even the thought of doing laundry with Zach led me to thoughts of having sex with Zach in the laundry room. What has he made me into?

  The stupid grin was splashed right on my face when Bailey showed up in her usual bouncy self. This time, she brought sustenance, and I hugged her for it.

  My ear was pressed on Zach's chest, his heart thumping madly inside. His breathing wasn't labored despite having done all the work during another round of sexcapades. I, on the other hand, panted like a rabid dog. If I had to keep up with his strength, I had to work out. Maybe I could take up running. But running in Vegas in the summer sounded like a death wish.

  "Are you asleep?" His voice rumbled in his chest.

  I looked up to him and smiled. "Not yet." His eyes were closed. His lips slightly parted. The skin over his jaw was rough with a five o'clock shadow he sported. I nipped at the bottom of his chin and made him open his eyes.

  Zach leaned down to meet my lips. "You should sleep." His fingers began drawing circles over my upper back. I did the same thing on his ripped abs. It was unusual for me not to blush in this state. Zach was obviously used to it. As soon as we got home from another wonderful day at the nursing facility, he took me straight to the shower and did everything else but actually take a shower. Then, he made me dinner from groceries we'd picked up earlier. He was an impressive cook. That was followed by dessert, Zach-style, which involved two cans of whipped cream and chocolate syrup.

  I was spent. We were sticky, and the entire place was a mess, again. But I didn't want to move an inch. I glued myself to him, wrapping my legs around his thighs, my breasts pressed against the side of his ribs. I could do anything to him at this moment, and he would let me. But again, that involved moving.

  He untied my hair—which I thankfully tied up after the non-shower shower or else it wouldn't have survived the sticky mess—and brushed my curls with his fingers. Then he massaged my scalp. I closed my eyes and purred.

  "I love your hair."

  "Hmm..."

  Zach turned me on my back, untangling my legs from him. "I love this." He palmed the apex of my thighs and the pressure shot through my spine, spreading goose bumps all over my body. I moaned again. "I love these." He nipped at both breasts.

&n
bsp; Throughout all this, I kept my eyes closed. Every sensation, every tickle, every lick of fire felt so much more intense with my lids shut. I moved my hand down his abs, focused on what was poking the side of my hip, but Zach stopped me. He raised my arms up and trapped both my wrists with one strong hand above my head. I waited. I listened. His breathing was deep and slow. At first, I thought I could hear his heartbeat, but then realized that it was my own pulse that thrummed in my ears. Still, I kept my eyes closed.

  Until Zach kissed both my lids, telling me, "I love your eyes." I let him see the joy in them. "I love your lips," he said this over my parted lips. I smiled some more. "I love everything about you, Maggie Stewart."

  He paused. Just stared at me. Watched my lips open and close, open and close. Waited. He waited for me to say it back. When I didn't say anything, he bit his bottom lip and pulled me back on top of him again. If he was disappointed that I didn't tell him I loved him, he didn't show it. He continued to touch me and play with my hair, and kissed parts of me every now and then, until we both fell asleep.

  I was choking.

  A hand was wrapped around me, trapping the air from coming in or out of my lungs. It was dark. I could smell burning. Sulfur. I could taste iron in my mouth. Blood. I fisted the sheets with one hand, and the other was trapped underneath a body. Zach's.

  I blinked in the dark to get my mind to make sense of the blurry shapes around me. I let go of the sheets and clawed at the hand around my neck. "Zach," I managed to whimper. "Zach...can't...breathe..."

  I flailed my legs, trying to kick him, nudge him awake. Or so I hoped he wasn't awake and fully aware of what he was doing. My knee made contact with something that caused him pain, and his grip loosened. As soon as it did, I pushed him off me, and I clambered off the bed, coughing, trying to get air back into my lungs.

  "Maggie?" His voice was panicked. I crawled away from the bed and ran straight to the bathroom, locking myself in.