Fighting for Flight by JB Salsbury (easy readers TXT) 📕

The rest of the evening passes like a dream. Only half-conscious most of the time, my mind pounds away at Dominick’s words. Plans to escape my fate form in my head, but they all end in one reality. I can’t protect everyone. And losing anyone I love is a risk I’m not willing to take.

Jonah treats me like I’m made of glass. He feeds me, bathes me, and dresses me for bed. He holds me in the dark, whispering words of comfort while twisting tendrils of my hair around his fingers.

I want to tell him that it’s okay, I understand why he has to let me go, but words fail me. Physically incapable of walking away from him, I choose to take this moment. I wrap myself up in it, absorbing all the love I can from his touch, hoping it will be enough to last me through a lifetime without him.

***

I open my eyes to a new day. The sun bathes the room in yellow, but I refuse to move. For the first time, I don’t feel Jonah behind me as I do every morning. I try not to think about what’s ahead, but live in the moment. And this moment sucks.

Staring at the digital clock on the bedside, I watch the minutes tick by. Sooner or later, I’m going to have to get up and go to work. But leaving Jonah’s bed, knowing it may be the last time I’m here, is a mountain I’m not ready to face. I sigh, long and hard.

“You awake?” His voice comes from my back, but he’s across the room.

I squeeze my eyes shut tight. Do this for him. Don’t make it harder than it has to be.

Rolling over, I see him in the club chair across the room.

“Good morning.” I say, my voice feeling a little stronger than yesterday, but no less scratchy.

“Good morning, beautiful.”

I sit up and notice that his hair is damp from the shower and he’s dressed for the day. “Where are you off to so early?” My heavy heart drops to my stomach like an anvil.

He stands and makes his way to the bed, plopping down beside me with a huff. “I have some things to do today. Just, um, work stuff.”

He’s avoiding my eyes. This is it. He’s breaking up with me.

“Oh, but I thought you had today off?” I want this to be easy for him, and I know I should just nod and let him walk away, but instinct has me clamoring.

“Yeah, well, I got called in for a meeting. With the fight coming up, there’s a lot of publicity stuff.” He pushes his hand through his hair then rubs the back of his neck. “I wanted to know if you could stay with Eve tonight.”

And there it is.

I swallow a whimper that threatens to shoot from my lips. Blood rushes in my ears distorting his words as he makes excuses about training late.

Unshed tears burn my eyes, but I refuse to let on. Make this easy for him. He deserves that much.

“Sure, that won’t be a problem. But really, I can stay at my place.” You won’t be around to protect me anymore.

His expression hardens, making his jaw tick. “Raven, promise me you’ll stay at Eve’s. I can’t sleep knowing you’ll be alone at your place.”

With a nod and a smile, I agree. I have no intention of staying at Eve’s, but if it makes what he’s doing easier, he can believe I am.

Leaning in, he brushes his lips against mine then kisses my neck at his spot. He pulls back to look me in the eyes and I see something there. Regret? Loss?

“I’ll try to call you later.”

Try?

“Okay.”

Standing with purpose, he walks away.

“I love you, Jonah Slade.” My whispered words are said to the door that he closes behind him.

~*~

Jonah

“Come on, Blake, answer the door!”

I’ve been knocking on his door for the last ten minutes. I know he’s home because I saw his Jeep parked downstairs.

I bang on the door again. “Blake, open up!”

I hear him fumbling with the lock and the door swings open. Blake is standing in the doorway, wearing nothing but his boxer briefs. His eyes are half shut and his face puffy with sleep and a possible hangover.

“Fuck, man. Where’s the fire?” His voice is rough and laced with irritation.

“I need to talk to you about something. It’s important.”

“What?” He yawns, scratching his chest. “Dude, it’s like six o’clock in the morning.”

“It’s ten o’clock, idiot.”

“Oh, well then, come on in.” He gestures dramatically with his arm, and I push past him into his place.

“What the hell happened to you? You look like shit.”

“You don’t want to know,” he says on a groan.

“You alone?”

He stares at me and his eyebrows drop low. “No. Why?”

“I need what I’m about to say to be kept private.” My eyes dart to the hallway that leads to his room, then back to him. “You mind sending your sleepover guest home?”

“Fuck. Yeah, hold on.”

He disappears down the hall, and I walk to the other end of his living room. Last thing I want is a front row seat to the dismissing of his overnight guest. I watch out the ten-foot-tall window of his modern townhouse and shudder at the show his neighbors must get most nights.

“But, I thought you said you’d make us breakfast,” a female voice whines from the hallway.

“Yeah, you said you’d feed us your sausage,” says another.

Fucking Blake.

“Change of plans, ladies. Maybe next time.”

“Aww.” The disappointed reply sounds in unison.

Blake walks to the door with two girls. One stumbles, trying to slip on her high heel, while the other shoves a wad of lace and silk into her tiny purse. I recognize them immediately as Cage Girls. And I am intimately familiar with both.

“Hey, Jonah.” The tall blonde calls out as she passes me in the living room.

I nod.

The brunette tosses me a wave. “Hi, Jonah.”

“All right, ladies, thanks for last night . . . and this morning.”

He