When He Falls

by Michelle Jo Quinn

  But with Maggie, questions niggled at me, like how was I going to survive not knowing if I would get to see her again?

  Just then, my phone vibrated. I read the text which made me smile:

  Home safe and sound. Thanks for getting me that ride. It was so good to see you. It’s Maggie, BTW.

  I couldn't help myself. I had to text back:

  You miss me already, don't you?

  It took a few minutes before she replied, and I almost thought I'd crossed the line.

  You still haven't learned humility after all these years?

  Never heard of it. I replied.

  *Rolling my eyes*

  I had to go for it, to ensure she would see me again:

  Come out with me tomorrow? Breakfast, lunch or dinner, or all of the above?

  No answer. I started to panic after five minutes. Maybe she had fallen asleep? God, should I text her again? Would that be too much?

  My phone vibrated again, and Stone laughed at me when I jumped for it in order to read the text. I punched his biceps as retaliation.

  I can't do breakfast or lunch. I think I should be okay sometime later in the day.

  Then another:

  I have to ask Nica this time. Can I text you tomorrow?

  I replied immediately:

  Of course! Any time. I'm free all day. We can have dinner or drinks or water and see a movie?

  Sounds like a plan! Looking forward to it.

  Perfect! My heartbeat thundered like I'd gone on a sprint.

  Good night, Zach. It was really good to see you.

  My heart swelled. What was she doing to me?

  Goodnight, Beanie. Sweet dreams, sweet thing.

  I pocketed my phone and asked the bartender for something stronger than a beer. This called for a celebration. Stone clapped my shoulder and Rick joined us a minute later. I shared with them my excitement, and we all toasted to it.

  At the end of the night, as I lay on my back, watching the shadows dance on the ceiling, I thought of Maggie. The photo of her sister's wedding burned in my wallet. I pulled it out and stared at Maggie, standing off to the side. Her hair was done up, and her smile reached all the way to her eyes. She was dressed in a yellow dress. She was like a ray of sunlight.

  My heart began its frantic beating, and I felt my chest tighten. I had experienced this before, a very long time ago as a young boy—the last time I saw Maggie Stewart in her home, before Ma and I had to escape ours.

  I woke up with a start. My head pounded. I got up to find a glass of water. The clock on the oven read 5:30.

  Just because I didn't have interviews and had to report to Patton and Harcwick didn't mean I should slack off on the training. I walked back to the bedroom and grabbed my cell phone, telling myself I was only checking to see if Maggie had left me another message last night and I'd missed it.

  There weren’t any, not from her at least. I found a picture message from Travis, taken two hours ago, of three naked girls on a bed, and he was right in the middle of it with that stupid grin on his face.

  "Hound," I muttered.

  I stalked to the shower and had a soothing one to get rid of the alcohol smell seeping out of my body. The whole time I thought of Maggie. And her body. Why did I just think of it now?

  Her waist fitted nicely in my hands last night and her ass curved sweetly against my groin. Her skin was so soft and smooth, and her hair, god I loved her hair, smelled like sweet oranges. I wanted to kiss her last night when we lay on the bed. I should have, but I had to be a gentleman.

  Even back when we'd been younger, Maggie had known about gentlemen, and what their traits were. She'd told me last night that she didn't have a boyfriend. That was good news for me. Always a good sign.

  But I wondered if I could be that person to her? Her gentle lover?

  Lover? I smirked at my self, as I shampooed my hair. Maggie was not the type who took in a lover. She was the relationship type. The honest to goodness type. The type I was not.

  I stopped mid-lather. But I could be good…for her, why not?

  It would be tricky. I would have to find a way to convince her to visit me in Vegas, and I'd have to visit her in Fresno. We could do the back and forth thing. If, when I win my match, I would have more money. Maybe I could buy a house in Vegas, and she could move in with me.

  Would she move to Vegas? Unlikely. But I couldn't leave Vegas. Ma was there, and she required proper care. She was getting that from the facility in which she lived. Debbie and Dr. Wentz were taking very good care of her.

  But when I win, I could find her a different facility, maybe get her advanced tests and treatments. Maybe there was one here in San Francisco. I was pretty sure Maggie would be willing to move here since her sister lived in the city.

  I paused mid-wash again. Who was I kidding? I was getting ahead of myself.

  I turned the faucet off in frustration and wiped down with a towel.

  Maggie was not going to move in with me. She had only lived in Fresno all her life, and who knew, maybe that was where she'd want to stay forever.

  I couldn't move there. That place had too many painful memories for Ma and me.

  Frustrated, I dressed and grabbed a cab to head to Rick's gym. I would have to work off this frustration and anger with intense training. I pitied the fool set to spar with me today.

  Stephan had strength, and his moves were calculated. Too calculated. He was predictable. I could see his next move even before he changed his stance to execute it. With one last attempt, he tried for a sharp left hit and a right uppercut, but he didn't succeed. I danced around his punches and went low enough to trip him off his feet. He went flying down to the ground, and I was on top of him in an instant.

  I glanced to where Rick watched us intently. If he gave me the sign, I could send the message right here, right now and make Stephan rethink his future with MMA. I waited for a second and caught Rick's slight shake of his head.

  "Alright, I think that's enough for today," I told my opponent.

  He pushed off the ground and chest bumped me. "Thanks, Revenge, I learned a lot. You have to show me some of that move you did with your feet earlier."

  I offered him a noncommittal grunt. He walked off the cage and headed toward the showers. From his gait, I could tell he was hurting. Some of the gym members who had gathered around during my spar with Stephan returned to their regimen. I stepped out of the cage and straight to Rick.

  "I could have done it," I spoke under my breath, accepting the water he offered.

  "I know, brother." He worked his chin with a hand.

  "Then why didn't you let me?" I wiped my wet forehead with a towel.

  Rick gave me a look of complete mayhem. He was up to something. "Because I don't want you to look bad in front of your new girl."

  "What?" My hand stopped mid-swipe.

  Rick nodded to the side, and I followed the direction. Maggie stood, with her hands stuffed in the front pockets of her jeans.

  "Maggie!" The idiotic smile on my face returned.

  She joined Rick and me and rocked back on her heels. "Hi."

  "How did you know I was here?" I leaned in to give her a quick peck on the cheek, even though my body screamed for me to do more. I couldn't. I smelled like ten thousand elephants that didn't bathe.

  Maggie offered a smile at Rick, who grinned like a moron. "I called your phone, and I guess he picked up and gave me this address." I could kiss the guy. "I'm free for the day. Nica asked someone else to watch over my niece for the day."

  "So, you're mine for today!" Did it sound as stupid out loud as it had in my head? Yes, it definitely did, but I could only focus on the way her cheeks went pink. "I mean. That's great. I'll just take a shower and change. Have you thought about what you want to do for today?"

  "There's a fair by the bay," Rick suggested.

  "That sounds good to me." Maggie's eyes brightened.

  "Perfect. Give me ten to fifteen minutes. Gotta get this stench off." I scrunc
hed my face.

  Maggie laughed, and it sent a fire into my heart. "Okay."

  "I'll keep her company. Go and get decent," Rick offered.

  I ran off to the showers and got ready as quickly as I could. The entire time, my emotions warred with the annoying doubt in the back of my head. Maggie was here to be with me. It was all that mattered for now. Gotta take it slow, I reminded myself.

  I waved farewell to Stephan and congratulated him for a great spar. He mock-saluted me before he bent down to tie his shoes.

  When I returned to the main part of the gym, it was hard to ignore several guys who checked out Maggie. There was some primal burst inside me, and I wanted to punch every guy out.

  As I neared, Rick cocked a head to the side and furrowed his forehead. He moved away from Maggie, who was watching another sparring on the cage. Rick patted a large hand on my shoulder. "Hey, you need to calm down, huh?"

  "What?" I snarled under my breath.

  "Relax, buddy. You don't want to scare her off by being too primitive and possessive." He placed a hand on my chest, and I could feel the riled-up organ inside it.

  "What the fuck are you talking about?" I spat out.

  He curled his hand into a fist on top of my rib cage and knocked on it once. "That. That's what I'm talking about. You look like you're ready to start a brawl in my gym. Calm the fuck down."

  He was right. I went through a quick breathing exercise until it settled into something better. When Rick was satisfied, he tapped my back and pushed me off in Maggie's direction. "Have a great time."

  "Ready?" I asked, intertwining her fingers with mine.

  "Yup." She looked over my shoulder and waved. "Bye, Rick. Great to see you again."

  "Bye, sweetheart. Take care of my friend." I heard from behind me.

  Outside, as soon as we stepped onto the pavement, I gazed at Maggie and let the warmth fill me. If there was anyone in this world capable of taking great care of me, it would be her, without a doubt. In my eyes, she would always be the girl who'd saved my life.

  ***

  As soon as we got into the cab, the rain poured. I didn't think San Francisco weather was this unpredictable. Maggie and I looked at each other when the cabbie asked us where we were headed. She shrugged, opening up the option to me. It would be a waste to head to the fairgrounds in torrential rain, and neither one of us was asking for pneumonia.

  "Do you mind if we eat first? I'm starving," I suggested.

  Her face brightened. "That sounds good." Her stomach grumbled, and her face reddened. I couldn't get enough of the way her cheeks turned pink like that. "I think it's a genius idea."

  I held on to the back of the driver's seat and asked the cabbie to take us to the best restaurant near the fairgrounds just in case the skies cleared while we ate. It wasn't smart of us though, as he could take us for a long ride to make money. Although, I would not be opposed to being in a small enclosed space with Maggie for a long time. As soon as I sat back, the sweet orange scent of her hair soothed me. After a couple of blocks, the cab stopped, and the driver pointed to an old-fashioned diner.

  "Best brunch in the city. Ask to be seated in Lucie's area. She will take good care of you folks while you're on your date," he informed us.

  Maggie straightened. "We're not on a date!" Her eyes turned into huge saucers, but when she found my eyes, she instantly pressed her lips together and looked away.

  It was like pouring a cold bucket of water on me. But I understood. Maggie was the type of girl who took her time to get to know a guy before she got involved with him. "Thank you, sir." I handed the cab driver a bill that was large enough to cover two more trips. I didn't do it to show off. I did it because he was kind to two people who clearly didn't live in the city. "Keep the change."

  Maggie and I ran to the entrance of Pearl's Diner. It sat on a corner street underneath the typical architecture type of San Francisco residence, right under bay windows of what could be several apartments. The chimes of bells announced our entry into the brightly lit restaurant, and the mixture of the smells of grease and sugar greeted us.

  "For two?" A teen girl ambled up to us, wearing a Pearl's Diner apron around her waist.

  "Yes, please," Maggie answered.

  Remembering the cabbie's suggestion, I added, "Can you sit us in Lucie's section?"

  The girl tilted her head and smiled widely. "Sure thing." She led us to a two-seater table beside the windows. I pulled the chair out for Maggie. I could be a gentleman, thanks to my mother's training. "Lucie will be with you guys in a minute," the hostess said, handing us sticky, laminated menus.

  "Thank you," I managed to say before she walked away.

  Pearl's Diner was a restaurant anyone could find in any city. The walls were adorned with black and white photos of celebrities, which matched the black and white checkered floors. The tables had aluminum-edges and paired with red vinyl-padded chairs or booths. Shiny chrome stools with similar red covers lined the bar counter set in the middle of the entire space. And in one corner sat an old jukebox, which still had lights on, but wasn’t playing any music.

  A woman about Ma's age with purple hair and Pearl's Diner uniform came up to us. "Hey, guys, can I get you drinks?" She regarded us in a way like someone who wondered if we were a couple.

  I waved a hand across the table. "Maggie? Ladies first."

  Maggie's eyes twinkled with a smile. "I'll have coffee please, black," she told Lucie, and then the two women looked at me.

  "Large orange juice and a glass of water please."

  "I can go get those first or are you guys ready to order?"

  "I'm ready. You ready, Zach?" Maggie said. I didn't even see her pick up the menu.

  But I wouldn't want her to wait. Every minute with her counted. The faster we got our orders in, the faster I could start engaging her in a conversation. "Am I ready? I'm starving."

  "What would you like, dear?" I paused and momentarily looked at Lucie. She almost sounded like my Ma when she was still lucid. And it made me wonder what she would say if I told her I'd found little Maggie Stewart, who, in a pair of tight jeans and loose thin sweater with the word "smile" on it, didn't look little at all. No, Maggie Stewart was all grown up. She'd been cute when we were younger. But now...now, she was gorgeous. Maggie had that understated beauty, and I had no doubt she was still as sweet and caring as she'd been years ago.

  "Zach? Are you okay?" I blinked at Maggie's sweet voice. Had I been staring at her all this time?

  I cleared my throat and stared at the menu. Without reading it, I gave Lucie an order I could usually ask for in any restaurant. "Three egg-white omelet, dry rye, with a side of beans. Fresh fruit and two side orders of bacon, extra crispy." I looked up to Lucie again and found her quirking an eyebrow at me. "Please."

  Maggie let out a little snicker. "You are starving."

  "I had a big work out this morning." She just hummed her reply.

  "And you sweetie?" Lucie turned to Maggie.

  "I'll have the blueberry pancakes, please. That's all." She closed her menu and handed it to Lucie.

  "That sounds good. I'll have that too," I added. Harcwick would kill me if he found out I'd had too many carbs, but I would get rid of the extra calories and sugar easily.

  Lucie scribbled on her little pad. "You're gonna need a bigger table. Come move to that one," she said to us and nodded at the booth behind us with a longer table and would fit four.

  We followed along. Lucie walked away, informing us she would be back with our drinks soon. Instead of sitting across from Maggie, I chose to sit beside her, draping my arm over the back of the booth. We both had gotten a little wet from the rain, coming out of the cab and it made her scent more appealing.

  "You can eat all that?" Maggie asked once I settled.

  "Yup. When I'm training for a fight I need about 3200 to 3500 calories a day," I said proudly.

  "That sounds like a lot of food."

  "It is for someone who doesn't train like us. Fo
r example, if you eat like we do, you won't look like...well…like you do now." I waved a hand at her.

  She brought an eyebrow up. "What do I look like now?" She fiddled with the hem of her sweater, pulling the fabric tighter over her shirt. I doubted she realized by doing that, her neckline lowered, and her cleavage got more attention from me.

  I squirmed in my seat, feeling my pants tighten around the crotch area. She was killing me. I forced myself to place my hands on the table and not touch her. Instead, I played with the salt and pepper shakers. "You look good. I told you last night that you looked healthy." Yeah, that sounded safe. "Do you exercise?"

  She blew a whistle, and her minty breath hit my face. "Does biking everywhere count?"

  My eyes targeted her lips and the way they moved as she spoke. Little, soft, pink petals that curved, and pursed. I bet they tasted sweet. "Of course, it does. What else do you do?"

  She scrunched her face, wriggling her nose. "Yeah right." She turned contemplative, looking out at the rain. From the reflection on the window, I could see she was remembering something. By the way, she drew her eyebrows together and that smile turning into a frown, it didn't seem to be a good thing. I didn't want her to feel sad.

  "Earth to Maggie." I snapped my fingers in front of her face, and she returned her attention to me. "Did I lose you there?"

  Maggie pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. "Ahm, no sorry." She nodded her head toward the corner of the diner. "Hey, look it's a juke box. Do you think it works?" She smiled again, but it wasn't as bright as before.

  "There’s only one way to find out." Before I could stop myself, I was on my feet and headed toward the juke box. I fished in my pocket for coins, but only produced bills. I walked back to Maggie and informed her the "bad" news, "It only takes quarters. Must be really old. I don't see those types anymore."

  Maggie perked up and placed her purse on the table. "I think I have change."