Fearless

by Maya Rossi

  “Now?”

  “Well, he’s right here. I checked. Maybe I should have worn the blue dress instead of this one?”

  Nance’s dress cost five times more than Ava’s. To think she brought Nance and Eddy along for emotional support. This charity dinner was the biggest thing to happen in her career and she needed a level head to avoid saying or doing the wrong thing. That was why she asked Nance along. She didn’t think Nance would cry and moan, change her make up twice and dresses five times just to be sure she looked exactly right, but she had.

  “You know, you’re my friend and I more than anyone understands and love your melodrama, I even enjoy it sometimes,” Ava breathed.

  Covering her face with her hand, Nance cried. “I know I’m a mess but don’t give up on me, please. Not now, I need you now most of all.”

  “And how many times have you needed me most of all, especially when I needed you.” She caught Nance hands and pulled it from her face. “The man is fucking married. He never belonged to you, forget him.”

  With a wretched sob, Nance crumpled to pieces before her. Ava clenched her fists tight, praying for control. Why had she thought Nance would put her drama aside for once, for her? From the alcove, the sound of light chatter, connections being made and careers plummeting reached her ears. Her career was among the plummeting ones. She had cried and fought for a chance. Frank finally gave her one and here she was comforting Nance. What was she doing?

  Ava drew back. When she spoke, her voice was eerily calm. “Go home if you can’t pull yourself together. I will call you a cab.”

  Her chest was tight with repressed emotion as she turned to go. Nance sniffed, and the sound caught at her heartstrings. Ava hesitated. During the rollercoaster that was her life the past year, how many times had Nance arrived with ice cream, champagne and even weed? Was she about to be among those bitches who chose a career over friendship?

  “That’s it, go,” Nance sniffed. “You think this will make Frank give you a chance? Face it, you’re not as beautiful as the other reporters in other news stations. The men fight over them and make a request for them.”

  Shock rippled through Ava and she had to tighten her hold on her purse to keep upright.

  “Yes,” Nance laughed, her pretty face twisting into an ugly, unrecognizable mask. “Your precious sport rejected you not Frank.”

  “You’re just saying this to hurt me, but we’ll get past this and--”

  “He promised,” she cried, “he told me he would leave his wife and now he just-- just celebrated an anniversary with a page from the fucking Juno magazine.”

  “God, I’m sorry, but Ihave to go.”

  “Go, go damn you.”

  Ava took a minute in the restrooms to touch up her makeup before joining the festivities. Surprisingly, she had a great time. She joined conversations she could and listened to many others. Thirty minutes before the speeches and special recognition session for outstanding social achievements were due to begin, a fizzle of excitement spread through the crowd.

  “Hi,” Nance whispered at her side, pulling her attention from the source of the sudden chatter. “I’m sorry about before-- Frank’s here.”

  Ava pasted on a smile to face her boss. Frank Ringwald managed and owned a stake in their fledgling news station, HTV. As an intern, Ava had a great time learning from the experienced reporters, anchors and editors at the station. After her internship, while her colleagues fought over the juicy offers from the bigger networks, Ava chose to remain with HTV for the learning experience. Due to her small size, it was easy to approach a news anchor or even Frank for anything but at the bigger stations it was impossible. Young new hires slaved away in tiny cubicles and rarely ever got the chance to see the sun let alone talk to reporters higher up the pecking order.

  She had thrived under the close tutelage of experienced reporters and the homely atmosphere at HTV until Frank grabbed her buttocks one evening while they were working late.

  Now, she forced her pasted on smile to grow wider. “Hello--”

  “You are late.” Frank noted without preamble. With his wife by his side and an entourage of friends watching curiously, he couldn’t have chosen a more perfect moment. Hot color suffused Ava’s cheeks.

  “I’m sorry about that and--”

  “If Youri Richards hadn’t requested for you personally, I wouldn’t have given you a thought. Remember that.”

  As he walked away with his wife, taking their active audience with them, Ava remained rooted to the spot. At times like this, she wondered if she made a mistake remaining with the station.

  “Who’s Youri Richards?” Nance asked.

  Ava sucked in a breath. It never failed to amaze her when Nance asked such questions. “Everyone knows Youri.”

  “You forget I’m an editor, a fan of the written word not some sportsman paid heaven and earth to do something ridiculous but hot.”

  “He was one of the ‘bottom’ projects Frank shoved on me, you know after…”

  “Yeah. But what does that have to do with now?”

  “The reason yours sincerely was invited to this special event is because he wanted me personally.”

  Nance pumped her fists. “Yes!” Then she became subdued. “I’ve told you how it goes even though I regret the way it came out. I’m sorry.”

  Ava grinned, moving with the sea of well-dressed people as they headed to their assigned seats. “I’m not.”

  “You’re not?”

  “Youri’s story is inspiring, maybe we’ll get to meet him. At twenty-four he was the hottest commodity on the market, slated to become the most marketable athlete in the world--”

  “Where Brayden Marshall is still alive and doing his perfect man act?” Nance scoffed. “Don’t exaggerate.”

  “I’m not. It was my project remember? It was the last race of the season, and with a pretty great ranking the twenty-four years old race car driver slash hottest thing in town ended up in a coma.”

  “Oh, fuck.”

  “He woke without both legs. Then he became depressed and suicidal, went out of the radar. He just disappeared without an interview or a word to his fans. Then after I demanded Frank stopped punishing me for saying no or I’ll sue. So he gave me the assignment of interviewing the elusive Youri.”

  “How did you pull that off?”

  Ava deftly changed placeholders so they could all sit together when Eddy arrived. “You haven’t joined us then, we could have laughed over the shock on their faces when I returned with a masterpiece.”

  “How did you find him and get him to interview?”

  “I stalked him, found people who knew him and stalked them. When we finally met, we connected. He reminded me of…someone. Plus, he had a great story, the comeback story.”

  “It doesn’t matter whether he races again or not, not that I know if that’s even possible. But his story is incredible.”

  “Ladies,” Eddy murmured, dropping down to his seat with a sigh.

  “What took you so long?” Ava pouted.

  With a wan grin, Eddy ran a hand over his hair. “I’m not sure Frank wanted me here, he piled on work before he left.”

  “Fucking Frank,” Nance muttered. “Only a man cut from the same cloth will be a personal assistant to that man.”

  Eddy bristled, leaning forward to lay into Nance. Even though Ava agreed in the tiniest, unreachable corner of her mind, she didn’t have the strength to deal with another Nance and Eddy squabble. “Guys, this is my night. You can do this tomorrow, thank you.”

  With a shake of his head and a smile of admiration on his lips, Eddy said, “If she behaves, I will.”

  By that time, the main reason politicians, actresses and sportsmen with great causes were gathered rolled around. The previous YES female athlete of the year took the stage.

  “We’re here to honor men and women who have spread positivity and joy in their little corner of this great universe. But one person most of all has changed the narrative of a sport
without taking a break on his quest for dominance and continued excellence. This man hasn’t just spread his positivity to a little corner but round the world. We’re here, gathered to honor one man most of all. Can we please give a standing ovation to a gentleman, an inspiration and a leader. Brayden Marshall.”

  All perfectly dressed two hundred and something guests surged to their feet as one to give a thunderous round of applause. Ava watched the breathtaking Brayden Marshall take a moment to receive the well wishes from those seated around him in awe.

  “I’m fucking surprise the legend made an appearance at all. Everyone knows this rodeo isn’t his thing,” Eddy murmured, inching on his tiptoes to see over the heads of people to Marshall.

  “Maybe he’s about to break the mold, show another side of himself,” Nance said.

  “And how long have we waited for that thinking no one as handsome and talented and freaking powerful as this man has become can be good?” Ava asked without peeling her gaze away as Brayden took long-legged confident strides to the stage after extricating himself from another long embrace.

  “He’s just too… much,” Nance said. “Can someone be so perfect? He must have a huge secret, something dark and dangerous. Maybe he doesn’t speak much not to give himself away.”

  “Only a prostitute, a backstabber and an idiot with the blackest heart can think up such drivel,” Eddy replied casually. “How does that adage go? It takes one to know one?”

  Nance features lost color, her fingers tightened on her wineglass and Ava rushed to run interference. “I’ll change my seat if I have to. Behave guys.”

  The hall went silent as Brayden grabbed the microphone. Like the ring general he was, Marshall took his time adjusting the microphone to his exact specification. He took another minute studying the crowd. After a second, the hall broke out into another spatter of applause.

  Brayden Marshall didn’t smile. Naturally, he was on the serious side which made his popularity all the more baffling. But as the most followed celebrity across all social media platforms, having topped the list of most influential persons four times in a row, and the highest paid sportsman, there was no doubt a greater part of the earth’s population loved him greatly.

  “Man, that guy is hot.”

  Ava didn’t bother with a reply to Nance’s obvious statement. Like many others she waited for Brayden to speak. It wasn’t a wonder why they waited so anxiously. Marshall was notoriously stingy with words, only speaking unless it was absolutely necessary.

  Finally, he leaned forward, his eyes and will held them all prisoners. “Thank you for the honor which I don’t deserve--”

  The crowd went all up in arms on his behalf at that. Even Eddy seemed offended. “Don’t deserve my ass. No one deserves it more.”

  “Don’t interrupt, please. I’m grateful yes, but I’m not just here for your esteemed recognition. I’m here for another cause. My foundation has pledged to provide clean water across an entire continent. Even for me, that’s an uphill task. I’m literally here to beg for your support. I understand addressing the whys will place us in a better position to proffer a solution but think of the millions of lives, think of the suffering children who will be saved. Like you, I wish we didn’t have to encounter such situations at all but,” his full lips tilted at the corner, “it is what it is and we shouldn’t stop fighting to make this world a better place.”

  Ava gasped. Why did those words feel familiar? Face cap guy. The applause as expected was thunderous as he took his seat. They honored Youri Richards next. He began by jokingly asking what else anyone had to say after Brayden had stolen all the limelight. He ended by thanking everyone who ever stood by him when he was down, ‘especially Ava.’

  “You deserve the accolade babe, forget whatever Frank and the boys have to say, no one deserve it more, no one works harder. He can’t stop you from shining.” Eddy rubbed a reassuring hand across her back.

  “I actually agree with Eddy on something, imagine how big that is, imagine how big you are,” Nance added.

  Ava smiled her thanks, wiping the tears of joy off her cheeks. At the end of the dinner, she made her way to the front of the hall to pay her respects to Youri. One look at the inspirational young man who rose above a tragedy to become a beacon of hope to many moved her to tears.

  “What happened to my Ava?” Youri’s head of brown curls glinted in the light, casting a shine over his fuller cheeks and healthy skin.

  “You look great,” she whispered.

  “I wouldn’t were it not for you.” He squeezed her hand. “Keep in touch?”

  Ava nodded, watching as Youri’s parents and siblings gathered around crying and hugging each other. The sight caused an old ache to echo somewhere in her heart. She walked down to the side entrance to avoid running into anyone in her fragile state. Her nerves felt stretched taut and sensitive. She sent Eddy a text to get the car. Outside, Ava kicked off her sandals and held it in one hand, staring up at the night sky.

  It was the cologne she loved that gave him away more than his words on stage. She smiled. Without taking her eyes off the beautiful stars in the dark skies, said, “Brayden?”

  “I thought the face cap was enough disguise,” he said.

  “It might have been for someone else in a different place and circumstance,” Ava turned to smile up at his handsome face with its unusual brown-gold eyes, “but it is what it is.”

  Puzzled, he frowned. “What is?”

  “You use those words a lot, no one has mentioned it?”

  His gaze skittered to a point over her left shoulder before returning to hers with a self-deprecating grin. “I’m not exactly known for my social graces and small talk.”

  “Your friends?” she pressed.

  “No.” His eyes moved over her slowly, like he was taking careful note of every inch of her appearance. In another man, Ava would have sworn it was sexual but Brayden lifted guileless eyes to hers. “You’re beautiful in a going out way.”

  She laughed, amazed at how easy it was to talk to this man who many worshiped. “Going out way?”

  “Isn’t that what you did?” his eyes crinkled at the corners as he smiled.

  “You know it was the cologne that confirmed my suspicions,” she said.

  “Damn, do I have to get another?”

  Ava looked away. “No, I just really liked it.”

  A comfortable beat of silence pulsed between them. “What of the boyfriend?”

  She shook her head. “Fiance, doofus.”

  “The fiance is a doofus? Figures.”

  They chuckled at that. Ava let out a breath, shoulders dropping as she finally let herself relax for the first time since running into the crying Nance.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  “Don’t you have a world to save, children who need you?”

  “Not at this time. Seriously, you looked so tense before--”

  “My boss is an asshole.”

  “Ah. Not that I know anything about asshole bosses. What did he do?”

  Just like that, the story came pouring out. As the night cloaked them in a comfortable embrace, Ava was glad she took off her sandals. When the telling was done, she let out a breath of relief. Somehow, telling someone about it made her feel better, like a load taken off her shoulders. Eddy had been furious on her behalf but his hands and emotions were tied. The man in question was his boss.

  “I feel better already, thank you.”

  Brayden remained silent for so long Ava thought he wouldn’t say anything else. “Even with his successes, Youri always had a great head on his shoulders.”

  “Youri?” How had they gone from the topic of her shitty job to Youri?

  “He thanked you during his speech. You must be good at what you do to get such praise.” He eyes searched hers almost intrusively. “What are you doing in a network I didn’t even know existed?”

  Ava looked away, playing with the lock of her sandals as she tried to get the right words to answer his question. �
��I wanted a small network to learn the ropes and--”

  “Isn’t that what internships are for?”

  “Well, yes, I also did my internship with HTV.”

  “They must have been incredible bosses once, then.”

  “I just… I chose them because… they needed me, I guess.”

  He took more than a minute to mull that over. Finally he sighed, muscled chest lifting and falling with his breath. “Because I’m not you, I won’t pry. But,” he continued over Ava’s relieved laugh, “do you need me to do something about it?”

  “No!”