Dirty Roomie

by Alycia Taylor

  “Blind as a bat in one eye, sadly. No more competing for me.”

  “But he still trains with me,” Ryan said. “And trust me, the lack of vision has done nothing to slow him down.”

  I could see that the two of them were good friends and it was nice to see him stand up for Nick.

  “So, you definitely won’t fight again?” I asked Nick.

  He shook his head. “No. I’d love to. But I’m not going to risk losing both eyes. Anyway, my new job is to kick Ryan’s ass in training and get him ready for the competitions.”

  I grinned at Ryan. “Good friend! And you’re doing so well. You keep winning! Oh, did you see that interview with that Prowl guy? I was watching it before coming over.”

  “Sadly, I saw it. So did Nick. The guy is an idiot.”

  “Yeah, he seems like one. And was it just me, or was that news reporter all over him? She was practically drooling. Personally, all I could see were his crooked teeth.”

  Ryan burst out laughing. “Same here. He’s not a nice guy. But it’s okay; time will come for him. When I heard that interview, I wanted to challenge him to a fight immediately, but Nick here convinced me not to.”

  “It’s all about the timing,” Nick said. “He needs to recover. And once he’s ready, I’ll set him out to get that guy.”

  “Good thinking. Listen to your friend,” I said to Ryan. Then I turned to Katie. “I’m sorry. So much fight talk. Katie isn’t really into fighting. But she’s into food, so I convinced her to come to the restaurant.”

  Nick grinned. “I love a girl that’s into food.” He started talking to her and seemed to be flirting with her until she mentioned Chris and his smile faltered.

  We ordered food and tried to keep the topic away from fighting as much as we could for Katie’s sake. But she was being a good sport about it and even asked a few questions here and there to seem interested. I was sure that she would much rather talk about the fact that she was going to have a baby. I would have to go out with her sometime soon to make up for the night. Nick and Ryan were very nice though and kept asking Katie about herself or asking me about my acting. And we talked a lot about the movie that I had been doing in Wyoming. He was just as easy to talk to as I had remembered him to be.

  “Okay, the food was delicious,” Katie said when the waiter pulled the plate away.

  “Yeah, I’m surprised. I didn’t think it would be this good, to be honest,” Ryan said. “So, are you staying for the fight?” he said to me.

  “I am, but Katie is going home. She was kind enough to come to dinner with me, but I’m not going to put her through a night of fighting.”

  “Fair enough. Nobody should have to do something that they don’t want to. And if you don’t like watching fights on TV, you will hate it in real life,” he said to Katie. Then he turned to me. “Do you want to join us? We’re both going to watch, and it would be nice to have you there.”

  I grinned. I couldn’t think of anything better than watching a fight with a fighter. It was like a dream come true for me. Also, I wouldn’t have to watch the fight alone now. “Yeah, that sounds great.”

  Afterward, I said goodbye to Katie, who whispered something into my ear that sounded like ‘be careful, ’ but I couldn’t be too sure because it was so loud inside. Then I made my way over to the fighting arena with Ryan and Nick. It was fun watching the two of them together. They were constantly teasing one another and making jokes about who was the better fighter. And it was interesting to hear them commentate on the guys in the ring. I learned a lot more from standing next to them throughout the fight than I did when I watched it on the TV. We didn’t get a chance to talk to one another much, and when we did, it was only about what was going on in front of us. But it was nice seeing Ryan again.

  When we stepped out into the open air, we all laughed at how quiet it suddenly seemed. We hadn’t realized just how loud it was inside the arena until that moment.

  “That was fun,” I said to the guys. “Nice to get an insider look at the whole thing. It’s put a lot of things into perspective for me.”

  “It was fun. And it was great seeing you again, Blaire. Do you want a lift home?”

  I shook my head and pointed to my car. “My car is here. But thank you.”

  Ryan looked at Nick as if he were trying to decide whether to say his next words or not, and then eventually turned toward me. “Any chance you’re free tomorrow night? I’d love to take you out for some dinner. Without Nick,” he added.

  “Hey!” Nick said. “I’m hurt.” But I could see he was smiling.

  I chuckled. “I’d love that.”

  Chapter Seven

  Ryan

  Sunday was gearing up to be a good day, despite a lurking headache. My training session was planned for the afternoon, so I had the whole morning to just relax, and it was going to be followed by dinner with the beautiful Blaire.

  I got up earlier than I would’ve liked, but I stayed in bed regardless, just enjoying doing nothing for a change. From what I had noticed over the past few years, the Maxwell brothers were not good at doing nothing. Brady was the worst. He was up before the sun each day and worked until he was exhausted. But I knew that rest was just as important as training, so I lay there for as long as I could. When I eventually got up, I was craving a cup of coffee, but my head was getting worse. So I crushed an Advil into my morning cup and stopped worrying about it.

  I spent the morning watching TV and loafing around until it was time for the training. I got there early and watched a few of the other guys train in the meantime. They kept looking at me and asking me for advice, which I thought was nice. Not so long ago I had been the one desperate for advice from others.

  When Nick walked in, he wanted to make himself some tea before training.

  “You’re becoming an old man,” I said to him, although I agreed to a cup when he offered it to me.

  “Tea is not just for old men,” he said.

  “You’re right. It’s for old women, too.”

  He looked at the cup that I was holding in my hand and laughed.

  “Oh yeah? So what does that make you?”

  I shook my head. “I’m going to have to have a beer after training to make up for this. I can’t believe I’m drinking tea while waiting for our training to start. It doesn’t feel right.” I took a sip of the tea and groaned. “And it bothers me even more that this tastes so good.”

  “So, dinner tonight with the sexy Blaire? I was so sad to see that Katie was married. She was cute.”

  “Yeah, she was. And something tells me she’s the type of girl that would enjoy tea.”

  He laughed. “Nothing wrong with that, my friend. So, are you looking forward to tonight? It’s not often that you meet a girl that’s into fighting like she is. She doesn’t come across like a celebrity would, don’t you think?”

  I nodded. I’d thought the same thing. “Yeah. I think that’s why she’s not so recognized when she goes out. She’s so down to earth. People probably just think that she’s a girl that looks like the real Blaire Kaplan.”

  “I looked her up, by the way.”

  “What? You stalked her?”

  “I sure did. She’s actually been in a few movies that I’ve seen. She’s not usually the main role; that’s why I didn’t remember who she was. But she’s a good actress.”

  “You’re such a creep,” I said.

  “Oh, don’t tell me you didn’t do the same.”

  “Not a chance,” I said and took a sip of my tea so that he couldn’t see the smile on my face. Of course, I’d looked her up. Wouldn’t anyone do the same?

  We finished our tea and climbed into the ring for our practice. Nick had a lot of things that he wanted to show me that he’d been researching. Now that he wasn’t competing, he was spending a lot of time on the internet looking up famous fighters and their techniques. He said he wanted to focus on getting me ahead of the game.

  “If I can’t fight then I might as well make sure t
hat you can. I’ll be living through you,” he said.

  I was impressed with how much he’d learned. He showed me a few things that I hadn’t ever thought of before, and by the end of our training session, I felt more ready than ever before to fight again. After spending time in the ring, we made our way over to the machines. The training facility was almost like a gym. It had the same equipment, but it was not open to the general public. We did an hour of training, following a program that we were now a few weeks into. It was a program that we’d found online and had been following religiously ever since.

  “That was fun,” I said to him when we were done.

  He laughed. “Only people like us would call two hours of training fun.”

  “They don’t know what they’re missing out on,” I said and grinned. “And thanks for all the support today, Nick. I like having you on my side.”

  “No worries. Okay, let’s hit the shower.”

  “I’m just going to shower at home,” I said. “I need—”

  But I didn’t get a chance to finish. A reporter had somehow made his way into the training center and was headed my way. I recognized him from the TV, but couldn’t for the life of me remember his name.

  “Ryan Maxwell. Good to see you. I’m Terry Winter from Arc TV. I just wondered if you had any comments about what The Prowl was saying about you the other day?”

  “The Prowl? Does he not realize what a silly name that is?” I said and laughed. “Although I’m not surprised he calls himself that at all. The guy is all talk and no action if you ask me. You want to know my thoughts about his comments? I say bring it on. If he wants to fight me, then let him fight me. I’m not scared of a guy like him.”

  “Does that mean you don’t think he’s the best fighter in the world?” Terry asked.

  “No, I don’t think so.”

  “And who, in your opinion, is the best fighter in the world?”

  “You’re looking at him,” I said and smiled.

  When the reporter was gone, Nick came up to me with a look of disappointment on his face.

  “I’m sorry,” I said. “But what was I supposed to say? I have to stick up for myself you know.”

  “You shouldn’t be worrying about anyone other than yourself right now. I can’t believe you’d give in so easily just because of your pride. You’re only giving in to what he wants; don’t you realize that?”

  I shook my head. “Ah, it doesn’t matter. I just wanted him to see that I wasn’t scared of him. Now, I better get going. I have a dinner to get ready for,” I said and flashed him a smile.

  Nick shook his head but didn’t say anything.

  I got home later than I had expected and quickly showered and made my way to the restaurant. Blaire was meeting me there, and I hoped that she would be late too. But when I arrived, I saw that she was already waiting for me. She looked absolutely beautiful in a little green sundress.

  “I’m so sorry I’m late,” I said to her. “You look beautiful, by the way.”

  “Thank you,” she said, and I remembered she had something green on the last time I saw her too. It suited her. “And don’t worry about being late’ it’s only ten minutes.”

  “I’m not usually late, though. A reporter surprised me at the training center just before I was leaving.”

  “Oh yeah? Don’t tell me it was Drooly MacDrool?” she said.

  I burst out laughing. “Oh no, she’s only into The Prowl, she wouldn’t interview me. It was Terry Winter; not sure if you know him?”

  “Terry Winter. Ah, yes, the guy with more hair on his face than on his head?”

  I chuckled. “You’re funny. Yeah, that one.”

  “Hope he was nice to you.”

  “He just wanted to know what I thought about The Prowl’s comments.”

  “Oh dear. What did you say?”

  I pulled a guilty face. “I might have told him that I was not afraid at all and that I welcomed a fight. I also may or may not have said that I was the best fighter in the world.” As the words came out of my mouth, I groaned. “I now realize why Nick was so mad at me. I just got caught up in the moment.”

  She laughed. “That’s okay. The Prowl deserves it.”

  The waiter arrived, and we ordered a bottle of wine to share, and a bowl of pasta each. I’d been looking forward to a beer all day, but the waiter convinced us that the wine went perfectly with the meal. And at that moment, I didn’t really care. A glass of anything alcoholic after a training session always went down well.

  “I can’t believe I’m ordering pasta,” she said.

  “Why not? What’s wrong with pasta?”

  She raised her eyebrows. “You clearly don’t know much about the acting world,” she said.

  “No, why? What has that got to do with pasta?”

  “Oh, us actors simply must retain our figures, you know. Salads are a big thumbs up, and pasta a big thumbs down.”

  “Actually, I remember Sloan telling me the same thing. She came over for dinner at my brother’s place when I was in Wyoming. She was eating bread and telling us how she would never do the same in New York.”

  She chuckled. “That sounds about right. And yet when we were in Wyoming, neither of us cared. There was something about that sort of lifestyle that made us forget that we were supposed to be upholding this image.”

  “And now? You’re not in Wyoming anymore. Have you decided not to care?” I asked. I hoped so.

  “I don’t know. Maybe. I’m starting to realize that there’s more to life than just worrying about what I eat. And if people want to judge me for that, then so be it. Let them judge away.”

  “Good for you. People will judge no matter what you do. They’ll always find something to say. So, how did you get to be so into fighting? Did you do it for a role or something?”

  “No. I wish! That would be an amazing film to be a part of. Actually, my father was into it. He didn’t fight or anything, but he used to love watching it. I used to sit and watch it with him every Saturday afternoon. I used to look so forward to it. We’d make a batch of popcorn, and he’d have a beer, and I’d get a juice that looked like beer, and we’d spend time together watching the fights.”

  “He sounds like a fun guy,” I said.

  “He was.”

  “Oh. I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be. Every time I watch a game now, I think of him. He would be so excited to know that I’m having dinner with you.”

  After that, the conversation turned to lighter topics. She asked me a lot about the training, about Nick, and about the previous fights, and she told me a bit about what life was like as an actress.

  “It’s sort of similar, I guess, what we do.”

  “How’s that?” I asked.

  “Well, in a way, don’t you feel like you’re acting when you’re competing? You’re playing a role. Because it’s not like you walk around beating people up all day in your regular life.”

  I laughed. “I’ve never thought of it like that. But yeah, I guess you’re right.”

  After dinner, we made our way back to our cars. We’d both parked pretty far from each other, so I walked with her back to hers.

  “Tonight was fun, thanks for coming. And . . . I’m sorry I didn’t call you, by the way. I knew you were filming and I wasn’t sure when you were going to get back to Los Angeles. I thought it would be better to just wait awhile.”

  She laughed. “It’s okay. Honestly. And yeah, tonight was fun. Thanks for inviting me.”

  “So, would you like to come back to my place?” I asked. I had no problem with being forward with girls. I always figured that if you didn’t ask, you didn’t get. And, for the most part, the women I’d asked before always seemed to appreciate my honesty.

  “Not this time. I have a date with my bed now,” she said.

  I couldn’t help but be taken aback by her answer. I hadn’t expected her to say no to me. No woman had ever turned me down for sex before. And we both knew that it was what I was askin
g her for. And yet, despite this, she had chosen going to sleep over sleeping with me. Part of me felt annoyed by it, and part of me felt intrigued.

  She leaned in and kissed me on the cheek.

  “Good night, Ryan,” she said.

  I smiled. “Good night, Blaire,” I said and watched her drive off.

  I walked back to my car feeling confused and slightly aroused. If there was one thing that I liked most, it was a challenge. And getting Blaire Kaplan into bed with me was one that I would happily take on.

  Chapter Eight

  Blaire

  It was nice having a break from acting after the month in Wyoming, but when I got a call from my agent asking me to come in and see him, I couldn’t help but feel excited. I was aware how important it was to keep the roles coming. I wasn’t a big enough actress yet to be able to take off too much time. I was hoping I’d get some good offers once the cowboy movie came out, but that wasn’t going to be for a while. For now, I needed some more work to come my way.

  My agent’s office was near Katie’s place of work. She worked as a graphic designer for a well-known company in the middle of the city. I called her the moment I hung up with the agent.

  “Free for lunch?” I asked.

  “Ooh, yes! Good timing too. I have a very boring sandwich with me today that I’m not in the mood for, and there’s this new café that everyone is talking about.”

  “Perfect. I have a meeting with my agent at eleven. I’ll call you as soon as I’m done. Where is the café?”

  “Literally next to my office. I’ll meet you there.”

  My agent was Reggie Grant, and while he looked nothing like Hugh Grant, he liked to tell me that they were related in a previous past time. I highly doubted it. Reggie was fairly short, with a wide girth and an unfortunate lack of hair despite being only in his forties. What little hair he did had was pushed over his head in an attempt of presence. But he wasn’t fooling anyone, and it only made him look worse. But, despite his outward appearance, he was a good agent. If it wasn’t for him, I never would’ve gotten the cowboy film.