Page 88 of Only You
‘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, butshewas 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.
