Noah (18 page)

“Roni!”

Taking a deep breath before she turned to face him, Veronica tried desperately
to hide
her sudden change in mood.

“Where you going?”

She turned to see him walking
across the parking lot
toward her—alone. “I uh… thought maybe you already had a ride.” She lifted her chin toward the gym.

Noah glanced back then his eyes were on her again. “No. Well, we’re going out for pizza later to celebrate. But I didn’t feel much for a cold shower so I told them I’d go home first to shower and meet up with them later.”

Her heart started up again.
Them?
  One wasn’t enough?

“You wanna come?”

Her eyes must’ve screamed how scandalized
that made her feel
because he laughed.
Laughed!

“What’s that look about?”

“Come with you?” She asked incredulously.

“Yeah, Abel’s treat. Can you pop open the trunk?” he said as he reached her car. She did and he continued talking as he put his gym ba
g
and boxing gloves in the trunk. 
“
And the place we go to doesn’t card. So you won’t be the only one able to drink beer.”

By the way he was
smiling,
she was pretty sure now
them
meant Abel and the other guys. But even then she wouldn’t feel comfortable around him and his friends.

“No. I’ll pass
but thanks
.”

“Why?” The disappointment in his voice warmed her.

“Because it’s a guy thing right? I wouldn’t—”

“Nah
,
there’s gonna be other girls there.”

Her stomach dropped and she had a sudden realization. If not tonight, it would happen eventually. Being Noah’s friend meant inevitably having to hear about or see him with other girls—a girlfriend even. Could she really do this? Given that she was ready to scream earlier just thinking about him and the groupies, could she really stand to see him with them?  “Oh?”

“Yeah,
anytime we get together after fights it’s a pretty big crowd. ‘
C
ourse Abel’s only paying for us. But there’s always other girls there too. Even Jack’s going.” He walked around the car
keeping
his eyes on her the whole time. “You’re going
,
Roni. I’ll be hurt if you don’t celebrate with me.” 

He opened the car door and got in. Veronica exhaled unable to come up with a single reason why she couldn’t go with him and he was right. She
should
be there to
celebrate with him. This was great. His first time back in the ring and he knocks the guy out in the second round.

Feeling a little guilty about not wanting to be there
tonight
she
got in
and began putting her seatbelt on.

“So who was the guy you were talking to during the fight? He a friend of yours?”

Veronica glanced at him as she turned on the car and thought about it for a second. “Oh, you mean the guy behind me?”
She pulled out of the parking space. “No. I just met him tonight.”

“Is that right?” he said looking out his window. “You ma
k
e a new friend
, Roni
?”

“Not really. He’s a fan of yours I guess.” She smiled again
,
remembering the guy
’
s enthusiasm
. “He went on and on saying you have some major potential.” That got Noah’s attention and he turned to her. “He called it, too. Before the fight even started he said you’d probably knock the guy out early and it would most likely be with your left hook.”

“What else did he say?’

Veronica laughed. She had no idea what it must feel like to have fans but
it
must feel good.
She didn’t blame him for wanting to hear more.
“He talked to me even as you were fighting giving me the play by play of what you were doing up there.
It was almost cute how into you he was
.” She turned to Noah
but
didn’t seem as happy as she would’ve imagined given
what she’d just told him
.

“Cute?”

“Yeah,” she giggled. “Oh and he even said you seemed a little off your game the
second
before the guy landed one on you. I almost missed the knock out because I covered my face when you got hit.”

She winced thinking about how her heart had gone to her throat when she saw him get hit and couldn’t b
ear
to watch anymore.

“That’s what happens,” he said staring straight ahead. “When you get distracted even for a moment.”

“What distracted you?”

He looked out his window again and shrugged. “I don’t remember. I just know I lost focus for a second and
it almost cost
me.”  

They reached her house and Veronica freshened up while Noah took a shower. Standing in front of her mirror, she studied herself. Nellie was right
;
she didn’t look twenty-eight and ever
since she’d lost the weight and kept going to the gym she felt fit
ter
and
more
in shape than she ever had. She wouldn’t tell Noah but the guy sitting behind her
had
asked if she was Noah’s girl. She’d blushed, telling him she was just a friend but he gave her a knowing look as if he knew better.

Physically she could pass for being
around
the same age as Noah. She shook her head frowning at herself in the mirror. “Don’t even think about it.”

Noah’s life was just beginning.
There was
so much he hadn’t even experienced yet and she was sure he was looking forward to it all. The night clubs where he could meet a ton of girls
, for example
. And the way the guy at the fight spoke of Noah, who knew? By the time he was twenty-one he might even have VIP status at all these clubs. If he had groupies now imagine what his life would be like then.

Veronica didn’t know much about boxing but one thing was for sure, he looked damn good up there—more than good. Like the guy said, he had major potential and he definitely had the heart. His future held so much promise.  

She took a deep breath
. After witnessing first hand today her reaction to
seeing Noah
around other girls and
they
weren’t even involved that way, she knew now without a doubt a romantic relationship was out of the question. And if she wanted to keep their friendship intact—so was a fling.     
           

Having Roni around his friends felt good—damn good. The guys hadn’t even thought it weird when they saw them walk in together. At least they didn’t say anything
. The pizzas and pitchers of beer were already there as they took a seat at the table.

Roni seemed uncomfortable at first but as an hour
passed,
she
’d
relaxed
.
Noah
took note of how
incredibly slow
ly
she sipped her beer
.
He remembered her drinking her champagne a little faster
on Thanksgiving
. Maybe beer wasn’t her thing.

Jack had just finished telling them about how back in his day boxing wasn’t the only sport he was good at. Noah had heard the story before but it was a good one
so he didn’t mind hearing it again.
Jack
’
s high school basketball team made and won the state championship.
Jack always used these kinds of stories and spun them around
to include an
inspir
ational
twist that would help them in the ring. 

“I spun a basketball on my finger for over fifteen minutes just a few weeks ago.” Hector said, biting into a slice of pizza
as if that even came close to winning a state championship
.

“When was this?” Noah laughed. Hector was always
embellishing
about his accomplishments.

“
What do you mean?
You were there!
” Hector said. “The day after Thanksgiving.
”
Then he stopped and smirked. “Oh wait I forgot. That’s when Rita took you for a
ride
. Or I should say
you
gave
her
a good hard ride.”

He laughed just as two napkins hit his head on either side. One from Abel and the other from Gio. “That’s my cousin, ass!” Gio threw another balled up napkin at him. “Don’t be making up shit like that.”

“Yeah,” Abel gave him a hard look. “That’s how rumors get started,
stupid
.”

“Rumors?
” He turned back to Gio.
“
Your sister
is
the one that told me.” Hector shook his head incredibly not t
ak
ing the hint. “
Besides everybody knows Noah takes care of business whenever
Rita
’s in town. That’s no secret
,
hu
h
Noah
?
” He bounced his eyebrows. “Christmas is just a week away. Ho ho ho!” He laughed but stopped laughing when no one else
di
d. “What?”

Roni reached for another slice of pizza and Abel made the most of her
momentary
distraction
to
slap Hector on the back of the head and mouthed the words,
Shut the fuck up!

He did and not a moment too soon because if he’d said even more word about him and Rita, Noah was getting ready
to
jump across the table and strangle him
.

None of them knew what
the
ext
ent of his
relationship with
Roni was but they all got that
something
was up between them. Noah liked it that way. He knew it didn’t matter if they were just roommates with benefits or in an actual relationship. All that mattered is they knew
the most important thing
—Roni was
his
.
Unfortunately,
everyone but
dickhead
Hector got that
it
also meant any talk of Noah with other girls around Roni was unacceptable.

Abel changed the subject and went back to talking about the next fight he had lined up for Noah in
Febr
uary. Noah glanced at Roni. She nodded her head listening to Abel with interest. It almost bothered him that she seemed
so
unfazed by Hector
’
s comments.
Of course, he
ha
dn’t dare
d
look at her when Hector was still talking about it. So he couldn’t know for sure what her initial reaction was to it but if she’d been
bothered
at all
,
the way he knew
he
would’ve been had the tables been turned, she’d gotten over it damned quick.

She knew now. Knew that just a few weeks ago, the very day after they’d spent their special Thanksgiving together he’d gone out and gotten laid. What was wors
e
is
that
Rita would be back in a week and now Roni knew that, too. Did she even care? He tried not to be too obvious as he watched her listen
ing
to Abel and Jack
talk
strategy
on how Noah should
best
handle
this next fighter.

She sipped her beer without a care in the world.
For a moment, the girl that sat down next to Gio distracted her. Roni looked her up and down unaware that Noah observed her every move. Her eyebrow arched ever so slightly and her lips pursed.
Now
she seemed troubled? 

Noah took his eyes off her just long enough to see the girl—one of the ones who’d been waiting outside the shower doors at the gym—stroke Gio’s leg. Gio had always been the pretty boy of their bunch. Even with all the fights he’d been in, his face still remained intact.
In
high school, he’d been quite the heartthrob. Noah’s looks were rugged compared to Gio’s naturally arched brows, girlie lashes and green eyes.

Abel had made fun of Gio plenty of times accusing him of not trying hard enough when they were sparring because
he teased that
Gio was counting on a career in modeling if boxing didn’t work out for him.