Page 48 of Only You

Detroit

Demir struck the punching bag, darting around as he worked on his speed. He’d been lagging in his last few fights and was tired of getting hit when it could be avoided. Stepping back from the bag, he practised several different combinations.

From the corner of his eye, he could see Selene talking on the gym’s phone.

He couldn’t hear her, but hand on her hip, she kept gesturing the same way she always did when she argued with Jack.

Clearly, they weren’t having a good day.

Shaking his head, he focused on the punching bag.

With another fight around the corner, this wasn’t the time to be distracted.

The sun sank lower as he practised, arm aching, throat parched. Sweat dropped off him as he went to get his water bottle. Selene was sitting next to his bag, but he said nothing while taking off his gloves.

Much like their first month together, they didn’t really speak anymore. He wished he could go back to when their silence was to avoid agitation. Now, it was chock-full of questions he couldn’t bring himself to ask.

Digging into his bag, he found the bottle and took a long gulp before wiping his mouth.

He ignored the way Selene’s eyes lingered on him.

‘Jack can’t make it today. He’s checking out some new fighter Mackie told him about, an Italian he’s been doing business with. He’s trying to get in good with the coaches to see if they rig fights.’

‘Jack the Spy,’ Demir replied dryly. ‘Go figure.’

‘Yep. He also said he found a sparring guy that should be here tomorrow to help.’

Demir nodded as he started to pack his things. She slid off the seat, following suit. ‘You can, um, drop me off at Jack’s.’

He opened his mouth to agree when Selene’s stomach growled. Her eyes widened as she covered her face in embarrassment. ‘I skipped lunch,’ she explained, refusing to look at him.

Chuckling, he closed his bag. ‘Then, we’ll go get something to eat before I drop you off.’ ‘Demir… we don’t have to—’

‘Jack would kill me if he knew I let you starve,’ Demir reasoned. ‘Besides I’m hungry too, and this makes things easier.’

‘Right. Guess easy won’t be so bad,’ she said reluctantly.

‘Good.’ He nodded towards her stuff. ‘Get your books and let’s go.’

They found a diner around the corner from Jack’s place. The food was good and the coffee decent, so they didn’t have much to complain about. Or at least, Demir didn’t; Selene always found something to fuss over. As to why it no longer bothered him anymore, he chalked it up as part of her charm.

‘You shouldn’t eat so fast,’ she chastised.

‘You just like telling people what to do,’ he told her around a bite of food, wiping his mouth with a napkin before continuing. ‘You must have a bunch of brothers and sisters.’

‘Just two,’ she said, picking at what was left on her plate. ‘Two sisters. Dad works all the time, and my mum used to wash clothes. Now, she stays home to watch my sisters since I’m not there and I send money home.’

‘She knows what you do?’

‘Hell no. She thinks I’m getting it from Jack to “stay pretty.”.’ Selene rolled her eyes before taking another bite.

‘So, she likes Jack.’

‘She adores him.’ Selene sighed. ‘Meanwhile, my dad can’t stand him. He would drag me out of school if he knew that I was staying at his place.’ Demir grimaced before continuing to eat and Selene let out a short laugh. ‘Dramatic, I know, but it is what it is. No use in trying to change it now.’

‘So… you and Jack have always been tied at the hip?’

‘More or less,’ she said, taking a sip of coffee. ‘He was just… there. I can’t remember a time he wasn’t. I miss those days sometimes. Now…’ She shook her head. ‘I shouldn’t be telling you all this.’

For a moment, the air became thick with the same tension they had at the party. Demir pushed past it; it was a momentary lapse in judgement. It shouldn’t have so much sway over them. They just had to get over the awkwardness.

‘You might as well finish the story,’ he said, trying his best to sound like a supportive friend.

Selene stared at her plate with a frown. ‘There’s just been space between us lately,’ she murmured.

‘You’re worried about him going out on his own.’

‘Please, Jack can hold his own. I’m not worried about that.’

Demir held back a laugh, trying to be understanding of her frustration, but it was kind of cute watching her stuff her face like a brat.

Selene chewed quickly, swallowing and placing her fork on the table.

‘We used to check out fighters together all the time,’ she said suddenly.

‘It was our date night. We would get dressed up, watch fights, and would celebrate at a nearby club. Now, he just wants to go out whenever, and I don’t like it. ’

She tapped her spoon on the edge of her coffee cup until Demir covered her hand.

He made sure not to linger as he took the spoon and hoped she didn’t notice his nervous swallow.

‘You’re going to hate me for asking this and I mean no disrespect by it,’ Demir warned her.

He placed his elbows on the table, leaning forward and lowering his voice.

‘Do you think he’s seeing another woman? ’

‘What? No! He better not!’

The certainty in her voice stabbed him in the chest as he sat back.

Selene’s eyes widened at her outburst, and she sighed, rubbing her temples. ‘I mean, he’s not that type of guy. He’s very loyal.’

‘Then, you have nothing to worry about. He’ll come back around soon. He adores you.’ The words were forced but true. He saw no point in trying to manipulate Selene’s view of Jack. She was too smart for it, and he was still trying to be a good friend.

‘Speaking of time, the night’s still young, and I’d rather not be in the apartment by myself. Let’s do something else,’ she suggested.

‘Like what?’ She bit her lip, looking around.

Demir breathed slowly as he felt the urge to reach out and press his thumb against her bottom lip, releasing it from her teeth.

He almost closed his eyes to compose himself.

Overnight, what used to be a simple gesture had become torture to him and telling her probably wouldn’t help.

She’d either avoid him or worse – do it even more.

Her eyes lit up and she leaned forward with an innocent smile, her voice sweet.

‘Mind if I drive?’

His answer was automatic. ‘Yes.’

Eyes narrowed, she scoffed. Something about how quickly the switch happened made him laugh. This girl was the worst… but he liked it.

He let out a loud sigh before holding out his keys. ‘Where are we going?’

‘Ta-da!’ Selene turned the engine off before holding her arms out as much as she could inside the car.

Demir’s grip on his seat loosened finally as he warily looked out the window. ‘We’re by the river,’ he said before looking at her. ‘Are you about to kill me?’

Immediately, her smile disappeared as she sucked her teeth.

‘Boy, stop it. Come on.’ She stepped outside and took a deep breath, soaking in the sight in front of her. A full moon shone in the night sky, revealing the outline of Belle Isle in the distance. Moonlight made the water shimmer and dance. ‘Beautiful, huh?’

Demir followed, joining Selene as she lay across the hood of the car, the leftover heat from the engine providing enough warmth to make her comfortable. ‘Sure,’ he drawled, still on edge.

‘Will you relax?’ She patted the space next to her. ‘No one knows about this place.’ ‘That’s what everyone says until it’s too late.’

‘Well, if some crazy white man wanted to murder me in the middle of the night, he’s already had plenty of chances,’ she told him. ‘My daddy found this place years ago. When I was little, we used to come here every full moon to “get rid of our anger”.’

‘Clearly didn’t help that much.’

But instead of getting irritated, Selene merely laughed. ‘Oh, if you think I’m bad now, you should have seen me back then. I raised hell with my mum every chance I got.’

‘Why?’

She shrugged. ‘She wanted me to be mature, look out for my siblings and help her with the cleaning. I wanted to be a kid. We’ve never been the type to get along.

’ Her mind flashed through the arguments she had with her mum as a child.

It was disheartening how few good memories she had with her.

Even then, most everything was riddled with disagreements…

or fear. Her head suddenly felt light, and she reminded herself to breathe.

‘I think my daddy saw his anger in me and wanted to stop it in its track before it was too late.’

‘What would you guys do out here?’

‘Just throw rocks in the water. It was kind of silly looking back but it’s some of the best memories I have of him. Wanna try?’ She didn’t wait for his answer, instead sliding off the hood to grab one of the rocks under her feet. Smooth and flat, it warmed the palm of her hand.

Picturing her nightmare of a biology professor, she flung it as far as she could. The distance was satisfying, the stone disappearing with a plunk beneath the surface. She picked up another rock, focusing on one frustration or another, and threw it.

After a few more, Demir joined her. She didn’t ask him what he was picturing; her dad had warned her not to.

‘That’s another man’s burden,’ he’d said. ‘You don’t need to be a part of that.’

The memory made her pause, and she grunted, flinging the stone as far as she could. That one didn’t feel as great as the others.

‘Your father may be onto something,’ Demir said.

She tried to force a smile, but it was lacklustre. She tossed another rock so lightly it barely made it into the water.

‘You okay?’

Selene opened her mouth to lie, to say something clever but something stopped her. The thought of lying about it, like she always had, exhausted her. For once, she was tired of hiding.