When they met again, it was at 9am on Sunday morning. Training lasted three hours. It was almost 12:30 when they walked out of the club. The practice had been exhilarating. They had connected during the fighting as well as during the conversations they had when they took breaks.
“Hey, let’s do something,” she suggested. “All my friends are busy and I have nothing better to do,” she added, jokingly.
He laughed. “Sure.”
They spent the day ice skating at the rink. Jules was a pro at ice skating, swerving and turning gracefully. She had found refuge in ice skating after her mother passed away. When she was younger, her mom had taught her and her younger brother how to ice skate in a big rink close to their house in San Diego. Now Jules lived in Berkeley for her job and visits her dad and brother whenever she has holidays from work. Alex wasn’t too good at ice skating though he could pass as an intermediate. She held his hand, guiding and pulling him along. They laughed and stumbled, losing track of time in the rink. Later, they sat at a coffee shop, sipping hot chocolates and eating apple pie.
“I used to ice skate to drown out my grief,” Jules said suddenly. “After my mother died, I mean. I would rather have taken my grief out on a punching bag but I was afraid of going back to Karate. I had to look after my little brother and my dad was distraught. I was taking flights back to San Diego to see my family almost every week. I had to work overtime just to pay for my flights. I couldn’t take a semester off because of my double degree schedule. And at those times, this rink was my refuge. I used to leave the rink late at night and just stare into the night sky and forget all my responsibilities, for a moment. That’s the reason I got so good at it I suppose. My mom was an ice skater in her younger days. She skated beautifully. She’s the one who taught all of us how to skate. I think that was dad’s way of dealing with mom’s death too.” Jules paused, surprised at how much she had spoken. She hadn’t talked about her mom’s death with anyone except for her college best friend, Sam.
Alex was watching her intently when she looked up. “How did it happen?” he asked.
“Cancer,” Jules replied. “Stage four, breast cancer. It was too late before we even found out.”
Alex nodded. “I’m sure she was a great skater,” he replied. “Just like you are.”
“I put her to shame,” Jules replied, laughing.
Alex walked her to her car. Jules was quiet and regretted talking about her mom’s death. It had been four years but it still stung her every time she thought about it, so she mostly avoided it. Alex sensed her sudden silence and was smart enough not to interrupt. A chilly breeze made Jules shiver. The walk to the parking lot was a long one; the ice rink was at a heightened ground and one had to climb several stairs to reach the doors.
“Are you cold?” Alex asked.
“Some,” she replied.
“Take my jacket,” Alex said. Jules accepted it gratefully. When she pulled it on, it nearly reached her knees. They both had a good laugh over it, breaking the silence that had engulfed her earlier.
“I had a good time,” Jules said as she unlocked her car. A breeze made her hair fly lightly. Alex reached out and tucked a strand behind her ear. His touch made her heart race which annoyed her because they had touched several times. Why did her heart decide to race now?
“See you at practice,” he replied holding out her door for her.
He watched her pull out of the parking lot before he walked towards his car.
Chapter 6 – Alex
Alex was at his parent’s house when he received a text from Jules. He frequently had dinner with his parents and siblings after his tiring training sessions. His 15-year-old brother, Frank, was having a heated argument with his 17-year-old sister, Mary, over airports tightening security for foreigners.
Donna’s back. Thanks for helping me out. Stay in touch.
Alex didn’t have the time to reply because he was in the middle of a conversation with his parents about his older sister’s upcoming wedding. His parents were going all out with the wedding preparations.
Later that night, at his own apartment, Alex opened the text message again. He felt a strange kind of disappointment at the prospect of not seeing the redhead at training. He had been thinking about Jules a lot since their night at the skating rink. How she talked about her job with such passion, how she had an opinion on almost everything, how her red hair complemented her green eyes, how she fought in the ring.
He felt annoyed at himself. He wasn’t the type who scrutinized a girl’s personality and actions so deeply. All Alex had ever cared about was the way they looked. Jules is very pretty too, he thought. Frustrated, he pushed her out of his head.
Yet he found his fingers typing a message.
“Want to hang out after work?”
Alex wasn’t the type to play games or drop hints. He had always been very straight up with girls, a trait that had saved him from the “almost dating” phase most of his life. He had never had much patience with that.
Jules texted back.
“Sure. See you after work.”
Chapter 7 – Jules
Jules had a tiring day at work. She felt like she hadn’t done well in her meeting with their partner companies and she was late making her project reports. Frustrated, she skipped lunch and tea break to sort out her work. The only thing she was looking forward to was seeing Alex at night. She didn’t understand why the prospect made her excited but it did.
After work, Jules and Alex met at the beach café near her apartments. She had suggested the place because of its proximity. She wasn’t feeling up to driving. Walking helped her shrug off the disappointment she felt at today’s meeting.
Meeting Alex instantly made her feel better. When she told him about her day at work, he had words of comfort to offer her. “I think you overwork yourself a lot,” he observed. “You should go easier on yourself.”
Jules nodded, not entirely convinced.
The beach was filled with dancing couples, moving to the soft music from the beach café. Children ran around playing in the sand. A mother ran after her child who was racing a bike around.
Alex reached out to touch her hand. Jules smiled at the gesture. “I’m fine,” she insisted, meaning it this time.
“Come on, let’s dance,” Alex suggested. “It’ll make you feel better.”
Once Alex took her hand in his and placed one on her waist, Jules found her heartbeat rise. She placed a hand on his shoulder, looking up at him and found herself admiring his features.
“I’ve been thinking about you since yesterday,” Alex said as they danced slowly to the music.
“What have you been thinking about?” Jules asked, her heart racing at their proximity. She could feel his built muscles beneath her hand. His hand rested on her waist.
“Just about you. Your red hair. Your eyes. Your surprising strength for someone your size,” Alex let go of her waist and tilted her chin up. “And about how you would react if I did this.” He bent down and his lips brushed hers softly. Jules was surprised at how gentle the kiss was, coming from a man as huge and strong as Alex. She reciprocated the kiss, her arms wounding around his neck, pulling him down. His hands rested on her hips as he deepened the kiss. Jules was a little weak at the knees. He was such a good kisser. After a few moments, she broke the kiss.
“Did I react the way you wanted?” Jules asked, breathlessly.
He laughed. “You have no idea how much I’ve wanted to do that.”
After dinner, Alex drove her home. When he pulled into her driveway and walked Jules to the door, Jules suggested he should come inside.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Alex looked wary.
Jules was surprised. “Why not?”
“I really like you, Jules,” Alex replied. “I don’t want to ruin anything tonight.”
“You won’t,” Jules insisted.
“I might.”
“I’ll make sure you don’t.” Jules took him by the hand an
d pulled him inside.
As Alex dreaded, they ended up making out on her couch. This time, their kisses were rough and needy. Jules ran a hand down his strong biceps and sighed, realizing how much she had wanted to feel them. Every time he showed her how to throw a punch, she saw the muscles in his arms flex and ached to touch them. He was still gentle with her. Jules had enough experience to know that bigger men tended to forget their partner wasn’t as big or strong. Jules’s hands wrapped around his hair as his lips trailed down her neck to her collarbone. She was trying very hard not to moan his name but the way he was making her feel, it seemed inevitable. She sighed as his lips trailed further down her collarbone. They brushed over the part of her breasts visible over her low collar shirt. She felt a pang of impatience when he left it at that and she felt his lips trail back up. But then his lips were back on hers and his tongue was exploring her mouth. She moaned into the kiss as it became more heated. Eventually, Alex pulled away.
“This is what I was afraid of,” he told her.
Jules nodded. “I want to take it slow too,” she admitted.
That night, Jules stayed up late texting Alex. She felt like a teenager again, texting a crush of hers. Every time he replied, she felt her heart racing. They talked about Alex’s controlling father, his sister’s wedding, Jules’ upcoming work commitments and every big or little thing in their lives. For a long time in forever, Jules felt a connection with someone.
Chapter 8 – Alex
Bend. Lift. Hold. Repeat.
Alex thought out these instructions in his head as he deadlifted the 180lb weight again and again. His coach, Austin, was counting for him, walking around him, evaluating his posture. Austin was a middle aged man and the head coach of JnM MMA Academy.
Afterwards, Austin made Alex lift 200lb and the move on to 220lb. He kept him till late since the Manchester Championship was coming closer and the pressure was increasing. Alex had plans with other MMA fighters from the club tonight.
Donna was a Karate black belt and part time instructor at the club. She was training for the Manchester Championship as well. Matthew was another MMA fighter and had practically grown up with Alex; he joined the club when he was around 10.
“You trained Jules for a while, didn’t you?” Donna asked later, as they sat at the bar.
“Yeah,” Alex nodded.
“She talks about you a lot,” Donna said.
“Really? What does she say?”
“You seem interested,” Donna seemed amused.
“Just curious,” Alex said, annoyed now.
Donna gave him a knowing look but said no more.
Alex thought back to the night a few days ago when he had ended up in Jules’ apartment. He didn’t know why he had pulled away. It wasn’t like him to take things slow. Usually, it was always sex on the first date. With Jules, it was different. It’s not that he didn’t want her; he did. But he also felt an instinct to be good around her. He wanted her to think well of him. It would be safe to say that he was trying really hard.
Alex had unknowingly become too attached to Jules. And that scared him a little.
Chapter 9 – Carlotta
Carlotta watched from her car as Alex left the club with a petite, red headed girl. She had come by to see Alex but as soon as she parked, she caught sight of them and her heart sank. They were laughing and holding hands. This was nothing new to Carlotta. She had seen Alex with different girls multiple times. Alex didn’t care much about emotional connections or getting to know them. Even with Carlotta, they had spent most of their time doing anything but talking. Back when they started dating, Carlotta and Alex had had a few good conversations but that was all. Carlotta had always tried to connect to him on a deeper level but he didn’t seem to want anything other than sex.
The red headed girl is just another one of his flings, she told herself. He’ll come back to me.
But deep down, Carlotta knew that Alex never came back to her. She was the one who always went to him. She watched as they reached Alex’s car and threw their bags in the back. The redhead started to head for the passenger seat but Alex pulled her back. Carlotta saw her throw her head back and laugh as Alex pushed her against the car and kissed her. She noted Alex’s playful and gentle actions as he showered her with kisses. Feeling a pang of jealously, Carlotta thought back to how sullen Alex was around her. He always kissed her with the purpose of satisfying his needs. Presently, he lifted the red head up and hoisted her on the back of his car, still kissing her.
Carlotta made up her mind and got out of her car, slamming the door. The kissing couple took no note of her as she walked towards them. She cleared her throat when she was up close. Alex looked annoyed at the prospect of breaking apart from the redhead but he did, nevertheless. No matter how sarcastic he could get, courtesy had always been Alex’s defining characteristic. It was what made so many girls swoon over him.
“Carlotta,” he said. “Didn’t see you there.” He held out his hand to the redhead which she accepted and jumped off the back of the car. She smiled at Carlotta good naturedly.
“Of course you didn’t,” Carlotta replied, icily.
“This is my girlfriend, Jules,” Alex introduced the redhead. Carlotta felt like someone had punched her in the stomach. Girlfriend. Alex had never called her his girlfriend. Alex had never called anyone his girlfriend.
“And this is Carlotta,” he continued. “My old friend from college.”
“Nice to meet you, Carlotta,” Jules held out a hand, smiling. Carlotta wanted to wipe the smile off her face but she accepted the hand, nonetheless. She turned to Alex.
“That’s what we are now?” she asked, mildly. “Old friends. Till you decide to change that, again.”
If Carlotta was hoping to hurt Jules or see doubt in her eyes, she was wrong. Jules only looked amused. Alex, however, looked furious.
“I’ll see you later, Car” he said. He took Jules’ hand and opened the passenger door for her. Carlotta watched as they pulled out of the parking lot.
Chapter 10 – Jules
Jules was sitting on Alex’s bed, waiting for him to come out of the shower. She was thinking back to their conversation yesterday when Alex had introduced her to his friend. Carlotta had made a comment suggesting a past history between them. Alex had spent the car ride trying to explain himself. Jules smiled at the memory because it had been funny watching him explaining.
“There’s nothing between us,” he had said, defensively as he pulled out of the parking lot.
“I believe you.”
“Carlotta’s just a crazy woman. She keeps insisting- insisting- we should- erm- we should be more than- er- more than what we are. Which is friends,” he struggled to explain.
“I get it, Al,” Jules had said. “Everyone has a past.”
Alex was quiet. He didn’t speak till he pulled up in her driveway. Once parked, Alex turned to stare at her with such intensity that Jules had to look away.
“Look, Jules. I’m trying really hard. I’ve never felt the need to explain myself to any girl but- but you’re- different. Jules- I- I know I’ve screwed up in the past. And- but- with you-” he struggled to continue.
“Alex?” Jules had urged him.
“I want to be good enough for you,” he had finished, avoiding her eye.
Jules had showed up at his apartment today after work at the same time as Alex came back from the club. Presently, she was sprawled across his bed, proofreading a report she had to submit tomorrow. She heard Alex enter the room as she circled the errors she had missed out before. She would have to retype the report, she figured. She sat up and continued reading as Alex took a seat next to her. She noticed that he smelled amazing.
She giggled as he pressed his lips to her neck playfully.
“I’m working, Alex,” she complained, pushing him away.
“I’m not stopping you,” he murmured against her neck, his hands trailing across her legs. Jules tried to ignore him and concentrate on the papers
in front of her but her heartbeat had increased and her temperature had risen. Alex pulled the papers from her and placed them on the table. The playfulness had suddenly disappeared, both of them anticipating the next move. His hands trailed on the inside of her thigh, her skirt pulled up slightly. In the heat of the moment, all boundaries and promises of taking it slow were forgotten. Soon, they were both shirtless and kisses were exchanged hungrily. Alex had his knees on either sides of her, leaving kissed down her chest and stomach. Jules lifted her hips, increasing the friction between their lower bodies and eliciting a groan from Alex. He unclasped her bra, feeling the soft fullness of her breasts as he brought his lips down. Jules whimpered his name as he rubbed against her again, his lips sucking her nipples. The friction between their lower bodies and Alex’s mouth on her breasts made Jules moan and whimper.
Later, Jules shuddered to think of how the evening would have ended if Alex hadn’t received a phone call from his dad, interrupting their banter. He had wanted Alex to come over to discuss the upcoming tournament preparations. Alex had helped her dress, effortlessly clasping her bra back on, making Jules wonder for the first time how experienced he really was.
He had dropped her home on the way to his parents’.
Chapter 11– Alex
Two months.
Today, it had been two months since that godforsaken day that Jules showed up to his private training room. Ever since then, his life had been turned upside down and inside out. Instead of scheduling his day around his training, he seemed to be scheduling his training around Jules. They tried to see each other every day but he was busy training for the Manchester Championship and Jules was overburdened with work as sales reached their peak of the summer season. Unlike other girls he had been with, Jules was extremely supportive about his training, always understanding if he was unable to give her time because of his tight schedule.
Romance: Pummel Me: A Boxing Romance Page 2