by Chase, PJ
In an ironic twist, the MMA gym happened to be located right next to the most popular ice cream shop in town. So if it wasn't hard enough going through grueling training before a fight, Colin also had to fend off urges to grab an ice cream cone on a daily basis. It was a test of willpower.
That day it was more than that though. Because that day Julie King was outside eating her cone. Colin had seen a lot of beautiful women, but there was something special about Julie. She didn't have the fake look of so many of the gold diggers that Colin came across. She had a fresh face. An all natural beauty to her. And that was all too appealing to Colin.
Julie then noticed Colin looking at her.
"I know the ice cream here is good, but you're looking at my cone like you're lusting after an old girlfriend," Julie joked.
Colin then realized he'd made Julie self conscious.
"Sorry. Just because I can't have it doesn't mean I don't want it," Colin said.
"It's ok. It must be rough having to train next to an ice cream shop all the time," Julie pointed out.
"You don't even know," Colin admitted.
"Well, I know a little bit. I work right down the street at ZPC Medical Billing. I can see this place from the break room. Sometimes it takes everything I have not to pop on over here every day to sneak a cone," Julie said.
"Well, you must have pretty good willpower. You're in fantastic shape," Colin replied.
"That's a pretty big compliment coming from you," Julie said.
"Thanks, but I'm starting to think my willpower isn't what it used to be," Colin replied.
"You know, it wouldn't kill you to have one cone," Julie insisted.
Colin shook his head. "Look at you. You're a trouble maker, aren't you?"
"You're right. It's not nice of me to try to derail your training," Julie said. "So, you're an MMA fighter then."
"Guilty as charged. Are you a mixed martial arts fan?" Colin asked.
"Sorry, it's not really my thing," Julie said.
Julie said she was sorry, but Colin was happy that she wasn't a fight fan. It was a nice change of pace. He could be more than just a semi famous MMA fighter around her. He could be himself.
"Trust me, you have nothing to be sorry about," Colin replied. "By the way, my name is Colin Robinson."
"Julie King," she replied.
"It's nice to meet you," Colin said.
"I just don't know how you do it," Julie replied.
"Do what?" Colin asked.
"Get in the cage and duke it out. It's just so brutal," Julie said.
"I know it may seem like it's two guys beating each others heads in. It's more than that though," Colin explained.
"My dad used to try and convince me of that too," Julie said.
"Something tells me you didn't believe him," Colin replied.
"He could say anything he wanted. But when I saw him in the cage, all I saw was complete brutality," Julie explained.
"Wait a minute. Your dad fought? Was he an amateur or something?" Colin wondered.
"He was a little bit more than that," Julie said. "My dad is Ray King."
Colin's eyes opened wide at that statement. Ray was one of the pioneers of the sport. One of the best fighters the cage had ever seen. So it was amazing to think that his daughter could be so down on fighting. Or maybe that was exactly why she was so down on fighting.
"Yeah. I'd say your dad was a little more than an amateur," Colin replied. "Wow, how does it feel to be the daughter of a legend?"
"Not as good as you'd think. I haven't actually talked to him in years," Julie admitted.
Julie couldn't believe the words that were coming out of her mouth. She found herself revealing deeply personal information to Colin. The kind of admissions she didn't tend to tell people she'd just met. But Julie felt instantly comfortable around Colin. And the words just seemed to spill on out.
"I'm sorry about that," Colin said.
"Not half as sorry as I am," Julie admitted.
"Now I'm starting to understand why you don't like MMA," Colin said.
"Oh, it's more than just that," Julie revealed. "Have you ever felt like you've seen too much? That getting to go behind the scenes did you no favors?"
"Not all MMA fighters are the same though," Colin said, defensively.
"True. But I've met more that are the same than aren't," Julie replied.
"I'm sorry to hear that," Colin said.
"Although I've never met a fighter quite like you. You seem sensitive." Julie admitted.
"Maybe that's because I'm not going to be a fighter much longer," Colin said.
"Oh yeah?" Julie asked.
"I'm training for my last fight. I'm going to be retiring soon," Colin said.
Julie laughed. "Retiring? God, I'd love to retire at your age."
"Yeah, I know. It sounds weird when I say it like that. But yeah, I'm just retiring from the sport. I'm a little too old to be fighting for a living," Colin admitted.
"Oh yeah. You're ancient. You're practically a dinosaur," Julie joked. "What are you, twenty-eight?"
"Thirty. But in MMA, that's practically over the hill," Colin said.
"In that case, you should get a walker with some tennis balls at the bottom. It's all downhill from here," Julie joked.
"Actually, I was thinking of getting a cane instead," Colin joked back.
"That would be a good look for you," Julie said, with a smile.
"It's just time to do something different with my life is all," Colin admitted.
"Like what?" Julie said.
"Not get hit in the face for a living," Colin replied.
"God, your standards are just so high," Julie joked. "What's next, are you going to tell me that you don't want to be put in a choke hold at your next job either?""
Colin smiled. "I think it's safe to say that I never want to be put in another choke hold for the rest of my life."
"Good luck with that. Office life can get really rough these days," Julie joked. "Then again, when you're retired, you'll be able to eat as many ice cream cones as you want."
"I'm starting to like the idea of retirement more and more," Colin said.
Colin and Julie were having the most lively and effortless conversation. It was light and entertaining, delightful and full of humor. They had an instant connection. An undeniable chemistry.
Colin almost couldn't believe it. He wanted to ask Julie out then and there, but found himself tongue tied. It was incredible. Colin never had trouble talking to women. At least not until now. He just couldn't find the words though.
Maybe it was a sign. After all, she didn't like MMA. She clearly had a stigma attached to it from whatever had happened with her estranged father. And if those problems from the past were still lingering, it could effect whatever relationship they could build.
At the same time, Colin wouldn't be an MMA fighter much longer. Colin couldn't believe it. Of all the things to get in his way, Colin never thought his inner monologue would be one of them. Usually Colin was criticized for thinking too little, not too much. But Colin's thought were squarely in the way. The hesitation was killing Colin.
With the gap in their conversation, Julie decided to speak up and end the awkward silence.
"Anyway, it was great meeting you. I should probably let you get back to your training though," Julie said.
"No. That's ok. Really," Colin replied, not wanting to let Julie slip away.
Just then Colin's trainer Jimmy came outside.
"Alright, break is over," Jimmy insisted.
Colin turned to Jimmy.
"Just give me a minute," Colin said.
Julie then chimed in. "No, that's ok. I should be going anyway. I'll see you around though."
And like that, Julie slipped away.
***
Colin kept thinking about his conversation with Julie throughout the day. It had been a long time since Colin had a conversation with a woman that hadn't ended with her talking about her ex or carrying on conversations with
animals. But, even given a more picky criteria, Julie was a serious find.
It was refreshing to meet a sweet woman. Someone smart, kind, and funny. Someone Colin could get along with. At the same time, Colin couldn't believe how his mouth had failed him. For the first time since Samantha left him, Colin was taking a genuine interest in a woman, but he couldn't even so much as ask her on a date.
But Colin wasn't going to leave the situation that way. He couldn't let Julie slip away. He had to do something. He had to ask her out. He had to at least try. And if Julie had no interest, then so be it.
Ironically enough, when Colin got home, he found a message waiting from the online dating site. The dating site had pared down all of Colin's potential matches. And according to the site, Julie was a great match.
It was incredible. Colin couldn't believe it. He'd had an impromptu meeting with a woman that went better than any of the dates he'd been on lately, and it turned out that even the dating site thought they'd be good together. But instead of sealing the deal, Colin had gotten tongue tied. That settled it. Colin was going to stop by Julie's work the next day and ask her out like he should have done earlier. He just wished that he could have done it sooner.
It was a restless night for Colin. Sleep was hard to come by. But when Colin finally did nod off, a unexpected thing happened--Colin didn't dream. Where Colin had become all too accustomed to having a nightmare about his ex Samantha, that night drew a complete blank. Maybe it was his nerves. But no matter how shaky his nerves were, he was determined not to get tongue tied this time.
***
Colin left the house with a purpose. He didn't care how deep down he had to dig. For better or worse, Colin was going to get an answer from Julie. So instead of heading to the training gym, Colin instead went off to medical billing company that Julie worked at. He didn't find what he expected when he got there though.
It turned out that Julie hadn't shown up at work that morning. He couldn't believe his luck. As the minutes ticked away, Colin realized he had to be getting to the gym himself. If he was any more late, his trainer Jimmy would kill him. So once again, Colin's efforts were thwarted. As Colin drove down the street to the gym, he vowed to return at the end of the day, hoping to catch Julie then. Still, the wait until the end of the work day was not something Colin was looking forward to. But Colin was in for the surprise of his life.
Chapter Fourteen
Julie
Julie couldn't believe it. Everything seemed to be going so well. She met a guy that was hot, funny, and smart. It seemed too good to be true. It seemed like maybe Julie's luck was finally turning around. Then, just when a normal guy would have asked her out, Colin didn't.
Julie couldn't figure it out. Had she read things wrong? Had she just imagined that there was an attraction between them? Was it all just a mirage? How could Julie had been so wrong? How could she have misread the situation so badly?
It was so embarrassing. Julie was just left hanging there. She hated awkward silences, so when Colin didn't ask her out, she just decided to bail before things got more awkward.
Julie couldn't help but be disappointed. Things seemed so promising. But maybe meeting Colin was just the latest in a long line of romantic duds. This time seemed different though.
Then again, maybe it was for the best. After all, Colin was an MMA fighter. Julie had fallen for that before. She'd gone after the bad boy. Each time she believed things would be different. That she could reform the bad boy. That deep down the guy had a good heart. And every time, it blew up in her face. Would she really fall for that again? Could she really afford to get hurt again? Would she ever learn her lesson?
At the same time though, Colin was unlike any MMA fighter that Julie had ever met. He wasn't cocky. He wasn't all brawn. There were brains there too. There was a humility. A kindness. Besides, Colin said he was retiring from MMA. He'd insisted that it was because he'd lost a step, but in Julie's eyes Colin still seemed to be in great shape.
There were a lot of thoughts rattling around Julie's head. A lot of emotions she was wrestling with. But when Julie returned home that night, things got more complicated. As Julie checked her online dating profile and discovered that the site found Colin to be a great match, she made her mind up. She was going to show up at Colin's gym in the morning and see if the chemistry she felt was just a smoke screen. She'd find out if it had been a fluke. For better or worse, Julie would find out if she and Colin were a great match for each other after all.
Chapter Fifteen
Colin
As Colin arrived at the gym, he couldn't believe what he saw. Julie was standing right in front of the gym, waiting impatiently for Colin to show up. What a wacky twist of fate.
"You're late," Julie said, with a smile.
Colin couldn't get the irony of going over to Julie's workplace only to find out that she'd been waiting in front of the gym the whole time. Still, Colin was more than happy to see her.
"If only I knew you were coming, I would have been here sooner," Colin remarked.
"Don't you know? You should never keep a woman waiting," Julie replied.
"So, please accept my apology," Colin said.
"Well, maybe just this once," Julie joked.
"So, for a woman that doesn't like mixed martial arts, you seem to spend a fair amount of time around an MMA gym," Colin joked.
"Maybe I'm not here to watch the fighting, but to see a particular fighter," Julie said.
"This fighter must be a lucky guy to have you come and see him out of the blue," Colin replied.
"Let's hope he feels that way. I mean, he did leave me hanging yesterday in a really awkward position after a great conversation," Julie admitted.
Colin stopped joking around at that point. "Yeah, I'm sorry about that."
"You seem to be apologizing a lot today," Julie said.
"And women say that men have trouble apologizing," Colin joked.
"Here I was hoping you wouldn't do anything you'd have to apologize for in the first place," Julie said.
"Point taken. Anyway, it's really great to see you again. Especially after how I blew things yesterday," Colin replied.
"Does that mean you're going to do better today?" Julie asked.
"We'll find out in a minute," Colin said.
"This should be interesting," Julie replied.
Julie had put Colin on the spot. Suddenly the moment of truth was upon him. But could Colin work up the courage to ask Julie out? At that moment, Colin became tongue-tied again. But he knew it was now or never.
"I was wondering if I could take you out some time," Colin said.
There, he did it. But now that he asked, there was something new to worry about. What would Julie's answer be? Colin had no clue, but he did know that Julie seemed to be taking forever to answer. Finally, Julie replied.
"That would be great."
***
The date managed to get off to one hell of a start. Colin and Julie picked up right where they had left off, letting the jokes and compliments fly over dinner. For Colin, it was great to know the chemistry they originally had with their first conversation wasn't just a one time fluke. So after dinner, Colin took Julie to one of his favorite out of the way spots that lent itself to letting the mind wander. It was right on the water. There were great views. It was picture perfect.
"Wow, it's beautiful here," Julie said.
"Quiet too. The kind of place where you can be alone with your thoughts," Colin replied.
"That's not always a good thing," Julie joked.
"You're right. My thoughts have a way of getting me in trouble," Colin revealed.
"And maybe twisting your tongue a little?" Julie asked.
"How did you know?" Colin wondered.
"You seemed to be a little tongue-tied before you asked me out. I was worried you weren't going to do it," Julie said.
"You got me. You found my weakness," Colin replied.
"And surprisingly it's not getting punched i
n the face," Julie joked.
"Ok, so you found my other weakness," Colin clarified.
"I couldn't believe it. A big tough guy like you having trouble asking me out," Julie teased.
"I may be a tough guy in the cage, but asking a beautiful woman out is a whole different story," Colin said.
"Wait a minute. You think I'm beautiful?" Julie asked.
"Are you kidding? I think you're gorgeous," Colin said.
"Wow. I could get used to those kinds of compliments," Julie replied.
"Good. Because I have more where that came from," Colin said.
Julie smiled. "So, how did you even find this place?"
"It's amazing the things that are around us that we don't notice," Colin remarked.
"It is," Julie admitted. "But you didn't answer my question."
"Right. It just took a little exploring to find this place," Colin said.
"So you're the adventurer type then?" Julie asked.
"At one time I was," Colin admitted.
"But what, not anymore?" Julie followed up.
"Sometimes people change," Colin explained.
"Yeah, but for the better or worse?" Julie asked.
"How about you, do you consider yourself to be the adventurous type?" Colin asked.
"I used to be a risk taker. But those risks started blowing up in my face," Julie explained, thinking about all the dumb things she'd done with bad boys in the past. "Now I'm looking for something simpler," Julie answered.
"Hey, there's nothing wrong with keeping things simple. Life is complicated enough already," Colin explained.
"It's funny how things work, isn't it? Even when you try to keep your life as simple as possible, the universe finds a way to throw things out of wack sometimes," Julie said.
"Hey, we all take our lumps. That's just part of life. But when life knocks you down, you just have to get back up. It does you no good to stay down on the mat," Colin explained.
"And I was wondering when the first sports metaphor of the night would come up," Julie joked.
"Well, at least I picked a good one," Colin said.
"Yeah, I might just take that one," Julie replied.
"Hey, it's all yours," Colin said.
"Thanks. And if you're lucky, then one day I might just give it back to you," Julie replied.