by M. L. Young
“I just don’t want to lose this, and there are tons of girls out there who are much prettier than me and in better shape than me and you’d probably be more attracted to them,” I said.
“You’re beautiful, don’t ever think that you aren’t. I’m with you because I want to be, because I care about you, and not because I feel like I have to or that I’m settling or some other nonsense. You make me happy, you make me feel stuff I’ve never felt before, and you’re the woman I want to be with. I promise,” he said, kissing my forehead.
“I believe you,” I said, sniffling a little.
“Everything will be fine,” he said, giving me a kiss on the lips.
We went back to cuddling for another twenty minutes before he had to pack a small bag and get ready for his flight. It was close to six hours long, and he had to be at the airport within about two hours.
We said our goodbyes outside, hugging and kissing a lot, before he got into the town car the PFC sent for him and rolled down the window, waving at me as I stood on the street corner. I watched him drive off before I headed for the subway to go home.
I really hoped he wasn’t lying.
Chapter Twenty-One
Liam
“Is that my little brother?” Cash asked with the window rolled down as he sat in a blacked-out SUV.
“Oh, I see the welcome wagon in Los Angeles is big and luxurious,” I said, opening the trunk and tossing in my carry-on.
“Sorry I couldn’t come inside to greet you. You know, the whole celebrity thing makes it kind of difficult,” he said as I buckled myself in.
“I totally understand. I can’t imagine having that shit happen all the time,” I said.
“You keep up this career of yours and it will happen to you. I’ve seen a lot of those big PFC guys and they always get ambushed by reporters and paparazzi,” he said.
“Well, let’s just hope they don’t do it to me, then. It’s a lot easier to get away in New York, I reckon,” I said.
We drove to his house, a beautiful hillside mansion deep within the Hollywood Hills that I had to admit made me a little jealous. The architecture was modern, though not so much that it was sterile. He parked in the garage and we went inside to see Jenna, who I was told was inside.
Jenna was Cash’s girlfriend, and while my parents had already had the pleasure of meeting her, I didn’t get the honor, and neither did Bentley. She was cute, a little spitfire, and exactly what Cash needed. He’d told me a lot about her, and I’d seen pictures of her on those entertainment websites, and I knew that she was good for him. She was like Cash’s Jessica equivalent.
“Hi there,” I said with a smile.
“Hey, how was your flight?” she asked as Cash and I walked over.
“It went well. They put me in business class, so that was an experience. The seat folded into a bed and everything,” I said.
“Already traveling like a star,” Cash said, laughing.
“So do you live here too?” I asked, looking back and forth between the two of them.
“I might as well with how often I’m here,” she said.
“We stay with one another a lot, mainly here, but she shares a townhome with her friend Malia. I’d say I’d introduce you, but I know you’re seeing somebody now,” Cash said.
“Yeah, it’s getting pretty serious. Kind of weird, after having such shit relationship success,” I said.
“Hey, before I met Cash I was jaded and hated every guy I’d ever dated. Sometimes all it takes is that right person to make you appreciate the bad ones. Then you really know what you have is special and you fight not to let that person go,” Jenna said.
“How do you deal with him and his celebrity?” I asked.
“I don’t,” she said, laughing.
“Yeah, it’s been a struggle,” Cash replied.
“I’m sort of kidding, but I’d be lying if I said it was easy. When we go out, people take pictures and ask him for autographs, and they think of me as just the flavor of the week girlfriend he’s banging. I have to do red carpets and events sometimes, but I love him and care about him, so I know that it’s all worthwhile. Sometimes you have to accept that the person you’re with has things in their life that are very foreign to you and that you’ll have to accept and love those things if you ever want true companionship and love with them,” she said.
“She’s adapting,” Cash said, putting his arm around her.
We talked a little more, mainly just about Los Angeles and how mom and dad were doing, before he showed me to my room and told me to freshen up if I wanted to before we went out to dinner. I texted Jessica, telling her I missed her and what I was up to. She replied telling me to have fun and to not go too crazy before my fight.
My match was tomorrow night, and I was happy not to be the first fight of the night. There were six matches, and I was smack-dab in the middle, which was a huge jump compared to the last match. I knew I wouldn’t be headlining anytime soon, but I was making considerable progress in that direction.
•••
“How do you deal with this?” I asked as Cash and I walked into a restaurant.
There were tons of people around, paparazzi with cameras around their necks and an undying wish to get as many candid shots of Cash as they could. They yelled his name, shouted at him, and tried to do anything they could to get a reaction. It was almost as if he were an animal in a zoo and they were children throwing rocks to get it to do something. I didn’t admire this part of his life at all.
“You just have to. I don’t know what else to say,” he said, shrugging, as if it were just an occupational hazard he had to deal with.
Jenna had decided to let us have a guy’s night out and to have some brother time, though we were all going to go out after my fight tomorrow night. Cash had rearranged his schedule a little, even though he was in the middle of shooting the first installment of his superhero movies, and he said the studio was very forgiving since it was for a good reason. They were just going to film scenes he wasn’t in tomorrow instead.
We were taken to our table in a more secluded area. Cash smiled and looked around. “What’s so funny?” I asked, smiling.
“This is where Jenna and I met, actually. She was a server here,” he said.
“Damn, this is the spot, huh? So she doesn’t work here anymore?” I asked.
“No, she graduated from school and now works in an office that does big-brand marketing and stuff like that. People recognize her, anyway, so working in a service job like this would be a nightmare,” he said.
“They just know her as your girlfriend?” I asked.
“Pretty much, yeah. We post with one another on Instagram, and then there are the magazine and web articles that have photos of us together. She’s had people stop and ask her for a picture, which I always get a kick out of. I tell her she’s famous by proxy, now,” he said.
“So you’re happy?” I asked.
“Dude, you have no idea. We had that hiccup and broke up for a tiny bit, but I just couldn’t let go. I knew I had to be with her, like she was the only woman I wanted to be with. She made every other woman I’d dated or met seem like nothing in comparison. It’s a great feeling when you find somebody you love,” he said.
“Yeah, it is,” I said.
“Baby brother falling in love right now?” he asked, laughing and smiling.
“I think I’m starting to fall, but not all the way quite yet. You know it can take me a little bit for that big of a step,” I said.
“You haven’t heard from you-know-who recently, have you? You know, the crazy one,” he said, alluding to my ex-girlfriend.
“Brianne? No, I haven’t heard from her. I’m pretty sure I saw her at one of my fights that night I saw Jess, but then again the lights were bright and I wasn’t really paying attention to that or even thinking about her,” I said.
“Well, at least you haven’t heard from her. Maybe she just gave up a while ago,” he said.
“I do
n’t know. I’m not sure a woman like her could ever give up. She wrecked my last attempt at a relationship, but I guess I was more public and out there with it. Jess and I have been fairly low-key, though I haven’t told her why,” I said.
“You haven’t told her about Bitchy Brianne?” Cash asked with a look of astonishment.
“Nah, it’s not worth upsetting her or making her paranoid or something. Besides, I don’t talk to Brianne, I haven’t in a long while, and there’s no need to make Jess scared of somebody who hasn’t been in the picture for a while now,” I said.
“True enough. At least you’re finally able to move on, and with a great girl, from what I’ve heard. I’m happy for you, Liam. It seems like your life is really falling into place. That’s all I’ve ever wanted—for you to be happy,” he said, lifting up his water glass.
“Cheers to two, three, happy brothers. Too bad Bentley isn’t here,” I said.
“To the three of us,” he said, clinking his glass against mine.
Driving around Los Angeles in a powerful sports car was definitely quite the experience. I took a few pictures, even a video for my social media, as I felt adrenaline close to being in the octagon. It was pure excitement, and I was sort of happy to have a rich brother who could afford these types of things. It made for a cheap, exhilarating vacation.
Cash and I didn’t do much else after dinner, except hit up a record shop and get some dessert from the store, which I probably wasn’t supposed to have the night before a fight. Tino was set to get in tomorrow, and he told me to just stay safe and not get the shit kicked out of me this time around. I still hadn’t told my family about the encounter in Boston, and I had no intention of ever doing so, at least not anytime soon. Maybe when I was famous it would make a good story.
“This entire surround system will blow you away—literally,” Cash said as we kicked back on his couch and turned on his eighty-inch flat screen television.
“Wow,” I said, trying to get my eyes to catch everything flying by on the screen.
We sat back, turned on a movie, and just hung around like we used to, before either of us were doing anything, and it was probably the best time I could ever hope to have.
We were both pretty simple guys, coming from a small town in Iowa, and as long as we had good beer and company, we could make lifetime memories that would never fade. This was one of those nights.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Jessica
“Do you know where we’re going?” Taylor asked as she finished getting ready.
“They said a bar down on the Lower East Side is playing the fight,” I said.
“Who are they?” Emily asked.
“Mike, Ian, Brianne, and I think they also have other friends of theirs going as well. I guess a lot of people are showing up for it,” I said.
“What time does it start?” Emily asked.
“I think around ten our time, but Liam won’t be on until probably eleven or eleven-thirty,” I said.
“Man, you’re really going to be staying out late,” Taylor said.
“Hey, I have to support my man. Can’t just go to sleep and not see his big fight,” I said.
“Do you wish you were there?” Emily asked.
“Yeah, I do, but I understand why I’m not. I can’t be his nanny and go with him everywhere. Besides, it costs money and he was staying with family, so I understand completely. I have school, too, and that’s obviously almost over with finals,” I said.
“Have you talked to him today?” Taylor asked.
“We spoke on the phone earlier. He was a little nervous, but he always is before a fight, whether it’s big or small. I think the nerves feed him and make him do better,” I said.
“Well, we better think about going soon, then. It’ll take like twenty minutes to get down there and the place will probably be packed,” Taylor said, finishing curling her hair.
It was already ten minutes until ten, and Mike had texted me saying he was there with Brianne and some of her friends and the place was filling up pretty quick. I wasn’t planning on staying much past Liam’s fight, so I wasn’t too worried about the crowd, but I didn’t want somebody pressed up against me, either.
We walked in the bar about thirty minutes later and squeezed our way through to find the group before saying hi and ordering some beers. Brianne had a couple friends there, and Mike was there with his friend, Tom. I guess Ian wasn’t coming or was coming late. “How many fights have they done?” I asked.
“The second one is about to start in a few,” Mike said.
“Okay, good,” I said, knowing Liam was fight number three.
I took a few sips of my beer and watched the fight, it taking two full rounds, before walking over towards Brianne and her friend, Sarah, who I knew from two prior classes but never really talked to or hung out with. “Hey, what’s going on?” I asked, walking up.
“Hey, girl, how are you?” Brianne asked, giving me a hug.
“This place is so busy, it’s nuts,” I said, looking around.
“Actually, that reminds me. I have to go to the bathroom, and I know there’s a line, so can you guys watch my seat and purse? I want to make sure I’m back before the next fight starts,” Brianne said.
“Sure, no problem,” I said.
I was left with Sarah, bobbing my head and looking around, as we struggled to make any kind of conversation. “It’s great of you to be such good friends with her,” she said.
“Yeah, she’s a great girl,” I said, wondering why she’d say that.
“Well, after the whole dating thing, I’m just surprised you are. Most women are super petty about that kind of stuff. It’s refreshing to see a woman who isn’t,” she said.
“I don’t follow,” I said, confused.
“Well, with Liam. He’s your boyfriend, right? The guy in the next fight,” she said.
“Yes,” I said, drawing out the word.
“Well, Brianne used to date him,” she said, laughing, as if she were surprised I wasn’t following.
“When?” I asked.
“I think they broke up like a year ago or something, I don’t know exactly. Wait, you didn’t know?” she asked.
“No,” I replied.
“Oh, wow, I’m sorry, I just assumed you knew about her and him. Yeah, they were pretty serious before things went down,” she said.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Well, they broke up because he cheated on her with some other woman,” she said. “They’re cordial now, I guess, but yeah, it was nuts.”
I froze, my fear before now becoming a reality, at least for Brianne. I wanted to vomit and pass out at the same time. Was Liam really a cheater? I’d projected my past fears onto him before, but he promised me he’d never do anything to hurt me. If he did it to Brianne, why wouldn’t he do it to me? They dated way longer, too. This wasn’t good.
“No, I didn’t know that,” I said.
“Oh, well, I’m sorry if I upset you or something. I didn’t know,” she said, looking genuinely concerned and sorry.
“No, it’s not your fault or anything. Oh, my friend is motioning for me, though. I’m going to go see what she wants,” I said, leaving and walking towards Emily.
“It’s starting in a minute,” she said.
I kept myself together, not crying or giving any indication that I was upset. I could feel my eyes welling up, at least a tiny bit, but I didn’t give in to my emotions and instead decided to keep it together while in this crowded bar. I had so many questions—not only for Liam, but also for Brianne.
Why didn’t she tell me she’d dated him? She talked to me about him in the library, knew we were together, but never decided to mention this big detail? It would be one thing if they went on one date, but they were together for a while, and then he cheated on her. Wouldn’t the girl code thing to do be to warn your friend that her current boyfriend, your ex-boyfriend, cheated on you? It would save her the pain and embarrassment later on.
The fighters came out, Liam against a burly lumberjack of a man, and two minutes in Liam grazed him with his fist and caused the man to stumble back and onto his butt. Liam pounced and starting hammering at his head. Since he was unable to fight back, the referee stopped Liam from causing any more damage and called the match in his favor.
I was happy for him, I truly was, and I wanted nothing but greatness for his career, but even though the crowds in the stands and in this bar were going nuts, I couldn’t help but feel emptiness and depression come over me. I watched as he ran around the ring, smiling, taking it all in, while I was like a lifeless corpse. Was my relationship going to come crashing down soon? Would I be back to square one, without the man of my dreams? I felt like I was in a nightmare I couldn’t wake up from, no matter how many times I turned on the lights.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Liam
Right after my fight the PFC approached me, wanting to do a post-fight interview right then and there. I’d never done an interview before, especially without any notice, but I had no other choice and the cameras soon started rolling.
The reporter, Candice Martinez, asked me how it felt to win my second professional fight and the first fight after getting my contract. I was honest, telling her it was such a rush going out there in front of the fans and knowing that I just won. I told her that my opponent was great, and that he gave me a great challenge, taking it into the second round, but that in the end I just got the upper hand and definitely capitalized.
I never really talked trash about my opponents, mostly because I wouldn’t want them to do it to me. That guy was probably beating himself up, and was going to go over every second of footage to see what he could’ve done better and how he could’ve won the fight. Me adding salt to the wound would only make me look petty and like an ass, so I stayed away from that drama.