Page 174 of The Breaking Pointe
With a glimmer in my eye, enjoying my last minutes of feeling good, I peer down at Noelle as she spreads oil against the skin of my stomach.Her face is illuminating with happiness as she seeks out every inch of my chest, lathering it without fame—sneaking in short glances at me as I stand content and in place.
“I should do this more often,” she professes.
“I’m thoroughly enjoying it, but I still don’t understand the significance,” I jive with slight laughter.
“Cause.”She pauses her arm movement, looking up at me completely. “You’re tan under the lights, and it adds to how scrumptious your body looks,” she advises with a witty grin, bringing my eyes to her cherry colored lip gloss.
“I’ll take your word for it,” I mutter, leaning in to connect my lips with the sweet flavor on hers.
With a softexhale out of her nose,shefalls into mygesture,
kissing me back with a smile growing cheek to cheek. “Alright,let’sgo,wegottwentyminutesandweneedtobe
walking to the ring in five!” Trey marches into the dressing room, promoting Noelle and I with loud, repetitive clapping, twisting our attention from each other and onto him.
Noelle throws her head back, sighing as she begins to collect things.
“Cole, I have all the things you need already waiting. Put your robe on and we need to hurry up before they play your entrance music,” Trey instructs.
“You make it sound so serious.”I snicker, reaching for my robe as Noelle shuffles back over to me with her purse and a bag full of her things.
“It is serious.” Trey eyeballs me, holding onto his tight- ened jaw, but losing it in a matter of seconds to a chuckle and give a head shake.
“I love you. Do great. I know you will. I’ll be right there on the side, watching,” Noelle says, lifting herself to kiss my cheek.
Taking her chin into my fingers, I direct her face to mine, giving her one more kiss and holding it there for my satisfaction.
“I love you,” I say after finally freeing her.
As I pull away, she follows up with more affirmation, as she always does.
“And no matter what happens, you’re always my number one, okay?” She raises her eyebrow, proclaiming her words to me.
The best affirmation any man could ever receive. “Okay.” I nod. “Thank you,” I say.
“Okay,” shereplies,flashing asmilebeforeshe strutsher
way out of the dressing room, leaving me to put my robe on. Her voice is gonna be playing in my head like a brokenrecord during this entire endeavor.I feel like a superhero, but at the same time, I also feel like a townsman in a great dealoftrouble.Iwanttogetthisoverwith,andI’mtoo aware that it’s going to take everything I got, and possibly more. I love the faith that everyone has in me, though. Now myheadisthesizeofahotairballoon.Rightnow,Ithink I need to keep that momentum, so long as it distracts me from my nervous system spazzing out and throwing me off
my game.
“Everything you trained for, it’s time to lay it all out.Don’t hold back, but remember your rules, alright?”Trey says, walking to the door and waiting for me as I grab my gloves and begin to put them on.
“Right. Don’t kill him.” I smile, approaching him at the door. His face dulls in disappointment.
“I’m kidding, good God,” I bellow, smiling as he opens the door, waiting for me to walk out.
“I’ve never seen you this preppy before an event,” he says, following me as I exit the room and begin to walk down the hall.
“Everything has been going my way recently.I have a good feeling,” I state, stuffing my mouth guard in my mouth with my one bare hand, then putting my other glove on.
We finally reach the entrance doors and stop in our tracks, both turning to face each other.
“Well—”Treybegins,butisinterruptedbytheloud speaker announcing my upcoming arrival, followed by muf- fled, blaring music.
Trey looks at the doors for a second and then at me.“Good
luck.”Hehalfsmiles,restingahandonmyshoulder.
