He’d planned on checking out the rest of the compound. He’d gone straight in when they got here but he’d gotten a glimpse of the other cabins out there. Most importantly, he was anxious to check out the gym. If this main house was any indication he was sure everything in the gym would be state-of-the-art. If this was what he was thinking he’d now have to deal with the awkwardness of hired entertainment instead.
Gio waited in his room for a few minutes trying to think of how best to handle this. Even when Felix had mentioned making sure Gio had company he didn’t think he was serious about hiring anyone for him. He’d heard some of Felix’s crazy stories and he had a feeling they might get a few nights of fun with the snow bunnies, but he wasn’t expecting something this soon.
He froze when he walked into the front room and saw one of the most breathtaking girls he’d ever laid eyes on. She’d just taken off her beanie and scarf. She stood by the door, her dark hair a bit undone, looking a bit startled herself.
Gio gulped, now not sure if he wanted this or not. He’d never been with a hired entertainment of any type and wasn’t sure exactly how this worked.
“Hello,” she said, speaking up first. “I’m Bianca. Felix’s… um, girlfriend.”
Gio let out a breath. Although he was a tiny bit disappointed she wasn’t here for him he wasn’t ready for the stress of having to figure out how to go about this. Felix had talked about some crazy shit he’d done now that he had access to so many women.
“Hi.” He took a few steps, meeting her halfway and pulled off his beanie before reaching out his hand to shake hers. “I’m Gio. I’ll be training with Felix.”
Now that she was closer, she looked familiar and Gio cursed himself for never watching any of the celebrity gossip shows. He should have anticipated this—done his homework. As stunning as this girl was she had to be a model or celebrity of some kind.
Her eyes brightened suddenly bringing more emphasis to how big and nearly black they were. She had to be a celebrity. Only they had amazing perfect smiles like hers. Damn, how did Felix keep his cool being around women like this all the time?
“I remember you!” she said smiling.
Gio blinked cluelessly feeling a little panicked. Could it be possible that Felix had already brought her around and he didn’t remember her? There was no way he wouldn’t remember this girl but the name did ring a bell.
“You’re Giovanni Bravo, Felix’s friend from high school, right?”
Gio nodded, still having no idea who this gorgeous thing was and how the hell she knew him but the more he looked at her the more familiar she seemed.
“I’m Bianca Rubio from high school.” She rolled her eyes. “Oh, I’m sure you don’t remember me. You were the popular heartthrob and I was the tomboy softball player.”
Suddenly it hit him and his mouth fell open. “Bianca?” Unbelievably, her big eyes got even bigger. “World History, Bianca?”
She laughed. “Oh my God, you actually remember?”
“Yeah, yeah.” He looked her up and down remembering her hair was always in a tight ponytail. It was down now and went almost to her elbows—as dark and straight as he remembered. He took her in completely from top to bottom. “Wow, you look so different.”
Did she ever. He thought she’d looked familiar but he would’ve never put two and two together. She looked too damn different now. In high school, she was just one of those girls that, save for those big eyes, went unnoticed for the most part. She was quiet, kept to herself. The one thing he remembered about her most was how hard it was for her to contain her laughter once she got going. It was absolutely contagious and the best part was he could tell it embarrassed her which always made him smile.
She sat next to him in World History class senior year and he often had to borrow her notes or paper or even a pencil. She’d always been so nice about it, too, rolling her eyes playfully but never refusing.
He also remembered feeling a little disappointed when she often had to leave early because she was on the softball team and had a game.
“I was surprised when Felix remembered me but I’m even more surprised you do.”
“Why’s that?”
She’d begun to remove the layers of clothes she wore. “Because you were so popular with the girls, how in the world would you remember all of them? Especially one you hardly knew.”
Gio smirked. “Actually, you looked familiar to me I just couldn’t place you. But you look so different now and I’d never seen you like this.” He pointed at her hair and then down the front of her. “All done up. I was thinking Felix had hooked up with a supermodel or something.”
Unlike most girls who might’ve blushed at a comment like that, she just smiled and tilted her head. “I’m sure he’s had his share of supermodels, Gio. Don’t remind me.”
It hit him just then. She actually did consider herself Felix’s girl. He thought of the girl Felix had just brought to the gym last week and for a second felt a little bad for Bianca.
“Honestly, I don’t know if he has or hasn’t, I was just saying. Based on your looks, that was my first thought.”
“Oh. Well, thank you.” Now her face tinged with color but just barely. Apparently, she was too caught up with the mention of Felix and a supermodel the first time he’d said it to notice the compliment. He made note of that and would make sure to be extra careful about his Felix comments from here on.
“How the hell did you and Felix hook up anyway? Did you two stay in touch since high school?”
She walked over to the bar area and Gio followed her. “No, it’s just a small world that’s all. I need water; you want anything to drink?”
“I’ll take a water.”
She walked behind the giant wooden hand carved bar and opened another door that was also covered in carved wood, but was actually steel—a giant refrigerator. She pulled out two waters, handed him one then opened hers but began talking before taking a drink.
“My grandmother owns a rental shop up here, downtown. I work there and he happened to come in one day, with a girl mind you. They were just shopping for souvenirs and just like you, I told him I remembered him from high school. It took him a moment but he actually remembered—said my name before I even told him what it was.” She paused to take a drink.
Gio drank some of his, fascinated by how much she’d changed physically. Yet she still seemed as down to earth as he remembered her.
“We talked for a little bit,” she continued. “About school and the old neighborhood and stuff. Then he left. A week later, he comes back and asks if I’d like to grab a coffee with him. We went out for coffee and the rest is well… what it is. This was last summer, so it’s been a few months now.”
Of course Felix would go back. He’d be nuts not to. Gio wondered if this was who he’d meant when he said he’d met someone that actually made him consider settling down.
“That’s crazy. Did you two know each other in high school?”
“No,” she smiled. “But I remember having a crush on him even back then. I knew him like I knew you. We had a few of the same classes every year but that was the extent of it.” She pointed at his jacket. “Were you going out?”
Gio looked down at himself. He’d forgotten he’d piled on the snow gear. “Just outside. I wanted to check out the rest of the compound.”
“You’ve never been here?” she asked surprised.
“No. This is my first time.” Gio glanced around the lavish cabin. “This place is awesome.”
Bianca hurried back around the bar toward the sofa. “Oh, well, then I’ll give you a tour. It really is amazing.”
She put her jacket, gloves and beanie back on. They stepped out onto the porch together. It was freezing but beautiful outside. Living in Los Angeles his whole life and having only seen the snow a handful of times Gio still felt awestruck by it.
“So, you moved up here?” he asked as they carefully walked down the front stairs of the cabin.
“Temporarily, and
before you ask, I have no idea how long I’ll be here. My grandparents bought a place up here when they retired. Odd, I know. Why would an older couple want to move to such a cold climate? Long story short, until my grandfather met my grandmother, he traveled all over. He actually lived in Alaska for a while. He’d hoped to move back when he retired but my grandmother wasn’t having it. So they compromised and moved up here instead. He died early last summer. Me and my mom decided to stay with my grandmother for a few weeks after he died and now months later I’m still here.”
“I’m sorry to hear about your grandfather.”
Bianca nodded looking up at him. “Heart disease—it ran in his family. His father passed of the same thing. So did his brother.”
Gio couldn’t help being distracted by her eyes. They were so big, so perfect like something out of magazine. Then it hit him. That’s why she’d seemed so familiar. He remembered now. Even back in high school he’d been taken by her eyes. He never even considered asking her out because of those eyes. They were so big and innocent looking. He steered clear of the innocent ones. With three younger sisters, he knew what kind of innocence there was behind those often doe-eyed expressions of hers.
Too young and too scared to commit to anything serious back in those days, Gio stuck with more experienced, wilder girls that he knew could deal with his noncommittal tendency. He wasn’t about to break any fragile hearts. Bianca’s eyes had fragile written all over them.
“Okay,” she said as they walked up the stairs of the gym. “Prepare yourself to be amazed.”
They walked in. Amazing wasn’t grand enough a word to describe the place. It had everything 5th Street had only a hundred times better. Giant black and white stills of some of boxing’s greats adorned the wall—Joe Frazier, Sugar Ray, Mohammad Ali, Tyson and, very notably, two of East LA’s finest, Cesar Chavez and the Golden Boy himself, De La Hoya. It was a gym fit for a king, no doubt. Felix’s picture would soon fit right up there. Gio was suddenly overwhelmed with pride.
“And this is just a gym. Isn’t this crazy?”
“Crazy.” Gio chuckled. “Yeah, maybe that’s the word I’m looking for.”
Her phone buzzed and she excused herself saying it was Felix before walking away. Gio barely glanced at her; he was still taking in everything. The guys were going to fucking flip when they saw this.
A door slammed, jolting him out of his thoughts. He turned and Bianca was gone.
CHAPTER 3
Bianca struggled to hold it together but the disappointment was too much. She’d looked forward to today all week—counted the days—the hours. God, she felt pathetic. She prayed her voice wouldn’t give. The last thing she wanted was to sound needy. “When will you know?”
“All I know is they just announced we’re snowed in for tonight.” Felix spoke quickly. “I’ve been waiting for hours just to get confirmation of that.”
“Why did you take so long to get there?”
“Same reason—the weather. Traffic was horrendous. We still got here on time but all flights were being grounded because of the blizzard.”
It was just as he said the word blizzard that she noticed his words were slightly slurred. Immediate thoughts of him actually partying instead of sitting at an airport like he was claiming assaulted her. “Have you been drinking?”
“I’m not gonna lie. I’ve been sitting here for hours with nothing else to do. So yeah, I’ve had a few.”
She exhaled, feeling a little guilty about immediately thinking the worst.
“I’m sorry, babe. I’ll make it up to you, I promise, okay?”
The most she would manage was not to frown; a smile was out of the question. She’d been looking forward to seeing him so much, she could almost feel his arms around her. “You think tomorrow for sure?”
“I can’t promise,” he said. She felt the warm tears fill her eyes again. “But I’ll do my best. The storm is pretty bad. The good thing is private jets get first dibs as soon as they open things up again. So I’ll be the first one out, okay?”
Bianca nodded, squeezing her eyes, holding her fist to her mouth. She didn’t want to speak, afraid her voice would betray her and give away how anxious she was to see him again.
“Hey,” he said when she didn’t respond. “I love you.”
Her eyes jerked opened. Even though they’d been going out for several months and were sleeping together already this was the first time he’d told her this. “What?”
“I do,” his laugh sounded a little nervous—a little unsure.
The L word was not something she threw around just like that. As much a she cared for him and as much as she’d begun to miss him when he wasn’t around she wasn’t sure it was love and she certainly hadn’t envisioned the day they did profess their love for one another to be over the phone. She wondered if it was the alcohol talking. “You do? Since when?”
He chuckled again the nervous tone still there. “I don’t know. Since now. This has been one of the most frustrating days of my life and I think I just figured out why. Because I’m dying to get to you already and now just hearing your voice…I love you, Bianca.”
She tried with all her might not to not get too excited about this but it was too late. She felt ready to jump out of her boots. “I love you, too.” The words flew out of her mouth without thought.
She giggled and she heard him laugh on the other end. “Damn, I can’t wait to be with you now. I’ll call you the second I know something, okay?”
“Okay,” she nodded again as if he could see her. Her mood had completely done an about-face.
The door to the gym opened and Gio walked out. She stood at the bottom of the stairs, her phone still at her ear. Gio mouthed the words, “You okay?”
It was only then that she realized a few tears still streamed down her face. She smiled, wiping them away, and gave him the thumbs up. Gio nodded and went back in the gym.
Felix explained to her he had arranged for dinner to be prepared for them tonight. He’d hoped it’d be a very special first night back together but said the dinner was still being prepared anyway and she should have dinner with Gio and the other trainers. He didn’t want her feeling lonely. They said their goodbyes and he promised he’d get to her tomorrow one way or another.
After hanging up she practically skipped up the steps to the gym. What she felt now was such a contrast to what she felt just minutes earlier when he laid the news on her about not making it up tonight. She’d been devastated. She had arranged to have the entire weekend off just to spend it with him. How could three little words make up for it all?
Gio was over by the ring talking to one of the other trainers. He turned when she walked in and smiled at her. She smiled back.
Bianca still couldn’t believe what a small world this really was. She’d recognized Gio almost immediately when she first saw him earlier. He hadn’t changed much since high school. He did look a little taller and she was sure underneath all those layers of snow gear he’d bulked up even more just like Felix had. But his face was still that same almost pretty face with the chiseled features she remembered from school. The girls went crazy for him even back then. She could only imagine what things were like for him now that he’d grown into his own. And his green eyes were just as amazing as she remembered.
At least three of her friends were in love with him back then. He’d always been nice enough to her in school but except for the times he was hitting her up to borrow paper or a pencil she was invisible to him. Felix at least flirted with her making it obvious that he acknowledged her as a girl he might actually consider. Of course, he flirted with everyone.
Gio, on the other hand, only ever gave her very polite, sometimes remorseful smiles when he was borrowing something from her—yet again. At times, it seemed he even avoided eye contact. So, no matter how beautiful it was when the boy smiled, even though it was usually at someone else, she never once allowed herself to even harbor a secret crush for him like she had Felix. Gio was complete
ly out of her league and she never even bothered lusting over him.
“Everything okay?” Gio asked as she reached him. “Is he on his way?”
A twinge of disappointment crept back in but she pushed it away remembering Felix’s admission. She shook her head. “No, the airport is snowed in. The earliest he’ll make it is tomorrow but he’s not sure what time.”
“He’ll be here.” Gio gave her an reassuring smile.
Looking at that face, you’d never believe he was a boxer. Even Felix had a scar over one of his eyebrows and one of his cheekbones was slightly higher than the other from having gotten one too many blows to the cheek. Gio could’ve been a model as perfect as his face was.
Bianca turned to Ray, the trainer she knew best so far. “Felix arranged for dinner to be made for us tonight so you guys come on into the main dining room around six for dinner.”
Ray smiled nodding and tipped the brim of his baseball cap at her. She smiled back and turned to the other trainer Ignacio, who she wasn’t as familiar with. “You too, okay?”
After he agreed, she turned back to Gio. “Did you wanna see the rest of the place?”
“Sure.” He waved at the other trainers. “I’ll see you guys back inside.”
They walked out into a third building on the property. This one had a lap pool and cardio equipment. Two treadmills, a few elliptical machines, exercise bike, and televisions all around. “This is probably where you’ll be while he’s out doing his miles on the trails,” Bianca said. “He prefers running the trails to the treadmill so this room gets most of its use from the trainers.”
“Nah,” Gio shook his head. “I’ll be out there with him, too.”
“That’s right. I forgot. You don’t just train, you box, too.”
“Not anymore.” His expression went hard but he turned away from her and stared at the pool.
It suddenly hit her as she tried to make out his abrupt answer and she winced, feeling like a complete idiot. She remembered now hearing about it on the news and then Felix telling her about it, too. A boxing bout in her old neighborhood gone wrong and one was dead. It was shocking enough but when she’d heard it was Gio who’d been the opponent that killed the other guy it was even more of a shock.