Tyler stepped into the room, towering over Natalie. She remembered him now, with his sandy blond hair and tattooed arms.

Of course, how could she forget?

In the context of the Golden Ring, despite his height and tattoos, he looked more boyish than ever. Natalie couldn't believe she ever thought he was older than a teenager.

Well, she supposed their last meeting was under different circumstances. She'd been so scared that day when he and his little gang of friends chased her down the street demanding a rematch with Leon.

And now she was here, alone with him in a room.

"What do you want?" Natalie asked, trying to keep her voice steady. Her eyes flickered over his shoulder, searching for Leon—or Jeff, or anyone.

"I'm looking for your little boyfriend," he replied.

She didn't bother arguing the term. She knew who he was talking about, and something about that look in his eye told her to play it safe.

"He's out there."

"Right, but he won't talk to me out there," Tyler said. He stepped closer and Natalie leaned back into her seat. He noticed her movement and a vicious smile grew on his face. "Hence, me being in here."

"He'll be back any second," Natalie said. An attempt at a threat. Judging by Tyler's unwavering smile, it wasn't an effective threat.

"Oh, I'm counting on it." He moved even closer, cocking his head to look at her. He leaned a hand on the table beside her, humming. "I can see what Leon sees in you."

She shrunk away, trying to remember Leon's lessons on punching. Where was her thumb supposed to go again?

"I think it's the hair that really does it for me. Long, dark, and—is that coconut? I like it."

He lifted a hand, as if reaching for Natalie's hair. She acted on instinct, or maybe muscle memory. Her fist flew forward, thumb curled securely over her fingers, but before her punch could land, Tyler was whipped back.

"Get your fucking hands off her," Leon seethed, one hand planted on Tyler's shoulder and the other aiming directly for his jaw.

Tyler swept to the side but not before Leon's knuckles banged into his mouth.

Tyler jumped backwards and Leon took the opportunity to get between him and Natalie, standing in front of her like a bodyguard.

From her position, Natalie admired the way Leon stood tall. The muscles in his book were obvious, even through his t-shirt. She couldn't believe she didn't immediately know he was a fighter.

"There you are," Tyler said, his thumb wiping at a fresh cut in his bottom lip. He narrowed his eyes, a menacing smile stretching across his bleeding lips. "I just wanted to talk."

"Talk to me then, not her," Leon replied. Every word he said was lined with such hatred and anger, his voice itself was a threat.

"What, your little girlfriend's off-limits?" Tyler asked, his voice almost teasing. He glanced past Leon, meeting Natalie's eyes, and his smile grew. "She was enjoying our conversation."

"Do you want me to punch you again?" Leon asked. "Or do you want to shut your fucking mouth? Your decision."

"Something along those lines," Tyler said. "I want to fight again. A rematch."

Leon scoffed, rolling his eyes. His defensive stance seemed to relax at that, as if realising how little of a threat Tyler really was. "Get a life. I only fight who the boss wants me to fight, and it looks like no one wants to see you in the ring."

"Then talk to your boss, man!"

"Why should I?" he asked, shoving Tyler back. "So, you can get what you want? You're not even worth my time."

Tyler paused for a moment. To Natalie, he reminded her of a child who wasn't getting their way, seconds before a tantrum. His eyes narrowed into glare, and he stepped forward.

"Oh, that's it then, huh?" he said. "You're scared?"

Leon practically laughed. "Sure, Tyler, if that's what you want to believe."

He had completely given up on the conversation. Instead, in an ultimate blow to Tyler's pride, Leon slowly packed is duffel bag and tossed it over his shoulder, turning to Natalie.

"Ready to go?"

She nodded and he helped her stand. Tyler's eyes darted between them, his face turning anxious.

"Wait—wait. We can talk to your boss together, yeah? What do you say?" he asked. "I'll make the match entertaining. Put on a show."

"Tyler," Leon said as he passed, one arm tucked around Natalie's waist to support her limp as they walked out together. "This is getting pathetic. Go train some more and then maybe they'll schedule you for a fight or two."

He paused, his hand leaving Natalie's waist for a moment. He watched her, making sure she was steady on her feet before, in a flash, he had Tyler pinned up against the wall.

Leon gripped the collar of his shirt, his face close to Tyler's as he shoved his back into the wall. Tyler's eyes grew wide. Even Natalie's eyes grew wide. There was a reason Leon was the best fighter in the Golden Ring. He was fast.

"And never, ever go near Natalie again, you hear me?" Leon seethed. "I'll make you regret. You hear me?"

He shoved him again, Tyler's head knocking into the wall. He nodded quickly and Leon released him with a final hard shove.

With that sorted, Leon took Natalie's waist once more and continued guiding her out of the room, completely unshaken by Tyler's presence. It was like he was as threatening as a fly to him; simply annoying and persistent.

Natalie couldn't help but toss one more glance over her shoulder. The confidence Tyler had had just minutes ago was gone now, replaced entirely by desperation.

"I'm going to make it happen, Hughes!" he called. "You'll see!"

Leon ignored him, weaving through the crowd that surrounded the ring. A new boxer was fighting now, but all eyes were on Leon and Natalie. It amazed her how people seemed to part just for Leon.

She passed Jeff and Lance on the way out, thanking them meekly despite their knowing smirks.

By the time they reached Leon's motorbike parked in the street, Natalie's ankle was throbbing all over again.

"You okay?" Leon asked, helping her mount the bike.

She nodded. "Thanks to you."

He settled the helmet over her head and brushed her hair off her shoulders. He huffed as if a thought had just occurred to him.

"You're going to get sick again."

"No, I remembered my jacket this time, see?" she said, rolling her sleeves up. She paused, tapping her bare wrists. "Oh."

"What's wrong?"

"My hair tie," she said. "It's gone. It must have come off when you were bandaging my hands or something."

She spun, scanning the floor as though it had somehow fallen off in the steps from the Golden Ring exit and Leon's motorcycle.

"Don't worry about it," Leon said after a moment's pause. "I'll buy you a new one."

Natalie sighed, giving in. She nodded, turning back to him.

"I really liked that one." It was true. She'd had it for years simply because of a red heart bead stitched into the middle of it that she thought was super cute. "Oh well. Let's go?"

"Alright." Leon tapped her helmet once, as if to check if it was secure, before taking her hands in his. He turned them over, frowning at the bandages. "Will you be able to hold on?"

"Leon, they're just little scrapes," Natalie chided, laughing. "I had worse as a toddler."

"They were bleeding! Just—tell me if they start to hurt, okay?"

"Tell you?"

He nodded, taking his seat in front of her. He took her hands, wrapping them around his waist.

"Just squeeze," he said, demonstrating by pulling her arms tighter around him. Natalie was glad he couldn't see her blush. "If I feel that, I'll pull over."

She nodded and in seconds, they were off.

She'd never get used to the thrill of riding behind Leon Hughes on a motorcycle through the night, but she was definitely starting to enjoy it. She practically giggled as they tore down the street towards her house.

When they arrived at her house, he helped her slowly step off the bike and remove the helmet. She shook out the hair that had been flattened against her scalp.

"That was—oops—" she instantly quietened her voice at Leon's whispered hush— "that was amazing."

Leon chuckled quietly. "More amazing than usual?"

"I wasn't as focused on imminent death this time." She looked towards the second floor of her house. "How am I going to get up there?"

"Here's what we're going to do—"

They reached her bedroom window easily. Leon stared up at the roof ledge, sizing it up, before gesturing towards Natalie.

"Alright," he said. "Come."

She limped towards him, and he gestured for her to turn so that her back was at his chest. His hands touched her waist on either side, and she only had a second for her heart to flip before he was lifting her.

"Grab the roof," he whispered.

He lifted her an inch higher, and she grabbed blindly for the edge of the roof. When she got a solid grip, he hoisted her even higher, his grip shifting from her waist to her hips until he was practically grabbing her bum and pushing her up.

She didn't have the brain capacity to blush (although she did thank her past self for not wearing granny panties today) and instead pulled herself up onto the roof.

She panted with the effort, sitting there for a moment until Leon whispered, "Move over."

Barely having a second to process his words, she scrambled to the side and watched as he gracefully hopped and pulled himself to sit beside her. It seemed so easy for him.

"Make sure you keep your cuts clean," Leon said, his eyes glued to the bandages that covered her skin.

"Leon," Natalie said, lifting a brow. "I know."

"Right." He laughed, peeking over the ledge at the ground. "You fell from here? I'm amazed you didn't end up with worse."

"My ankle disagrees with that," she replied.

He frowned, eyes flickering down to her ankle. "Is it really bad?"

She shrugged. "It hurts but I'm sure it's just a sprain. I'll get it checked out tomorrow. You didn't have to forfeit your—Oh, my God!" Her hands flew to her mouth as she recalled him cutting his fight short. "You forfeited your match, Leon! You didn't have to do that you know."

"It was no big deal," he said. He reached out, his fingertips brushing the band-aids on her knees.

"But what about your—I don't know. Pay? Your upcoming matches? Won't your boss be angry?"

"Natalie," he said, meeting her gaze with a wide smile. "Don't worry. I get paid before the match. I mean, maybe the people who bet on me today will be pissed, but it doesn't matter. I'll just win next time. Remind them who their best bet really is. Their winnings will go up if anything."

Natalie sighed. She knew he was just trying to make her feel better.

"I just feel like I've caused so much... drama. Me and my stupid ideas."

"Hey." His hand grazed the side of her face, and she looked up into his brown eyes. "I'm glad you came. Honestly."

Her breath caught in her throat. She could barely remember what they were talking about. His eyes seemed to roam; his hand creeping higher until it reached a piece of hair that had come loose in the night wind. He pushed it back, his eyes moving lower.

This was it. He was going to kiss her.

She swallowed, trying to remind herself to breathe before she fainted.

Her face felt hot. She wondered if he could feel it under his barely-there fingertips that rested on her cheek.

His hand moved lower down to her jaw. If his thumb moved an inch, it would be sitting on her mouth.

Her eyes dropped to his lips.

All she had to do was moved forward. Lean in.

"Natalie," Leon murmured, his voice almost as silent as the breeze. Her heart pounded, blood rushing in her ears. "I'll see you tomorrow."

She waited, like the words weren't real, but then he was pulling away, his hand leaving her skin and eyes turning back towards the night sky.

She blinked.

He had pulled away.

"Take care of yourself," he said, and easily slipped off the roof edge.

She watched his retreating back as he jogged back to the motorcycle, half-believing that none of the past few minutes were real. She was so sure he was going to kiss her. If he had waited just another minute, she might have kissed him.

But now he was gone. Natalie hadn't even had the chance to thank him or say goodnight.

Her face was on fire. She was glad she didn't lean in. That could have been disastrous.

She turned back to her bedroom window. She had school in the morning, and she needed to think of some excuse for why she suddenly had scraped knees and a sprained ankle overnight.

▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Bit of a late chapter today because I didn't realise Oppenheimer was a 3 hour long movie???? Anyway I hope you liked this chapter!! There's only 8 chapters left so drop your thoughts and predictions now! Thank you for reading!