Silent Love [Part 2]

by Kenadee Bryant

  “Yes,” was all he said before turning and heading toward the ring. With a wink from Tiffany and a smile from Chris, I padded barefoot after him. I felt a few stares on me as I headed for the ring where Gage was, but I ignored them.

  When I got to the ring, Gage was kind enough to hold the ropes down for me to go through. Once I was inside I was once again struck with how big the thing really was. It looked a lot smaller from the ground.

  Being inside I almost felt like I was put in a cage with an animal about to go off, Gage being the animal. He seemed to prowl around the outside rim of the ring while I stood there watching him. It was like being in a cage with a hungry animal.

  “Okay, let’s start.” I knew those three words meant nothing good was coming.

  ***

  “Come on, fat boy,” I taunted as I bounced on my toes. My arms were shaking slightly from what Gage had put me through, but I ignored it. I was dripping with sweat and I was tired and hungry, but messing with Gage made me forget all of that.

  “What did you just call me?” Gage asked, raising an eyebrow. He didn’t look angry; instead, he looked offended that I called him fat.

  “You heard me, dough boy.” I giggled. I couldn’t help myself. I was feeling pretty good right now and wasn’t quite sure if it was because I was exhausted or because I was hungry. Either way I was feeling confident and sassy, something that probably didn’t bode well.

  I continued bouncing on the balls of my feet like I was a boxer waiting to fight. I had my arms up in fists, and in a quick movement I jabbed them out. I would make a pretty damn good boxer if I say so myself. Along with the moves Gage taught me, I felt like I could take on anyone right now.

  “Come at me, Gage. I can take you,” I taunted him. While I was all sweaty and tired, Gage had barely broken a sweat. His hair still looked like it had at school. It was nearing five and we had been here about two hours give or take, but to me it felt like forever.

  “Oh, you think so?” Gage asked, taking a step toward me. He raised his arms up and flexed them. My blue eyes snapped toward them, seeing the nice big muscles. Why did he have to be so hot and distract me from what I was doing? He wasn’t playing fair and he knew it.

  “Y-yeah.”

  “Okay, you asked for it.” That was all he said before he suddenly came at me. I let out a squeak moving away from him. Gage reached out to grab me, but I quickly moved to the side and ran back toward where he once stood. Running was a great option I tell you!

  “Princess, you can’t get away from me.” His voice had gotten lower and raspier, which just made my knees weak. Once upon a time I hated when he called me “princess” because the way he said it made it sound like I was a bitchy person who got whatever she wanted. But now I liked it. He said it in a different tone nowadays, and it made me feel special in a way. Definitely a lot better than before.

  “I can, and I will!” I shouted toward him trying to sound confident, something I was starting not to feel any longer.

  Facing him, I tried to see what he would do, but he was perfect at masking his thoughts so I wouldn’t know what he was thinking. He always had something new up his sleeve; no wonder he never lost in a fight.

  “Come at me, bro,” I said with one finger pointed at him, signaling for him to come at me. I had no clue why I kept egging him on, but it was fun. I knew he wouldn’t really do anything to me, but it was funny watching his expressions as well as his attempts to get me.

  I could see him getting slightly angry now that I dodged his move. He was getting tired of me messing with him, while I was just getting started. I was grinning like a maniac and I bet my eyes were shining. He didn’t even make a sound as he ran toward me, faster than I thought.

  I did not have a chance to move out of the way or to even shield myself before his hard body hit mine. The weight of him on top of me made my legs buckle. My back slammed against the mat with his heavy-ass body on top of me. The breath was knocked right out of me; I felt like a truck was sitting right on my chest. At least my head didn’t hit the mat too hard.

  Gage didn’t even make a move to get up. Groaning, I lifted my head up to look down at Gage. My eyes clashed with a pair of brown ones. Gage’s head was right near mine so that if I tilted my head down, our lips would meet.

  Being this close to him, I noticed how light his brown eyes were. At first, I thought they were just a dark brown, but no. They were brown, but they had specks of gold in them. I knew from experience though that they darkened when he was angry. I wondered what made them darker as well. The perverted part of my brain decided to wonder.

  His warm breath fanned my face and I couldn’t help but wonder if my breath smelled horrible. I was panting all over him. His body was heavy over mine, but I didn’t mind; it felt nice.

  All different thoughts and emotions were running through my mind right now and I couldn’t get a lid on them. Laying here like this was making weird things happen to my stomach. Being this close to him and looking in his eyes made me want to kiss him. I thought I had wanted to kiss him the other day at his grandma’s, but this time the feeling was doubled. I wanted nothing more than to slam my lips against his and see what he tasted like. I knew he was a good kisser—he had to be—but I wanted to find out for myself.

  All my life I have waited for that special kiss, the one that makes your toes curl and your leg pop. I had yet to feel that with someone, and looking at Gage I felt that maybe he was the one to do that for me. Just being around him made me feel like a whole new person and I liked that.

  Gage and I didn’t say a word for the longest time, just staring at one another. I didn’t know what he was looking for in my face. This close up, I knew he could see everything on my face. Every line, every acne scar, every freckle I had. My makeup had been sweated off by now, so I was bare-faced, making me even more vulnerable.

  The longer we stared at one another, the hotter it seemed to get in the room. The small space between our faces was now filled with our breath. I was trying my hardest to force down the need to kiss him. To feel his soft pink lips against mine. I had no clue what he was thinking; for all I knew, he was thinking about food. Oh, how I wanted him to be thinking of kissing me as well.

  “Yo, lovebirds! You guys gotta get going. They need to set up for the fight!” Tiffany yelled off to the side of the ring. Once again, our moment was ruined by someone else. If it wasn’t Macey, it was Dylan; if it wasn’t Dylan, it was someone else. If Dylan hadn’t interrupted us at Gage’s grandma’s place, I was certain we would have kissed. But we hadn’t, and here we were again in the same situation.

  I was inwardly kicking myself for waiting. I should have kissed him when I had a chance to; now it was all ruined. The moment was gone, as well as the heat between us. All that was left was awkwardness at its finest. I wished for once I was the type of girl to just seize the moment, but I was not that girl. I didn’t kiss the guy when I wanted to. Hell, I couldn’t even tell Ethan I had a crush on him forever.

  With our moment gone, Gage now made his way off me. Gone was the nice warmth of his hard body against mine, leaving my lonely sweaty body on the floor. Forever alone. He reached a hand down to help me up, which I gladly accepted.

  Neither of us said a word as we exited the ring, the tension between us heavy. Maybe Macey was right: the sexual tension between us was thick. I watched with a sinking feeling as Gage walked right over to his stuff and into the guys’ changing room. He did not once look back at me or say a word. He left me there staring after him feeling hurt.

  Was I the only one that felt that back there? Was it all in my head? He probably had to get away from me before I did something he would not like. Guess my whole outfit didn’t help—nothing did. Once again, I was the “nothing” girl.

  Sighing, I went over to grab my own clothes that were by Gage’s. I picked up my phone and saw a message from Macey, my brother, and my mom. I quickly answered all, only telling Macey the truth. As I hit “Send” to her, another familiar voic
e called my name behind me. Turning, I smiled at Dylan who made his way over to me.

  “Hey.” I grinned, forcing all my sad thoughts to the side.

  “Hey, what are you doing here?”

  “Gage and I came earlier. He said I needed to ‘train.’” I put air quotes around the last word. I was already feeling sore and it hadn’t even been that long. I bet I even had a few bruises.

  “Did you kick his ass like last time?” Dylan asked, smiling.

  “Sadly, no, he kicked mine. I am so tired.” He nodded in understanding, but he didn’t look sad for me at all.

  “Where is he anyways? Is he getting ready for his fight in a little bit?” Dylan looked around.

  “He went off into the changing room.” I gestured that way, ignoring the pang in my chest.

  “Oh okay. I will go get him. They changed the time, so Gage will fight about half an hour sooner,” he explained. I had almost forgotten Gage still had to fight tonight.

  As Dylan walked off to get Gage, I took a seat on the bench. I didn’t know where to go now, and with Gage being my ride, I couldn’t just leave. I just noticed now people were starting to come in, the place slowly filling up. I knew most were here to see Gage fight. I didn’t know we were training for so long until now.

  Not even a few hours ago I was excited to see Gage fight, but now I wasn’t so sure. Things were going to be tense around us tonight. It was because of him honestly, not me. I did nothing, so if he was going to act stupid around me then that was his own fault.

  Waiting for Gage and Dylan to come out, I sat on the bench texting Macey and keeping an eye out for the two of them. I did not like being out here alone. There were some weird people here that I did not want to come in contact with. This was definitely not my crowd.

  Thankfully, only ten minutes later did I see Gage and Dylan coming out of the changing room together. I breathed a sigh of relief, glad to have them near me again. I felt a lot safer with them by my side. Seeing them making their way toward me, I gathered my stuff quickly and went to meet them halfway.

  “Hey,” I said once I made it through the people on the floor. This place filled up fast!

  “Let’s go to the room,” was all Gage said before grabbing my hand and tugging me after him. Thank God for him pulling me or else I would still be in the same spot. Gage voluntarily grabbed my hand! I’d thought he was upset with me or something, but by the way he was holding my hand he seemed fine now.

  When we got to the same room Gage had been in every time I came here, things started to happen so quickly. The next thing I knew I was sitting on the couch watching Dylan tape up Gage’s hands while they talked quietly with one another. Gage still wore his outfit that he had on with me, so I guessed he was fighting in that, but now his shirt was off, exposing his abs. Definitely drool-worthy, and I couldn’t take my eyes off of them.

  I was so busy watching Dylan wrap Gage’s hands as well as peeking at his abs, that I almost didn’t notice Gage watching me. I was in my own little world there for a few minutes as they got all ready for the fight about to happen. I could feel the energy coming through the door and knew Gage was feeling it too. He was pacing and bouncing on his toes every so often. He was ready to fight.

  Before I even knew it, the door was opening and they were telling Gage he was up. I quickly stood up, ready to go out with him and stand in the front row watching.

  “Carter.” Gage said my name for the first time since our training. He came to stand in front of me, his bare chest distracting me for a good few seconds. “You need to stay by Dylan’s side the entire time.” I nodded, agreeing with him on this. Without Dylan I’d be lost.

  “I will,” I said as I looked up at him.

  “He will make sure you are okay. This shouldn’t last long.” I watched, shocked as his hand came up and brushed a piece of my hair away from my face. My breathing hitched as his finger grazed the side of my cheek.

  “Okay,” I squeaked out once again. Gage did something to me that no one else ever had.

  “Good.” With a firm nod, he backed up and headed for the door. Going after him, I felt Dylan slide up beside me and stay close to my side. Both of us trailed after Gage as he entered the yelling crowd. It was almost like we were back at the football game with everyone yelling and cheering for him. It was almost deafening as we pushed our way through. Who knew he had such a big fan base?

  We stood in the front row as Gage entered the ring, his opponent already there. With one look at the guy, I was not worried about Gage. He would do just fine. With the entire crowd roaring Gage’s name, I stayed right next to Dylan, trying hard not to fall from the pushing of the crowd and keeping my eyes glued on Gage.

  Like I predicted, the match didn’t last long at all. In a matter of minutes Gage had the guy on the ground knocked out clean. The guy never once touched Gage, but I couldn’t say the same about him. He would definitely wake up with tons of bruises tomorrow.

  Gage didn’t do any celebration lap or anything; instead, he got right out of the ring and headed toward me. I gave him a smile and a thumbs-up. I was rewarded with a breath-taking smile. Knowing he wouldn’t grab my hand in this crowd, I followed after him as we headed back to the room, Dylan behind me.

  Thankfully, the cheering was muted as we shut the door behind us. With the noise blocked out it was suddenly really quiet. My stomach decided at that moment to make noises, voicing how hungry it was. In the quiet room it seemed louder than usual. I hadn’t eaten anything since lunch earlier, so I was starving.

  “We can go eat,” Gage said, chuckling.

  “Finally.” I breathed out. I wanted to eat hours ago! Beside me Dylan agreed. Of course he would tag along for food; it was almost like he was my other half.

  “Let me hurry and change, then we can go.” Gage went into the bathroom while Dylan and I decided on where we should go eat.

  Things were back to normal between Gage and I, which was weird. I could not help but wonder what happened earlier, but there was no way was I going to ask. Sometimes things were better left unsaid, or unasked in this case.

  It didn’t take long for him to change, and in just a few minutes we were ready to go. In just a matter of minutes the crowd outside cleared to only a few people. Underground fighting did great business. Everyone knew when to leave so no one could get caught by the police—not that they could do anything about it.

  We made our way up the stairs. I was walking alongside them, happy to finally go eat. It was only a little after 6:30, so there were plenty of places open. At least it wasn’t too late, so we could eat then head back. With classes the next day, none of us wanted to stay out too late.

  Just when I started to think this night was going well, the moment I stepped outside the door I was suddenly pushed hard against the wall. I noticed then the three of us were surrounded by a group of guys. There looked to be about six of them, and with it getting dark I couldn’t see their faces all too well.

  I was being pressed against the wall of the building by Dylan while Gage stood a little bit ahead, staring at one of the guys. Six against three were not very good odds, and let’s be honest, it was two against six since I couldn’t do much.

  I could see Gage’s lips moving but that was it. It was like a switch had been flipped, making it silent. I couldn’t hear anything but a ringing in my ears. I didn’t hit my head, so I wasn’t sure what was going on. Words were being said between the men and Gage, but nothing reached my ears. I tried to open my mouth to talk but something stopped me. A little voice in the back of my head was telling me to shut up and be silent.

  Who are these guys? What is going on? What is Gage saying? All these questions ran through my mind quickly. A familiar numbness was taking over me. I knew this feeling. Panic. I was pretty certain I was going into shock. Why? I had no idea. It wasn’t like anything was going on yet.

  Just as I thought that, all hell broke loose. The guy in front of Gage started swinging, and instantly the rest of the men swarmed in.
It was like I was watching it in slow motion. One second everything seemed fine, and the next these guys were throwing punches at Gage.

  I was suddenly let go of as Dylan went over to aid Gage. Dylan threw his arm out and knocked some guy right in the side of the head, making him fall down instantly. If I wasn’t in such a state of shock, I would have been impressed with how good he was.

  I was pressed against the wall watching this all play out like a movie. It was almost like the fighting in front of me wasn’t real. When I looked for Gage, I noticed he was fighting multiple men, and the same went for Dylan. I watched as one guy came up toward Dylan’s back, his unguarded back. He was too busy fighting the guys in front of him that he didn’t seem to notice the other one coming up.

  It was then everything snapped back into focus. Sound reached my ears and the smacking of fists against flesh was all I heard. Instead of feeling numb, a newfound energy filled my veins. The guy kept creeping up on Dylan’s rear and knew I had to do something. If I didn’t, Dylan could get really hurt. Gage was too busy with his guys to notice as well.

  Not even thinking, I found myself dropping my clothes and pushing off the wall. Something inside of me bubbled up. Anger came up over me in waves. How dare they attack us!

  Without a second thought, I ran toward the guy coming up on Dylan and launched myself at him. Not thinking of myself, I entered the fight.

  Chapter Ten

  The moment I jumped on that guy’s back, everything seemed to happen so fast. I wrapped my arms around the guy’s neck tightly, as well as my legs. I hugged the guy like a koala bear, trying to distract him from getting at Dylan. The guy was taken by surprise by my weight thrown on top of him, and he wobbled for a second getting his footing. He jerked his head over his shoulder to look at me.