I hate overcrowded places.

First, it took me a sweet amount of time to find a free spot to park my car, then now this place is jampacked with hardly any space to walk. Above all, I have to find my friends in this sea of people.

When Kris told me about how many people are showing up for watching the fights, never in my mind, I have imagined it is going to be this many. 

When for the third time, my foot has been stomped, I have almost decided to go back home to enjoy the rest of my night peacefully, other than, cursing hell and back people who are not seeing where they are walking. But when I hear my name faintly over the noise around me, I start to look around for the last time in the hope to find any familiar face.

Kris waves enthusiastically at me from standing on the bar while Jake supports her.

Heaving a sigh of relief, I make a beeline in their direction.

As soon as I reach them Kris jumps down from the bartop and tightly hugs me. I push her away, laughingly, when she sniffs my neck.

"You smell so delicious, girl." She again takes a long whiff pulling me close as my eyes try to search for Alec but he is not here.

"Okay, do I need to be worried about anything, babes?" Jake asks slightly laughing noticing the open display of affection that is being showered by Kris on me.

"Oh, when it comes to my Avery, you always have to be worried." Kris kisses my cheek loudly making my eyes wide, "I will always willing to switch teams for her," she says with the most serious look. Even I would have been convinced if I don't know Kris any better.

"I don't mind being the only man, in your duo. Triple the fun." Jake winks wrapping arms around our shoulders, squeezing in between us, while doing some weird dance move. 

Well, at this point we are barely able to hold back our laughter as I push both of them away from me. Exhaling loudly I try to gain control of the laughing fit.

Once more I look around in search of Alec, hoping to catch his glimpse. But when I don't see him anywhere, I thought to find him in his office which he has shown me ages ago.

"I will be back in a while," Tugging Kris's arm to grab her attention, I whisper in her ear.

"Don't forget to give a good luck kiss." She grins like a Cheshire cat.

"Oh, he doesn't need good luck. However, little motivation will not harm." Winking at her, I pave my way towards the less crowded section of the club, down the hallway, there is a staircase which leads to his office if my memory serves right.

"Sorry, ma'am, nobody is allowed to be in this section." A huge man blocks my path, "If you want I can guide you back to the main section of the club." He nods his head towards the way I came from, displaying his giant arms by crossing them over his broad chest.

Damn, everything seems miniature just by his presence.

Momentarily, I am distracted by his tattoos which looks like they have been stretched to their limits. I have never seen tattoos up close, it almost looks like doodling not that I am going to tell him.

"Ma'am?" He says to gain my attention.

"Is Alec in there?" I raise my head to point to the door at the end of the stairs.

"Alec?" His stoic expression wavers as his thick eyebrows almost reach his trimmed hairline.

"Don't tell me he had already died, and I have been interacting with his ghost all this time." I shake my head feigning horror.

This earns me a small smile from him which he tries to suppress. 

"May I know your name?" He asks in a much-relaxed tone as compared to his earlier one, "I will pass on your message to him. As nobody is permitted to go to his office, so I can't allow you..."

"Let her come, Fernandez." A very familiar voice interrupts us, "I am surprised she hasn't already shoved your head against the wall for stopping her." Although he sounds serious, there is an amusement underlying his tone.

"Hey! I am not a caveman and he seems like a nice giant." I glare at Alec feeling a little offended. I don't pick up fights with anyone, mostly I try to avoid unless somebody directly pokes me.

Alec sighs and descends stairs quickly, holding my hand he starts pulling me upstairs.

He closes the door behind him and turns to me. There is a slight shock look in his eyes, but soon it changes into a pleased one.

"You said, you were not coming?" He tries to sound accusing but fails miserably.

"Don't make me regret, Gregory. Since I am here, I need you to put up a good show." I  arch an eyebrow at him, then lightly laugh and turn to face the glass wall.

Placing my palms against the glass wall I look outside in slight awe. When the first time I can here, the club was empty, however, tonight it is filled with enthusiastic people not a single space is empty. Most of the crowd is surrounding the octagon ring, where two fighters are engaged in a deadly match. Above the ring, there is a box section where some suited guys are sitting and observing the fight with keen interest.

I can feel the humming against my palms due to the cheering and shouts coming from the crowd. However, the room is relatively quiet as compared to the chaos outside, probably due to being soundproofed.

Alec encircles his arms, around my waist, from behind and keeps his chin on my head staring in the same direction as mine. Instinctually, I place my hands on his forearms which are crossed over my front. 

I can feel the strong muscles of his arms along with the light dust of hair spread over his skin. The warmth radiating from his body makes me lean against him. You know, what weird is? That it doesn't feel weird at all. 

We haven't put any label to our relationship, for some reason it doesn't seem necessary. Everything seems natural like this is how we have been each other our whole lives.

"My fight will start in twenty minutes." Leaning down he kisses my cheek, "I have to go and prepare for it."

"Okay." I turn to him and hold him in a hug, "Go and shed some blood for me." I pull slightly back just in time to see his stunned expression, "Obviously, not yours but your opponent's."

"You are crazy." He lightly chuckles.

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Well, Alec is something else when he fights, even if you want you can't tear your eyes from him. His body control, his movements, everything looks near to perfection. Yet, I am entranced by the determination which is clear in his eyes.

The moment he steps into the ring, everything about him says he is there to win. He does not once lose his focus, even when his opponent starts to play dirty. Alec blocks his every move, skillfully, with little or no effort at all. At one point I figured Alec is just enjoying pissing off his opponent. 

It is no surprise when Alec is declared as a winner, while his opponent is sprawled out cold on the ring. 

But what comes as a real surprise when Alec, instead of celebrating his victory, helps the paramedics to carry his opponent outside the ring. 

Before I only liked him, however, now he even earned my respect.

"Let's get head to the booth, as now people may turn chaotic." Jake holds our hands securely and helps us out of the crowd.

We sit in a u-shaped booth and a few minutes later some more people join us. I, as usual, keep to myself only. Jake introduces them as his friends. They all look nice like I don't get any weird vibes from them. However, among his friends, there is his cousin too who is clearly a stuck-up. 

Judging by the glares which Jake sends in his cousin ways, whenever he speaks, I guess he is not liked by him, too.

Jake goes to order drinks for me and Kris while the speaker blares with the announcement of another fight. Within a few moments, Jake returns with our drinks.

He places a fancy looking drink in front of me. There is a lime wedge on the sugar-coated rim of the glass, which is filled with half crushed ice and half strange-looking blue liquid, and a large spiral straw inside it.

This straw is going home with me.

I take a small sip, from the large glass, and slightly frown as it tastes unusual. I taste lemon and maybe blueberries. I never had blueberry juice before because I prefer eating berries directly, rather than drinking juice.

I believe juice tastes slightly different from the actual fruit, I don't whether anyone else finds this difference in taste or it is just me.

Maybe that's why it tastes different. After another two or three sips, I get used to the flavor and find it is not that bad. Actually, it is nice.

Jake's stupid cousin, whose name I forget as soon as I have heard, goes on speaking about himself. From what I have understood, his father runs a construction business and soon he is taking over it. This shit also humiliated Jake by offering him a job while saying even his security makes more money than Jake.

While from what I have learned from Kris, Jake earns more than average. But he prefers not to flaunt about it. His dad had passed away when he was in his early teens, and after that, his family faced a lot of struggles. Being the elder son now he supports his family and fulfills their every need so that his younger brothers would never have to face what he has gone through.

My mobile vibrates in my hand, as I receive a message. Blinking, I read Alec's message which says, 'Scoot over.'

I move to the side making room on my right side, a second later Alec slips into the empty space. Turning my face to him, I notice he has changed into a white full-sleeves t-shirt and dark blue jeans. His slight damp hair is swept to the side, looking a shade darker.

His eyebrows subtly rise up when he sees my face but he doesn't say anything. I turn my attention back to my now half-finished drink.

I hear Kris groaning lightly, and points at Jake's cousin when I meet her eyes. 

"I have everything, you name it, I have it." He shrugs nonchalantly, "There is nothing which I need now." He leans back in the seat with a haughty expression as he talks to the guy sitting on his left.

Raising my eyes, for the first time since we are sitting here, I actually look at him. He is just an average looking guy with shaggy hair and... 

"Sports bra," I say deadpan before I can stop myself while staring at him.

"Excuse me?" He tilts his head in confusion.

"You said there is nothing which you need, and I just told you what you need." I shrug. "You need a sports bra because you have man boobs."

Silence falls on the table as his jaws drop.

"Princess, these are called muscles in case you haven't noticed." He scoffs.

"I haven't noticed because there are not any muscles, those are saggy boobs sitting on your belly." I point to his chest.

Everyone on the table burst out laughing even Alec finds it difficult to control his laughter. 

"These are solid muscles." I place a hand on Alec's chest, surprising myself. 

Then glancing at Alec, I run my hand on his arm as he gives me a surprised look, hell even I am surprised by my action.

"Strong, warm, and mine." I smile, as I entwine our fingers while whispering and lean my head against his shoulder keeping my eyes on him.

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