Going the Distance

by Christa Cervone

  “I kneed him in the nuts and ran.”

  I make sure she’s told me the entire story before I say a word. I raise my hands to touch her and then reconsider. I don’t want to scare her.

  “Gabriel,” she lets out a soft laugh, “it’s okay. You can touch me.”

  I slowly move closer to her and cradle her face in my hands. “Do you really love me, Say?”

  “I do.”

  My eyes search her face, trying to find the right way to phrase what I want to say next. “Will you tell me?”

  “I love you, Gabriel.”

  A chill runs through my body as her words resonate in my ears. “God, I love you, too,” I reply shakily.

  Closing her eyes, she whispers my name and I melt. “I need to kiss you, Salem.”

  She nods her head and I gently press my lips up against hers, waiting for her to make the next move. I’m not going to force her into doing anything she doesn’t want to do. Hell, I’ll wait the next ten years if she needs it. She slowly opens her mouth and the tip of her tongue teases mine. I break our kiss, letting out another staggered breath.

  “What’s the matter?”

  “Nothing’s the matter. I just don’t wanna push you.”

  “You’re not pushing me, Gabriel. I wanted to kiss you more than anything in the world. I wanted to replace the memory of him with the goodness that is you.”

  With a tight-lipped smile, I nod my head. “Let’s lie back down. You look exhausted.”

  She fights off a yawn but agrees and immediately lies down.

  I cautiously lie down next to her, keeping my hands tucked tightly next to my body, and my feet and legs on my side of the bed. This reminds me of the first time she spent the night at my place. I was nervous as hell. I even contemplated sleeping on the couch. I was so afraid I’d offend her by accidently brushing up against her. And, let’s not forget the unforgiving hard-on I had the majority of the night. But this is different, I’m not afraid to offend her this time, I’m afraid I’ll startle or scare her.

  “Gabriel?”

  “Hmmm?”

  “Why are you so far away?”

  I turn my head toward her, “I dunno.”

  “Are you still mad at me?”

  I roll over onto my side, facing her. “Mad at you? I was never mad at you.”

  She inches herself closer to me. “Will you please hold me?”

  I then move toward her, meeting her halfway. “I’ll hold you for as long as you want me to, Say.”

  She snuggles up against my body, entwining her legs with mine. As her head rests on my chest, I wonder if she can hear my thunderous heart, and if she realizes it beats only for her.

  I creep out of Salem’s bed and tiptoe into the bathroom, glancing back to find her still sound asleep; she won’t even realize I’m gone. The taste of stale liquor lingers in my mouth and my head is pounding. I search Salem’s cabinet for an extra toothbrush or mouthwash and anything for a headache. Locating what I need, I get cleaned up and pop some Advil.

  Once the disgusting taste is gone, I scroll through my phone and find Frankie’s name. The phone doesn’t even complete a ring when he answers, “Where the fuck are you? I’ve been waitin’ here for over half an hour.” Here we fuckin’ go. He’s laying into me even before I’ve told him why I’m not there, but then, in Frankie’s world there is no good reason for missing training.

  “I’m not comin’ in today, Frankie.”

  “Why the hell not?”

  With great hesitation, I say something I never thought I’d ever say in my life, “I want you to cancel the fight.”

  “You’re hung over, aren’t you? I heard about the scene you made at Patsy’s last night.”

  “No, that’s not it.”

  “You better not tell me you’re not gonna fight because of her!”

  I remain silent.

  “Christ, I knew she was gonna fuck with your head. What have I been sayin’ this entire time? My warnings about gettin’ tangled up with a broad ain’t just me talkin’ outta my ass, ya know.”

  I try to interrupt him before he really gets going, “Frankie…”

  “You’re gonna throw your career away, Gabriel!”

  “Frankie,” I raise my voice.

  He still carries on, “… over a goddamn broad!”

  I’ve had it. “Frankie!” I yell into the other end of the phone, finally shutting him up.

  “It’s not what you think!” God, he’s so damn pigheaded.

  “Yeah, okay, it’s not what I think. I witnessed what happened last night, kid. Or have you forgotten I was there?”

  “He tried to rape her, Frankie,” my voice is all but a whisper.

  “What?! Who did? Blaine? What?!” He’s confused but starting to put the pieces together.

  “Yes.”

  “Jesus Fucking Christ, kid. Is she okay?” Frankie takes on a different tone, one of worry and concern. This isn’t what any of us could have expected. “Did he… hurt her?”

  “No, not really, but she does have some bruising around her mouth where he held his hand over it.”

  We both get quiet for a moment. “She needs me, Frankie,” I breathe out.

  “Alright, kid, I get it now. If this is what you want,” his voice is hesitant. “Are you sure? I mean, really sure? Because once I make this call, there’s no goin’ back.”

  “Yes,” I confirm without hesitation.

  “Alright, I’ll make the call. And I guess I can go home and go back to bed, then.”

  Trying to catch him before he hangs up, I say, “Frankie?”

  “Yeah?”

  I can feel a tear leak from the corner of my eye. “Thank you.”

  “No problem, kid. Do what you gotta do.”

  Just then, I hear a light tap on the door followed by, “Gabriel?”

  Quickly, I wipe the tears away. “Yeah?”

  Pushing the door open, Salem steps in asking, “What are you doing in here?”

  “I was just making a phone call. Did I wake you?”

  “You not being there woke me.”

  I wrap my arms around her. “Then let’s go back to bed.”

  “Who were you talking to so early?”

  “Frankie.”

  “Is everything okay?”

  “Yeah, everything’s fine. I needed him to do me a favor, that’s all.”

  She tilts her head curiously and asks, “What kind of favor?”

  Leaning down, I kiss her forehead. “It’s nothin’. Don’t worry about it.” I take her by the hand and try to lead her back into the bedroom.

  Planting her feet on the ground and giving me a sidelong glance, she refuses to move. “There’s something you’re not telling me.”

  I drop my shoulders in defeat. “I told him to cancel my fight.”

  “What? Why?”

  “Because.” I turn to leave, trying to avoid the conversation we’re about to have.

  She spins me back in her direction, her eyes narrowing in on me. “Because is not a reason, Gabriel.”

  “I’m not ready.”

  “Bullshit,” she says curtly. “Since the first day I met you, you’ve been ready.”

  I clear my throat, “Well, I’m not ready for this one.”

  Salem reaches up and takes my face in her hands, her eyes connecting with mine. “Tell me the truth, Gabriel. There’s no room for lies between us.”

  My heart quickens and my mouth turns dry. “Because… you need me.”

  “Oh Gabriel,” she sighs.

  “I love you, Salem, and I’m not gonna let you out of my sight.”

  “I love you, too.”

  “That fucker is gonna pay for what he did to you,” my throat grows thick and my jaw involuntarily tightens. Salem’s lips softly graze my jawline and the tension evaporates.

  She shakes her head, “He’s not worth it.”

  “You’re right, he’s not worth it,” I nod. “But you are, Salem, and I’d lay down my life to protect you. I�
��ll always regret that I wasn’t there for you last night. And I can promise you this, he’ll never get close enough to even look at you, let alone touch you, ever again.”

  Her teeth rake over her bottom lip as she lets out a shaky breath. “Thank you.”

  “You don’t have to thank…” she raises her hand to stop me from talking.

  I watch her as she tries to find the courage to say what’s on her mind. “I do. You’ve done so much for me. You’ve loved me through it all, and you didn’t deserve to be treated the way I treated you. I should’ve been strong enough to deal with my parents and Blaine and to not keep you hidden away. But I was afraid, and look where that got me.” Sorrow has returned to her eyes.

  “You cannot blame yourself for last night, Salem. What he did…” I clench my fists and stretch my neck, trying to keep my anger in check, “it’s unforgivable.” And the piece of shit deserves to rot in Hell for it.

  She looks up at me lovingly and nods her head.

  “Come on, let’s go back to bed.”

  “I’ll be there in a second.”

  I shoot her a concerned look. “You okay?”

  “Yes, I’m fine,” she chuckles. “I just really gotta pee.”

  “Oh,” I laugh. “Why didn’t you say so?”

  Salem and I spent the majority of yesterday holed up in her room. Of course, Jocelyn showed her face and busted our balls a couple of times throughout the day, but for the most part, she was very generous. She delivered us breakfast, lunch, and dinner in bed and even claimed to have actually made all three meals.

  “I’ll be here at two o’clock,” I reassure Salem as she climbs out of her car.

  After a small disagreement this morning, she finally convinced me to let her attend her classes today, but only with the understanding that I would drive her and pick her up.

  “Gabriel, my class doesn’t let out until two fifteen.”

  I smile. “I know, but I’ll be here at two.” I’m not giving that fucker a chance to get to her at school.

  “Don’t you think you’re overreacting, just a little?” she huffs.

  “No, not at all.”

  Salem exhales heavily through her nose, shakes her head, and shuts the door.

  I roll down the passenger’s side window and call out, “Text me when you’re on break!”

  She waves her hand in the air and keeps walking.

  I sit in the parking lot until I see her enter the building. I then immediately pull out my phone and send Jimmy a text.

  Me – I’ll be there in ten.

  Jimmy – I’ll meet you there.

  Me – K

  Jimmy and I pull into the TKO parking lot within seconds of one another.

  “Are you sure you wanna do this?” Jimmy asks reluctantly as he gets out of his car. “You could end up gettin’ arrested.”

  “You got bail money on you?”

  “Yeah.”

  Nodding my head confidently, I answer, “Then yes, I’m gonna fuckin’ do this.”

  We head toward the front door, and I see Blaine’s Corvette parked in its usual spot. “Jimmy, gimme your keys.”

  “Huh? Why?”

  Flashing my palm out, I insist, “Just gimme ‘em.”

  With Jimmy’s keys in my hand, I nonchalantly walk along Blaine’s beloved Corvette, gouging the keys into the side of the car. I turn back, nodding at my handiwork.

  “Oh shit, son,” Jimmy laughs.

  “Come on, let’s do this.” I throw my head from side to side and crack my knuckles. Jimmy holds the door open for me and we walk in together.

  “Hey, Saint!” Charlie greets cheerfully. “We missed you this morning.”

  “I was busy.” I don’t even bother to make eye contact; my eyes are focused on Blaine’s office door. “Is Blaine in his office?”

  “Yeah, but I think he’s in a meeting.”

  Stalking toward Blaine’s office, I throw back, “Guess what, his meeting is over.”

  I fling the door open. “What the…?” Blaine jumps and covers his exposed cock. I look down to see a young girl, who looks like she’s barely legal, crawling out from under the desk.

  I offer her a snide suggestion as she scurries out the door, “Do yourself a favor, doll, and have your mouth checked for diseases.” Then I take a seat directly in front of Blaine as Jimmy shuts the door. Blaine tries to pull himself together.

  “Hey, where were you this morning?” he wonders, shifting nervously in his seat.

  “I was busy taking care of someone very important to me.”

  Assuming I mean Jase, he asks, “Is Jase alright?”

  My eyes are deadlocked with his, “It wasn’t Jase.”

  He swallows hard. “Frankie?”

  “Nope, guess again.”

  He breaks out in a sweat while I remain deadly calm. “Uhhh… I don’t know.”

  I slowly get out of my seat, never taking my eyes off of his, and start walking around to his side of the desk. “Well, let’s think about this,” I trail my fingers along the edge of his desk, stalking him like a lion stalks a zebra. Panicking, he breaks eye contact and his eyes dart around the room, trying to look anywhere but at me. “Who, that we both know, was recently brutally attacked by someone?”

  Blaine looks up at me wide-eyed. Gotcha asshole. “Saint, I honestly have no idea what you’re talkin’ about.”

  I reach down to rip him up out of his seat and get in his face. “Salem, you son of a bitch!” I growl out.

  All the color drains out of Blaine’s face and he blinks rapidly. “Sh… she… she’s making it all up,” he stutters. “I didn’t lay a fucking hand on her!”

  “I saw the marks you left on her face, motherfucker!” I can feel my jugular pulsing as I drop him to the floor like the sack of shit he is. I can barely even stand the sight of him. “I held her in my arms afterward, trying to erase everything you did to her!”

  “I… What? How?” he’s trying to make sense of what I just said. When the puzzle pieces finally click together, he dares to appear the victim. Pointing at me, he accuses, “It’s you!! You’re the one she was screwing behind my back like some trashy little whore!”

  Seeing red, I raise my fist to him as he rises to his feet.

  “Saint, no marks. Remember?” Jimmy’s warning brings me back.

  A smug look washes over Blaine’s face. “I see her pussy’s got you all twisted.” He chuckles, then sneers, “Just remember, I’m the one who got to tap it first.”

  I grab him by the collar of his shirt and throw him up against the wall, causing a loud bang.

  It takes no longer than five seconds for there to be a knock on the door followed by, “Blaine, is everything alright in there?”

  I nod at Jimmy and he cracks the door open. “Yes, everything is fine. No need to worry.”

  “Blaine?” Charlie tries to skirt around Jimmy to see in.

  My forearm is pressed heavily over Blaine’s trachea. “Tell him everything is just fine,” I order through gritted teeth.

  Slowly, I ease up just enough to let Blaine speak. “Yeah, Charlie, I’m fine.” Immediately, I reapply my weight to his neck.

  “Are you sure?”

  Again letting up on the pressure, I nod at him and he calls out, “Yeah, we’re just talking about Saint’s upcoming fight.”

  Jimmy closes the door.

  I direct my attention back to Blaine. “Where were we? Oh, yeah. I was just about to lay down some ground rules: You don’t see her, talk to her, or even so much as think of her! I’m tellin’ you now, that if I find out you’ve even spoken her name from this point forward, I will find you and fuckin’ kill you! Do you understand?”

  Blaine’s face has turned bright red due to lack of oxygen and he nods his head rapidly. “Yes,” he chokes out.

  “Good.” I release him, and he drops to his knees coughing, choking, and clawing at his sore throat.

  Jimmy opens the door for me and we start to walk out. “Oh, by the way,” I look ove
r my shoulder at his sorry ass, “I quit.”

  I arrive at Salem’s school at two on the dot. I managed to get the same parking spot I had this morning, which makes me feel better that she doesn’t have to search for the car. I know I’m being overprotective but I’m not taking a risk.

  After the incident at TKO, Jimmy and I hit Frankie’s for some sparring so that I could fight out my adrenaline rush. I really had to hold myself back with Blaine. I could’ve easily broken his neck without even giving it another thought. But then, where would that leave Salem and Jase? Just the thought of him sends me into a fit of rage. Leaning my head back on the headrest, I close my eyes and take a few deep breaths.

  A soft rap on the driver’s side window startles me; Salem’s looking in at me, smiling. My heart begins to warm as her gaze never leaves mine while she rounds the car and enters through the passenger’s side door. “How was class?”

  “Good,” she leans in to kiss me, “but I missed you.”

  “I missed you, too.”

  “Did you go to the gym today?”

  “Yeah, Jimmy and I did a little sparring.”

  “Does that mean you’re going to still try to fight in a couple of weeks?”

  “No, I’ve officially pulled out of that fight.”

  “Oh,” she replies sadly.

  “There’ll be other fights, Salem. There are more important things in life than fighting, ya know.”

  She lets out a small laugh.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “It’s strange to hear you say that.”

  “Why?”

  “Because, a few months ago, you were all about boxing and you would never have missed a fight.”

  I reach out for her and lace our fingers together. “I guess my perspective has changed.”

  Corner Man – At the junction of the ropes (a corner of the ring) where a boxer rests between rounds his second, the corner man, advises him, gives him water, tries to reduce swelling, and stop bleeding.

  “Jase? Jase! We’re home,” I announce happily as Salem and I walk through my apartment door. For the first time in twenty-five years, I can actually say that shit in my life is going right. These past few months have flown by, and life has gone back to normal. Without the added stress of TKO and all the private sessions, I now have more time to devote to the after school program. I didn’t realize how much I had missed the kids until I was back with them.