Page 5 of Double Trouble
Darting my hand into his pocket produced a baggy of white round tablets that I shook in his face. “Oh yeah?”
“Those are my allergy pills.” Both his eyes were bulging so much they looked like they were about to pop right out of his head. He forced a smile at Cin. “Hey, how about we get out of here?”
He grabbed her hand, which she immediately jerked away. “Think I’m good, thanks.”
His grip didn’t budge. “Don’t tell me you believe these jerk-offs?”
Jake gave the man a light jab to the ribs that sent him sprawling on the floor. Then, both of us towering over him, Jake said, “Cin said she’s good.”
The aftermath was fast, chaotic. The waitresses were understanding, Cin’s date stalked off, Jake letting him go only due to Cin’s firm request. While Jake settled both bills inside, I explained things to Cin outside. “Sorry about that. Just we saw him slip it into your drink and-”
“Don’t apologize.” Her eyes were fierce. “The whole time Paul and I had been texting, I’d had a bad feeling about him, only I kept shoving it down. I should be thanking you.”
Her arms pressing her body to me in a hug eliminated any chance I had of coming up with a worthwhile response. Not with what the heat of her closeness did to me.
“Hey, are you alright?” Jake asked, coming out to join us.
“Thank you,” Cin said, opening her arm to include him on the hug. “Both of you, I don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t seen that” A shiver went through her.
“We should’ve beaten that guy until he turned himself in,” I said darkly. “How did you meet him anyway?”
“My friend set me up with him. She must not have known what he was like.”
“Shit.” Jake’s arm was still around Cin, though it didn’t need to be. “You want a drink or something?”
The smile Cin mustered up was unconvincing. “Thanks, but I think I just need to be alone right now.”
“You drive?” I asked.
“Normally but” – she shook her head – “Paul drove me.”
“We’ll drive you home,” I said.
“No, I couldn’t ask-” she began.
“You’re not,” Jake said. “We’re offering.”
She hesitated, looking us both square in the eye, one at a time, before eventually saying, “Alright.”
A few minutes later, as Jake and I drove her home, my mind came back to that. Her careful, measured agreement. I was grateful for it. That, when looking at us, really thinking about it, even with her instincts on high alert, Cin had known enough that we were good guys, trusted us enough. It made me worry too, stupid as it was. I barely knew the girl, and yet – she really tried to see the good in people.
After Jake’s few attempts at conversation failed, we lapsed into a comfortable silence. I couldn’t really blame Cin for her quietness, she’d very nearly escaped being raped or worse.
Instead of her place, she had us pull up to a Dunkin’ Donuts coffee shop.
“Well, at least your place has donuts,” Jake joked.
She grinned. “Maybe I’ll get you some sometime.”
“That mean we get to see you again?” he asked.
“Maybe, I….” she faltered, frowning, shaking her head. “I just need some time to think. What almost happened tonight was…” She let out a shaky breath.
“How about you come to one of Jake’s fights sometime?” I said. “He’s got a nice undefeated streak going these past few months. He’ll be at Workman Arts this Wednesday.”
Another pause, in which Cin looked from me to Jake, back to me again. “Yeah, I’d like that. Thanks again.”
And then she was gone. The shock was such that she had disappeared around the corner when Jake realized it. “Shit, her number.”
3
Jake
In the ninth round, with two minutes to go, I saw her. Cin had actually come to my fight.
I’d looked for her before that, of course, in the motley roaring crowd. I’d looked for the heart shape of her face, that bow-lipped smile. Amidst the fight itself, every three-minute round a cold eternity of ducks, swipes, hits and blocks, she’d returned fleetingly, the question strangely removed: Would she come or wouldn’t she?
As my opponent, Fernando, got me in a chokehold, the slick tattooed sea of faces on his forearm all I could see, I knew. Winning was no longer just a matter of pride, of maintaining my winning streak. It was a matter of absolute necessity. No way was I letting Cin see me lose.
The next few minutes were pure adrenaline. Fernando was surprised, taken aback at my sudden adrenaline, like I’d gotten a shot of caffeine straight to the bloodstream. Really, it was pure desire. I was going to win this fight, and I was going to get the girl. Two for two.
And so, the crowd roared and the swipes came, and I was pure electricity, dealing out blows every which way. For the first time, my once-heavy boxing gloves weighed nothing. When my hit to the side of his head came and, finally, the other man fell to the ground and didn’t get back up, I hardly heard the room bellowing and the music thumping victory. I only saw amidst the faces, beside my brother – her.
