I think about what he just said for a moment. That could be pretty cool. “Give me a second, I’ll go grab it.” I open the door and run back to my apartment. I unlock the door and make a beeline for my camera. Within seconds, the front door is locked again and I’m back inside the car.
Austin heads straight to a small arena on the other side of town. As he’s hunting down a parking spot, he starts laughing. “So did you hear what your boy did last night?”
“My boy? What are you talking about?” I ask, confused.
“Ruston. Did he tell you he stayed the night with a girl?”
My saliva gets caught in my throat and I begin coughing. Fuck. When I finally catch my breath, I reply, “Oh, no, I haven’t talked to him.” It’s not like I can just come out and say, oh yeah, he was with me!
“That’s funny. He said he talks to you all the time.” Austin pulls the car into a parking spot and turns to face me. Why do I feel like I’m being put on the spot right now?
“We do talk all the time. I’ve been super busy all day, so it just slipped my mind.”
“I forgot to tell you how beautiful you look this evening.” I glance down at the jeans and the shirt I’m wearing. If he thinks this is beautiful, then I’ll take it.
“Thank you.”
He leans over and kisses my cheek. His lips linger for a moment and I actually feel my face flush. Maybe I could give this a chance, why not? What could it possibly hurt?
He breaks away and we climb out of the car. I decide to tuck my purse under the front seat except for a few loose dollars that I stick in my pocket. My phone vibrates and I pull it out wondering if it’s Ruston, but it’s just an email alert. I dismiss the notification and slide it back into my pocket. With my camera in my hand, we walk toward the double doors of the arena. I have no clue what to expect as we enter.
People are seated everywhere and there’s a big ring in the middle where the fights take place. I have only seen stuff like this on TV when my Dad watches the fights. It seems a little surreal to be inside getting ready to watch one take place.
Austin grabs my hand and pulls me closer to some people. I instantly recognize the guy from Austin’s first night in town at Joe’s. He sees Austin and puts his hand out. “Hey, man, I was wondering if you were going to make it. Is Ruston here?”
“Nah, it’s just me, and this is Tamilyn. Tam, this is Lance. He’s the one who told me about the gym.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” I extend my hand, but Lance envelopes me in a hug.
“My girlfriend Hilary is in the restroom. She’ll be out in a minute and then you two ladies can do your thing. She’s pregnant, so she’s peeing like a damn race horse every few minutes. What’s the camera for?” Lance asks.
“Tamilyn owns her own photography business and I thought it’d be pretty cool if she could take some pictures. She could probably get some badass action shots.”
“I’m a beast in the ring, just so you know, Tamilyn. Every photo you take of me will potentially blow your mind. Oh, and I’ll pay you for prints if you get really good shots.”
“Oh God.” I laugh. “Well, I’ll tell you this, you win this match and I won’t charge you for the shots. How’s that?”
“I think I want to take you to Disneyworld when Garrett and Raegan take me.” He grins. “Oh, hey babe, how are you feeling?”
I turn to see a very pregnant girl walking up. She looks like she’s got to be uncomfortable but she just smiles. “Much better.” She notices me and turns to introduce herself. “I’m Hilary, Lance’s girlfriend.”
“I’m Tamilyn. I’m here with Austin. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Now, ladies, you two get to know each other. I’m going to give Austin the behind-the-scenes tour.”
Austin squeezes my hand and leans over to kiss my cheek again before walking off with Lance. Hilary watches Lance adoringly as he walks off. “You two are very cute together,” I tell her. “When are you due?”
“Not soon enough. We have another baby. She’s with my parents right now. It’s going to be double the work but we’re good together. What about you and Austin? Any kids?”
“Oh no.” I shake my head. “We aren’t dating. We’ve only been out twice, this is the second time. He’s my best friend’s cousin. He just moved to town.”
“He’s very affectionate toward you. Y’all are cute.” She begins walking toward some chairs in the front. “I usually sit around this area. It’s best to get our seats now.”
I sit in the hard metal chair and try my best to get comfortable. I turn on the camera and practice a few shots of just the ring itself. “So, how did you and Lance meet?”
“Well, we grew up together, but last year we reunited, I guess you could say. He helped me get out of a bad relationship and we’ve been together ever since.”
“Talk about a knight in shining armor, huh? That’s awesome.”