The Fighter and His Tiger (Unexpected Love #1)

19. Friday Night Week Six

Okay, so I know that I said that I wouldn't be updating until next week but...SURPRISE!!

I managed to finish all my editing so I figured what the hell, let them read!!!!!! 

I hope you like it 😘

BTW, I am in love with this outfit^ defo one of my faves 😍

19. Friday Night Week Six

I had been floating on a high since my kiss with Eli and I had no desire to sober up. The kiss invaded my mind, my thoughts, my dreams, my wishes — wishes for more.

And yet, despite all this, Eli still managed too: Piss. Me. Off.

Today was his next fight and he had sent me a rather rude text message saying that I wasn't 'allowed' to come to Staircase tonight to help him. How many times were we going to have the same argument? It was for this reason that I had convinced the whole gang that we should go to Staircase to party; I was a certified genius.

Eli's fight had just finished, he won of course and I had spent the whole twenty minutes of the fight hiding behind Noah in hopes that Eli wouldn't spot me in the crowd. But now it was time to face the boxer boy.

"Hey, I'm gonna go to the bathroom," I yelled at Kie, after declining her offer to come with me, I navigated my way to the locker room that Eli and Maxon had used before.

Max wasn't at his usual spot in the crowd during the fight so I guessed that he wasn't here tonight which meant that it was going to be just me and Eli once I pushed open the door. Nerves swam through my system, we hadn't seen each other since that explosive kiss yesterday. He was awol at school all day today, allowing me time to overthink and overanalyse my feelings which was just bloody perfect.

Taking a deep breath in, I pushed open the door and was greeted by empty silence. After listening closely, I noticed that the shower was running in the back room so I sat on top of the table in the centre of the room and swung my legs beneath me as I waited for him to exit the shower.

My head was tipped back, eyes closed, body weight leaning on my hands behind me when Eli opened the door. I heard him halt in his movements at the sight of me but I did nothing, kept my eyes closed and my legs swinging. An audible sigh was released from his soft lips before he advanced in my direction, stopping only when he was so close that my knees brushed his thighs.

"Do you ever listen, Reillyn?"

Being the petty bitch I was, I ignored him which he evidently didn't like at all. He released a growl before gripping my bare thighs gently and pulling me forwards till my bum was right at the edge of the table. Involuntarily, I gasped as my eyes flew open and my hands shot forward, finding purchase on Eli's annoyingly sturdy shoulders. His inked hands burned my thighs and tingles were travelling up and down my whole body with no definite course. With my eyes now open, I noted the bruises admonishing his handsome face and my chest ached as I desperately wanted to reach out and soothe him but I couldn't right now.

"What are you doing here, Rei? I told you not to come," he stated through gritted teeth, his azure eyes glaring straight into my murky green ones. I cocked my head to the side, raised a brow and crossed my arms across my chest.

When I failed to provide him with a verbal response, his eyes narrowed at me and if I didn't know Eli like I did, his furious facial expression would have surely intimidated me. Especially with the cuts and bruises, he made quite the sight and yet, all I felt under his gaze was the extreme need to comfort and nurse him. But I ignored those emotions.

"Dammit, Rei!" His hands left my thighs to run through his hair as he took a step back. "You need to leave right now."

The harsh tone and evident frustration made me furrow my eyebrows, what was going on?