Page 38 of Only You

Detroit

‘Good fight, tonight,’ a passer-by told Demir as the boxer relaxed in a booth.

The club Jack had taken him to was loud and energetic, a stark contrast to his current exhaustion.

Still, he accepted the shot placed in front of him and threw it back easily.

Glancing around the booth, he saw Jack talking to the owner on the other side of it, both on the literal edge of their seats.

A girl leaned her head on the owner’s arm, winking at Demir when she caught his eye.

He gave her a small nod before looking out over the crowd.

A singer crooned enthusiastically on a small stage as a band boomed behind her.

People danced and twisted around each other while servers weaved through them.

It took a minute, but he eventually spotted Selene on the side, dancing in the middle of the floor with a group of girls.

He wasn’t sure if they were her friends or people she met here; she had a knack for connecting with strangers. He seemed to be the only exception.

‘And my guy, D, here.’ Jack slapped Demir’s shoulder, and he held back a hiss, cutting his eyes at Jack. ‘He’s gonna be the next Jack Johnson. Tell me one other guy that has moves like him! Just one!’

‘Calm down, Jack. He’s a good fighter, I’ll give you that,’ the owner, Mackie, admitted. ‘But a sponsorship? You’re asking me for money I don’t have.’

‘Whoa, whoa,’ Jack raised his hands. ‘Not at all. Hell, with all the attention D’s getting, people will be filling up your club just to see him. After every fight there will be an after party here. It’s a win-win.’

‘The crowd doesn’t give a damn about an amateur,’ Mackie reasoned. ‘Look, he becomes pro, I’ll consider it, but right now, it’s a no.’ He slid out of the booth. ‘Drinks on me tonight, boys. Nora, keep the fighter company, will you?’ The owner winked at the girl, and she grinned.

Jack watched Mackie leave and cursed under his breath. ‘This is bullshit,’ he declared. ‘I’m getting us a bottle. He wants to ignore us, he can enjoy paying my tab.’ Jack stomped to the bar and Demir leaned his head back, closing his eyes.

When were they going to leave?

His eyes snapped open when he felt a hand on his arm, closely followed by the scent of cigar smoke and sweet perfume.

‘Don’t mind them,’ Nora told him, much closer than before. ‘Let them have their business while we celebrate your night.’

He chuckled. ‘Didn’t take you for the type that likes bruises,’ he teased lazily.

Nora gently touched his cheek. ‘Adds to the charm,’ she flirted before leaning in and kissing his neck.

Demir hummed at the touch, enjoying how soft she felt against his skin.

He turned his head, and her lips met his, resting his hand on her hip as Nora let him take control, slowly moving his hand down.

He didn’t realise how short her dress was until his hand met bare skin, giving him the opportunity to grip her thigh.

Not that she seemed to mind by the way she wrapped her arm around his neck.

There was a loud knock on the table, and someone obnoxiously cleared their throat. Demir pulled away abruptly.

‘What?’ he grumbled.

Selene stood at the edge of the table and gave him a cheeky wave. ‘Hate to break up the party,’ she said. ‘But Jack is outside with the car.’

‘We’re fine here, sugar,’ Nora answered for Demir.

Selene looked at her in surprise. ‘Oh, so you’ll give him a ride?’

Nora smirked. ‘One he’ll never forget.’ She winked and Selene’s eyes widened in shock. As much as she used her sex appeal, he was surprised she was taken aback by the innuendo.

‘Doubt it,’ she said steadily, returning her attention to Demir. ‘Stay or leave. I don’t care. I’m just letting you know we’ll be gone in a few minutes.’

As Selene walked up the stairs, Demir contemplated his options. He could walk or wait to catch an early morning train. However, he was farther from home than usual and the thought of being in bed in the next hour was too tempting. He sighed. ‘I should go.’

Nora’s mouth formed a pout, and he kissed it quickly, moving to leave. She caught his collar and reeled him back in. She gave him an intense but too-short kiss, pulling away slowly, her lipstick smudged and tantalising.

‘I’ll be here tomorrow,’ she said. ‘Come pick me up.’

He smirked before pressing a goodbye kiss to her cheek. ‘I’ll see you soon,’ he told her and slid out the booth. He exited the club to see Selene leaning against the car as Jack ranted. She looked as tired as he felt.

‘And he was this close— D! There you are,’ Jack said when he spotted the boxer. ‘What took you so long?’

‘Nora,’ Selene answered matter-of-factly as she dug into her purse and pulled out a handkerchief, holding it out to him. ‘You should wipe off the lipstick.’

‘Wait, he was busy with a girl, and you interrupted him?’ Jack asked Selene incredulously.

‘We were leaving,’ she defended.

‘Fuck that. You see me caught up with a girl, leave me,’ Jack chuckled, but it quickly died when he saw Selene’s scowl. ‘By a girl, I meant you, Sel. You know that.’ She pushed off the car and walked to the other side, climbing in the passenger seat. ‘Sel, come on. Sel!’

‘It’s late,’ she told him before slamming the door shut.

Jack growled in frustration but followed her as Demir slid into the back seat, leaning his head against the window. His eyes started to close, and the last thing he saw before dozing off was Jack reaching out for Selene’s hand.

She kept them in her lap.

Demir was weeks into picking up Selene and the routine was mundane at this point.

He worked out while she studied. He fought; she patched him up.

She went home with Jack. He met up with Nora.

There were no complaints, no more fights, and overall, very little conversation, which both sides were content with.

Now the only tension left was the only person that tied them together: Jack.

Every day, Jack worked at a garage till dark, calling everyone he could to set up matches, coaching and negotiating before and after every match for a place where Demir could regularly fight. It was good work but gruelling for everyone.

Especially as Jack’s temper got worse.

‘You have to make it stronger,’ he yelled for the umpteenth time.

Selene watched Demir snarl before loosening his gloves with his teeth, throwing them on the ground and spinning to Jack. ‘What are you talking about? I know what I’m fucking doing,’ the boxer yelled. ‘There’s no making it stronger! I make it “stronger”, I leave myself open.’

‘You make it stronger, we get one less round and extra cash,’ Jack snapped back. ‘Look, everyone knows you’re a fighter and a damn good one! You get in there with the best of the best around here, but it’s not enough. You heard what Mackie said. We need to get you to go pro now!’

‘Well, I can’t go pro anytime soon, not until the Golden Glove tournament in March,’ Demir told him.

‘Yeah, if we can scrape by until then,’ Jack said.

Selene grimaced as she remembered her and Jack pulling money together for the gas bill that morning.

It had been tight, but Selene had reached into her emergency fund to cover the last few dollars.

She had claimed that it was from some money he had given her a while back.

She doubted Jack would ever tell Demir that.

She wondered about the boxer’s bills as he narrowed his eyes at Jack.

‘What, you’re saying we can’t afford to keep doing this?’

‘I’m saying that extra cash can really help right now.’ Jack stuffed his hands in his pockets and Selene looked at him in suspicion. He only did that when he was about to give bad news. ‘Look, I went back and talked to Mackie. He agreed to give us some cash in exchange for fighting at his club.’

‘What?’

‘It would only be between fights, like an exhibition,’ Jack argued but Demir raised his hand, silently telling him to stop.

‘Jack, I know money’s tight, but I’m not getting my face bashed in by some random brawler for a few extra bucks!’

‘So, a few more fights aren’t worth twice the cash?’ Jack snapped. ‘We’re just supposed to slum it down here? Maybe you’re not smart enough to see how fucking stupid that is, but I am!’

‘The fuck did you say?’ Demir straightened, inches from his coach and a full head taller. If that wasn’t menacing enough, his arms bulged with tension as though he were moments away from knocking Jack’s head off.

‘Hey, guys,’ Selene called out. ‘Stop!’ The men continued to stare each other down, even when she tried to squeeze in between them, Demir only taking a step back when she pushed at his chest as hard as she could.

‘Both of you need to calm down now ,’ she snapped. ‘We’re getting nowhere like this.’

Demir rolled his eyes at her and stalked off to the other side of the room. ‘Where are you going?’ Jack demanded.

‘Piss off, Jack,’ he said over his shoulder. ‘Fuck you, you son of a bitch!’

‘Jack, stop before you don’t have a fighter,’ Selene hissed as the boxer left the building.

‘Maybe we should get a new one,’ he grumbled, walking over to the nearest punching bag and swinging his fist as hard as he could.

Selene placed a hand on his shoulder. ‘You don’t mean that,’ she said calmly.

He punched the bag again, watching it swing as he sighed. ‘I’m just tired of this shit.’ ‘I know,’ she whispered.

‘I have to fight for every little decision to happen. All this work, night and day, and not one person is listening. Nothing’s ever enough.’

‘Sounds a lot like Demir.’

‘The hell do you mean? He’s just acting scared.’

‘You want him to give more than he should and that’s not fair,’ she said gently.

‘He’s not scared either. And even if he were, that would be reasonable.

It’s risky taking on that many fights in a row.

And let’s say this works out. What if Mackie asks for more fights?

If he gives in to a ton of fights now, he’ll be too worn down by the tournament. ’