Spent - Part 1 (Spent, a New Adult Romance, MMA Series) (9 page)

My phone vibrates mere seconds after the article is sent. I look down to see a message from Luke. A warmth floods through my body when I think about his thick copper hair laced through my fingers.
 

“
Wanna get a pizza and study for next week’s test?
”

As soon as I finish reading the text, my stomach begins to rumble. I look down at the clock on my phone. It’s 8pm. I’ve been working since 5pm and completely forgot about eating anything.
 

“
Perfect timing. I just wrapped up the article.
”

My phone vibrates almost immediately after I send my message.
 

“
Cool. Let’s go to Lorenzo’s to celebrate.
”

My mouth waters at the thought of Lorenzo’s pizza pies. I arch an eyebrow, trying to figure out if it’s pure coincidence that Luke happened to pick my favorite place or if he’s been snooping around on me.
 

“
Lorenzo’s is my fave! I live in the Boston Wing at the on-campus apartments. Meet you outside in 15?
”

I hit send and work on gathering my jacket and backpack. Excitement floods through my body as I get everything together. I know better than to get worked up over spending time with Luke, especially after we both agreed to just be friends, but being around him just makes everything feel right.
 

“
Ran into Cameron and she told me. See you laters. ;)
”

Snoop.

I giggle at the thought of my impetuous friend in her crescent moon shaped glasses tracking down the man that she knows I’m interested in just to tell him I like one particular pizza place. I make a mental note to thank her later.

***

“So,” I mutter after swallowing a bite of my savory pizza, “Are you majoring in Biology?”

“Kinesiology, actually,” Luke says after taking a swig from his beer, “I’m planning on going to grad school for Physical Therapy.”
 

My eyes widen in surprise, “You don’t want to stay with MMA?”

Luke shrugs, “I don’t know. Fighting was more of a means to make a living. I make enough money to survive, but it’s not something that really helps people. I want to be able to do more than just beat guys to a pulp.”  

I smile. Having been with Derrick for a year, all I ever heard discussed was his dream to be a fighter. That was his only goal in life and college was just something for him to do in order to pass the time and appease his family. The realization that, while I was with Derrick, it wasn’t the fighting itself that I had grown tired of, but the fact that it was his one and only goal and drive in life.
 

“What about you? Are you a Biology major?” Luke smirks.
 

“Pre-Med,” I grin.
 

“Oh fuck,” Luke places his beer on the table, “I suppose a doctor with a C+ is still a doctor,” he grimaces.
 

“Don’t be an asshat,” I chortle, “I’m an English major. I won’t be anywhere near any scalpels or needles.”

Luke sighs in relief, “Oh thank God,” he smiles goofily, “So why English?”

“Because I like it,” I smirk.
 

Luke arches an eyebrow, “Good enough reason, but I know you’re a bit deeper than that, Tash.”

I sigh as I lean back against my chair, “Because words used to be the only way I could express what I was feeling.”

Luke stares at me inquisitively, “How so?”
 

My chest begins to tighten as I think back on my childhood. The drunken rages my father used to go into flash through my mind. Memories of bruises and tears and hateful words - all of which I’d much rather forget. I grimace as the images invade my memory. Shaking my head, I resolve myself to not tell Luke any of this, not yet, anyway.
 

Staring at me, Luke’s expression softens, as if he understands what I’m feeling. Looking deep into his eyes, I can tell that he too has experienced something so hard that it scars your very soul. Giving him a weak smile, I relax, knowing that he’s not going to push the subject any further.
 

“When’s your next fight?” I try to change the topic before awkward silence can settle in.
 

“Tomorrow at four. Another Baltimore fight. I can pick you up so you don’t have to waste your gas,” he smiles softly.

“Sure,” I beam, “Sounds great.”

Luke sighs as he leans forward against the table, “There’s something I need to tell you.”

“Oh?”

His hazel eyes stare deeply into mine, “If I start winning, I’ll soon be in line to fight Derrick Baptiste again.”
 

“Oh,” my heart stops.
 

Luke rubs his temples, “I’m not sure if I should try to win this next one.”

“What?”

Luke mutters as he stares down at the table, “I don’t know how much I’ll be able to control myself if I finally get in the ring with Baptiste again. The way he grabbed you that day,” Luke’s eyes shut, “If Big Mike hadn’t been there, I’m not sure what I would have done. My dad used to shove my mom around like that…”
 

A chill runs through my spine. My dad had done the same thing to my mom on numerous occasions. The final straw for my mom was when he shoved me into a wall on my tenth birthday, leaving me with a fractured arm. I haven’t seen him since.  

“Luke,” I reach over and place my hand on his, “It’s going to be okay.”
 

I try to look as reassuring as possible. Luke just chipped away at some of his hard shell and revealed a part of his past to me. For that, I am beyond grateful. Deep down, I’m beginning to realize that Luke cares for me and that I care for him. Maybe someday, he and I will be able to drop our hard shells and talk about our pasts.  

“We’ll figure out how to address the Derrick issue when the time comes.”
 

“You mean ‘if’,” Luke lets out a breath as he rests his hands against the table, “I need to win Baltimore. If I don’t, I’m pretty much out of the pros.”

I place my hand on his, “You’ll be great.”
 

He squeezes my hand and smiles. We both return to our pizza, but my thoughts are somewhere else. All I can think about is what will happen tomorrow and the trajectory Luke winning could set us on.

I take a seat as close to the arena as I can manage. The place isn’t quite as full as Philly had been, but it’s still a good turnout. Looking around, I spot several people from the university paper sitting in a few rows behind me. My article had been a success for the sports section of the paper and my editor mentioned that he even wanted to watch Luke compete after reading about him. When the announcer’s voice booms over the mic, I quickly turn my focus to the cage.
 

Kyle Donahue is the first to come out. A lump forms hard in my throat as I watch him strut around the arena, pumping his fist into the air to hype up the crowd. They respond to him exactly how he wants them to, with cheers and roaring applause. The way he’s acting reminds me so much of Derrick, but I know that this is how many of the fighters act. It’s all mostly for show, but for Derrick, he lived and breathed it.
 

Luke walks out and is immediately searching the crowd. I watch, trying to figure out what he’s looking for. Suddenly, his eyes lock onto mine. He smiles at me, sending electricity surging through my veins. His entire demeanor changes as he appears to stand taller and stronger than before. I smile when I see the look of determination that eases its way across his face.
 

The bell dings and Donahue immediately charges. My breath catches as I watch in horror when it appears that he’ll plow right through Luke. At the perfect moment, Luke sidesteps, avoiding the other man entirely and causing him to collide against the arena cords.

As soon as Donahue turns back around, Luke is right in front of him, throwing a series of perfect hooks against his jaw. Donahue stumbles back against the cords, his massive body sagging against them as Luke continues to pummel into his body. Ducking at the perfect time, Donahue manages to dodge a powerful blow from Luke and maneuver out of the corner.
 

Donahue lands a quick blow against Luke’s jaw, but it isn’t powerful enough to cause Luke to lose his steady footing. In fact, the blow seems to just make Luke even more fueled up as his powerful arms send a flurry of punches against Donahue’s face and chest. With one final blow, Kyle Donahue is down on the ground. The referee immediately rushes in and pushes Luke back. I can tell from the way Donahue’s chest is moving up and down that he’s not going to be getting up anytime soon. I let out the breath I’ve been holding in, relishing the fact that Luke has just won the fight.
 

A massive smile eases its way across Luke’s face when the referee thrusts his hand up in the air, announcing him as the winner. He doesn’t jeer at Donahue while he’s still lying on the ground, but instead, Luke’s focus remains on me the entire time. I smile back at him, feeling the heavy burden of worry tug away from my aching body.
 

The crowd doesn’t seem to know how to respond. There’s applause and cheers, but then there’s also a lot of angry voices flying around from those who likely lost a lot of money on this game. I chuckle at the sounds, embracing them even, because I know that they’re all noises which will help fuel Luke to win more fights than this one. Looking into his eyes, I can tell that he’s also taking in everything that’s happening right now, but his eyes never stray from mine.

***

“Oh my God! My heart is still racing!” I clutch my chest while Luke buckles his seat.
 

He chortles, “Mine too! That felt so damn good.”
 

“It all happened so fast. I still can’t believe he went down so quickly,” I croon as I sit back and buckle myself in.
 

Luke turns on the ignition, “He seemed off, but I don’t really care. I’ve been wanting to knock that jackass down ever since I fought him two years ago.”
 

“Well thank you for the riveting fight.”
 

“Anytime,” He smiles as he turns the car out of the parking lot, “So, where to, young lady?”
 

“I actually need to find a place to study at tonight, so I guess the cafe right by campus.”

“Why can’t you study at your place?” Luke arches an eyebrow.
 

I sigh, “I told Cameron she could throw a party there tonight. Cameron lives in a dump, so she always borrows my place when she wants to have a party.”

“You know,” concern laces through Luke’s voice, “That little cafe you like isn’t very safe at night.”

“Meh,” I shrug, “I’m tough.”

“I know you are,” Luke smirks, “But there’s no point to you putting yourself in unnecessary danger when you can just crash at my place.”

I stop breathing, “Your place?”

“Might as well,” Luke’s shoulders shrug as he turns the steering wheel, “I’ve gotta study, too. My couch is pretty comfy. You can have my bed and I’ll just crash on the sofa. I usually sleep in the living room, anyway.”

“Are you sure?”
 

I really don’t want to argue with him. Being stuck at Cameron’s party with a bunch of people from the English department doesn’t exactly sound as appealing as spending the night with Luke. But my body tenses up when I think about the possibility of being alone with him in his house.

“Absolutely. I’ve got spare clothes you can wear,” he looks me up and down, a salacious gleam in his eyes, “Besides, I’ve already seen it all, so you could always go without clothes.”

I slap him across his arm, “Hey now. I thought we weren’t going to go there?”
 

Luke clears his throat, “You’re right. I’m just pumped up from the fight. So, my house?”

“Anything beats my place tonight,” I smirk.
 

His words run through my mind as we sit in silence driving along the highway. Luke perplexes me to the point that I almost feel like he’s messing with my head. Yesterday, he told me he wasn’t ready for a relationship yet, but tonight he’s flirting with me. The constant back and forth is slowly beginning to chip away at me, to the point that I need answers.
 

“Luke?”
 

“Yes, Tasha?” He mutters, his eyes locked onto the road.
 

“Who hurt you so badly that you’re not ready for another relationship?”

Luke stares at me, wide-eyed and fuming, “Where the hell did this come from?”

I’m taken aback by his tone, but I’ve already opened up the topic, so I have to see it to fruition.
 

“Yesterday you said you’re not ready for another relationship. My guess is someone hurt you,” I bite my bottom lip, hoping I haven’t gone too far.
 

Luke sighs, “Her name was Claire,” his hands grip the steering wheel tight until his knuckles begin to turn white, “She ran off with my trainer over a year ago.”
 

My heart sinks as I watch the sad expression that creeps across Luke’s face. I can tell just by the way he looks right now that he cared for her deeply. Normally I would feel jealous, but right now, I just want to comfort him.
 

“I’m sorry,” I whisper.
 

Luke lets out a deep breath, “Can we talk about something else? We don’t need to ruin the night talking about the girl who cheated on me.”
 

I nod my head, “You’re right. I’m sorry for bringing it up. It’s just been bugging me.”

A soft smile slowly eases across Luke’s face, “Thanks.”

“So,” I tap my hands against my knees, trying to think of what to say, “What do you want to talk about?”
 

“Hmm,” Luke moans, “I think we should go back to discussing what you’re going to wear tonight,” he winks at me.
 

***

“This has got to be the tiniest apartment I have ever set foot in,” I mutter as I look around the front entrance.
 

“It’s perfect for me. I don’t need a lot of room,” Luke says as he takes off his shoes by the front door. I repeat his motions and kick off my shoes, setting them down beside his.