Page 41 of Shattered Rhythm

“Yeah, I have,” she replies with a smile. “Want to play?”

“Sure, why not? We can get to know each other better while working on our tans,” I suggest.

“Okay, let’s start. You go first,” she says, so I think about something safe to start with.

“What’s your favorite food?” I ask.

“If beverages count, then coffee. If not, French fries. How about you?” she responds.

“Pizza,” I answer.

She laughs and asks, “What’s your favorite topping?”

“Double cheese,” I reply.

“Oh, so you like some dough with your cheese? Nice,” she says, chuckling.

As we continue the game, I learn more about her. Her favorite color is green.Figures.Her favorite animals are turtles, and she has a fear of heights. I tell her my favorite band is Coldplay and that I used to get up and watch the sunrise every day. We laugh and joke with each other as we play, but I want to know more personal things about Liv as well, so I decide to open up to her first.

“So, in the interest of getting to know each other better, I’m going to tell you something about myself. I was an angry teen,” I start. “I felt abandoned, which I was. I was one of the junkie kids they found while doing a raid at a dealer’s place. Nobody claimed me, so they took me in and placed me in a foster home. I was three.”

Liv looks at me with sad eyes, but there’s no pity, which I’m grateful for.

“When I was a teen, I fought a lot, about everything and with anyone, except the guys. The foster family didn’t know what to do with me anymore, but my gym teacher took me aside and told me I should start MMA fighting. I could get out my frustration with rules and regulations and maybe even make a career for myself.”

“Which you did,” she says proudly, and I nod.

“But it got tiring, not just the fighting but also the fame,” I say, and Liv nods in understanding.

“Yeah, it’s like you can’t do anything for yourself anymore, like your life isn’t your own,” she says, and I furrow my brow in surprise.

“How come you know that?” I ask her.

“Oh, I can just imagine,” she answers hastily, and I grunt.

“So I made money, invested it in the right places, thanks to Chase, and bought us a house and the studio. I paid for all our education and put enough money aside so even if the studio didn’t bring in money, we could live comfortably. As soon as that was done, I quit. I could have fought for another five to ten years, but it didn’t do it for me anymore. I still get times when I need to punch something, but I’m good with letting my emotions out on a heavy bag instead of somebody’s face.”

“You should be proud of yourself, Jaxon. I am,” she says with a smile. “And if you don’t mind, I’d like to claim you as my friend, because I would consider it a privilege to have you in my corner.”

Fuck, this girl.

She looks hesitant for a moment, but then she takes a deep breath.

“I lost my family a year ago. It was traumatic, and I still can’t talk about it,” she says, and I’m taken aback by the sudden revelation.

“I’m so sorry, Liv. That must have been so tough.”

“It was,” she says, looking down at her hands, her brows furrowed. “It still is.”

I reach out and take her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “I’m here for you if you ever want to talk about it, because I claim you right back, sunshine,” I tell her, and she gives me a small smile.

We sit in silence for a few minutes, both lost in thought, holding hands, then Liv perks up.

“Okay, next question. If you could have any superpower, what would it be?” she asks, and I laugh.

“That’s easy—teleportation. Imagine all the time and money I could save on travel,” I respond, and Liv smiles.

“That’s a good one, but I would choose telekinesis. Moving things with my mind would be so cool.”

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