The days start to blend into each other, and before I know it, there are just three weeks left until graduation.
Carter has stopped attending football practices, but he attends all the games, even though he pretty much benched himself. He says he goes to support the other players, and I think that’s very cool of him.
I’m meeting Bella tomorrow, I’m so excited. If it all goes well, I’ll ask her if she will model for me. Then, with any luck, I can show her the kind of photos I’d like to take. Carter has told her about me, and from what he says, she’s just as excited as I am.
It’s Friday afternoon, my last class has just finished, and I’m waiting by Carter’s car. He’s going to take me to watch him at the gym he works out at almost daily. He wants me to see what he does in there every day and to meet his trainer Trick. Apparently, he’s a machine, and the best around. I’m still not sure how I feel about the sport. It’s so violent.
I’ve never been exposed to that kind of violence, my parents never even smacked my butt growing up. Papa was so dead against any form of violence that he didn’t even let me watch movies that had so much as a mention of it. The only times I got to watch movies that had any action in them was when I’d go over Hux’s place. And I still cringe when I see fists coming into contact with flesh.
I’m not sure how I’m going to handle watching Carter fight. Seeing him hit someone, or worse, seeing him get hit. Just the thought is enough to make my stomach curdle. But I know why he does it. And that makes it a little easier for me to accept.
“There’s My Girl,” Carter says as he nears me, wrapping his arms around my waist, then planting a kiss on my lips.
I flick my eyes up to his, “Hey there,” I grin. I can’t help the smile that fills my face whenever he’s around.
His eyes roam over my body as they always do, checking out my outfit of the day, “I like it,” he says.
I chuckle, “You always do,” I say with a roll of my eyes.
Once in the car, Carter takes a moment to think, “I wasn’t a huge fan of the floral sundress with the mustard cardigan.”
Turning to face him I raise a brow, “Oh really?”
His cheeks redden slightly, “I’m not saying I didn’t enjoy seeing you in it or that I didn’t fucking love what you did to me while you were wearing it. I just didn’t enjoy others seeing you in it.” His palm comes to rest on my thigh, his fingers digging in slightly, “These are mine,” he says possessively. Then he grins again, “Besides, it was more the cardigan I didn’t like. Who wears mustard anyway?”
I throw my head back and laugh, “I do, obviously.”
He shrugs and turns the key in the ignition, “Whatever, I was just making a point, I don’t like every single thing you wear,” he says, as he navigates us out of the parking lot.
A few minutes later I ask him, “Is this okay to wear to a MMA gym? Maybe I should get changed?” I say, looking down at my Avengers skater dress with Hulk green leggings underneath.
Carter side eyes me, “You are not getting changed. I want the guys to meet my one of a kind, sexy little nerd.”
Again, I can’t stop the smile that lifts my cheeks, “Okay,” I murmur. I’m, all of a sudden, nervous about meeting his trainer, and the other guys he hangs out with at the gym. I know he respects these people, and I don’t want to make a dick of myself, as I’m usually prone to doing.
I start chewing on the corner of my nail when Carter reaches over, taking my hand away from my mouth, “Don’t worry, they’ll love you. Trust me.”
I snort, “Yeah, cause the first time we officially met went so well,” I look out my window, pushing my glasses up my nose, I don’t like feeling like this. Being socially awkward is normally not something I have an issue with, but when it means embarrassing Carter in front of people he looks up to, yeah, I have an issue with it right now.
Carter squeezes the hand he’s still holding, and I realise he’s parked the car in the parking lot of a big creepy warehouse. Then I see Mase’s car parked beside us, and internally sigh with the tiny bit of relief I feel knowing a familiar face will be in there.
“If you really don’t want to be here, I’ll get Mase to drop you home. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, baby,” he says softly.
I immediately feel bad. He wants to share this with me, it’s important to him, and he’s sat looking at photos for hours on end with me. I can do this, for him I can do this. I swallow down my hesitation and smile at him, “I’m good, let’s go.”
Half an hour later I’m white as a ghost, holy shit. Nothing I watched on YouTube prepared me for how I would feel seeing Carter in that ring. Blood seeps from his left brow, but he’s still smiling, albeit awkwardly because of his mouth guard.
He doesn’t look like my Carter right now.
I don’t recognise the man in the ring with a crazed smile and a bloodthirsty gleam in his eyes. Bile rises in my throat. My hand flies to my mouth, and I jump to my feet, fleeing the gym.