Page 16 of Undisputed Chaos
Tracy laughed. "Girl, he's friends with Jax Easton and Connor Graves! They're like the unholy trinity of professional boxing. How did you not recognize him?"
Her tone was slightly accusatory, like I'd somehow cheated by not knowing.
"I don't follow boxing," I said weakly, though the names sounded vaguely familiar. "He just... he was just a guy in a club."
Life felt so unreal right now.
"Just a guy?" Bailey scoffed, scrolling through more photos with slightly trembling fingers.
"Isla, he's gorgeous and famous and worth millions! Look at this—he won his last fight in under five minutes."
She paused, glancing at me sideways. "I mean, good for you for shooting your shot, but this is just... wow.”
“He's also kind of a goofball," Tracy added quickly, taking the phone back.
"Have you seen his interviews? He shows up in these ridiculous outfits and makes the reporters laugh.” She studied the screen.
"Though honestly, he could have anyone. Literally anyone."
I stared at the images on the screen, my breath catching. There he was—in the ring, at press conferences, at some gala with his arms around two other huge men I assumed were his famous friends.
In every photo, he looked like the kind of man who was completely out of my league, which made my friends' barely concealed amazement all the more pointed.
"I can't believe you just scored the hottest bachelor on the East Coast,” Bailey sighed. "And then you ran away? Girl, what were you thinking?" She laughed.
"Though honestly, maybe it's better that way. Guys like that... they're probably not looking for anything serious, you know?"
"I panicked!" I defended myself. "I just told him my first name and then bolted.”
"This explains why he kissed like that," Tracy said with a smirk. "Champion stamina. God, some girls have all the luck.”
The three of us laughed, but I could feel the undercurrent of tension, the way they kept looking at me like they couldn't quite believe what had happened.
"You have to find him again," Bailey insisted, scrolling through more photos. "I mean, if you want to. Though guys like that probably have girls throwing themselves at them constantly."
She brightened. "But hey, you never know! Maybe he really was totally into you!”
I wasn't sure if that was supposed to be motivation or not.
"I don't know," I said, uncertainty creeping back in. "He's so... different from anyone I've ever been with."
"That's the point," Tracy rolled her eyes. "This guy looks like he could show you the time of your life."
I bit my lip, trying to ignore the thrill that shot through me at the thought. "I only gave him my first name. It's not like he can find me."
Bailey and Tracy exchanged a look across me that I couldn't quite decipher.
"What?" I asked.
"Isla," Bailey said, her voice taking on a patronizing tone, "if thatman wants to find you, he absolutely will. Though honestly, he probably meets a lot of girls..." She trailed off with a shrug.
The thought made me shiver with both anticipation and sudden insecurity as I stared out the window.
When we arrived, Bailey’s apartment was a whirlwind of champagne, birthday cake, and endless speculation about Adrian.
I tried to stay present, laughing at the right moments and dutifully singing "Happy Birthday," but my mind kept drifting back to the club, to tattooed hands and green eyes that had looked at me like I was special.
"Earth to Isla.” Tracy waved her hand in front of my face, snapping me back to reality. "We're talking about your boxing man. Try to keep up."
