“Wasn’t your fault. Wasn’t anybody’s. Just an accident that could happen to any fighter when they step into the cage.”
“Are you in a good place now?”
“Yeah, I am,” I lie.
Having her around these past few weeks has gotten me the closest I’ve been in years, but I don’t think “good” is ever in the cards for me.
“Coach David helped me through the worst of it, and he wouldn’t let me quit the sport completely when I tried. I’ve had my ups and downs over the years, but I made peace with what happened a long time ago. It’s nothing for you to worry about.”
She goes quiet again, and I am more than content to lie here with her in my arms.
“What is your dream now?” she asks after a few moments.
“I don’t have one. I’m just trying to survive.”
“That’s no way to live. What do you want? Right now, in the moment.”
You.
“Right now, I want to finish our snacks and show you around the garden.”
“I think that can be arranged.”
She grabs a few more cookies and shovels them into her mouth like they’re the last thing she’ll ever eat.
“No need to rush. We have all afternoon, and I’d like to lay with you for a little while. Only if you want to, though. We can go explore.”
I start to get up, but she pushes me back down, giving me the cutest attempt at a mean mug as she does.
“I want. Now lie down so we can cuddle.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I tell her, and she lets out a content hum as she snuggles up against me.
I have to fight the urge to pull her tighter to me and relax with her in basking under the sunrays.
“That cloud looks like a chipmunk doing ballet.” Kori breaks the peaceful moment by pointing at a cloud.
It looks nothing like a chipmunk or any mammal, but I nod along anyway. She smiles and continues to point out the shapes she sees in the clouds. I’m not sure if she actually sees these things or if she’s just spitting out the first things that come to her mind. Either way, she finds joy in it, so I point to a cloud and ask for her input. From the look she gives me, you would think I gave her everything she’s ever wished for and more with that one question. Fuck me if my pride doesn’t grow; I put that look there, and I never want it to go away. I don’t care what it takes, I will give this woman the world because she deserves nothing less.
An idea strikes me like a bolt of lightning. I can’t give her a lot, but that doesn’t mean I can’t spoil her in my own way. There’s no way I can pull this off on my own, but this is what friends are for, right?
With Yellow thoroughly distracted by the clouds, I send a quick message to Morgan, laying out my idea and asking if he can help. His response is quick, and with that, my plans start to solidify. It’s not the world, but it’s a start.
Chapter 25
Kori
My phone buzzes as the bus comes to a jerking halt at the stop in front of the arch. I don’t need to check it to know that it’s Gage and that he’s probably wondering where I am. Still, I pull it out and shoot off a quick response, letting him know I’ll be there in a few minutes, and book it off the bus and down the street toward Cutter’s.
His gaze is on me the second I walk through the door, and like Medusa, that burning look turns me to stone. I swallow back nothing as my mouth goes completely dry from the intensity. In a few large steps, he’s out from behind the bar and closes the gap between us, looming over me as he crowds my space. Without a word, he cups my face and captures my lips in an earth-shattering kiss.
The move catches me completely off guard and turns my legs to jelly. This is not what I expected from him today. Yes, we’ve gone on a few dates over the past couple of weeks, and he calls me his girl, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he wants people to know we’re together. Things between us are so new, so it makessense that he might want to be cautious. Although I’m pretty sure that’s a non-issue now.
Cheering and whistling from the drunken patrons bring us back to reality. He pulls away enough to look at my face but stays in my bubble. If it were anyone else, I would hate it, but I’m coming to realize I am more than okay with having Gage nearby—which is a good thing because he wasn’t lying when he said he has no concept of personal space. Although he’s never this touchy with any of his friends. Maybe it’s only my space he likes to invade. He has stuck to me like glue at any given chance since we started going out.
“Is everything okay?” he asks in a hushed voice, loud enough for only me to hear.
“Yeah, I’m good. I couldn’t decide on what to wear and then had a bit of an eyeliner mishap.”
