Once done taking off the wrap, Abel made his way back to the private showers. Noah followed. Somehow Abel had a feeling he would. “So is it true?”
Abel walked into one of the open shower stalls and turned on the water. He turned back to Noah who sat down on one of the benches on the other side of the stall’s pony wall. It came up past Abel’s waist, so he could still see Noah’s curious expression. “Is what true?” Abel asked, pulling off his trunks and briefs, and stood under the shower.
“That you and Rachel are real serious?”
“What?”
Noah laughed. “Roni saw it first and asked me about it, but just last night, I was flipping through the channels, and it was on like two different tabloid shows. They have pictures of you and her earlier this week having sushi and then getting back in your car, so apparently it’s real serious.”
“It’s bullshit. We had lunch. That’s all. Andy said they’d do this once we got closer to the fight.” Not wanting to look at him now, he stood under the shower for a few seconds, lathering up before asking. “What did you tell Roni?”
“I figured as much. So I told her you’d just bagged the girl a few times in the past and that’s probably all this time was too.”
Abel squeezed his eyes shut. Fucking great. As if he needed to give Nellie more reason to feel free to jump from bed to bed. If he was doing it, why shouldn’t she?
Noah stood up now. “Is she who you’re seeing tonight?”
This wasn’t like Noah. He never asked Abel details of his conquests, and he knew better than anyone that Abel wasn’t one to be talking about his personal life. The only reason Noah even knew about Rachel was because she was the one who told everyone. There could only be one reason Noah was asking now—the same reason he’d ever asked before—so Abel had to ask, but he still wouldn’t look at him.” Why?”
“Just wondering.”
“No, you’re not.” He turned to him now. The irritation that had mounted all week and that he’d had to fight to keep under control in Nellie’s office today had just peaked. “You don’t wonder about my personal life, and you know I don’t talk about it. Ever. So what gives? The little wifey put you up to this?”
“First of all,” Noah pointed at him with a murderous glare, “you watch that f**king tone when you talk about Roni. You hear me?”
Abel turned back to the shower, leaning his head under it. He seriously needed to get a grip. He might as well just tell Noah he had no idea how to deal with knowing that Nellie would be on a date tomorrow and that it was making him insane since he was being so damn transparent about it.
“Second,” Noah continued, sounding a little calmer. “Roni mentioned Nellie hadn’t heard from you since last week, the day I told you about her date this Friday. I was just hoping that the tiny little flame I thought I saw in your eye that day had finally set something off upstairs and you’d come to your senses. Then after seeing you enjoy your time with Felix and all those girls and watching the Rachel gossip on TV, I thought you’d really moved on. But seeing you walk around here all week with that look on your face, the one you usually reserve for the ring just before you’re getting ready to tear someone a new one, it got me thinking.” Noah stopped talking and Abel assumed he was waiting for him to look at him, so he took a deep breath and did. Noah lifted a brow. “Please tell me what Roni thought might happen and you assured me wouldn’t, isn’t already happening.” Abel stared at him and Noah shook his head. “Aside from us, Nellie is the only family Roni has. Tell me no matter what happens that we’ll be able to sit around the table or be in the same room without the tension becoming so thick it changes everything.”
“Nothing’s changing,” Abel said, turning off the water. He grabbed a towel from the shelf on the wall. “This fight is getting real now. You know I have no patience for the paparazzi, and they’ve been all over my ass. I’ve just been wound a little tight.” Finished drying up, he tied the towel around his waist then looked up at Noah and hoped he could pull this next part off. “But Nellie and I are cool. Like I said before, her personal life and what she does when I’m not around is none of my business.”
Noah let out a heavy breath, looking somewhat relieved. “Good.”
Abel started walking away toward his locker then turned and looked back at Noah “And sorry about my tone there. You know I love Roni.”
“You better be sorry,” Noah chuckled. “’Cause I don’t care how big you are. Mess with her and I’ll come after you.”
For what felt like the first time since Abel had first walked into Nellie’s office today, he smiled. “Yeah, I know you would.”
He’d have to keep in mind how closely Noah was watching him now. He thought it earlier this week, and he was beginning to think it again. Maybe Noah was right. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to keep this up. If only he could convince his heart of that, the same heart that was already pounding against his chest from just knowing he’d be seeing her real soon.
After getting dressed, Abel picked up his brother’s tablet, which sat on the desk in the back office. He’d done everything he could to avoid the tabloids stories ever since he heard the stuff they were saying about his dad. He didn’t really care, but it’d pissed him off that his mom had felt it necessary to once again explain his father’s death as if he or Hector were in any way buying the bullshit stories.