Betrothed to the Gloxinias

Chapter 5: Fisticuffs

Rose lost track of time. She was having so much fun, she only noticed a text from Jizelle offering her a ride home an hour after it was sent.

          Jizelle: Hey Gloxi, your new man taking you home? :-P

         Jizelle: k well since I haven't heard back, taking Lynx home. Something about an appointment in the morning.

        Jizelle: Melon's sticking around. Taken a liking to that Peet guy out front. You know her type. Big body. Low IQ.

Peet? That dumbbell I almost shot? Makes sense I guess.

Rose looked up from the arm she was leaning against. James was a wild story teller. His energetic charm drew people to him, and before Rose knew it, they had settled into a plush booth seat surrounded by plenty of eager ears. He'd made her laugh to tears more than once, and she couldn't remember the last time her stomach hurt this much — in a good way.

"Should've seen the blighter! Glass jaw! Didn't feel shit when his brother tapped me. Broke the blighter's arm-"

The Baxter Heir reminded Rose of an excited little kid, the same way she got excited over races. She hated to interrupt him, but...

"Hey, mister deadly?" Rose brushed her knuckles against his chest knowing he wouldn't hear her otherwise. James found her hand, and smushed a sloppy kiss on the back of it.

"Yeah, baby."

"Do I have a ride home or should I fetch one?"

"Nah. I got you. Besides, you haven't seen-"

Rose winced when the crowds erupted into deafening cheers. That combined with someone declaring the winner of the last cage match drowned out the rest of what James was saying to her.

"What?"

James didn't repeat himself. Instead, he reached behind his neck to unsnap his beads, and hand them to Rose. He mouthed, "Stay here. Watch."

James got to his feet then, and shimmied out of the booth. Rose's eyes followed him as he made his way through the sea of people, down the industrial stairs to the ground level, and towards the cage. Rose looped the necklace he'd given her around her neck with the first red one he gave her, and leaned over the railing to get a better view from above.

"Ever seen 'im fight?" Someone shouted next to her. Rose shook her head.

"Bloodhound Baxter. Man's brutal in the cage."

"Blood who now?"

"Ya squeamish?"

"Squeamish? Hah! No, why!"

Rose didn't even know why she bothered yelling back. At this point, it was so loud, everyone was either reading lips or screaming at the tops of their lungs into people's ears. All she could see of the hoodlum she was speaking to was the gold in his mouth, and the ink all over his hands.

I see the Baxters love their ink. James has some on his fingers too. Hmm, I don't recall seeing any on Theodore's hands. Wait- why am I thinking about Theodore?

"The one and only! The man of the hour, here to face tonight's winner in a no holds barred three minute round-"

Rose beamed when James jogged into the cage. He looked up at Rose on the second level, and pointed at her. The announcer shoved a microphone in his face.

"Oh, hoh? Looks like the blood hound's taken, ladies. Tell us, who's the lucky girl!"

James blew a kiss in Rose's direction. Feeling all eyes on her, Rose shook the jitters out of her hands before she returned the gesture.