The Fighter's Block

by Hadley Quinn

  “You didn’t do or say anything, Dani,” he sighed. “It’s just something really juvenile, and I feel dumb even saying anything.”

  “It doesn’t matter if you think it’s juvenile or not. I think I should make things right.”

  He laughed because she was so sincere, but Dani didn’t understand it. Van even got a little ruffled by his friend’s sarcastic response and he was about to say something about it.

  “She saw your pictures, okay?” Paul finally said, even if it was just to keep Van from getting upset with him.

  “My pictures? What pictures?”

  “Your modeling stuff. You know, the magazines and shit. She saw some of ‘em, and ever since she’s just been kind of… I don’t know. I think you intimidate her. You make her feel self-conscious.”

  Dani didn’t know what to say. Somehow Marnie must have seen some of her previous work—she understood that much of it—but that’s what made her so abrasive toward her?

  She sat down on the couch and no one said anything at first. Van didn’t even know what the hell was going on because he didn’t know anything about any magazines. But he decided to just listen to the other two when Paul restarted the conversation.

  “I told you it was dumb,” he said. “She’s acting like she’s in high school and you beat her out for prom queen or something.”

  “I make her feel self-conscious?” Dani replied softly. She didn’t like having that kind of effect on people, but most importantly, she and Marnie used to be friends. Now, because of an airbrushed photo, they couldn’t be friends anymore?

  “I don’t know,” he shrugged. “But ever since she saw those pictures she’s been talking down about herself constantly.”

  “Which ad?” Dani asked.

  “The perfume one.”

  She paused briefly as she decided what to say. “Well, could you just tell her that those photos are totally airbrushed? And I had to wear a miracle bra just to give me a pair of boobs?”

  Both guys chuckled at that, even though Van knew she was beautiful just the way she was. Maybe Dani was just saying that to make Marnie feel better.

  “If I tell her that then she’ll know I told you,” Paul said. “But whatever. I’ll be sleeping on Cody’s couch anyways,” he said as he stood. “I’d better go see if he’s home.”

  “My couch is always open,” Van told him.

  Paul shook his head with a smile. “Nah, I don’t want to be anywhere near this love nest.”

  Chapter Ten

  Dani returned to Van’s apartment with a “no such luck” frown on her face. She shut the door behind her and joined him on the couch, lying next to him and snuggling close. He knew she was really disheartened about Marnie’s recent outburst, but he wished that she wasn’t. Marnie was just that way, and although he cared about his friend, he really didn’t think she deserved Dani’s friendship at the moment.

  “She’s really stubborn, D,” he finally told her. “Whenever she gets overemotional about something we usually just ride it out. That’s why Paul went straight to Cody’s. He knew there was no point even trying.”

  “Why would she be mad at me because of a stupid picture?” she basically asked herself for the fifth time. “She wouldn’t even talk to me at the door,” she mumbled, re-adjusting herself against Van. She slid her hand up his shirt, not even realizing it as she softly touched his skin.

  “If she knew how crazy my life was back then, she probably wouldn’t be so envious. I didn’t even lead my own life. My parents had me going from one thing to the next since I was too little to even remember. They didn’t even want me to go to college, and when I got so sick from trying to stay in a size two, I decided it just wasn’t the life for me. I wasn’t happy trying to be someone else, so I got healthy, enrolled myself in school, and aimed for a better life. That kind of world that my parents thrive in isn’t something Marnie should be envious of. I mean I understand what it all looks like, but for me it wasn’t exactly that glamorous. Sure the clothes were, and the people, but I’m happier now without all of that. That has to say something, right?”

  Van was listening to every word, and he was very sensitive to all that Dani felt, but at the same time he couldn’t help but smile at how friendly she was getting with him. She sometimes did that—became very touchy-feely when she was experiencing some kind of emotional issue. She was very affectionate.

  Van didn’t even need to offer any condolences or support—she obviously wasn’t expecting it when her hand slid into his shorts. She smiled as she kissed him, first on the lips and then his chest and stomach as she stroked his erection.

  “Is this the love nest that Paul was afraid of?” she asked him softly.

  Van only smiled as she removed her shirt and then returned to kiss him. He pulled her close, becoming more and more familiar with her movements and the way they worked together so well. It wasn’t the first time he imagined himself married to this beautiful girl, and as he enjoyed his time with her yet again, his need to have her permanently in his life became even clearer to him.

  He actually understood what Marnie meant about Dani’s intimidating presence. He himself had felt that when he first met her, and had things not worked out the way they had, he didn’t believe she would have given him the time of day. He wasn’t the greatest at hitting on girls in the first place, but this particular one was definitely out of his league and he’d sensed it right away.

  But what is it that makes a guy feel like he has a chance with someone like Dani? His pride? Arrogance? A sheer desire to have someone like her in his life?

  A situation that was out of the ordinary; the one thing that would have caused Van to act.

  That was it. Had Dani not been a victim that night, he would have never spoken a word to her. And for some reason, the two of them just seemed to work out the first night they met. At the time he’d worried that she would change her mind, but lo and behold, she stuck around and fell in love with him. And there was just enough balance to both of their lives to make a perfect fit. Now Van really believed in true love, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt their lives would be intertwined for good.

  “I’m going to ask Marnie to be mean to you more often,” Van joked when Dani positioned herself beside him on the floor.

  She lightly laughed. “You’re my motivation. I think I can express every emotion with you. But that’s the key. With you.”

  He cherished that thought as he remembered their first night together. It was passionate and hungry, but they went about it slowly and very tenderly. He wanted her to trust him, but there was a lot more emotion to it than he was expecting.

  “Whatcha thinking about, handsome?” she smiled, propping herself up on his sweaty chest.

  He touched her hair with his hand and replied, “Our first time together.”

  She smiled again but with surprise. “Me too.”

  “Oh yeah? And what thoughts were going through your mind about that glorious night?”

  She chuckled. “Well, for one I still can’t believe I was such a slut.”

  He laughed. “Yeah, me neither.”

  She scoffed and pretended to slap his face.

  “I was talking about myself,” he added, taking her hand and kissing it.

  “Oh.”

  “And for another? What else were you thinking?”

  She studied him for a few seconds, feeling emotion in her chest from how she felt about him. “I was thinking that I’ll never forget that night—how I felt with you and the connection we had. I never wanted it to end and I knew that I found a pretty amazing guy.”

  “And then you left me.”

  “I was scared.”

  “I know.”

  They were both quiet for a few seconds, Dani still remembering that night and the reasons that she did end up leaving in the morning, and Van was silently considering a step he’d been thinking about more and more lately.

  “If you—” “Dani, I—” they both began at once.
>
  They smiled at each other and Van said, “You first.”

  “No, you first.” He seemed pretty serious, and Dani was very interested in what he had to say.

  “Uh, I was just gonna head for the shower…”

  “Oh,” she replied, moving so she wasn’t stopping him.

  He was hesitant, knowing full well that a shower hadn’t been his intention, but he decided it was just as well. It wasn’t exactly the most romantic moment lying there half-naked on the floor.

  Van was determined to give Dani everything she deserved, and a half-assed, spur-of-the-moment proposal wasn’t what he had in mind. While he was in the shower he did think about his future with her, but he had no idea what he even had to offer her. Sure she was content living in his one-bedroom apartment temporarily, but is that really what she would be happy with? And what about the other factors in his life—his convict father, his drug dealing brother, and a sister he couldn’t track down? What if he decided to fight again like he wanted to? Would she be accepting of that?

  There he went, questioning everything again. Dani told him not to do that, especially since they’d already discussed his family issues and the worries he had about it affecting her life. She told Van she loved him for who he was and even from where he came. She wanted him to accept the same about her, so it was an agreement that was made between the two of them.

  But the other factors—where they lived and the fight club—hadn’t been discussed yet. And Brian was still an issue, whether Dani wanted to believe it or not. Van knew he didn’t just disappear—not a guy with that much ego—and he was worried about how Brian was going to strike next. He didn’t know what Brian’s deal was, but Van was sure they hadn’t seen the last of him.

  And if Van asked Dani to marry him, would it make Brian back off for good?

  Or would it only fuel the fire…

  ***

  “Okay, before you say anything, just let me get through this,” Marnie said as soon as Dani picked up the phone. “I’m really sorry for being such a bitch—I just get like that, I really do. And there’s not even a reason half the time— I’m a Jersey girl; I have a short temper and an attitude that scares even my own mother. And she’s a mean lady. Will you forgive me, Dani? I just want to move on and be friends again.”

  “Of course I forgive you. Everyone’s entitled to a full-out assault for no reason at all.”

  Marnie laughed, glad Dani was bold enough to say such a thing to her. But she did say, “Oh, you haven’t even seen full-out assault, honey…”

  The two talked for a few minutes until Marnie had to head out for work. Dani was already in the middle of some work on her computer when Marnie had called, so she returned to the current project. It was a Sunday, not her normal workday, but Van was at work and she really didn’t have much else to do. She wanted to go to the store to get some groceries, but she had promised Van that she wouldn’t even do that on her own. He was still worried about Brian, and even though she felt like he was no longer an issue, she wanted to respect her boyfriend’s wishes.

  Jaime called an hour later. “I think I have an idea to get information about Van’s sister.”

  “Really? What is it? Because I’m at a dead end and I—”

  “You probably won’t do it.”

  “Do what? Just tell me.”

  “I’ve got a couple hours of freedom. Wanna go to lunch with me?”

  “Definitely.”

  It was perfect. She’d get a great idea from Jaime and get some grocery shopping done.

  As soon as Dani was in her sister’s car she asked, “What’s the idea? How can I find Leah?”

  “You’re not going to like it.”

  “I’m not sleeping with anyone to get information.”

  “See, I told you you wouldn’t like it.”

  “What? Are you kidding me?”

  Jaime laughed. “I don’t really know.”

  Dani gave her a look that clearly said, “Give me the damn idea already.”

  “Okay, so Steve has this friend—”

  “Oh God, you really aren’t kidding.”

  Jaime laughed. “I don’t even have a plan, Dani, I’m just giving you a start.”

  “Okay fine, keep going.”

  “His name is Salvatore—”

  “Honestly!” Dani groaned.

  Jaime smiled but continued with, “He’s a social worker, D. I don’t know, maybe you could make friends with him somehow. Maybe you could convince him to help you out.”

  “He’s a total perv, isn’t he?”

  “He just… Well, he does like the ladies.”

  “And he’s grotesque and thinks he actually has a chance with them.”

  “Pretty much. But he’s not really grotesque until you hear his pickup lines.”

  Dani chuckled sarcastically. “I can’t wait.”

  “So you’ll do it? You’ll go out with him?”

  “Wait, you didn’t already set me up with him, did you—?”

  “No, no,” she replied, shaking her head. “I wanted to run it by you first.”

  Dani took a moment to think about it. “Van would have a cow. I can’t do it, Jaime. And I don’t want to do it.”

  “It’s for Van. Just think about how happy he’ll be when you find his sister.”

  “Yes I know, but to go out with another guy in order to do it?”

  “Oh God, it’s not like you’re actually going to have sex with him!” she scoffed. “Are you?”

  “No! Are you kidding me!?”

  “Okay, okay, just checking…”

  Dani sighed. It was just a date, right? Just a meet and greet, possibly a Q & A about this and that… She could do that, right? And it really was for a good cause…

  “If he’s a friend of Steve’s, why can’t he just ask him for a favor?” she had to ask.

  “Well, they aren’t exactly friends anymore.”

  “What? Then how exactly will you set me up on a date with him? Like he’d take the recommendation from an ex friend.”

  “I know, which is why it will have to be completely accidental. You know, right place and right time?”

  “What? No, that would be way too much scheming.”

  “Scheming? How is that different than me setting you up with him?”

  “How would I even pull it off? I’m not an actress, Jaime!”

  “Sure you are. Remember all those years you pretended to love modeling? And how well you lied to Casey, insisting you didn’t have an eating disorder?”

  “I miss Casey,” she frowned.

  “Stick to the task at hand, Dani. You’re going to find Van’s sister.”

  “I’m going to find Van’s sister.”

  “That’s the spirit, sis. So here’s what I suggest…”

  ***

  Dani looked at herself in the rearview mirror one last time.

  “You look fine, ma chère,” Jaime said.

  “I know I do, but I’m just trying to live with myself right now.”

  Jaime groaned but laughed. “It’s going to be okay, Dani. A room full of people in his parents’ restaurant, a pretend friend to help you through it… It will be great.”

  “You sure this Leslie chick is up for this?”

  “Oh, definitely. She is an actress—a great one—and she’s looking forward to this.”

  “And remind me once again why she’s at a family gathering with the Delatorre’s? See, I’m already forgetting everything!”

  “No, you’re not. Leslie’s sister is married to Mario Delatorre. Sal is her brother-in-law.”

  “And she hates him.”

  “Yes. In fact, she had some great ideas that she wanted to—”

  “Oh, God.”

  “Okay, okay, just stick to the plan.”

  “Yeah, but will she?”

  “Uh, I hope so.”

  “What?”

  “Just kidding…”

  Dani felt even more unsure of what she was about to do, but there was
no time to back out. Leslie appeared at the car that very second and Dani’s scene was up. Yep, she and Leslie were “long time friends” and it wasn’t a big deal at all that they’d be at Italiano during the family’s traditional Sunday gathering. She hoped to God that nothing went amiss because of her little deception that night.

  Leslie began chatting away with her like they really were besties from high school. She was talking about other pretend friends as they entered the restaurant and sat down at a table of her choice. She waved and said hello to a few people that she knew, including a large table of Italians that were obviously her sister’s in-laws.

  And there he was. Salvatore. Dani could even tell by the way he was looking at her. And because of the way he undressed her with his eyes, she wanted to light him on fire. But she smiled shyly and returned her attention back to Leslie.

  “Well that was perfectly played,” Leslie murmured casually with a smile. “Do it again in about ten seconds. It’s all it will take.”

  “You’re kidding me.”

  “Nope, unfortunately I’m not.”

  “You aren’t really going to leave me alone with him, are you?”

  “That’s the plan, sweetie. I’ll go talk to my sister for a bit, and he’s all yours.”

  “Oh, fantastic,” she replied dryly. She took a sip of her water and glanced at the far table again. Yep, he was still staring at her, and he even added a little shrug of his eyebrows to go along with his pervy smile.

  “I’ll be back in a few minutes,” Leslie smiled, standing up from the table.

  Well, here goes nothing, Dani thought. She re-crossed her legs the other direction and then cast another flirty smile towards her admirer. I hate myself right now, she growled silently.

  Ten seconds later she heard, “Why hello there,” and a very confident, very horny Italian stood at her side. “I must say, and I say this never, that you are the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes upon.”

  He reached for her hand to kiss it, and Dani forced a smile to keep down the vomit.

  “Thank you, that’s very kind of you,” she replied softly, deliberately sugar coating it French-style.

  “Oh my, French perfection right before my eyes. I am Salvatore.”