Breakfast was six eggs, over medium, four slices of wheat toast, a bowl of oatmeal with fruit, and an order of home fries. Lunch was six ounces of chicken breast, a baked potato with butter and sour cream, and an order of asparagus. Dinner was the same thing except he would order sirloin steak instead of chicken. Seemed like a pretty bland diet to her, but again maybe that was why she constantly struggled with her weight. She just didn’t have the discipline to stick to anything that restrictive long term.
The man was always dressed the same; he wore a grey muscle shirt, over a pair of sweatpants. He also wore a grey hoody he draped over the chair, thankfully, so Kelly was able to marvel at his exceptional muscle tone. Every time he moved his arm she saw the bulge in his bicep, flexing with implied strength and fitness. She wanted to touch it and squeeze it. And she wanted it to lead to touching and squeezing other things.
Kelly walked back to her station behind the counter and waited for the next order to come up, which looked to be about finished. She let out a big sigh and tried not to make her repeated glances to the man at the table too obvious, but the man was gorgeous. She just could not help herself.
She had fantasized about him ever since she laid eyes on him. Fantasy was about the only thing she had going on nowadays. She had been told she was attractive and she knew she was, but the fact remained that chubby girls were just not hit on that often by guys. She admired the other girls in her friend circle because they were all sexy and shapely. She was the fat friend; the odd one out and she was plain tired of it.
Kelly had tried every diet and she’d had success, but the weight always came back on eventually. It was like a constant tug of war with her own body and she was sick of the whole thing. She had pretty much given up and decided that she didn’t care anymore. But a part of her did care. Every time she saw a man like this that she would die to go out with she felt immensely ashamed of herself, which ironically made her want to eat more.
“So, has the stud asked you out yet?”
Kelly laughed and smiled at her best friend Amy Callahan. She and Amy had become fast friends after Kelly started working at Gus’s café about six months ago. Kelly admired the way Amy was so confident and comfortable in her own skin. Of course, Amy was beautiful and slim. She could have any guy she wanted, but for some reason she stuck with Rich Benson, whom she had dated for the past three months. Rich was a total jerk. Why Amy put up with his garbage was a mystery to Kelly.
“Very funny,” Kelly said.
“Why not just talk to him. Turn on the charm, girl. Some guys need to be pushed to see what’s in front of them,” Amy said.
“I can’t do that. I try, but the words just won’t come out of my mouth.”
“You are over thinking it. There is no rocket science to this; it’s just conversation.”
Kelly grabbed her order off the rack and took it out to her other table. She sat the food down, checked to make sure it was all ok, and left the check. Grabbing the coffee off the counter, she made her way back to the stranger’s table to refresh his cup.
“Go get him, girl,” she heard Amy saying behind her.
Kelly took a deep breath and made sure to carefully plant one foot in front of the other as she slowly made her way to his table. She knew that Amy was right. Even though she was a bigger girl and it definitely made her dating life more difficult, she knew that she put herself down too much. She needed to work on her confidence and at least put herself out there more.
She carefully poured the coffee into his cup, refilling it to the brim. She wanted to say something—anything—but nothing came to mind and no words tumbled out of her mouth.
“You go to Arizona State?”
The man spoke to her. He had actually spoken real words to her. She had stopped mid step and she became aware of how awkward looking her body position was. She slowly and in a very nonchalant manner turned around to look at him. Her brain scrambled for something intelligent to say.
“Excuse me?” That was all she managed.
“You have an Arizona State sweatshirt,” the man said. His voice was deep and hard sounding, but exited his lips in a quiet rasp.
Kelly’s mind went blank. She glanced at her outfit and confirmed what she had thought; she was not wearing her Arizona State sweatshirt right then. She was feeling a bit lost and confused at the moment.
“I’m sorry. I saw you leaving work the other night and you were wearing that sweatshirt.”
A lightbulb went off in Kelly’s head.
“Oh, yea. I do go to Arizona State.”
“They have a great wrestling team. We won all conference when I was there.”
“Oh, wow. That’s great. I don’t know much about wrestling…” Kelly began, wishing she had watched a lot more wrestling.
“I’m Aaron by the way,” the man said. He extended his hand and she reciprocated, feeling his hardened, strong hand gripping hers. It felt like someone had flicked a light switch as a current of attraction and lust loomed throughout her body in one solitary instantaneous flash.
“I’m Kelly,” she said. She felt a bit embarrassed telling him her name since it was clearly marked on her name tag. Was that stupid? Or was she just being polite? She was drowning out here and she needed a life boat. She glanced around nervously, and spotted Amy out of the corner of her eye cheering her on with a thumbs up and a slight little dance.
“It’s nice to meet you Kelly. I figured I should introduce myself since we are going to be seeing a lot of each other.”
“What?”
“Well, I’m in training, so I’m on a pretty specific diet, in case you haven’t noticed. I don’t cook, and I really love the food here. So we will be seeing each other a bit, I suspect.”
“Oh, ok. I did notice you’ve been here every day the past few days. What are you in training for?” Kelly asked about to wet her pants. She was actually engaging him in conversation. Maybe some of Amy’s incessant nagging had started to wear off on her.
“I’m an MMA fighter. Are you familiar with Mixed Martial Arts at all?” Aaron asked. He took a sip of his hot coffee and gulped it satisfyingly. Kelly found herself too focused on his lips.
“I’m not really, just what I’ve glimpsed on TV. It’s all a bit violent for me.”
“It looks that way—I mean it is fighting, after all—but it’s really just like a human Chess game. It is the rawest form of competition. There is no team or anyone helping you. It’s just you and the other guy in the cage. It’s a rush you just can’t imagine.”
“Wow, I’ve never thought of it that way. That’s beautifully put.”
“Thanks. Well, I’ll let you get back to work, but I’d love to talk more. What time do you get off tonight?”
Kelly was suddenly aware of how dry her mouth was. She fought the impulse to lick her lips compulsively as she tried to think of the right answer. She wasn’t aware of how she had just ended up in this position. Was he asking her out? Was he asking her out on a real date? Maybe he just wanted to talk, as friends? She didn’t know and right then she didn’t care. She just wanted to grab him and kiss him all over. Maybe if the date went well enough she would be able to do just that. She realized how insane that sounded, but she was just so overjoyed right now she found herself almost tipping over the coffee pot she was holding. She grabbed it with both hands to steady it and prayed he didn’t notice.
“I get off at nine,” Kelly said, her voice cracking on the last word. God, I suck so bad!
“Great. Would you like to hang out? It’s going to be a nice night. I thought we could have a few drinks and take a walk in the park if you’re up to it.”
“Yes. That would be awesome.”
“Cool. I’ll pick you up here at nine.”
“Sounds great,” Kelly said as she hurriedly walked back to her station. She wanted to grab Amy and scream at the top of her lungs, but somehow she restrained herself.
Amy and she shared a mental link of what happened and they both squealed slightly ab
ove a whisper in perfect sync. It was a marvel of how close they had become.
She knew the next few hours were going to drag on. Nine o’clock could not get here fast enough.
Chapter Thirteen
Aaron was right on the money and punctual when he picked Kelly up at the diner. Aaron’s car was an amped up pickup truck with huge wheels. It somehow fit his tough guy exterior and she found that she was actually kind of turned on by the huge machine. There was something primal about it and a man who could tame such a wild beast. It was sexual and raw. Or maybe she was just crazy. It had been months since she had been with a man.
Even though he had his truck, they decided to just walk the three blocks to the bar. It was a sports bar she had never really heard of, but they were supposed to have amazing wings and great prices on drinks. After the day she had she could use a steady supply of both. She was running on pure adrenaline at this point and a lot of that was the jolt of excitement she had received after Aaron had asked her out.
The night was beautiful. Mid- winter in Phoenix, Arizona, was much like late spring in most of the country. The days were sunny with highs edging into the low eighties and nights hovering around the upper fifties or lower sixties. And the rain was not to be seen. You woke up each morning to a beautiful warm sun shining on your face. It was the time of year she lived for around here; the calm before the upcoming storm of the brutal Arizona summer that was on its way. But for now, she just laid back and enjoyed the comfort.
As they walked they didn’t talk that much. Aaron seemed to be enjoying the peaceful night as much as she was. A slight breeze blew in at them from the west and ruffled up through her shirt, cupping her breast in its gentle grip. She found the experience a bit erotic and her thoughts turned to Aaron’s hands and how she wished they were cupping her large breasts right then.
They got to the bar and were happy to find that the crowd was minimal, but again it was Wednesday. Luckily there weren’t any sporting events going on, otherwise Aaron said the place would have been packed with all sorts of drink specials and cheap wings.
They found a corner booth and settled in. Kelly was happy to be out of the way of wandering eyes who were wondering what she was doing with a stud like Aaron. She wasn’t sure if she should be intimidated or proud. It was one of those fine line situations. She may have just been imagining that people were staring at her or wondering how she had landed a date with someone like Aaron, or it could have been real. She wasn’t sure how much she cared. The guy seemed to like her, so she was happy.
“So, are you from here originally?” Aaron asked.
“No, I moved here to go to school. I’m in my third year, now,” Kelly replied.
“That’s great. What are you studying?”
“’I’m a Political Science major.”
“Wow, you going to end up being a lawyer?”
“That is the plan, but it’s a long time coming.”
“I know. That is a lot of schooling, but if it’s what you want to do then you got to grind it out.”
“Yep, that’s all there is to it. But I actually love it, so it’s fine.”
“I respect that,” Aaron said.
“How did you get into MMA?” Kelly asked.
The waitress sat their drinks down in front of them along with a basket of boneless wings. They both grabbed a fork and dug in. Aaron was right; these wings were amazing.
“I’ve always been into it. I started wrestling when I was ten and fell in love with that, but then I also started doing Tae Kwon Do when I was twelve. After I received my black belt in Tae I got into Brazilian Jujitsu when I was about seventeen. I've entered combats and competitions since I was a kid and I always seem to do pretty well.”
“Wow, you sound like a pretty lethal guy,” Kelly joked.
Aaron smiled. “I guess, but anyone can be lethal. An untrained person is even more so because they will hurt you much worse than they intended too.”
Kelly thought about this as she sipped her Long Island Iced Tea. It was perfectly mixed and she definitely tasted the strength of it.
“I know, they make the drinks strong here,” Aaron said reading her expression.
“That they do. I like it,” Kelly said.
The conversation between the two of them flowed very easily and she was finding herself feeling closer and closer to him. He had this easy going confident nature about him that wasn’t remotely cocky or arrogant. He was proud of who he was and you could take it or leave it. Kelly loved the lack of insecurity she felt rising off of him. It was the perfect complement to her total lack of confidence.
After finishing off the wings and her second Long Island, Kelly excused herself to go the ladies room. She checked her makeup and her hair, which she had styled as much as she could in the ladies room at work on her last break. It had held itself together fairly well and she was satisfied with what she saw.
Walking back from the ladies room Kelly saw that Aaron was no longer alone. In fact he was standing up, face to face with another large man. This man was dressed in typical biker fashion, with a striking leather vest, no shirt underneath, ripped jeans, his wallet hanging from a chain and thick leather boots to top the whole image off. His muscles were toned and sleek, enhanced by a multitude of tattoos that were somehow beautifully designed, with an array of vibrant colors.
The man pushed Aaron hard against the wall. Aaron’s demeanor was changing and she could tell that he was ready to let this guy have it. She was afraid for Aaron because this guy was both menacing and tough looking, but then again she knew that Aaron was a trained fighter. He could have wiped the floor with the guy, but he was restraining himself.
Aaron’s eyes glanced over at her for a second and she saw his attitude change for a second. He did not want her to see an ugly side of him she realized. Kelly’s heart was beating wildly in her chest. She hated violence and witnessing real violence in an uncontrolled environment was even scarier than watching sanctioned fights on television.
The biker stepped forward and pushed Aaron again, but this time Aaron grabbed the man’s hands and flipped him around, pinning him to the wall. The man tried to struggle and break the hold, but Aaron applied more pressure and the man grunted in pain.
Just then Kelly saw a bartender and a manager jump onto the scene and break it up. The bartender had to hold the biker back, while the manager stood between Aaron and them. Aaron raised his hands in compliance as he backed off. Aaron placed some money on the table under a salt shaker and walked over to Kelly.
“What was that about? Are you ok?” Kelly asked. The nerves were subsiding a bit, but Kelly’s legs were still moving a mile a minute to hustle out of the sports bar. She felt better instantly when she walked out the door into the warm Arizona night.
“It was just some bullshit. That guy is the brother of a guy who I beat in a fight a few months ago. He swears his brother didn’t tap out, but the referee and everyone else clearly saw it. I had him in an arm bar, and it was locked in. If he hadn’t tapped his arm would have been broken. No shame in it. I was the better fighter that day, but this moron doesn’t seem to think so.”
“Wow, that’s crazy. That was pretty hairy back there,” Kelly said.
Aaron draped his arm around her and pulled her close to him. His body felt good against hers.
“I’m sorry you had to see that. It kind of came out of nowhere. He walked in just as you left to go to the ladies room. I was hoping he wouldn’t see me because I didn’t want to deal with it, but he zoned in on me like a tractor beam.”
“Well, hopefully you never have to deal with him again.”
“Maybe. I don’t care. If he comes at me again I’ll just have to lay him out. I hate to fight out of the ring and I can actually get my license to fight revoked, but if it comes down to it, I will.”
They walked through the park, admiring the dim glow of the streetlights that lit up the park, covering it with an orange glow that somehow reminded Kelly of walking on a sunset. It
was like everything turned a neon color this time of night in the city. She really loved it here and night time was by far her favorite.
They didn’t talk a great deal during this walk; it was mostly just being together, holding hands and knowing that they didn’t have to talk. It was enough to just experience the moments together.
Occasionally one of them would ask the other a question about themselves. Kelly found that Aaron’s responses to her were generally very interesting; with enough detail that kept her interested, but at the same time she felt he was still holding pieces of himself back. He possessed a quiet restraint that she found very mysterious and attractive, while at the same time he encouraged her to talk more about herself. She was not especially fond of talking about herself, but she found with Aaron she was really able to open up. She could talk freely without fear of saying the wrong thing or feeling like she was being overexposed. It was a nice change of pace.
Aaron had grown up poor on the west side of Phoenix, which was a rough area. He had figured out very quickly that he had to learn to defend himself. This led him into wrestling at a young age and later on to martial arts. His wrestling skills had earned him a scholarship to Arizona State, where he had majored in philosophy. Kelly suspected that was why he had such a deep and spiritual side to him.
When Aaron walked Kelly back to her car, she was not ready for the evening to end, but it was pushing past midnight and she had a busy day the next day. She thanked Aaron for a wonderful evening and no sooner did the words leave her mouth then he was kissing her. The kiss had taken her so by surprise it was a few seconds before she remembered that she needed to kiss back.
As their lips parted they both smiled sweetly at each other. Under the full moon and the beautiful starry sky Kelly knew that she had never been happier. Aaron took her number and they agreed to go out again soon.
Driving down the 303 to her house just outside of Mesa, Kelly was feeling better than she had in months. She cranked the radio up on her favorite XM station and sang along. Avril Lavigne was singing about a “Skater boy” and Kelly was feeling the groove. She belted out the words along with the radio and ignored her tuneless and off key voice. She was feeling too good right now to care about anything.
Boxer Next Door Page 25