Sick Heart: A Dark MMA Fighter Romance

He knows what just happened. He might even have a new hope that he will make it. And he probably will. That’s why Maart singled him out.

Paulo, on the other hand, now has doubts. It’s a bad way for him to end his camp, but what’s done is done.

Maart finds my gaze from across the platform. He just stares at me for a few moments. Then he looks away and announces the end of Rock camp, phase three.

There is a lot of clapping, and pats on the back, and big smiles.

Tonight, they will eat well. We will cook up everything we have left and stuff our faces. Three different kinds of meats, pasta with sauce, frozen vegetables, and bread baked fresh this morning by Rainer and Evard is just where it starts. There will be cake, and ice cream, and chocolate, and everyone will get a tiny bit of Lectra.

And they will have earned it.

I find Anya in the game room a little while later. She didn’t need any medical attention this time and she’s reading a book when I walk in, like this is just another day.

I walk right over to her, grab the book from her hand, and hide it behind my back as she jumps to her feet and makes a grab for it. “What?” I ask her playfully.

She signs, Give me my book.

“This book?” I ask, holding it up above my head. Anya is short, like almost an entire foot shorter than I am, so when she reaches up to make a grab for her book, there is no hope of her actually snagging it. She puts her hands on her hips and glares at me.

“Anya,” I say. “It’s our last night. You’re not gonna sit in here and read. You can take the book with you.”

Her face remains expressionless, as usual. But I can feel her thoughts behind her blue eyes. She wants to ask me all the questions. What will happen to me? Will I ever see you again? Questions like that.

But even though I hear her silent words, I do not answer her unspoken questions. Instead, I toss the book onto the couch, take her hand, and lead her out onto the training platform. Rainer has all the kids gathered in a circle on the mats. They are sitting cross-legged, their attention on the story he is telling. I’m not sure what it is this time, but it’s a story to help them understand what they just accomplished while also preparing them for what’s coming next.

He finds my gaze and smiles at me as Anya and I walk towards the stairwell. Gives me a little nod to let me know he’s got things under control here and we are free to go start our celebration without him.

I look over my shoulder, trying to find Maart, but he’s somewhere else. He will probably have a problem with my plans with Anya tonight, but I don’t care. He made his point and I considered it. And I’ve respected his feelings all month.

But this is our last night. I’m not going to waste it.

Anya and I come out onto the top platform, but instead of leading her over to the helipad I take her behind the building, past the showers, and ease between the containers towards the back.

I look up and then stop so suddenly, Anya bumps into me. She follows my gaze upward where Maart is standing on top of the container with the half-full bottle of bright blue Lectra in his hand. “What are you doing?”

He holds up the bottle. “What’s it look like?” Then he nods his head to Anya. “Thought we might share.”

I’m not sure if he means Anya or the bottle. Because we’ve obviously done both in the past.

“The bottle,” he clarifies. “Unless you want some privacy. And if that’s the case, then tell me to get lost.”

I am not going to tell Maart to get lost and he knows it. I don’t like the tension between us and this is our last night on the Rock. I want to spend it with him. He’s my best friend.

But I want to spend it with Anya too. I feel like we’ve spent a lot of time together but it hasn’t been nearly enough. I look to Anya. “You OK with this?” She’s staring up at Maart with a weird look on her face. And I can say, after four months of silence with this girl, that I have seen every possible look on her face and I’m pretty good at deciphering them. But this one I’m not sure about.

Is she mad? Confused? Conflicted? The last one, I think. But conflicted about what?

She nods her affirmation and urges me forward with a light touch in the small of my bare back.

I meet Maart’s gaze and shrug. “I guess we’re in.”