“I know,” Justin said and kissed me on the head. “But, I’m going to be okay. There’s just one more fight left.”
I bit my lip. “Do you know who your opponent is yet? Do they release that information this soon?” I figured I should ask him more about his fights; maybe that would help me get more comfortable with it.
“Yeah, he’s a guy I know, actually,” Justin said. “We used to fight together back in the day. His name is Tyler.”
“Really?” I didn’t know they let people fight when they knew one another. But then again, I didn’t know much about it at all.
“Yeah. It’s pretty crazy we’ll be going up against each other,” he said.
“Is he tough?” I asked.
“Yes. He’ll be a tough one to beat.”
I cringed.
“But, I can handle it, Anna. I can handle him,” he added. I found it sweet that he was trying to calm my nerves.
“Are you sure?” I didn’t like to think about what might happen to him while he was out there. I wanted to make sure he was going to be okay. I knew he needed my support, but it was hard to support him when the possibility of him getting hurt hung over my head.
Justin put his hands on each of my shoulders so that I had to look him in the eye. “Yes, Anna. I’m sure. I know I can do this. You just have to be tough for me. You have to trust me.”
I nodded my head. “I know. I’m trying; it’s just hard to watch you get hurt.”
Justin pulled me into him and wrapped his arms around me. I wrapped my arms around his waist and melted into his embrace. I felt safe in his arms.
We sat like that for a few minutes, not speaking. Just being with one another was amazing. I wasn’t very hard to please. I could have just stayed like that forever, and I would have died happy. I didn’t need fancy things or grand gestures. I wondered if Justin had figured that out about me yet.
I felt his voice through his chest as he spoke, “Margie really likes your family.”
“I was thinking about that, too,” I said. It was true; I had been thinking a lot about how much Margie loved my family. She called Ally “Aunt Ally,” my mom “Nana,” and my dad “Papa.”
“She really needs people like your family in her life,” he said.
I didn’t know how to respond to that. I knew he was referring to his mostly absent family and Tammy’s family, which he said never came around. I wanted to ask him about her family. I wanted to ask him questions about her, but I figured it probably wasn’t the right time.
“They adore her. My mom wouldn’t stop talking to me about her the other day. I think she’s been so desperate for a grandchild, and now this is filling that void for her,” I said.
Justin whispered in my ear. “I’m glad Margie gets to be the one to do that for them.”
I looked up at him. “Me, too.”
There was another silent moment. It wasn’t awkward. It just felt nice. I loved that being around him was easy. I felt like I didn’t have to try, like I could be myself around him.
“You know how much I like you, right?” he asked.
I shook my head.
“I like you so much, Anna, that I don’t think I can picture my life without you now.”
My heart started beating faster and faster. I couldn’t believe he was finally admitting his feelings for me. It felt just as amazing as I imagined it would. My face flushed, and my chest felt tight, full of emotions.
“That’s exactly how I feel,” I said. “You and Margie already mean so much to me.”
Justin smiled and as he moved to pull me closer to him, but he winced suddenly.
“What’s wrong? Is it your shoulder?” I asked looking at it.
He nodded. “Yeah, I think I messed it up pretty badly.”