Page 46 of Only You

Detroit

‘Knock, knock.’

Demir looked up from where he sat lounging on Jack’s couch to see Nora standing in the doorway.

Dressed to the nines, she wore a floor-length, satin pink gown with a matching coat and a pair of chandelier earrings that gleamed in the low light.

‘There you are.’ She stepped inside and knelt by his side.

‘You look nice.’

‘I thought I’d recreate the surprise you could’ve gotten if you’d come to the club the other night,’ she said, stroking his face. ‘That was one hell of a fight.’

‘Shoulda seen the other guy.’ He sat up slowly, making room for her on the couch.

‘I did.’ Nora giggled. ‘He needed a few more stitches than you.’ Her hand hovered over his ribs as though unsure.

‘I wouldn’t do that.’ The couple turned to see Selene enter the room. ‘He’s still healing. You could aggravate something if you’re not careful.’

‘And you’re what? His doctor?’

Selene smirked. ‘Actually, I am. Nice to see you again, Nora.’

‘It’s always a pleasure to see Jack’s girl,’ Nora said. Selene pursed her lips in displeasure. ‘Well, don’t worry. I’ll make sure that your prized fighter is in the best of shape.’

‘Sure.’ Selene cut her eyes towards Demir before walking out of the room.

Nora scoffed. ‘She likes to hover.’ She sat on the couch next to Demir, mindful to leave some space.

‘She’s just cautious. She’s seen some shit.’

‘Well as long as she’s not getting too close…’ Nora laid her head on his shoulder, her voice practically a purr. ‘I missed you yesterday.’

‘I’ve missed you, too,’ Demir responded almost automatically. ‘Wish I got a chance to see you in this dress earlier.’

‘Well, you have time now,’ she whispered, scooting closer.

Demir put his arm on the back of the couch. ‘I’m still healing up.’

‘We don’t have to do what we usually do.’ Nora shrugged. ‘We can just… talk. I’m really interesting, even with my clothes on.’

‘And yet clothes off is so tempting,’ Demir teased, leaning towards her. He stopped short as pain shot through his back, groaning as he leaned back.

Nora giggled, moving closer until she was hovering over him. ‘I think that’s out of the question.’ She stroked his face, quickly kissing his lips. He moaned quietly against the touch, leaning into her. ‘But we can stay like this for a little while.’

‘And talk,’ he reminded her, her eyes lighting up as she grinned.

‘And talk,’ she repeated before leaning down, so her lips met his again.

‘So, you and Nora are together now,’ Selene said on their next walk.

They were circling the block so they could both stretch their legs. Demir was looking a bit better after a couple of weeks of rest, but his movements were still careful. The exercise was good for him and the perfect time to ask the question that had been burning in her mind all weekend.

Demir shrugged. ‘No more than before.’

‘Wait, you’re not?’ Selene raised a brow. ‘That’s surprising.’

‘We don’t take things seriously,’ he said.

She snorted. ‘Okay, that’s not surprising for either of you.’ Demir shook his head in amused exasperation before flicking her nose. Glaring, she tried to slap his arm, but he dodged.

She scowled. Sometimes, she hated that he was so agile. ‘Don’t be a snob,’ he told her.

‘You’re the one saying she’s for play, not me,’ she snapped.

‘What’s with you?’ he asked with furrowed brows. ‘I thought you and Nora were friends. You’re always talking at the club.’

Selene sneered but said nothing. No matter how it appeared, all she and Nora had to discuss was business, and she wanted to keep it that way.

Between dipping into her emergency fund to secure the new fighters and juggling everyone’s expectations, she didn’t have the energy to hide her disdain.

She highly doubted the dancer cared for her opinion; clearly, she did not like Selene either.

Meanwhile, Selene was trying to keep everything together and clearly none of the men in her life appreciated it. As per usual, she was the one bearing all the criticism. She and Nora both had the same slick mouth, but she was the one getting scolded? Give her a break.

‘Did you know that Nora’s travelled to Europe? She regularly writes to her friends in Paris,’ Demir continued. ‘She also works at several clubs, making enough money to live downtown. Mackie’s is just her favourite.’

‘So what?’

‘Maybe you should talk to her instead of judging her. After all, she’s living her life by her own rules. Isn’t she doing what you wanna do?’

‘For the love of…’ She rubbed her temples to fight against the burgeoning headache.

‘I saw your hustle back at the old gym, how you would patch up the opponents first after fights for extra money. You don’t do that now.’

‘What can I say, boxers can be dangerous,’ she replied coolly, her anger turning sombre. They were both silent. Some days, she could still feel his fingers digging into her neck. ‘He was one of my first clients, you know.’

Demir tilted his head curiously.

‘The guy who cornered me at the gym. He tried to flirt with me when I patched him up, but he was so out of it, I thought nothing of it. And then…’

‘I’m sorry,’ he said softly, regret filling his voice.

I bet , she thought with a scowl. She didn’t need his pity.

‘I can dislike Nora all I want,’ Selene continued. ‘She won’t care. So, leave it alone.’ She looked at Demir long and hard before continuing to walk. He didn’t try to catch up, opting to trail behind until they found their way back to the car.

Everyone in Jack’s apartment gathered around the radio, eager to hear the Sugar Ray Robinson fight.

While Demir usually preferred to listen to fights by himself, he couldn’t deny that he was having a good time as people leaned closer to the radio in anticipation.

He also found himself enjoying the way Nora held his hand, her body trembling in excitement.

‘ Rubio throws a hook and misses. Robinson counters. Rubio goes down! ’

Jack’s friends cheered loudly, some arguing about bets made earlier in the night as their conversations drowned out the radio.

‘Shut up!’ Jack turned up the volume.

‘ That’s it! Rubio is down for the count. Robinson wins! ’

The cheers returned and Demir joined in as Nora jumped up, hugging people randomly before coming back. She planted a kiss on his lips that was more of a smile than anything, but he returned it all the same.

He smirked. ‘Having fun?’

‘Tons,’ she replied and pecked him on the lips again. ‘Now, time to get my money from Stella. Stella, don’t think I forgot!’ Nora shuffled off to the kitchen, following one of her friends.

Demir relaxed, settling against the couch.

News about the WWII aftermath started to come through, but someone switched to a music station.

A couple of guys moved the chairs and dining table from the middle of the room, creating an impromptu dance floor.

A few of the girls pulled their dates to the floor and started jiving, their legs moving lightning quick.

Chatter rose around him, some people playing cards in the corner as they smoked while others seemed caught in a debate of one philosophy or the other.

Surprised Selene isn’t over there .

Just as the thought crossed his mind, she appeared from another room.

She sat on Jack’s lap, whispering in his ear, making him laugh as he wrapped his arm around her waist. Demir quickly turned away, not wanting to feel what he always felt when he saw the couple.

He didn’t have to linger on his own thoughts for long though, as Nora came stumbling back into the room with a glass of wine.

She took a long gulp and fell on the couch, glazed eyes staring at him.

‘I wish…’ she started before falling silent.

He turned towards her and tugged at a curl that had escaped from its bun. ‘Wish what?’

She blinked a couple times, her eyes clearing up as she straightened. ‘I wish you would dance with me,’ she said quickly, plastering a forced smile on her face. ‘Dance with me, D.’

‘Oh no,’ he protested as she grabbed his hands. ‘I’m better here.’

‘Oh, come on. You’re all healed up and no one’s gonna care if you’re not good. Everyone’s drunk anyway. Just one little dance for me.’

‘I’m fine, Nora,’ he told her, pulling his hands out of her grip.

‘Of course, you are,’ she said, lips pursed as she sat back down. ‘What does that mean?’

She scoffed. ‘Of course, you’re fine with us doing nothing,’ she elaborated. ‘It’s what we always do. Oh, except sex. You always have time and energy for that.’

‘Yeah, well, so do you,’ he shot back. ‘I don’t get it. You never had a problem before. What’s wrong now?’

‘What’s wrong is that we’ve been at this for six months,’ she snapped.

‘It’s not just a casual thing for me anymore.

You know I care about you. We talk. We’re getting to know each other.

You’re telling me you don’t want more than this?

’ Nora stared at him baffled. ‘When are you gonna take me on a real date, D? When is it gonna be more than just the club or parties or random nights spent together? When are you gonna be in this for real?’

‘I never asked for any of that. I haven’t changed, so why are you expecting something different?’ he defended. ‘Look, Mackie asked you to keep me company for one night. No one forced you into this.’

‘Wow.’ She shook her head, blinking back tears. ‘You’re awful. Just like the rest of them.’

‘Sure,’ he said passively as he got up. ‘Where are you going?’

He ignored her and grabbed his jacket from the back of the couch, shrugging it on. He headed up to the roof.

The distant skyline twinkled, feeling impossible to reach as Demir leaned on the edge, brooding in the dark by himself.

He wished he could be the same. This was the reason he avoided people; the expectations that came with them were unbearable.

He patted his pocket, sighing when he realised it was empty. ‘Fuck.’