Lilac's Lies

16

I had never been a fan of boxing.

I've never really seen the appeal. Two men get into a confined area and punch each other until they're bruised and battered. Why would I spend my time watching that?

But as I was taking in the fight between Samuel and his opponent, I began to understand what was so fascinating. Samuels opponent was bigger than him, in height and in stature, but he wasn't winning. It wasn't even close, because Samuel wouldn't let him get a hit in. He bobbed and weaved his head out of danger, and hit perfectly timed punches in between.

"He totally won, right? He had to of won." Clara whispered to me, while the referee held both of the fighters hands, waiting for the final verdict.

"I think so." I told her, but truthfully I had no idea.

"And, for the winner of this match, by unanimous decision." The announcer paused for effect, I'm sure. "Samuel Park."

The referee raised Samuel's hand, causing cheers to fill my ears as the fans around us roared. When they erupted into a chant of his name, I turned to look at Clara again, ready to give a look that said interesting. Clara didn't see that look, however, because she had made eye contact with Samuel. She was looking up at him, biting down on her lip. He looked back at her, and gave her a distinct flick of his chin. A huge grin broke out on his face, and even from my position of an observer, I could feel the sexual tension oozing between them.

"Get a room." I laughed at her, but she didn't seem phased. She simply flicked her eyes over to me, just for a second before moving them back to him. He walked backwards, staring at her, before ducking under the ropes.

"Maybe he will come over here." I said, as if I was confirming her hopes.

"He better. He invited us, remember?" She said to me, but her voice faltered just short of the confidence I think she was hoping to project.

He didn't come over to us, however, because the announcer began speaking again.

"Now, our main event tonight, the one I'm sure you've all been waiting for." He began, causing a silence to fall over the room. "Weighing in at 189, a height of 6'2.... Taylor Tiggens!"

I watched as a well built guy confidently strode into the ring, thumping on his chest as the cheers at his name began. Even though he wore this huge smile on his face, he looked lethal. He had muscles for days and his face tattoos could be seen from across the room.

"And, weighing in at 190 pounds, a height of 6'2.... Roman Richardson!" The announcer bellowed, and I don't know why my stomach flipped when I heard his name.

Roman stalked into the ring, and he didn't smile like his opponent. His face was stone cold serious, he looked straight ahead of him as he walked. He didn't react to the people in the crowd. His eyes didn't sweep across us, and he didn't look towards me.

As the first round began, I felt a pit in my stomach that I hadn't felt when I was watching Samuel. Every time Taylor's glove neared Roman's face I had to fight the urge to look away. They danced together, each of their movements perfectly coordinated. When one swung their fist, the other one ducked. When the round ended, I wasn't even sure if either of the fighters had actually hit the other one. The bell rang, and each of them retreated to their corners.

Samuel was talking to Roman, his signature smirk on his face as if he wasn't concerned at all. I had no idea if he should be or shouldn't be, like I said before, I have no idea what the rules of boxing are. I had no idea who had the upper hand. It wasn't until Clara elbowed me in the side that I dragged my eyes away from them.