by M. L. Young
“Well, I think that backstage invitation answers that question,” Taylor said.
The stands started to empty out as I slowly made my way down, panicking, while Emily and Taylor tried to calm me down. I wasn’t afraid of him, at least not in the typical way, since I knew he was a sweetheart, but the entire situation of having my adrenaline up from the fights and then seeing him and being called backstage was just sort of a lot for me. I typically didn’t have excitement bellowing out my name. I was pretty boring.
“Well, here I go. Are you guys waiting for me?” I asked.
“You have ten minutes,” Emily said.
“Fifteen, you have fifteen. If you aren’t back by then, we’re going to go eat. Who knows, maybe you won’t want to come with us, if you know what I’m saying,” Taylor said, nudging me.
“Yeah, we’ll see,” I said before walking up to the security guard.
“Yeah?” he asked.
“I’m Jessica. I’m here to see Liam,” I said nervously. The guy guarding the fighters was so big I thought he could be one as well.
“Go on in and to your right. The sign is on the door,” he said, smacking on a piece of gum.
I turned around and looked at the girls before they gave me a thumbs up. People filled the hallways, from fighters, to managers, and everyone in between. It was a total circus, but I finally squeezed through the hallway to find a door with a sign that said Liam’s name on it. It was open.
I stood in the doorway and knocked on the door, catching his attention and the attention of the older man before Liam stood up and the older guy came over to me. “So glad you found it,” he said.
“Thank you for inviting me. I really appreciate it,” I said.
“This is my manager, Tino,” Liam said.
“Oh, the one with the gym?” I asked.
“You know about my gym?” he asked, perking up, as if he didn’t get that a lot.
“Yeah, Liam was wearing a shirt with the name on it when we first met,” I said.
“That’s my boy, a walking billboard! Well, I’ll let you kids catch up while I go finalize things with the front office. It was nice meeting you, sweetheart,” Tino said, shaking my hand and closing the door behind him.
“So, you found me,” Liam said, taking tape off his hands.
“Not on purpose. I didn’t even know you’d be here tonight. My friends from school wanted me to come out with them, and here we are,” I said.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about all this when we met. I guess I kind of lied,” he said.
“You don’t owe me anything. We’d just met, so it’s not like you owed me any kind of explanation about your life,” I said, sitting down on an old metal folding chair.
“It’s just that I don’t really like to talk about it, at least when I first meet people. I didn’t want you to get the wrong impression and think I was some brute or whatever,” he said.
“I wouldn’t have thought that,” I said.
“Most people do,” he said, balling up the tape and tossing it in the trashcan.
“Well, I’m not most people, now am I? I think it’s awesome that you do something you love like this. Not only that, but you’re good,” I said.
“So it’s not a problem?” he asked.
“I don’t see why it would be. As long as you keep the fighting in the ring, I support it,” I said.
“I’ve never used my fists outside the octagon. I like to use my words instead. Weird, I know, at least for a guy in my position,” he said, smiling and laughing.
“Yeah, that wouldn’t be good,” I said awkwardly.
I still didn’t have a clue why he’d called me back here to see him or what his intentions were. Did he just feel like he owed me an explanation, like it mattered if he’d told me his entire life story during my fifteen-minute break yesterday? I mean, I appreciated it a lot, it showed me he was an honest guy who didn’t like to burn bridges or lie to people, and I thought that was very honorable, but he didn’t owe a stranger an apology.
“So, I didn’t ask you back here just to say sorry,” he said.
“Oh?” I asked.
“Well, I thought about texting you last night, after we met, but I didn’t want to be too forward. Plus with the fight and everything, I wanted to wait until after it was over before contacting you. You know, it’s just a stressful time and all,” he said.
“Yeah, yeah, I understand,” I said, sitting on the edge of my seat, literally.
“I think you’re a very smart, independent, beautiful girl and I know you don’t really know me or anything, but I’d like to go out sometime and maybe get to know each other more. If you’re interested, of course. It’s cool if you just want to be friends,” he said.
“I’d love to go out. You mean as a date, right?” I asked.
“Yes, a date,” he said, smiling.
“Then yes, definitely,” I said.
“Wow, awesome, are you free tonight? Maybe we could grab a bite to eat once I’m done here or something,” he asked.
Tonight? Taylor and Emily were waiting outside for me, and I was pretty sure we were getting close to that fifteen-minute mark. I wasn’t one of those people who ditched my friends for a guy, but they did tell me they were leaving if I didn’t come back on time, and I was pretty sure they wouldn’t care and would encourage me to go out with him if I had the chance. I felt bad, but at the same time, I did have a shirtless, sweaty, muscular man in front of me.
“Yeah, I can do that. What were you thinking?” I asked.
“There’s a great Thai place not too far from here, if you’re into it,” he said.
“I love Thai,” I said, even though I’d only eaten it once before, and that was two years ago.
“Great! Well, I should be done in about twenty to thirty minutes, if that’s not too long. I can just meet you out near the front of the venue?” he asked.
“I’ll be there,” I said awkwardly, my inexperience in flirting and dating starting to show.
I left his room and smiled like a giddy schoolgirl before walking back out into the venue and catching Taylor and Emily just before they were about to leave. “So?” Taylor asked.
“We’re going out to get food tonight. I hope you don’t hate me,” I said, praying they wouldn’t be mad.
“Ditching us already, huh?” Emily asked.
“I’m sorry! I can tell him I had other plans if you’re really mad at me,” I said.
“Oh shut up, I’m just messing with you. Go out and have fun, and text us if you need anything. Don’t take the subway home, either,” Emily said.
“I second that. You aren’t street smart enough for nighttime riding,” Taylor said.
“I am too! I’m plenty street smart,” I said.
“Sure you are, honey,” Taylor said, patting my shoulder. “Have fun.”
They left and I walked towards the front and took out my phone to play a free game I’d downloaded the other day when I was bored in bed. More and more people started to file out, leaving just a crew behind to sweep and pick up chairs, while I stood around, playing my game and counting the minutes at the top of my phone screen to try to guess when he’d be out.
“I’m so sorry, I got caught up,” he said about thirty-five minutes later as he jogged up.
“It’s fine, I was just playing a game so I didn’t even notice,” I said, smiling, though that was a lie. I did notice, obviously, but I really didn’t care because he was here now and that was all that mattered. Besides, we had an impromptu, out-of-the-blue dinner date right after his big fight, so I couldn’t blame him for being a few minutes late.
“The office always holds us back. We had to get the payment settled before we could leave,” he said while we walked out.
“Oh, you make money from this?” I asked naively.
“Yup, it’s my main income. The stuff I do at the gym is just extra to make sure I don’t go under in case I lose a fight or can’t get as many as we’d like booked and all th
at,” he said.
“That’s good. Hopefully you get signed soon. The PFC is the big one, right?” I asked.
“Yeah, that’s the big boy in town. Every fighter dreams of having a shot there, but not many get one. I heard a recruiter was there tonight at the fight, but I have no idea who they were,” he said.
“At least you won. That must mean something good, right?” I asked.
“Well, a little birdie told me that they were looking at me before the fight tonight, so my performance should’ve helped me gain another leg towards a shot there. Usually they give you a fight as sort of a test in the PFC before they actually sign you. With so much talent out there, they want to make sure you’re good enough to bring in viewers and pay-per-view buys before signing you and giving you the good money,” he said.
We walked up to the Thai restaurant, which was slightly small in typical New York fashion. The place was mostly empty, which surprised me for a Friday night. We were instantly seated towards the back and given ice water and menus, which I didn’t need. The only thing I knew was Pad Thai, and I planned to get it instead of something I might not like.
“So do you experiment with food a lot?” he asked, looking over the menu.
“Yeah, sometimes, but I’m not too crazy. I don’t want to eat a pig heart or anything,” I said.
“Oh god, no, not that crazy,” he said, laughing.
There was something incredibly masculine and powerful, as well as calm and gentle, about Liam. It was like I could be myself and not worry about the technical side of things. He was just a good person to be around, and I didn’t think I ever would’ve thought that from his appearance. I knew I shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but a tall, beefy guy with huge arms was sort of intimidating, though also in a sexy way.
The waitress came around and Liam ordered a sampler platter to start before we ordered our main dishes. Mine seemed sort of safe and easy compared to his, which sounded a bit scary, to be honest. Maybe I wasn’t out of my comfort zone just yet.
“So, do you have any siblings or anything? Are you from here?” he asked.
“I’m not from here, actually I’m from Wisconsin, Lake Geneva area, but I do have one sibling, a younger brother, who’s fifteen,” I said.
“Ah, what a weird age to be,” he said, laughing. “Does he watch MMA?”
“Well, I know that he and my dad watch some fights, I’ve heard them talk about them, but I’m not sure if they watch religiously. Football, yes, but I’m not sure about MMA,” I said.
“That’s how most people are, I think. It’s the same thing with boxing. When there’s a high-profile fight more people are bound to watch it,” he said.
“What about you? Same question,” I said.
“I’m not from here, either. I’m from Iowa, if you can believe it. And yes, I have two brothers, both of them older,” he said.
“How are they with the fighting thing? Are they in the sports business?” I asked.
“Well, my oldest brother owns an auto shop with my dad. They were always into cars and the business side of things, so they run that in our hometown. My other brother is in the entertainment industry,” he said.
“Oh, that sounds interesting. I’ve always been fascinated by that. Is he like an actor or something?” I asked.
“Yes, you could say that,” he said, taking a sip of water.
“What’s his name? Have I seen anything he’s been in?” I asked, as if he knew every movie I’d ever seen.
“Uh, his name is Cash,” he said, grabbing his straw wrapper and folding it up.
“Wait, what’s your last name again? Hawthorne?” I asked.
“Yeah,” he replied.
“Cash Hawthorne is your brother?” I asked.
“The one and only,” he said.
“Wow, who would’ve guessed?” I asked.
“Can we not talk about that, though? I don’t mean to be rude, I really don’t, but I would just feel more comfortable if we changed topics,” he said.
“That’s no problem at all. I get it,” I said.
I really did get it, and I wasn’t just saying that. My brother was just a sophomore in high school, and I hated when my parents went on and on about his sports achievements and honor society shit and all that. I couldn’t imagine if he were an A-list movie star, though. Having people always ask you about him and want to get close to you just to meet him or get an autograph would be the absolute worst nightmare, especially if you were trying to make a name for yourself in your own field. If Liam wanted to talk about him again with me, he could bring it up.
“Here you are, the sampler platter,” the waitress said, bringing out a large wooden plate with tons of different food on it.
“Thank you so much,” Liam said.
“Wow, this all looks so good,” I said, looking it over.
I recognized some things, like calamari, but didn’t really know what anything else was. I was a bit nervous, but Liam told me it would be fine and everything on here was good.
“I promise it won’t bite back,” he said, smiling.
“Oh boy, here I go,” I said, popping a small bite into my mouth.
It was a little chewy, but the flavor wasn’t at all offensive or repulsive. It was actually, dare I say, good. “How is it?” he asked.
“It’s actually really good. The texture is kind of weird to me, but the taste is great,” I said, nodding.
Our food soon came out and the two of us sat at the table, smiling and laughing the entire time, as if we’d known one another our entire lives. My last boyfriend was kind of a dud in the conversation department, and I wasn’t sure I’d ever really had a great experience on a first date with keeping the spark of a good conversation going. It was like seeing a unicorn, and right now I was seeing a giant one staring right back at me.
“Here, let me get that,” he said as the bill came later on.
“Are you sure? You don’t have to get it,” I said.
“I insist,” he said.
“Let me get the tip,” I said, reaching for my purse.
“I’ve got it. I just won my fight, and besides, I asked you out tonight, not the other way around,” he said, putting down some cash.
“How about I get the next check?” I asked.
“Already wanting a second date, huh? I guess I make a good first impression,” he said.
“Yeah, you’re all right,” I said, smiling.
“Oh, burn, I’m totally going to need a second date to cure myself,” he said, clutching his arm.
“You two are very cute together,” a woman behind the counter said.
We both smiled, not saying anything, but kind of looking at one another like we knew she was telling the truth. We were pretty cute together, and I hoped he kept up his end of the bargain on that second date.
Chapter Five
Liam
“Would you like to go on a walk? Maybe I could walk you home?” I asked, as I didn’t want this date to end just yet.
She looked around, her breath visible in the crisp nighttime air, before she nodded. “Yes, I’d like that,” she said.
“Where do you live?” I asked.
“Pretty far up on the Upper East Side,” she said, making me cringe. The Upper East Side really wasn’t that far from the Lower East Side, but it might as well have been a different state across the nation. It was a few miles, maybe four or five, but it was practically a different world from where I lived. I’d known friends who refused to date people too far away because it was so inconvenient. Even though her apartment was a little far, I still went along with it. She was too cute not to at least see where this would end up.
“Maybe we should take the subway part of the way and then walk the rest?” I asked.
“Good idea. I don’t think I could go the entire way just walking,” she said.
We walked over to the 23rd Street station and took the 6 train uptown towards the 77th Street station. The subway stations were always a bit of a mess for
me, and I always had to use my phone to figure out routes even though I’d been here long enough to figure it out on my own. I had a metro card, not with the most money on it, but enough for what I needed. We swiped our cards and walked through the gates before going up to the platform and waiting for the train to arrive.
“It’s so gross down here,” she said, looking around.
“Yeah, it looks like a trash dump is forming between the rails,” I said, pointing down to a pile of bottles.
“It’s so greasy, too. That’s one thing I’ll never get used to about New York. I love the vibrancy and everything, but I just wish it were cleaner,” she said.
The train rushed in, her hair flying to the side, before the train screeched to a stop and we walked inside. There were a bunch of empty seats, which made me a little worried, since a mostly empty cab usually meant either there was urine or vomit around, or the heat or air conditioning was broken. I didn’t smell anything or see any visible problems, so I shrugged it off and we sat down on the orange plastic seats.
“My roommates didn’t want me on the subway at night by myself,” she said as the doors closed.
“Probably a good idea. That’s one bad thing about this city, with the cat-callers and the predators. You’re usually fine during the daytime, but the night becomes a different story for anyone alone, even men,” I said.
“Yeah, catcalling is definitely the bane of my existence. It doesn’t happen a ton, and I probably shouldn’t complain, considering how many other women I know have experienced it, but I just wish it would stop. It seems to be the culture here, you know?” she asked.
“Well, I’m sorry you’ve even had it done to you once. It’s wrong, and disgusting, and every man who does it should be ashamed of himself. You, and all women, deserve more than that,” I said.
“Thank you,” she said, with a small smile, as we hit another stop.
The ride was surprisingly quick, only about eleven minutes, which was amazing considering it would’ve taken about an hour to walk it. I had to love the New York City subway system, even if it was dirty.