by Maya Rossi
There was nothing as sobering as Brayden cursing. Ava pushed up to a sitting position to see his face better. “How did this enmity between you and Highland become a thing?”
“I won’t call it enmity, that would be bringing me down to his level,” Brayden sighed. “Is that all your boss had for you? Questions to me really?”
“He gave me someone, said to develop a series around his, what’s the word he used? Sacrifice and commitment to the sport.”
“Who?”
“Isaac Foreman.”
“Isaac’s a clown.”
Ava choked on nothing but air. Isaac Foreman was the overly serious, always suited number one boxing promoter. He represented many professional boxers, generated so much influence and effect on any fight with just his presence he was likened to a godfather, never a clown.
“That’s like a wise saying or something, Isaac Foreman is a clown, Brayden Marshall 1979--”
“Why 1979, I wasn’t even born then.”
Ava made a face. “The wisest sayings come from those years and it sounds better. But seriously? I can’t believe you said that.”
“Tweet it and read the opinions of former boxers or trainers, the guy’s a clown.”
“I’m so doing that. Imagine the articles I can develop around the fallout,” Ava said as she got out her phone.
“More like you’ll get suspended and write the article from a prison cell and you become the next, wait, was there any reporter like that? I can recall only musicians.”
The next day at the office, Ava noticed the curious looks she got from the staff but put it down to the Brayden effect. These days they treated her like a celebrity so she better get used to it. As Ava walked past Nance’s door, she ran over waving her hands dramatically.
“I’ve got the worst hangover, Nance. I don’t--”
“You’re in sooooo much trouble.”
“What’s new?” Ava asked dismissively.
Frank was waiting for her by her office door. Ava groaned, she had a blistering headache from getting drunk at Brayden’s the night before, the last thing she had patience for was Frank and his latest tirade
Even unflappable Dave was watching her closely. “Hi, Dave.”
“Hi.”
“Frank, look, I have a hangover from the--”
“You can go nurse it at home then because you’re suspended with immediate effect.”
Ava’s mouth dropped open. She stared at Frank as he stomped down the hall to his office, slow to comprehend the announcement. She frowned at Dave. “Did he say suspended?”
Five minutes later, Ava stood before Frank and Eddy pleading her case. “I was drunk.”
“How does being drunk translate into a tweet against someone as powerful as Isaac Foreman? I won’t let you bring this network down with you.”
Ava threw up her hands. “I’m sorry but it was a mistake. I think I meant to say that about someone else. I can release a statement--”
“Certainly not,” Frank returned. “You’ve done enough damage. Do you have any idea what you’ve done? It’s a PR nightmare and we can’t stand with you on this not if they will ever allow our reporters into another press conference.”
“I can--”
“Go home.”
Eddy escorted her out of the building thirty minutes later. “Fucking Frank. Chin up, it’s just a storm that will blow over.”
If it would blow over she better see what she was up against. Ava stopped in the parking lot to check her phone. Brayden was right about the tweet getting the attention of former professionals. Trending at number one, two, three and four was #clown, #Isaac. #AvaMiller, #HTV.
“Frank’s right,” Ava shook her head. “This is a nightmare.”
“Look on the bright side, many people didn’t know we exist but now we’re on everyone’s tongue.”
“But not for these reasons, Jesus. Have you read the tweets?” Ava asked in a wrecked voice. “This one says, who wanna bet this Ava Miller babe is finished?”
“You need to put the phone away, go home, relax and sleep. Or you do what you’ve always done lately and go to Brayden.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Ava fired back.
“You two are quite close,” Eddy returned with a sarcastic smile.
Ava gripped her car key. “I don’t have time for your bullshit too.”
“Call it whatever you want but we both know I’m right. Better tell your new boyfriend to rescue you from this shit storm. Barring a miracle, your career’s over.”
The first thing Ava did was to put off her phone. Then she drove around aimlessly, trying to think up a plan. But no matter how she looked at it, she was fucked. Eddy was right, barring a miracle, her career was over. No other news station would take a chance on her. With a loud groan, Ava pulled over at a random spot. She needed a miracle.
The moment she switched on her phone, Eddy called. “I’m sorry.”
Ava stared bleakly out her car window. “You were right. I’m just going to go home, play with Jami and get drunk.”
Eddy’s voice turned pinched — his customary reaction to any mention of Jami. “Isn’t that what got you into this in the first place?”
“What am I supposed to do?”
“I think you know.”
Long after the call from Eddy, Ava sat in her car staring at the phone, thinking of Brayden. She couldn’t take advantage of him. Not like this. Her phone rang again. This time, it was Robin. She took more calls trying to put off the inevitable. Maybe she should just let Brayden know what was happening and let him take it from there.
When her phone rang again, it was Brayden.
“Ava.”
She bit her lip. “Yeah?”
“What would it take to make this go away?”
∞∞∞
“You got Brayden Marshall to agree to a fucking interview?” Nance fairly screamed. “This is like Youri all over again.”
“I didn’t get him to agree to anything,” Ava retorted, leaning forward so the makeup guy could work on her lips.
“Have you gone on twitter? You and Brayden are number one and two. Girl? You’re a superstar.”
The moment Brayden agreed to the interview at their offices, it was like God flipped a switch and her life changed. Their offices were bombarded by calls and news vans. Her phone never stopped ringing. Frank and the staff were being so respectful and solicitous she wanted to throw up. But worse was not speaking to Brayden. The last thing he said to her was how he wanted to get it over with.
“He’s here,” someone announced.
It was as if an out-of-town boss dropped in unexpectedly. They all stood tense and at attention as Brayden made his way to their studio. When Brayden saw her, he mouthed, “The Brayden effect.”
Just like that Ava relaxed a notch. Had she really being afraid for Brayden’s first interview in years? The man did everything well. Thirty minutes later, they were live. For someone who avoided the media like a plague, Brayden was like an old pro. The interview went freaking amazing. Towards the end, Ava literally floating on a high.
“Tell me about Ryan Highland. When did this thing between you become a thing?”
“Is there a ‘thing’ between us?” He joked. “Don’t believe everything you hear Ava, I’m not gay. Unfortunately.”
It was the first question Brayden would blatantly ignore. Behind the screen where Brayden couldn’t see, Frank waved his hands frantically. Ava forced a smile and prodded. “Ryan has been interim champion while you recovered from injury. This is the first time in a decade the welterweight division will have an interim and regular champion. What are you going to do about it?”
Brayden tapped his temple. To a random observer, it meant nothing but Ava recognized the nervous tell. Was it possible the undefeated champion was afraid of Ryan Highland?
“No,” Brayden retorted. “I fight when and who I want to. Ryan can’t challenge me, has he?”
“No.”
Frank contin
ued to wave frantically from the back like a man possessed. She knew what he wanted, get Brayden to speak on the situation with Highland. Somehow, Ava steered the interview to safer waters. Frank would kill her.
By the end she felt sick. Ava didn’t wait following the interview, she gave a pissed Brayden a tight-lipped smile and ran to the restroom. First person to interview Brayden Marshall and she let her feelings get in the way. Not only had she let herself down, she had let her profession down. She only prayed no one noticed.
“Girl, you’re a superstar,” Nance screamed when she found her.
Ava dried her hands and smiled. “Hathey have let the superstar off the hook by her bosses after making a mess of things?”
“Definitely,” Nance said. She hesitated before plodding on with a determined cast to her mouth. “But like most writers, you blew the ending.”
Her shoulders dropped. “Don’t you think I know that. I’m ashamed. I only hope no one notices.”
“It was a great interview, you definitely got a future as an anchor or the host of something, but you just poured more fuel into the fire that would be Highland versus Marshall.”
Eddy thought so too. They were out at the new restaurant in town, celebrating. “You’re a fucking superstar Ava and you look like someone died.”
“Nance said I blew the ending,” she said.
Eddy threw down his napkin. “You like the guy? Marshall I mean.”
“He’s like my best friend. He gets me,” Ava finished lamely.
“And that was why you blew that ending.”
“Nance thinks I made things worse.”
“Fucking yes.” Eddy took a huge gulp of water. “The interview has been watched over six million times already since yesterday and that’s what? Fifteen, sixteen hours ago? It has thrown the sport into a badly needed limelight. Now everyone is wondering if Marshall is dodging a fight.”
“Dammit,” Ava whispered.
“You weren’t objective, you let him off the hook, but the interview was the bomb.”
Ava shook her head. “I feel like I failed my profession. I will try to get my thoughts down while it’s still fresh.”
Eddy nodded. “That would do you good. When are you going to write it?”
“Tonight probably.”
Later that evening, Ava stared at her phone for the hundredth time, willing Brayden to call. Was he angry? Then so was she, Ava silently fumed. It was with that simmering anger in her belly she began to write.
Two gruelling hours later, the ‘coward or champion’ piece was complete.
∞∞∞
Wrapping her arms around Eddy’s neck, Ava put all she had into the kiss. She brought his head down, thrust her tongue into his mouth and curled it around his. Eddy smiled against her mouth before reaching a hand to her backside and squeezing gently.
“Get a room you two,” Mason yelled from his corner office.
Laughing, Eddy pulled away. He rubbed a hand across his lips, watching her with an impish grin. Their eyes met, and they laughed harder. “Let’s go home,” he blurted.
Ava shook her head, walking around to her desk where a lot of files waited. She might have broken her professional integrity with the way she handled the Brayden interview, but she had worked really hard to get her professional and person life back on track. No more spending most of her days with Brayden.
Whenever she recalled what Robin named the ‘dreaded call’, she cringed. It was as if they broke off a relationship rather than a friendship.
“I was waiting for your call,” Brayden had said.
Ava had closed her eyes tight and took a deep breath, struggling to get her voice as casual as possible. “You were?”
“How are you, Ava?”
“I’m fine.” She ran her tongue over dry lips. Feeling a sudden attack of dizziness, Ava pressed her forehead against her other palm. “Brayden.”
“You want to break off our friendship. And over the phone too, how classy.”
“What did you expect?” she cried.
“From you? Something more.” The sound of drink pouring reached her ears. He had to still be at the office. “Pity, Hannah is right here, wanted to meet you. But I guess it is what it is. Say the words Ava, I have back-to-back meetings scheduled.”
He would make her say it. Ava braced herself. “O-O-Our friendship is… over, Brayden. It’s over.”
“Have a nice life, Ava Miller. I understand where you’re coming from and I apologize for my role in it. Be happy, you deserve it.”
Deserve. Deserve. It was a word Brayden used often, but Ava sometimes got a different inflection when he said it. She shook head, startling when a hand caressed her cheek. Eddy gave her a tight smile. Then he said, “Let’s play hooky.”
Unable to process her daydreaming about Brayden while Eddy stood right in front of her, Ava shook her head and did what she had been doing for the past week since the breakup. Try. “You aren’t getting away with that,” she said with forced lightness, “hooky is when you stay home on silly excuses. You don’t get to the office and return home.”
“It’s the same thing, come on. Same result. Frank isn’t around.” He met her eyes and held it. “It will be good for us.”
Didn’t she say she would try? Ava nodded and began getting her things. “Hooky? Here we come.”
Thirty minutes later, Eddy brought her to shattering orgasm. Panting, Ava turned her head to the side. “My god, Eddy see the mess we made.” When Eddy didn’t reply, she turned a smiling face to his, “I guess it’s been a while-- what is it, why are you looking at me like that?”
Eddy’s face twisted into an ugly mask of rage. His hands on her shoulders slowly drifted to her neck. Ava froze, fear squeezing the will to breathe from her chest. “Eddy?”
His hands didn’t pause in its journey to her neck. Suddenly, he bared his teeth in a loud cry, eyes wet and filled with anguish. “You don’t even know, it’s that instinctive?”
Ava didn’t dare move. “Know what?”
“You come screaming his name now? Are you that much of a slut for him, how many times did you spread your fucking legs for the fucking so-called gentleman?”
Oh, god. Heart filled with despair, Ava covered her mouth with both hands. “I’m- I’m--”
“I should fucking kill you, I should--”
With a sound of disgust, he rolled away from her to put on his clothes hurriedly. “It took forever to get you to trust me, it took ages to get you to let me hold your fucking hand and you’re what screaming Brayden’s name in less than a month?”
He stomped to the bathroom and Ava had never been more grateful for a reprieve in her life. Gently, like every motion cost her, she sat up. What had she done? There was no way their relationship would be the same after this. What if Eddy came out angrier than before? Gingerly, she got out of bed and dressed in record time.
When Eddy walked in minutes later, he barely paid her a glance. Wordlessly, he indicated she could use the bathroom. In the bathroom, Ava stared into her wide gray eyes and prayed for strength. How did she play this? As she made to move away, a familiar material caught her eye. Ava opened the cupboard and was surprised to see some of her things crammed into the drawer.
In the bedroom, Eddy stood with his hands shoved into his pockets, staring out at the bustling streets. “You know why I could never leave here?” Ava jumped at the sound of his voice. “Because I can see the hustle, you know. See everyone rushing? And I left my hustle to fuck my fiancee only for her to scream the house down with another man’s name.
Shame, a viscous, dark green liquid washed over her in an overwhelming tide. “I broke off our friendship, told him we would never see each other again. Ever.”
Eddy turned to her, surprised. “You will never see him again?”
Hopeful at his reaction, Ava nodded. “You know we were… close. It was hard so I’ve been stressing about it a bit.” She bit the flesh inside her mouth until it bled. “I’m sorry, Eddy.”
&nbs
p; With a sigh, he sat on the bed and patted the spot beside him. On shaky legs, Ava sat, rubbing her sweaty palms over her thighs. “I’m sorry, it will never happen again.”
“Did I tell you how I got my start with Frank?” he asked out of the blue. Ava shook her head. “You know, I haven’t been fair, I really hate talking about that part of my life. Hearing I will never be able to use my hand after the accident, knowing I will never get in the ring again.” He held out his hand, tracing the scar that ran across his palm.