“Okay.” He sat down in one of the plastic chairs and I quickly walked away from him.

I made my way to the locker room, trying to ensure that no one was looking at me. I pushed the door open and walked in quickly. I saw Channing and his group of friends in the far right corner and I moved swiftly to make sure he didn’t see me. I walked to the other side of the locker room and that was when I saw Hudson and Luke standing there.

“You’re doing a good thing, bro.” Luke was grinning at Hudson and egging him on. I paused and decided to watch them for a few minutes before I spoke. I thought it was odd that Luke looked so cheerful now. “Maybe when you win the money, you can dedicate the win to Clara.”

“I don’t think that’s appropriate.” Hudson shook his head.

My breath caught as I stared at him in his black boxer shorts. His tattoos seemed to glow as he stood there, and I wondered at how I had ever thought they were gross. They looked magnificent. He looked magnificent. So powerful and so strong. I swallowed as I stared at his chest and biceps. He looked fitter than I’d ever remembered him being. I wanted to walk over and touch his chest. I wanted to feel his hard body against mine. I wanted his lips to crush down on mine. I wanted him to tell me that everything was going to be okay. I wanted him to tell me that he forgave me.

“You know, Clara knew about you and Riley.” Luke’s voice changed and my breath caught as he spoke.

“What are you talking about?” Hudson’s voice was angry.

“She knew that you had a thing for her. We all knew.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You think she didn’t realize you were being cold to her that summer? Do you think she didn’t see how you used to watch Riley? Do you think she couldn’t tell that you were distant with her?”

“How would you know that, Luke?”

“She...she called me.” I watched as Luke’s face went white. “We were friends.”

“I don’t really remember you guys being friends.” Hudson frowned. “I don’t really remember you talking much at all.”

“Well, I’m just saying you need to win this.” Luke sat on the bench.

“That’s what I’m trying to do.”

“Just think how many girls you’ll get if you win.”

“I’m not doing it for girls.”

“But it’s a great side benefit, right? A bunch of hotties bending over for you?”

“Luke, I think you better leave.” Hudson turned away from him and I could see that he was angry.

“Okay, well, good luck.”

“Thanks.”

I watched as Luke walked away from Hudson before approaching him. My heart was beating fast and I could feel the nerves jumping in my stomach.

“Hey, Hudson,” I said lightly and watched as he turned around to face me.

“You shouldn’t be here.” His eyes lit up as he dismissed me. His eyes were what gave me hope and a little bit more nerve.

“I had to come and see you before the fight.”

“What did you want?”

“You don’t have to be mean.”

“What do you want, Riley?” He sighed and looked into my eyes. “I thought I made it clear that I didn’t want to talk to you.”

“I wanted to wish you luck. I wanted to make sure you were okay.” I looked down at the floor, feeling incredibly hurt.

“Thanks for the good luck.” His voice was hoarse.

“Do you think you’ll ever stop hating me?” I asked softly and looked up at him again. His expression changed and I could see a flow of different emotions cross his face.

“I don’t hate you, Riley. I could never hate you.”

“I know what I did was wrong.” My voice caught and I stopped talking.

Hudson stood up and slowly walked towards me. His hands made their way to my face and he tilted my chin up to look at him.

“Listen to me, Riley. You did nothing wrong. You are a beautiful, wonderful human being.” His eyes blazed into mine. “Never ever forget that.”

“Why did you leave me at the campsite?” I asked him, trying not to cry.

“I left because someone I know was in an accident.”

“Oh, no,” I gasped.

“She’s okay now.”

“You haven’t called me.”

“I have nothing to say.”

“Because you hate me!”

“Riley,” he growled and pulled me towards him. “If you only knew how false that statement is, you’d never say it or think it again. If you only knew how much I cared for you.”

I looked up at him with wide eyes. “How much?”

“This much.” His lips found mine, and I grabbed the back of his head as we kissed passionately.

I ran my fingers down his back and slipped my tongue into his mouth while biting down on his lower lip. He pushed me back into the lockers and lifted me up. I wrapped my legs around his waist, and he groaned as his hardness came crashing into me. He eyes stared into mine with a dark gleam, and he leaned back a little bit and groaned. His mouth fell to mine again, and his hands gently held my ass. His fingers squeezed my butt cheeks, and I ran my hands through his hair. Our kiss deepened and I felt as if I were somehow flying through the air on wings of a dove. My whole body felt weightless, and I kissed him hungrily, wishing that all my other worries and problems would disappear.

“Now do you understand how much I don’t hate you?” Hudson let me down onto my own two feet and gave me a sweet smile.

“I guess you don’t hate me?” I asked breathlessly, still holding on to him.

“I love you, Riley,” he whispered against my lips. “I love you.”

“But you hung up on me.” My heart raced as he spoke. I wasn’t sure if I was living in some sort of daydream. He loved me? Could this possibly be true?

“Because you have more faith in me than you should.”

I frowned. “What are you talking about?”

“Now’s not the time.” He shook his head and took a step back. “I don’t want to see your face before the fight. I don’t want you to hate me before the fight. I want you to still respect me, even if it’s because you don’t know the truth.”

“What are you talking about, Hudson? What truth?” I grabbed his arms. “Please tell me.”

“Do you love me, Riley?” he whispered, his eyes hopeful.

“I love you so much, Hudson.”

“Good. That’s what I want to go into the fight knowing.” He gave me a smile. “I want to know I have someone to fight for. I want to know that you’re rooting for me with all your heart.”

“Why?”

“Why?” He looked sad. “Because you’re the only one who’s always believed in me and loved me. And if I lost that before the fight, I don’t know that I could win.”

“I don’t have a good feeling about the fight.” I gripped his arms. “Please don’t enter.”

“I have to.” His fingers wiped the tears on my face away. “I have to do this for Clara’s mom.”

“But I already told you it’s my fault. It’s not your fault.” My voice cracked.

“It’s all my fault.” His eyes looked so bleak that my heart cracked.

“No, it’s not. If you knew about the text, you would have gone for her. She’d still be here.”

“Shh, my darling.” He softly kissed my lips again. “Thank you for being strong enough to always come back to me, no matter what I say or do.”

“I’ll always be here for you. I’ll always come back to you, Hudson. You’re my candle and I’m your moth.”

“You’re my heart, and I’m yours to do with what you want.” Hudson grinned at me. “Oh how I love you, Riley.” He kissed me again, hard and deep. “I want to freeze time. I want us to remain here in this moment, only knowing what we know now. I want this to be it. I could live the rest of my life just staring at the love in your eyes.”

“I feel like you’re saying goodbye to me,” I said sadly, gazing back into his loving eyes. “Why do I feel like this is the end instead of the beginning?”

“Once you know who I am, what I’m capable of, I don’t think you’ll want to be with me.” He looked away from me. “I’m not the stand-up man you think I am.”

“Hudson, there is nothing you could—”

“Ooh, what do we have here?” Channing’s voice interrupted our conversation, and we both sprung apart as he walked towards us. “Is it my fellow fighter and his little slut?”