Page 87 of Star Crossed
Chapter Sixteen
“I didn’t throw the fight.”
Romeo was sweaty and breathless as he sat on the mat in the middle of the cage. He just couldn’t go another minute without saying it. He and Clay had been ignoring the giant elephant in the room for the past two and half hours, and it was slowly driving him insane.
“I know it sounded bad,” he went on, avoiding Clay’s gaze. “If I were in your shoes, I probably wouldn’t believe me either, but I—”
“I believe you.” Clay sat down on the mat next to Romeo. “You think I’d have called your ass at six this morning if I really thought you threw that fight?”
“I dunno.” Romeo shook his head. “I sorta thought you just wanted to kick the shit outta me. I was expecting you and Conner to gang up on me and just end it once and for all.”
“And you came anyway?” Clay asked in disbelief. “What the hell’s wrong with you?”
“I sorta wanted to let you.” Romeo ran both hands through his sweaty hair and then folded his fingers together behind his neck. He leaned his forehead against his knees as he confessed. “I’m fucking miserable over this shit.”
Clay was silent after Romeo’s confession, and he finally turned his head, resting his cheek on his knee as he studied the other man. Clay didn’t seem to be leveling any judgment at him. If anything, he almost appeared sympathetic, which was certainly not what Romeo was expecting.
“Why do you believe me?” Romeo couldn’t help but ask.
Clay shrugged. “’Cause I was in the cage with you that night. I dealt with the concussion, the stitches, the bruised ribs, and there weren’t nothing ’bout that fight that seemed half-assed. You might’ve been distracted—”
“No shit.” Romeo snorted, thinking back on the cold sweats he’d woken up with for weeks leading up to that fight. “That’s a fucking understatement.”
“But you still had that killer instinct,” Clay went on. “You wanted to win. There isn’t even a question ’bout it, and I honestly can’t believe Jules and Wyatt can’t see it. Their memory of that night must’ve gone foggy.”
“Between you and me, you did me a favor by winning,” Romeo confessed, which felt oddly good. “I probably wouldn’t be here if you hadn’t, and I definitely wouldn’t have met Juliet.”
Clay pulled a face, making it obvious he didn’t want to hear any details. “Are we gonna get back to it? That fight’s in five days, and I’m not totally convinced you’re ready.”
Romeo was more than ready for the fight with Lipton and Clay knew it, but if he wanted to escape the conversation with training, that worked. The physical exertion was helping keep Romeo’s mind off other issues, and he noticed Clay was more vicious than usual today. He was either more pissed off over Jules’s situation than he let on, or this was some sort of pity beating. Maybe Clay sensed Romeo’s need to push past his endurance. He needed the pain. He wanted the burn to erase the mental agony. To be so fucking tired when he got back to the lake house that he fell into bed and actually slept after an exhausting forty-eight hours that had allowed him very little rest.
Romeo’s jujitsu was getting stronger. It was far more honed than he’d ever expected it to be, but he was also dog tired. Clay had him in a naked choke hold in less than a minute, forcing him to tap. He rolled onto his back once Clay released him, gazing at the ceiling, feeling the wave of exhaustion roll over him.
“You wanna call it a day?” Clay asked him, sounding disappointed in Romeo. “You’re not even a challenge this afternoon.”
“I didn’t sleep last night.” Romeo stared at the lights that were hazed around the edges and made his eyes sting the longer he stared at them. He had so many problems, but he could focus on only one thing. “I gotta fix this thing with Juliet. I feel like I can’t breathe without her. It’s like drowning, you know?”
“I know,” Clay surprised him by admitting. “And I sure don’t envy you that.”
“How do I fix it?”
“Fuck if I know. It was dumb luck that I got Mel. She did all the work. I’m still not totally sure how it happened.”
“Well, that doesn’t help.” Romeo sighed, feeling lost because Clay was the only guy he knew that was in a real relationship. “Shit.”
“And you’re dating Jules. That’s a whole other issue. She’s intense ’bout everything, and you’re not exactly mellow. Mel thinks you’re perfect together. I think y’all might end up strangling each other first.”
Romeo looked to Clay dully. “Thanks for the vote of confidence, Powers.”
“I will tell you that if she’s like her brother, which more often than not, she is,” Clay started, a smile quirking at the corner of his mouth, “if she really loves you, she’ll come back. You would honestly not fucking believe how devoted a Conner in love can be.”
“Yeah?” Romeo asked hopefully.
“Oh yeah. It makes it real sad when they fall for someone who abuses their loyalty,” Clay said menacingly, narrowing dark eyes at Romeo. “And you better not be that someone for Jules, ’cause I will end it all and hide the evidence.”
“I believe you.”
Clay was still scowling, as if thinking of something else besides Romeo and Jules’s issues, when someone called out, “Wellings.”
