Page 63 of The Two Halves of My Heart

Chapter 19

Grace 20 Years Old

I’d thought that finally giving in to my feelings and embracing my heart for once, would banish all of my doubts—that it would be a new start and an opportunity to be not just happy, but content and settled. And I was, for the most part. But the honeymoon phase didn’t last long.

Being with Maddison was addictive. He made me feel indestructible. As a boy, he’d given me the courage to do things I wouldn’t normally do, but I’d forgotten that sometimes, that courage also got me into trouble. And it was a long time since I climbed trees or jumped over streams. Now, it was parties and fights. And, although I hated what he was doing, I got sucked into his world.

The world I’d always looked in on was now open for me to be a part of, and it was such a tempting offer. For years I’d distanced myself, and now I didn’t need to. Maddison loved me, and that knowledge smoothed the road enough for me to embrace it.

He held me to our deal—to kiss him regularly, and I soon found myself craving those kisses as much as he did. The tension between us always simmered, but I’d learnt that only made things all the hotter between us. Our chemistry intensified, and I enjoyed exploring a new kind of friendship with him.

We fought over one thing—fighting—and I was getting tired of losing. I’d been to two fights before we were together, and two after. Luckily, they didn’t happen often, but Maddison had become increasingly focused on securing more. It was like the ultimate high for him. You could see that he relished in the win and everything it gave him, but I hated them.

The last two fights, his friend Leo had come to find me when it all started, like my own personal bodyguard, and he made sure I was back next to Mads as soon as he was clear of the ring. Instead of leaving at the first opportunity, Maddison introduced me to Zuri, his trainer, and in turn, Zuri introduced Mads to more people after the fights. He was invited to parties, which he accepted, and became the popular kid I’d always known him to be. He wasn’t the new kid in the ring anymore, and his reputation was growing.

“Hey, I have lectures in the morning.” I put my hardly-sipped cup of beer on the nearest surface and nodded towards the door.

“Sure. Five minutes,” Maddison agreed but turned his attention back to the group of people lingering around him. I shook my head and went to find the bathroom in this house. Some guy of a guy who was ‘big’ in this business was throwing this get together, but as far as I could tell, it’s just another excuse to get drunk and chat crap.

I took care of business and made a stop in the kitchen to grab a glass of water. It didn’t matter how many of these things Mads dragged me too I wasn’t suddenly going to love getting drunk at rubbish parties.

A giant of a guy blocked my path as I tried to make my way back to Maddison.

“Hey, pretty thing.”

“Excuse me,” I said politely, looking to pass.

“Oh, not so fast. Where’s the rush. I’ll grab you a drink.”

“I’m fine, thank you. I was just leaving.” My ears started to buzz as adrenalin kicked into my blood at his intimidation tactics.

“Oh, really? What a shame.” He reached out his hand to swipe at my hair around my shoulders. I stepped back, avoiding the contact, but now, I was farther into the kitchen. My heart started to thunder in my chest as my stomach turned in a funny way. The guy stepped closer towards me, and I scanned to find any options of escape. Maddison and his guys were in the room opposite, and there was no line of sight.

Giant guy stalked closer as I continued to back away. “Oh, don’t play hard to get now. We’re all here to have a good time.”

“No, I was just leaving. With Maddison.”

“You’re Maddison’s girl?” He paused, looking me up and down. “Well, well.”

I’d hoped the name drop would stop him in his tracks. Instead, he simply grinned at me, displaying a dirty smile of crooked teeth that made my stomach churn with nausea.

If I could have moved nearer the door, I could’ve called out to get Maddison’s attention. Surely that would have been enough, right? It was the only plan my panicked brain could muster and was weak at best, but my choices were limited. How come nobody wanted a drink or food from the kitchen right then?

“Hey, Mads,” I feinted, keeping my eyes directed just behind the guy blocking the path. It was enough to distract him for a moment as he turned to see who was behind him. I dove around him towards the door. Just as I was clear, he snagged my wrist in a tight grip, yanking me back away from the door. “Maddison!” I shouted as loudly as my lungs could before I was back in front of the man who’d taken this way too far.

“You’ll regret that.” He held my wrist in his iron-grip as he brushed my cheek, sending a wave of shudders through me.

“What the fuck, man,” Maddison’s voice bellowed inside the kitchen.

“You didn’t tell me you had such a pretty girl, Mads.”

“Get your fucking hands off her, Jay.” Maddison barged in between us, pushing me behind him and then shoving Jay against the fridge, shaking the contents.

“No harm. No harm.” Jay put his hands up in defence, realising that Mads wasn’t calming down.

“I’ll fucking finish you.” Mads jabbed his finger into Jay’s face.

“Only in the ring, motherfucker, and we both know that ain’t happening yet. But at least now I know what my price will be.” He looked at me, narrowing his eyes and reminding me of the chaffing around my wrist.

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