"We both drowned under the waves of words we weren't saying."

~ Ben Maxfield

In no time we arrived at the warehouse to witness a swarm of spectators flooding in and out, with large guards surrounding the entrance, controlling the influx of people. The atmosphere was heavy and intimidating. In comparison to the last fight, there were at least twenty times more people. I observed the crowd piling up outside the entrance, not recognizing the hoard of faces. Emily latched onto me as we approached the masses, pushing through them to gain access to the entrance.

Earlier in the day, at Andy's, Tobias had left abruptly, without any explanation. Not that I had expected him to tell me where he was off to, or maybe I had and I was wrong to. I felt anxious and a little upset until Andy explained that Tobias had disappeared to train for his fight tonight. Dan and I had left shortly after. Before dropping me home, I remember he had told me how Andy was helping him out financially to expand the business into the city.

My mind was summoned back to reality when the giant-sized guard at the entrance of the warehouse came into view. Dan, "These two are with me." Dan informed him and he permitted us to pass without any further questions.

"Stay close." Dan gave Emily and me a serious look as we gripped each other tightly.

I was overwhelmed by the smell of sweat and huddled bodies. Dan led us to a less crowded part of the warehouse, near the back of the ring before saying, "Wait here, let me find the guys."

As he retreated, Emily asked, "You okay?"

I told her truthfully, "Not really," as I unconsciously began biting my lip.

"I'm right here," she reassured me comfortingly.

Suddenly, the speakers bellowed, "Welcome to the ring!" Immediately, both Emily and I gave each other a look, I spotted an empty window sill nearby and pulled her towards it. We hoisted ourselves onto it and waited for Dan to return. From the slight height of the window sill, we gained an advantage overlooking the crowd, giving us an open view of the fighting ring.

That is when I spotted him, wearing a hood. Despite not being able to see his face, I knew it was Tobias since I recognized his boxing gloves, the same black and gold ones he made me wear during training. My eyes lit up, my heartbeat rapidly increased and my mouth formed a smile. Instead of fearing him or what was going to happen next, I smiled, feeling confident that he was going to destroy his opponent.

Breathe.

"There you guys are. I said wait here, not go sit on the window," Dan sassed, walking towards us.

He placed himself between Emily's dangling legs, hooking his arms around her calves.

"Tonight is the night. The fight you've all been waiting for has finally arrived." The announcer captivated the audience slowly, building the suspense. He then pointed to one end of the ring and exclaimed, "In one corner we have The Destroyer!" An olive-skinned man with tattoos and a large build stomped into the ring, pounding his chest to get a rise out of the crowd. The spectators lightly cheered for him as he arrogantly marched back and forth.

"On the other end, we have, the one, the only; Sicarius!" He yelled as the crowd deafeningly roared for Tobias, louder than that for his opponent. His stiff and daunting figure appeared, revealing his emotionless face from the hood. His eyes illuminated with a fierce and intimidating glow as he swiftly mounted the ring. His demeanor was intense, dominating, and enigmatic. "Are you ready?!" The speakers boomed and the crowd simultaneously reciprocated with hollers.

Breathe.

My heart began racing at the sight before my eyes. The last time I saw him fight, we didn't know each other. This time it was different, I was feeling both scared and excited at the same time; scared because I wasn't sure whether I could handle it and excited because I was fascinated by how effortlessly Tobias fought. I bit my lower lip anxiously as both fighters glared at each other from their respective corners.

"Drum roll please!" On cue, a dramatic drum roll played. The announcer's voice was the last thing anyone heard before everything went silent. "Three, two, one. Fight." Tobias and his opponent approached each other and knocked gloves as a sign of mutual respect, before swiftly retreating. They circled inside the ring, allowing the uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach to build.

His opponent's stance was purely defensive which inadvertently made it necessary for Tobias to make the first move. He put out a brutal right hook which took his opponent by surprise as it managed to close the gap between them skillfully. Not wanting to waste the opportunity, Tobias continued to apply constant pressure. Meanwhile, his opponent made attempts to retreat and create a safe distance between them which proved futile. It was clear that The Destroyer was awaiting his moment of glory, carefully studying Tobias.

Unfortunately for him, Tobias anticipated his uppercut, dodging it. Tobias' tremendous punch output overwhelmed his opponent as he released a round of intense hooks and uppercuts which collided harshly with his opponent's ribcage and chest. Tobias was fast on his feet which made it difficult for his opponent to comprehend and retaliate to the compact blows that kept coming his way. In a swift moment, Tobias reached forward and caught his opponent's torso, grappling him.

Still clutching onto his torso with both arms, Tobias rammed his shoulder into his opponent's ribcage multiple times before lifting him off the ground using his own body weight as support and slamming him down, causing a loud thud. His opponent grunted and subsequently went limp. The crowd erupted with celebratory chants, "Sicarius...Sicarius...Sicarius..."

Tobias was straddling him when his eyes connected with mine for a brief moment. His words echoed through my skull.

"Don't ever let your guard down."

The distraction I caused proved disastrous for Tobias as The Destroyer launched a firm right hook to his chiseled jaw. The fury that overtook Tobias' vision was unfathomable. Blood began dripping from the sides of his mouth and I immediately tensed. Bulging eyes, erratic thudding and clammy palms.

Fuck. I shouldn't have come.

The panic I felt was incomprehensible. Two bodies mangled, arms and limbs meshed on the floor of the ring. Every blow that The Destoryer landed, I felt. It was unbearable, knowing that I had caused the diversion which led to Tobias' demise.

When Tobias managed to pin his opponent to the ground after ferociously plummeting his large face, I exhaled gratefully. The Destroyer was both figuratively and quite literally being destroyed by Tobias and I couldn't help but feel a sense of pride radiate throughout my body.

Thank God.

He fought exceptionally as he claimed victory, blood still trickling down his mouth. His opponent lay bruised, lifeless, and utterly defeated. Tobias lifted him off the ground by throwing him over his shoulder only to smash his limp figure onto the floor of the ring like a ragdoll. My eyes widened as Tobias began kicking his opponent's lax body repeatedly. My shock worsened as the crowd kept cheering him on, urging him to continue.

At that moment, I felt paralyzed.

"I told you I was dangerous."

Breathe.

"He's nothing but trouble."

Fucking breathe.

A numbing sensation traveled along the length of my body yet my eyes remained glued to Tobias, who was being tamed by at least five people. Somehow, they managed to escort him down the ring before vanishing amidst the adrenaline-pumping crowd. I was rendered speechless.

Emily hopped down the window sill and guided me to follow in her footsteps. The air in the warehouse was dense and suffocating. Fortunately, spectators began withering away allowing the atmosphere to lighten which permitted me to breathe. She led us to the secluded room where I had woken up after I had fainted. Inside, we found Dan and the others.

Tobias' intimidating and cold voice reverberated through the room, "You shouldn't have come."

My body stiffened at the sound of his voice causing my muscles to tense up and my lips to part slightly. Immediately, I turned to face him, still unable to utter a word. In my peripheral view, I noticed the others slither away, emptying the room. His raspy voice echoed as we stood alone.

"But I did," I whispered.

I took three quick strides to close the distance between us, gazing up at him with soft eyes. A series of emotions radiated off of his body; anger, sadness, and pain being the most prominent. He averted his vulnerable gaze from mine, not wanting me to comprehend his emotions. I cautiously snaked my delicate arms around his rigid torso, tilting my head to the right and pressing the side of my face against the warmth of his chest. My newfound confidence caused my heartbeat to quicken.

Inhale.

His muscles became tense as I tightened my arms, hugging him with as much strength as I could muster. Surprisingly, he didn't recoil from my embrace, instead, he stood incredibly still. Slowly and unsurely, his arms circled around me and I felt myself crumble.

Despite the fact that he was sweaty, I inhaled his musky scent and closed my eyes with contentment. I lifted my head slightly in an attempt to read him. His Adam's apple bobbed up and down as a shocked expression sat on his face, traces of blood still visible at the corners of his mouth.

Exhale.

I slowly loosened my right arm from behind him, trailing my fingers gently up the side of his torso, along his chest, and landing on his shoulder. I carefully stroked his bewitching collarbone, gulping at the sight of goosebumps flooding my arm. I felt him inhale a sharp breath when my fingers lingered towards the side of his neck. It felt inexplicable to be this close to him.

So fucking close.

I tilted my head to face him, my fingers still dancing against his neck, slowly caressing him. I peered up at his enchanting face through my long eyelashes. His amber eyes were hidden beneath closed eyelids as he leaned into my touch, finally responding. I sighed ever so faintly which immediately caused him to flutter his protuberant eyes open, his intimidating gaze connecting with mine.

"He's nothing but trouble."

His intense eyes shifted to my pursed lips, he parted his mouth slightly and licked his lips, making my insides churn. Instantly, it became harder for me to swallow as he raised his right hand to tuck away stray locks behind my ear. He began fiddling with my earlobe, using circular patterns to drive me insane. I rolled my eyes to the back of my head as his fiery touch ignited an unfamiliar feeling within my body. I felt a shiver run down my spine when his fingers inched up my neck towards my chin.

Trouble feels really fucking good right now.

He held onto my chin placing his hand underneath it for support as his thumb rested near the bottom of my lips. My eyes fluttered open as I let out a gasp when his thumb began sliding over my lower lip, his face mere inches away from me.

Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.

I slithered my hand down his torso, from his neck to his abdomen, making sure to feel every part of him. As I traveled over his ribcage I felt an indentation where one of his ribs was meant to be, indicating that it was out of place. My eyes promptly lowered to observe my newfound discovery, my curiosity getting the better of me.

I severed the silence by whispering, "What happened to your rib?"

Straight away, he retreated his hand and stepped back to escape my touch, as if my voice had snapped him out of a trance. His eyes returned to being emotionless and dark. I continued towards him, rebelling against his guise of indifference.

"What are you doing?" He grimaced, trying to investigate my motives.

I positioned his hand on my jugular notch, the dip between both my collarbones. He was a combination of fire and ice; warm fingertips and a cold heart. When I gulped, his amber irises morphed into a metallic shade of gold. I dragged the pads of his fingers along my slightly protruding collarbone.

"We're both broken," I murmured.

He kept his fingers in place, rubbing my skin gently only to make my breathing uneven. I held my breath, eluding the depth of his gaze, but he straightened my face to meet his by hooking his fingers under my chin. Caught by each other's eyes, we stood in a deafening silence until I mustered up the courage to speak.

"Tobias," I rasped.

"Hmm," he replied, still drawing patterns on my skin.

"What is this...between us?"

For the briefest moment his eyes lit up with what seemed to be a glimmer of something, perhaps it was hope, however, a cloud of darkness appeared seconds later wiping away any hints of vulnerability.

"Nothing."

Instantly, he broke away from me and reality caved in. His hand grazed mine as he pushed past me towards the door, leaving me alone in that room for a second time. My breathing intensified, my eyes watered, and my heart ached, but I lifted my head and refused to shed a tear.

If only he knew how badly I wanted nothing between us.

----

Emily and Dan
or
Andy and Melaine?

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Love, Ari