Unraveling (15 page)

I paled. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t help it.”

“I know, Katy,” he said, softly, “and that’s okay.”

“No, it’s not. I shouldn’t have run away like that. I’m sure she thinks I’m weird.”

“Katy, you’re not weird and Karlie would never think that. She understands,” he said.

“Good,” I said, “I really don’t want to burn that bridge before it’s even been built.”

Jared chuckled. “Despite your awkwardness, I don’t doubt that anyone could
not
like you.”

My jaw dropped.

“What?” he asked with a chuckle as he glanced at me.

“You called me awkward,” I crossed my arms over my chest.

His chuckle turned into a full on laugh. “Because it’s true, kitten,” he said. “But you’re the most adorable kind of awkward and I love it.”

Love.

Jared
loved
that I was awkward.

If he
loved
that I was awkward, what else did he love about me.

“Stop freaking out, Katy,” he said.

“How’d you-”

“I just know things,” he winked, a grin tugging his lips up at the corners.

~***~

“Oh my gosh!” Karlie moaned. “Nothing has ever tasted this good before,” she bit into her burger again.

Jared chuckled. “I’m glad, squirt.”

“All I’ve had for months is salad and water,” she slurped her Dr. Pepper. “This is like heaven.”

“Why don’t you quit ballet?” Holden grumbled, picking apart his own burger.

“Why don’t you quit MMA?” Karlie narrowed her eyes.

“Because, it’s my passion,” Holden replied, putting his burger back together.

“Well, did you ever think that maybe ballet is my passion? Sometimes,” she took a deep breath, “you have to suffer for the things you love.”

“Whatever,” Holden stared down at his plate of food. “I’m not very hungry.”

“Dude,” Jared snapped at his friend, draping his arm across the back of the booth. His hand dangled dangerously close to my shoulder and I held my breath. “What is your problem tonight? And you’re
always
hungry.”

“Not tonight,” he said. “And I don’t have a problem.”

“Clearly, you do. If you’re going to ruin Karlie’s night, just leave,” Jared growled, pointing to the door.

“Fine, I will,” Holden threw down his napkin and stood. He grabbed his wallet and pulled out a wad of bills before slapping them down on the table and walking away.

I looked across the table at Karlie and saw her lower lip trembling. “I’m not very hungry anymore,” she said, pushing her plate away.

“Karlie,” Jared said, sympathetically. “Holden is an asshole.”

“Jared!” Patsy gasped. “Language, we’re in a restaurant.”

“He’s
your
friend,” Karlie said, “Maybe you should make better ones.”

Jared ran his fingers through his hair. “I honestly don’t know what’s up with him.”

“He’s just a jerk, always has been,” Karlie grumbled, gnawing on a fry.

“Just don’t let him ruin your night,” I spoke up. “This is about you, not him.”

“You’re right,” Karlie smiled, picking up her burger again. She took a bite and set it down. Pointing at Jared, she said, “Just make sure you give him a black eye when you train with him Monday.”

Jared chuckled. “Sure thing, squirt.”

“Good,” she smiled. “So Katy, are you coming to Jared’s fight, tomorrow?”

Jared grumbled beside me.
“Karlie,” he said, warningly.

“Fight?” I questioned.

“He has a match tomorrow,” Karlie informed me.

“Oh,” I said.

“Karlie, Katy’s not into that scene,” Jared said.

“No, no,” I interrupted, “I’d like to go.”

“Really?” Jared looked at me, shocked.

“Yeah,” I shrugged, “it’s your job. I’d like to see what it’s all about.”

“Okay,” Jared smiled. “I’d like for you to be there.”

“Then I will be,” I beamed.

16

I had text Piper
, last night,
before I went to bed to tell her we’d have to
reschedule our plans for Sunday. Luckily, she was okay with it, stating that she was behind with her homework.

Now, I drove down the street, about two blocks from Fight For It, because there was nowhere closer to park.

I walked at a brisk pace, hoping no one tried to stop me along the way. If they did, my self-defense classes might kick in and they’d find themselves flat on their back.

I opened the doors
and the place was packed.

Somehow, Karlie spotted me
and made her way through the crowd towards me.

“Jared’s getting ready,” she said, “
do you want to see him?”

“U
h-” I paused, not sure what to say. Would saying, “hell yes”, make me look desperate?

“Just follow me,” she said, “I don’t want you getting lost in the crowd anyway.
They get
really
rowdy when they start placing bets. Although, why anyone would ever bet against Jared is beyond me.”

It was a tight squeeze to make it through the crowd and I flinched anytime I bumped into someone.

Karlie led me down the hallway, past Jared’s workout room, and a bunch of other rooms.

We turned left at the end of the hallway and ended up in a huge, open space with a boxing ring in the middle. Bleachers were set up on three sides
of the boxing ring.

I saw a guy prepping in the corner, alternating between punching and kicking in the air.

On the other side of the room, Jared was taking deep breaths and stretching his arms. He was shirtless, the white stuff he always used wrapped around his hands and ankles.

He grinned when he saw us and waved us over.
I tried not to look at his naked chest, but it was impossible. His body was a work of art, the way his muscles dipped and curved. I was beginning to realize that everything about him was beautiful. Not just the way he looked, but the person he was underneath. He truly had a good, caring, heart.

Dan was rattling off statistics on the guy Jared would be fighting and telling Jared
where the best places were to hit the other guy. Jared just nodded and I had to laugh internally. I mean, they were talking about beating up this guy, like a normal person would be rattling off their favorite ice cream. It was a little disturbing.

“I thought you might not show up,” Jared confessed.

“I wouldn’t do that to you,” I said, and it was true, even if I was a bit freaked out.

“I’m glad Karls found you,” he said. “It can get a bit crazy when the people start coming in. We’ve had a couple fights break out over seats.”

My eyes widened.

“Don’t worry,” Jared winked, grinning crookedly, “I won’t let anyone hurt my girl. Or girls,” he said and poked Karlie’s shoulder.

She laughed and said, “Where’s your douchebag of a friend?”

“Somewhere around here,” Jared said.
“I can’t be expected to keep track of him.”

“Probably
, off somewhere, getting his dick sucked,” Karlie muttered under her breath.

I gasped and Jared snapped, “What did you say?”

“You heard me,” Karlie said defiantly, “and you know it’s true.”

“That doesn’t mean I need to hear my baby sister talk about my best friend getting a blowjob,” Jared shook his head. “Especially before a match.”

“He’s a man whore,” Karlie grumbled.

“Please, stop talking about this,” Jared said. “Besides, you shouldn’t even know about
that stuff.”

Karlie rolled her eyes,
her hands on her hips. “Jared, this
is
the twenty-first century and I
am
sixteen. I know all about the birds and the bees.”

Jared’s eyes widened. “You’re not-”

“No, Jared, don’t be silly,” Karlie, snorted.

“I swear to God, if some prick has put his hands on you, I’ll hunt him down and cut his balls off,” Jared pointed warningly at his sister.

“Oh, I know you will,” Karlie, said. “Maybe you should start with Holden.”

Jared’s eyes threatened to pop out of his head. “He didn’t!”

He started to storm out of the room when Karlie called, “Jared! I was kidding!”

Jared whipped back around. “Don’t lie to me, Karlie. Did Holden…” he took a deep breath. “Did Holden touch you?”

“You mean, did Holden and I have sex? Sex, Jared. Say the word, it won’t kill you.”

“Did you and Holden have
sex?
” Jared stared Karlie down.

Dan and I watched the siblings, speechless.

“No, we didn’t,” Karlie, said evenly. “I’m a virgin, Jared, so stop being all uptight. I was just joking.”

“That’s not something to joke about, Karlie,” Jared seethed. The veins in his neck and arms stood out against his tan skin.

“Jeez, calm down, Jared,” Karlie held her hands up and took a step back.

“Are you lying, Karlie? Did he have sex with you and that’s why he’s acting so weird?”
Jared pointed at his sister, a vein pulsing in his forehead. He looked like he was close to losing it.

Karlie snorted. “I would not have sex with ‘Marky Sharky’ if my life depended on it,” color stained her cheeks. “I don’t know what his problem is.”

Jared began to calm down. “Don’t make jokes like that, ever again,” he warned.

“I won’t, promise,” she said.

“Good,” he took a deep breath. “And don’t ever get me that worked up before a match ever again.”

Karlie rolled her eyes. “Pull that stick out of your butt, Jare.”

“Just go sit down,” Jared pointed to the bleachers. “You’re getting on my nerves.”

“Good luck,” I told him.

He flashed me a small smile. “Sorry about freaking out. I just can’t stand the thought of someone hurting my sister. Let alone my best friend.” He ran a hand through his short dark hair.

“I completely understand, really.” I put my hands in my back jeans pockets. “I’ll be over there with your sister, cheering you on.”

His smile widened. “Nothing would please me more.”

I was tempted to stretch up on my tiptoes and kiss his cheek, but I was afraid of what might happen if I did.

It would be really awkward, if all I did was kiss his cheek and I’d end up running away.

No, my lips would be staying away from his cheek.

“Good luck,” I said again and took the seat beside Karlie. “So,” I said, “Did you call Holden, Marky Sharky?”

She laughed, shaking her hair in her face. “That’s what everyone in the gym calls him, since his last name is Marks. He hates it.”

“You like him,” I stated.

She looked up at me, her large brown eyes, blinking owlishly at me. They were a lighter shade than her brothers, but no less stunning. “Is it that obvious?”

“I don’t know,” I shrugged. “I just notice things more than other people do.”

“Please don’t say anything,” she begged. “I hate being a cliché, crushing on my older brother’s friend,” she bowed her head. “It would never work anyway, I mean, he’s
eight years older than me.”

“You never know,” I said with a shrug.

She snorted. “It doesn’t matter anyway, he’s an ass-hat.”

“What about Rodney?”
I questioned.

Karlie looked down at her beat up pair of Converse. “I don’t know. He’s my dance partner. I don’t want to complicate our working relationship with a romantic one. Besides, I’m only sixteen.”

“You’ve definitely got your head on better than most sixteen year olds,” I told her.

She smiled widely. “I have Dan and Patsy to thank for that,” she paused, “and my brother.”

“What happened to your parents?” I asked.

She looked up at me with a sad smile. “That’s not my story to tell, it’s Jared’s.”

I looked across the room at Jared. He was talking to Dan but his eyes caught mine and he grinned.

From beside me, Karlie said, “I don’t know if you’re dating my brother, or not, but I’ve never seen him happier.”

“Really?” I asked.

“Really,” she nodded, with a smile. “He smiles and laughs more. I’ve
never seen him happier and I just want to say thank you and…”

“And what?”
I asked, when she didn’t continue.

Shimmery brown eyes met mine, “Please, don’t break his heart.”

I didn’t tell her, that she shouldn’t be worried about Jared’s heart; it was mine that would be shattered if something happened.

“I won’t,” was what I said, instead.

“He’s a great guy,” she said. “I’ve never seen him in a relationship before, so it’s nice to see him sticking with one girl that he actually cares about.”