From the Backseat | ON INDEFINITE HOLD

xix | Rhys

R H Y S 

She doesn't return my message. I don't know why I was expecting her to. I stare at my words, Saying goodbye, and think that Jax might have been right. I should have slept on it. I still have my sweat-filled shirt clinging to my skin. I haven't even made it to the shower yet.

I can hear Jayme and Ryan out in the living room. They're watching Frozen, per Jayme's request. Ryan can't seem to say no to her. To be fair, nobody can say no to Jayme. Especially when she puffs out her bottom lip and widens her eyes. Hook and sinker.

Jax is in his room already, no doubt on the phone with Andrea. They just saw each other and he was already calling her on the way to his room. It's acting like that, that makes you lose your focus. I have to beat Myles. I can't lose to him.

I look at the message once again and the lack of reply and decide that it was the right decision. I don't need her taking up all of my attention when I have the biggest fight of the year in just four weeks. I need to train and I need to be ready for it. I need to beat him.

I step into the bathroom and take a quick shower. I hear my phone beep when I'm changed. The screen lights up and even from across the bathroom I can make out Holland's name. There's a part of me that wants to ignore the message and not read what she has to say. But there's another part of me that is pushing my feet forward and forces my hand to reach out and grab the phone off of the counter.

Why?

That's all she wrote. I read the word over three times before stepping out of the bathroom and stopping in my tracks. Jax is sitting in my room, in the chair in front of my desk. He's spinning in circles and humming to himself. I clear my throat and he looks up at me, still spinning around.

"I can't believe you." he said. "You actually did it."

"Did what?"

"Broke up with the girl before you could even ask her out." Jax looked angry. "I told you to sleep on it. I told you not to do anything stupid and you went and did it anyway. That girl is the best thing to happen to you in your life. You're stupid if you want to throw all of it away for a god damn boxing match."

"It's important."

"And Holland isn't?" Jaxon stood from his spot on my chair and stomped towards me. His phone rings but he quickly sends it to voicemail and looks back at me. "Just because you're scared doesn't mean you push her away. You got close to Lily and I know it hurt you. But that doesn't mean you can't let anyone get close to you. That girl likes you and I know you like her. What happens when this match is over? Then what? The match is only one thing in your life. That girl could be everything. In four weeks you're either going to lose or you're going to win and when you look out into that crowd you're either going to want her to give you a congratulatory kiss or you're going to want her to comfort you after you lose.

"This match is only four weeks away man, Holland will give you space if you ask for it. Don't push her away."

He doesn't say anything else before walking out of my room. He shuts the door rather loudly behind him and I sink onto my bed. Did I make a mistake?

Jax is the one with the longest relationship out of the two of us. He's the one with the only relationship between the two of us. He has to know what he's talking about, even if only a little bit. He has lasted this long with Andrea, which can't be any easy feat with her loud Hispanic family and over protective brothers. Not to mention Andrea herself. I've faced very large guys in the ring and sometimes, especially when she's really mad, Andrea can be scarier.

My phone vibrates in my pocket and I let my head fall back against the wall. He's right. I hate that he's right. I hate that I let myself get so caught up in this fight. It's only a month away, a month until it'll be done. I like Holland. It scares me how much I like her.