Page 95 of Only You
‘Baby, is that you?’
Selene jumped, turning to look in the living room. Groggy, Jack lay on the couch. He must have fallen asleep there.
‘Hey,’ she said breathlessly. ‘I thought you were at the fight.’
‘It ended early. Guy was a dud,’ he grumbled as he sat up. ‘Called the gym but no one answered. Figured you left so I came home.’
‘Oh, I grabbed some dinner,’ she explained, taking off her shoes. She went over to him and held her hands out. ‘Come on. Let’s get you to bed.’
Slowly, Jack blinked and took her hands. She almost laughed at the sleep lines on his face. He had definitely been dreaming. Wrapping his arm around her shoulder, they walked to the bedroom. He flopped down on the mattress, and she giggled as she pulled off his shoes.
‘Who did you go with,’ he asked sleepily. She froze.
‘Huh?’
‘Dinner,’ he clarified. ‘Who did you go with?’
‘Oh, just Demir. We got sandwiches.’
‘M-hm,’ Jack mumbled and drifted back to sleep.
Selene felt a pang of guilt as she watched him. She had no real reason to lie to him. Yet, it didn’t stop her from standing over the sink, scrubbing off the mud from her shoes.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Detroit
September 1946
Demir felt like he was standing on an edge, seconds from falling, and he loved it. The adrenaline from his fight still coursing through his veins, he entered Mackie’s club, Jack’s arm around his shoulders and Nora on his arm. The crowd parted for them, whistling and cheering as the band played an exciting tune cued for their entrance. Demir didn’t smile, his body was buzzing.
With a record of 23-0, Demir was officially eligible to fight in the Golden Gloves.
‘Now, that’s what I call a welcome,’ Jack yelled into his ear as a blur of people congratulated him, and he thanked as many as he could as they made their way to a booth.
The trio sat, and, instantly, people crowded around them, a couple of photographers hounding them for pictures. Demir scowled and held his hand out, blocking his face from view. He started to lean forward to grab the camera when Nora pulled his arm down.
‘Let’s just take one,’ she said, her eyes bright from the excitement in the room. ‘It’ll be our first picture together.’
They snapped what felt like a million photos, the lights temporarily blinding him. At some point, Jack put his hand on Demir’s shoulder, smiling; he was the only one who wasn’t.
‘See, that wasn’t so bad,’ Nora said as the photographers stepped away.
Demir shrugged as a server filled everyone’s glass with champagne, placing the chilled bottle in a bucket in the centre of the table. He doubted she would have the same sentiment when she saw the pictures.
‘Hey, Sel!’ Jack hopped out of the booth, meeting Selene on the dance floor. She shone under the club lights, a sparkling silver dress hugging her figure nicely. She kissed Jack’s cheek, embracing him tightly, glowing every step to the table.
‘Evening, everyone,’ she greeted when Jack escorted her to the table.
‘My, my, Selene.’ Nora’s eyes lit up as she looked over Selene’s outfit. ‘That dress is marvellous! Where did you get such a stunning outfit?’
‘My aunt is a seamstress for a boutique downtown. They had some extra fabric and, when I told her I was seeing Charlie Parker tonight, she wanted me to look nice.’
‘Well, you succeeded. If only you were here when the cameras were,’ Nora smirked, but it was more playful than usual. Even Selene cracked a smile, stepping out of Jack’s arms to do a spin. His eyes widened before he headed towards the dance floor, but she caught him before he could step away.
‘Where are you going?’
‘I’m going to get the photographers,’ Jack said, cupping her face. ‘So, people fifty years from now can still be jealous of your beauty.’ He placed a quick peck on her lips, and she laughed as he raced into the crowd.
