Guys Like You

by Vivian Kohlman

  Yes, I knew this was going to happen. No, it was not nice seeing an article of my boyfriend in a feud with some guy over a girl. That sucked. I took a deep breath and shoved the picture to the back of my mind.

  The rest of our girls came to join us, so we were acting goofy and just messing around. Tori was having a great time, dancing like no one was watching which confirmed that she was tipsy. A few songs later, Dylan came to join us, too.

  “Ava, it’s King,” Dylan said as he handed me his phone and started dancing with Tori.

  I put the phone to my ear and my hand over the other ear, while I walked off the dance floor; I thought I’d never be able to hear through the loud music unless I was near the front door. But I was wrong; as soon as I said hello, I heard him loud and clear.

  “What the fuck are you doing?” King yelled through the phone.

  “What? What are you talking about?”

  “Where’s your phone?”

  “In my purse, at our table. We were dancing and...”

  “Don’t you have your watch on?” he demanded, referring to my Apple Watch.

  “No, King, I’m at a nightclub. It didn’t really go with my Chanel bracelet,” I said, starting to get pissed, but wondering what could be bothering him.

  “What the fuck is going on?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Where’s Miko?”

  “What?”

  “Where’s your fucking ex-boyfriend?” he yelled.

  “Why the fuck are you yelling at me?” I finally screamed back.

  I heard him sigh. “Fuck. I’m sorry for yelling. I’ve been trying to get ahold of you and I thought you were avoiding me. I need to talk to you.”

  “About what?”

  “Claudia will fill you in.”

  I turned around and found Claudia just a few steps in front of me with her phone held out toward me. It was opened to an article on that MMA site with the title: Is the Backup Plan Getting the Hint?

  “Oh,” I said into the phone.

  The article had a picture of Miko and I when he whispered in my ear at dinner, next to the picture of him helping me out of the Range.

  “King, you know this is bullshit, right?”

  “I know that if he lays a fucking hand on you, I’ll kill him,” King responded. “This fucking guy! First he kisses you, now he’s taking care of you like you’re his. What the fuck does he think he’s doing?”

  As usual, his anger calmed me. I know from experience that my reaction to his anger can either inflame him more, or calm him down. Instinctually, I chose the latter.

  “Baby, he’s not going to touch me. You don’t need to worry. We’re all just a group of friends out to celebrate Tori’s birthday. Giorgio’s peeps are obviously stalking us, trying to make up some more hype. That’s all this is,” I said as I finally reached a semi quiet area.

  “How do they even know you’re there?”

  “I dunno…maybe three black Range Rovers picking up a dozen people from your jet and transporting them all around the city with four armed guards gave them a tip-off. Or maybe it’s the security guard who follows me around everywhere I go. He’s standing five feet from me right now; want to talk to him?”

  King ignored me.

  “Why was he sitting next to you at dinner? You have ten people with you; he couldn’t have found someone else to bother?”

  “I don’t know, babe. I didn’t really think about it,” I said. I know he’s right and I know Miko sat next to me for a reason but I certainly can’t talk to King about that right now.

  “Where’s Shannon?” King asked.

  Uh oh. I can’t lie to him directly…I won’t do that. Partially because we have a promise to not lie to each other that I already bend here and there, but also because we’re adults. He can take the truth, or he’ll have to learn how.

  “They broke up,” I stated, waiting for him to flip out. Unfortunately, he didn’t let me down.

  “What the fuck? I knew it. Stay there. I’m coming to meet up with you.”

  “No, you’re not,” I said adamantly.

  “Yes, I am. I don’t want your ex bothering you all night.”

  “You mean you don’t want my ex trying to creep back in,” I corrected. “Complete honesty, King.”

  “Ava, I…” he started, but he didn’t say anything further. We both know I’m right.

  “Babe, just stay where you are,” I said softly. “You know you own my heart and my body; no one’s creeping in here.”

  “Princess, I know I’m being petty. Damn it, what’s wrong with me?”

  “You’re jealous and worried, and both feelings are unfounded. I love you, and only you, so very much. You have nothing to worry about.”

  “I love you too, babe.”

  He was quiet for a few seconds; I know exactly what’s happening on his side of the line. He’s taking a deep breath and gaining some perspective before talking again.

  “I know you’re right. Just do me a favor and don’t give them anything to use against us, OK?”

  “OK, but I have little control over what they misrepresent, so don’t go flying off the handle if you see anything you don’t like. I promise you, Miko and I are just friends and it will stay that way. You know I’m yours and I love you, one hundred percent.”

  I do feel bad for not being perfectly honest. What I’m not saying is that Miko is most definitely trying to creep in and I know I have to come clean at some point, but it doesn’t make sense to upset King even more. Right now I wouldn’t put it past him to stop his training and come join us just to make sure Miko doesn’t get too comfortable with me. None of us need the drama, so I allowed myself to be less than truthful to save the night. I heard him sigh.

  “I love you too.”

  “So, it’s my turn. Asli found a picture of the three of you with a brief write-up about your love triangle.”

  “Shit.”

  “Yeah, shit.”

  “So I guess everyone’s going to hear about this?”

  “I guess so.”

  “Where’d she see it?”

  “The MMA site, of course. You looked amazing, by the way,” I said trying to lighten the mood.

  “OK. Well, I guess I signed us up for this. Sorry you had to see that, babe.”

  “Me too. But I know it’s all made up, so no biggie.”

  “Yeah, it still sucks, though.”

  “So are we good?”

  “We’re good. And just so you know: the security guard is there for you. If you needed help down from the truck you could simply put your hand out and he’ll help you.”

  I giggled. He’s clearly still feeling jealous.

  “I know that, babe. I didn’t need help, but Miko offered, so I took his hand. This really isn’t a big deal. There’s nothing there.”

  “Yeah…there’s nothing there for you, but we can’t speak for Miko.”

  “I love you, baby,” I sang to him sweetly. I know that puts a smile on his face, and I wasn’t in the mood to address Miko’s intentions. I was hoping to tie this conversation up.

  “Love you, too, babe.”

  When I returned to the dance floor and gave Dylan his phone back, Tori suggested we move to the next nightclub, even though we were only at the first for less than an hour. Tori was already tipsy, so I doubted she was going to last much longer and her birthday cake was at the next club—we couldn’t let the night end until she blew out her official birthday candles.

  I was sure to get into the front seat of one of the Ranges as we drove between nightclubs. I also took my time choosing a car, and got into one only after the back seat was full—and Miko wasn’t in it. So yes, I opted to sit next to a stranger with a gun strapped to his side than my unarmed ex-boyfriend—I find the latter more threatening.

  At the next place, we barely had time to settle in when the waiter brought the cake out to us. Tori made a wish, and blew out her candles, giggling through the entire happy birthday song that we sang to her. I watche
d her with a smile, knowing that tomorrow morning will be a rude awakening for my usually sober friend.

  We didn’t stay too long at the last place, just long enough to have a piece of cake, a couple of drinks, and to dance to a couple of songs. I purposefully kept away from Miko—I didn’t sit next to him, left the dance floor when he tried to join us, and didn’t make eye contact with him.

  I don’t need King to get any more compromising pictures of Miko and I. Miko’s a part of our group of friends and will be around often. I don’t want King to have a thought in his head about him.

  At the end of the night—more like, in the early morning hours—as we were walking through the immense hallway in our hotel, I reminded Dylan to make Tori drink water and try to get a sandwich in her before she went to sleep—that will help with the hangover I was sure she would have.

  King never told me he was going to bed, but I crept into our hotel room as quietly as possible. I was sure that, even if he was dead tired, he wouldn’t tell me to stop checking in, so I continued to send a text every hour or so.

  When I walked into the bedroom of our suite, things were just as I expected. He was passed out in bed, looking so incredibly peaceful. His cell was next to him on top of the blanket—undoubtedly he checked it each time I sent a text, then went straight back to sleep. I picked up his phone and put it on the charger—that made the phone light up briefly, but his breathing stayed consistent.

  I knew he was beat; he had a long day after we landed. He trained with Rick, went to a press event, and had personal interviews. And the fact that my walking into the bedroom didn’t wake him means he was incredibly worn out—he always senses when the bedroom door opens or any noise is around him.

  I quietly got ready for bed then slipped under the sheets and slowly got comfortable, trying my hardest to not disturb him. I thought I was successful, but he reached toward me and told me to come closer.

  His eyes were shut, so I knew he had the chance to go right back to sleep; I made that easy for him by laying at his side with a leg resting over his leg, my arm draped over his chest, and my head resting on his shoulder—this is the position we usually fall to sleep in before moving to our sides of the bed. He wrapped his arm around me and kissed my head; in a matter of a couple of minutes we were both asleep.

  Chapter 8

  I slowly woke up the next morning, noticing that I didn’t hear King’s deep breathing so I knew he was awake. When my eyes finally fluttered open, they rested on King who was sitting up in bed scrolling through his laptop. I said good morning and he bent down to kiss me.

  “Now, this is a great picture of you,” he said, turning his laptop to face me.

  It was open to that MMA site that had a page about Miko and I hanging out last night—and what that may mean for King and Layla. This was a different picture than the two they had up last night, but it was taken at the same restaurant. Somehow the photographer got a shot when Miko was refilling my glass and I thanked him.

  All you can see in the picture is him pouring wine and looking at me, and me smiling back—it was not me longingly looking into his eyes, as the article implied. This is so annoying.

  “Ugh. I can’t wait for all of this to be over,” I said.

  “Yeah. I can’t wait for that dick to realize he can’t have you back.”

  I put my hand on his arm to pre-emptively quell any jealousy that may be churning in his mind.

  “I’m not an object. No one has me,” I clarified, sticking to my usual mantra that King doesn’t own me. It’s turned into a joke between us, so I knew it would lighten the mood.

  “I have you,” he said with a smile. He tossed his laptop to the side and tackled me, putting kisses all over my face and tickling me. I couldn’t help but giggle, and hugged him close.

  “OK, fine. You have me. But no offense, all I want right now is a latte and some water,” I said.

  King picked up the phone and ordered room service.

  “So what’s the plan for today?” he asked.

  “I don’t know. Viv’s proclaimed that she wanted to celebrate her birthday in a couple of days instead of today. She didn’t want us to have two big nights out back to back—really I think it’s just so we’re refreshed enough to celebrate her with more excitement,” I giggled. “And we didn’t make any plans for today, so the calendar’s open.”

  “Good. I think I’m going to take the day off from all this fight shit. I’ll go to today’s weigh-in, but then no working out, no press. I just want to hang with my girl. Is that OK with you?”

  “Yeah, of course! What are you in the mood to do?” I asked.

  “EXR,” he said, handing me his laptop so I could see the site he was looking through.

  “EX what?”

  “EXR…it’s a place where we can test drive cool cars on a racetrack. I’m sure the guys will love it.”

  “Uh, what makes you think the girls won’t, too?” I said.

  “OK, here’s the link,” he said, texting me the website. “Send it to your girls and I’ll send it out to the guys. Let’s suggest around a three o’clock reservation. I’ll head over to the weigh-in now, and will be back in a half hour.”

  He leaned down to kiss me and I rolled back over when he got off the bed. I sent the text to my friends, and was back to sleep by the time he left the suite.

  King returned before I got up again, and I finally woke up over-hearing him joking with Dylan on the phone. The first thing I saw when I walked out of the bedroom was the room service that King had ordered earlier. I guess they dropped it off while I was snoring away.

  After a lot of back and forth, all the guys and half the girls decided to do the exotic car drive thing. We all met for brunch around noon and went over our plans for the rest of the day. The racetrack had many options to choose from, depending on how many cars you want to drive and how many times around the track. After looking over the site and debating the selections, I chose the three-car option; at the other end of the spectrum, King chose the ten-car option. I quickly realized that this was an all-day event; we were going to be there for hours.

  We all piled in the Range Rovers that took us to the racetrack. Emelia and Viv were staying behind; we told them we’d text them on our way back so we could all meet for dinner.

  The racetrack was so much fun, both to drive and to ride along with other drivers. I rode with King most of the time, and drove a Ferrari, a Lamborghini and the newest Porsche GT3 myself. I’m not really a car person, but have to admit that these cars were thrilling.

  Miko just couldn’t let an opportunity to talk to me pass him up—even with my boyfriend nearby. After finishing my lap in the Porsche GT3, I pulled into the pit lane and got out of the car, feeling somewhat exhilarated.

  Miko clapped as he walked over to where I was. “You drove that thing like a true racecar driver,” he complimented.

  “Ha! I highly doubt that. But it was fun.”

  Before finishing my response, King pulled his car into the pit behind mine and got out, staring down Miko while shutting the car door.

  “Hey, baby!” I exclaimed as I walked toward him and kissed him.

  “Is Miko bothering you?” he asked, just hoping my answer would be yes.

  “Nope, he was just being nice.”

  “Yeah, I’m sure he was,” he said. His words were dripping with sarcasm. He kissed me more passionately than was expected for a quick hello—I had a feeling that was for Miko’s benefit.

  King could barely fit into a few of the cars—he’s too tall and bulky. And he wasn’t the only guy to have that problem—there was one car that only two of them fit in.

  Asli—who chose the three-car option—and I made fun of them while watching on the sidelines. Tori took the ten-car package, too, so she was trading off cars with the guys all day. And since we all got the VIP package, we had access to the lounge where we could hang out before and after our laps. Luckily, the lounge had ample food and drinks.

  As we waited fo
r the others to finish their laps, Asli pulled up the MMA site again and shared with me the latest advertisements for King’s fight. The site had more pictures of the ‘love triangle’—I really didn’t want to see them, but she thought it was best to show me anyway.

  I didn’t bother bringing this up to King—we both know what’s going. But I couldn’t resist reading through the article, and I had to admit it didn’t sit well with me. I just kept reminding myself that this isn’t King’s doing and he doesn’t like it either.

  The day on the track was long, and the heavy traffic on our way back to the hotel made the ride feel never-ending. When the Ranges pulled up to the Cosmopolitan to drop us off, we all jumped out of the cars looking forward to a relaxing dinner.

  We agreed to meet at a restaurant in the hotel in an hour—giving us just enough time to shower. We weren’t concerned with makeup and dressing up; this was going to be a low-key night for us.

  As we were leaving the hotel room, King got a call from Rick and told me to head down to meet everyone, and that he’d catch up with us when he was done. So when I arrived alone, Miko looked happy—he came over and said hello, asking where King was.

  I burst his bubble when I told him King was on his way. For some strange reason, he remained standing next to me anyway. I think Miko may be the only male alive who is not in fear of King. He makes it seem like flirting with King’s girlfriend is not dangerous territory. It’s like he doesn’t know my boyfriend’s reputation…or he’s incredibly confident in his own abilities.

  The restaurant staff was putting our table together so we were waiting in the bar area. Miko kept me occupied by chatting me up about our day, commenting on his favorite cars; it seems that all of the guys had a great time at the racetrack. They were still sharing stories and talking excitedly, like little kids who find a new toy.

  “I liked a couple of the cars, but my ego doesn’t need a sports car to make me feel like a man. It was fun to drive them, but I don’t need to own one,” Miko said.

  “I’m sure your parents would have a problem with you putting a supercar in their garage,” King said from behind me.

  He’d walked up at the perfect time to hear Miko’s barely veiled dig at King—we all know that King owns a few supercars and Dylan just mentioned that King had one that we drove today. I’m sure Miko was trying to prove a point to me, but it didn’t work out quite the way he planned.