My Warrior

Her arm reaches around his neck, and his other takes hold of her around her waist.

Gareth’s hand had slipped off her mouth as he was pulling her through the doorway. By now, Opal’s throat was dry from being covered when she was trying to scream out loud.

It was as if she were being pulled in two directions. She knew which one she wanted to land beside.

Gareth’s grip grew weaker, and Warrior was winning. He wasn’t using his strength as he didn’t want to hurt her.

Both her arms were now around his neck and her eyes close to his. Only pureness radiated from him. He didn’t attach himself, just realized that this man was no good to women.

As Warrior’s grip around her grew stronger, she held on tighter to him. Gareth’s grip eventually lost, and Opal became lost in Warrior’s arms.

“Thank you.” It was barely a whisper as she held on tightly to him. He didn’t know her, but something made him want her.

“You will pay for this, you know. She was mine.” Gareth runs off into the rain.

Warrior holds her in his arms. “You’re safe now.”

She clung onto him, still not wanting to let him go, her savior. She held onto him.

He carried her wet and tired body through into his practice room. Kitt was waiting for him.

He shrugged his shoulders at him and placed her down on the couch in the corner of the room. Not wanting to remove the wet clothes, he covered her with a towel of his own.

Her eyes closed, and her breathing was shallow.

“What are you doing, man?”

“Fuck knows, man, but you saw him . . . I couldn’t let her go back with him—he would have killed her.”

“I saw his eyes. Not a nice man.” Kitt ran his hand over his face.

“There was something I didn’t like about him.”

“You mean you felt something for a girl you have never met before?” Kitt shook his head.

Warrior looked at Kitt. He had known him for a long time. Trained with him. He knew what had happened the last time, and Warrior promised never to let a woman affect him again.

But for some reason, when Warrior glanced over at his sleeping beauty, he felt it in his heart: she was different. But he tried to shrug it off.

“No. I’m cool, man. Let’s continue.”

They continued with Warrior’s training for another hour. He had a big fight coming up in the next state against a man he didn’t want to meet again.

“You did good there. Just remember to keep that left hand up.”

“Sorry, man. Yeah, left hand up.” He was distracted, couldn’t stop thinking about the woman who had fallen into his arms.

“Don’t say she has gotten to you.” Kitt had noticed.

“No man, just . . . I don’t know, just worried for her, I guess.”

“She will be all right. I’ll make sure she gets to a friend or something.”

“She can’t go back to him.”

“I know, man. I saw.” Both of them discussed what should happen between them. They didn’t even know her name.

“Wait till she wakes up. She looks exhausted.”

Kitt looked over at Warrior, who was full of concern; he could see how he missed that love someone could give him.

That bitch Kayla fucked him up good, and he wasn’t about to let someone else come in and mess with his head.

He was the Warrior, the fighter, the unbeatable, except for that one time, and Kitt wasn’t about to let that happen again. Especially when it was Luciano he was fighting against again.

Five years since that day, and the first time for both of them to meet again.

“Come on, Warrior, you know you can’t let a girl affect you again.”

“I know, man, it’s just . . . I don’t know if I just saw something in her eyes.”

“You have been working hard these past few weeks. Why don’t you take a break and I’ll deal with her when she wakes up?”

Warrior looked over to where Opal was sleeping. For some reason, there was still a pang in his heart for her.

He knew Kitt was right. Warrior had been building up for this fight the past five years; he couldn’t let some woman get in his way.

Her cries in her sleep made Warrior concerned, and he went over to her. She was shaking, and the whimpers that escaped her mouth pulled at his heart.

He stroked her forehead, pushing her hair that had fallen across her face back. She calmed from his touch and settled down again. It only made things worse for him.

“Sweet lady, who are you?”

He looked at her, his eyes full of sorrow, knowing that once she woke up, she would disappear.

Kitt came and rested a hand on Warrior’s shoulder.

“I’m sure she will be all right.”

“Hmm . . .”

“We have to think about the fight. I can’t have your concentration somewhere else.”

“Yes, I know. It’s just . . .”

“Stop thinking about her. She’s a stranger that you saved from some crazy bastard.”

They finished off their training and Warrior went for his shower. By the time he had come back, she had gone.

Something hit him hard. He didn’t have a chance to see her before she left or even know her name.

“Where did she go?”

“She woke up terrified. I managed to tell her she was safe here. She kept asking where you were. I told her you were getting changed.

“I gave her the money you said so she could at least go somewhere away from this place.”

“Thanks, man, I was just hoping that I would have seen her before she left.” Warrior stared at the space where she had been.

“Sorry, man, she said thank you and left. I think she just wanted to get away from here.”

After Opal had woken up, she freaked out at first as there was only one guy in there. Kitt had told her that the other man was getting changed. She wanted to stay, wanted to see him again.

Kitt gave her money and sent her on her way, telling her that Warrior didn’t need any distractions.

She left with the money and found the bus station and got on the first bus out of there. With thoughts of would she ever see her Warrior, her savior, again?