Illicit

CHAPTER ONE

She hadn't separated from the piece of jewelry longer than for a UFC fight and she hoped that she could believe her new company that they could be trusted with the responsibility of keeping it safe.

Instead, her very best friend, Ronda Rousey, engulfed her in a hug. Around the duo, the inhabitants clapped and cheered for the debut of a lifetime. Kalani even agreed to accompany Ronda to a bar later that night to celebrate, though she was hesitant.

What followed was a mess of strangers and friends alike congratulating the woman. Everyone there had made a point to give the girl who hated hugs one as well.

However, there was only one person she had hoped to see and he hadn't come.

Instead, her final congratulations was given to her by her trainer. AJ Styles had patiently waited and admired his work to produce such a standout in an overly-saturated business. For once, Kalani welcomed the embrace with open arms as she jumped into his, extremely and utterly thankful to have gotten to learn from such a patient, kind, and hardworking man.

"That went even better than expected," he spoke, effortlessly holding her body up.

Kalani gave a small smile, not one to usually have reasons to do so. She responded, "I had a great teacher."

The moment of pride Kalani had felt in AJ's arms turned sour as he set her back on her feet. His hands rested on her waist for a little too long and his eyes lingered in hers a little too deeply. Perhaps she was overthinking it, perhaps it was a compliment; but married men shouldn't compliment other women like that.

"Your eye," his thumb caressed her cheekbone as a bruise began to form. AJ had witnessed the punch by Nia but trusted that Kalani's toughness would carry her through, knowing she had gotten hit much harder in the UFC.

Kalani shook it off, partially wanting AJ to stop worrying about her but also feeling the need to cover her scars and avoid his pity.

"Kalani!" a high-pitched voice spoke: a child's. It broke the two of their thoughts.

The duo turned their heads towards the voice to see Anney, AJ's daughter.

Kalani had long awaited meeting the girl after various phone calls and text messages throughout the time of her training. Though she was not a fan of children, little Anney brought a beaming smile to her face.

Her mother, however, seemed angry.

Kalani's observational skills distracted her from the child slightly as she spotted the tension between the married couple and couldn't help but wonder if her last few months of training had caused this dilemma. Again, her father's words repeated in her mind.

She excused herself from the awkward situation after saying her goodbyes and found her necklace along with the other special belongings on the table outside of the gorilla. Kalani was extremely grateful that no one stole it.

"Who gave that to you?" another voice broke her of her thoughts, one with an accent. Kalani immediately knew who it was.

His icy blue eyes traveled down her figure, seeing her in less clothing than he had the first time. Her ring gear was simple, and couldn't accentuate her curves as she was petite, with mostly muscle though it wasn't overbearing. Yet, her body was covered in redness from the hits she had taken and he couldn't believe that she had yet to go to the trainers room for relief. Then, his eyes found the bruise continually worsening on her left cheekbone under her eye, probably the worst of them all. He respected her resilience.

Her body shuddered and her spine tingled knowing that he had been watching her. For a girl who had been looking for him all night, she hadn't been paying good attention.

"Who said it was a gift?" she asked, not meeting his eye as she inspected the piece.

Drew, who had been leaning against the wall with his arms crossed like the last time the two met, smirked at her attempt to be so mysterious. While many couldn't see it, he could spot the chink in her armor in her micro-expressions.

The Scot chuckled a bit. "You practically turned it into a shrine in your entrance. Obviously it means a lot to you," he stated, simplistically. "Besides, it was the first thing you asked about after winning the Rumble."

"I'm surprised you noticed," she finally looked his way. "You didn't come showering me with hugs and compliments after I returned."

Her voice was filled with sarcasm as a defense mechanism. She didn't like how Drew read her like a book, as if she was the most interesting story of them all. Kalani Hanifan had taken great measures to hide her past and would be damned if Drew would be the one to exploit it.

He stood up from the white brick wall, approaching Kalani as he offered to put her necklace on for her. The fighters breath hitched as she felt his against her neck, moving her hair away for his convenience.

It was an odd situation they had found themselves in. Both seemed uncomfortable by the rather-normal gesture they shared. Perhaps their 'normal' was different due to their individual traumas.

"I think we both know that's not in me," Drew whispered as he clasped the necklace, not stepping away as he took in the smell of her hair.

It was as if neither person wanted to move away. Instead, Kalani turned towards him and moved closer.

"My brother gave me this necklace," she finally admitted, looking up at his taller frame and finally into his blue orbs.

Drew saw no indication in her features that alerted him she would tell him the story, so he just nodded. A blonde caught his attention in the corner of his eye from down the hall, recognizing it to be Nattie. Her presence made him feel the guilt all over again, knowing he had hurt her last year when he returned.

Remembering her happiness for him made him feel weak and vulnerable and pitied. He was not the same man he had been first go around in the WWE, though Nattie tried to assume otherwise.

He hadn't turned into this person overnight. It was years of financial instability and a divorce that made him this way. Nattie had been nïave to think that he would continue his goofy nature and light-heartedness and instead she got caught in the crossfire.

Swallowing the lump forming in his throat, Drew looked back towards Kalani. He wished he could be more than what he was in this new life. Maybe then he could have been enough for his ex-wife, or now-Kalani. Instead he was a ticking time bomb that couldn't be stopped and he couldn't hurt another person, especially one who was just as broken as he was.

"You should ice your eye before the show tomorrow to bring out as much color as possible," he spoke, no emotion in his voice. "The crowd will love you for taking that hit."

Drew vanished without another word, leaving Kalani to take in the lingering smell of his cologne and the memory of his presence.

And within a few moments, Nattie had come. "What did he want?" she questioned her friend, similarly to how AJ once had.

Kalani could not understand his ominous presence or sideways glares from her friends. All she could manage to do was continue to understand his true intentions and not be clouded by another's judgement, knowing that if people knew her truth she would be in the same position.

"He just wanted to congratulate me on my debut."

Another lie; another bad choice.

When would Kalani learn that bad choices will always catch up to you?

And how many people will she hurt in the process?

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