Control Yourself

Shae's leg was bouncing off the ball of her foot. Her hands were clasped together tightly, and pressed between her knees. She was chewing her bottom lip to the point of leaving it raw.

Her stomach was knotted tightly. She couldn't swallow without feeling this tight, lump in her throat.

Every few minutes, Shae found herself looking to the large clock high on the tower in the airport. Her heart raced faster as she realized her departure was growing closer, and closer, each and every time. Hours became minutes, and minutes were now dwindling.

Her encounter with Forrest was replaying over and over in her mind. The contour of his lips, the far-away pain in his eyes, the fragility of his voice. She knew this was a huge day for him, yet she wouldn't be there.

Yes, this was supposed to be a huge day for Shae as well...

But she had been content with her apartment, and her job at the studio.

Shae sighed, and combed her fingers through her long flaxen waves. In her other hand, she clutched her airline ticket tightly. This was her sky-rocket to fame, and yet the only thing Shae wanted to do was tear it up into little pieces, and watch them fall to the floor like confetti.

Her stomach was wrought with tight knots, and kept flipping and flopping over.

She thought about her last kiss with Forrest.

It had been a soft, and sweet moment. There was no sense of urgency, or rush. Their electricity flowed; in fact, Shae's lips still tingled. There was so much to be said about the way they last embraced, that she could have written a novel about it, had she wanted to.

Instead, she wiped away a tear rolling along the apple of her cheek.

Over the intercom, it registered to Shae that her flight had just arrived. She looked helplessly to the flight board, and watched as the flights turned over – some delays, one cancellation, but her flight was there, “arrived”, and within moments, she'd be boarding.

Shae sucked in a hard breath, and stood. Her knees were shaking, and she could barely keep a hold of her suitcase, her hands were trembling so bad. She pinched her eyes tightly shut, for a moment longer than a blink, and opened, finding she was still the wreck she had been when she closed them. Shae gave her head a shake, and took a step forward, towards the gate, but found that her body shifted to the left – towards the exit.

Shae swallowed hard, and again, eyes on the gate, made an attempt to step towards it...

And instead, stepped closer to the airport exit.

A small smile tugged on the corners of Shae's lips as she continued this process until she reached the doors of the airport. She stood off the side, and watched the crowds file in through the glass, round-about doors. Shae glanced over her shoulder, to where her loading gate was waiting for her, and watched the flight attendants ushering the other passengers into the gate.

Shae clutched her ticket, and the handle of her suitcase, even tighter in her hands.

She had somewhere better to be that night.

*

The volume of the crowd was like adrenaline in Forrest's veins. He shook out his arms, and exhaled in raged breaths.

The second round had just begun, and from across the octagon, Anderson Silva was waiting for him. He ground his mouth-guard into his teeth, and stepped forward. His stride was casual, and powerful, just as when he had started.

The two fighters knocked gloves, and the fight resumed.

When Forrest was in the ring, the rest of the venue – or world – was just a black-out. It didn't matter, and he didn't care.

However, as the second round began, Forrest could have sworn he heard Shae's voice calling him.

“Forrest! Forrrrrressst!”

He knew her voice anywhere; however, his recognition came at the very wrong time. After a solid attempt at swinging several different combinations, Forrest looked to his corner men...

And found Shae standing eagerly between them.

“Shae,” He breathed – just before Anderson Silva's quick fist connected with his jaw.

Forrest was down. Forrest was out.

*

When Forrest came to, moments later, and looked to the corner, Shae was nowhere to be found.

He slowly rose, and looked around, wondering if it was some sort of hallucination.

“Where is she?” Forrest bellowed, and his corner men made reference to the locker room.

Forrest's medic was demanding that he stay, for analysis, but he ignored him. Forrest practically sprinted back to the change-room, his heart pounding in his ears. Normally, breaking into a full-out run after being knocked unconscious for a several seconds is not recommended.

But this was different.

His bare feet slapped across the cold, stone floors, before Forrest finally burst through the door of his designated change-room.

There she was – standing in the middle of the room – cradling her head in her hands. Shae's head snapped up upon hearing the door slam against the wall, but was soon after engulfed in a warm embrace.

“Forrest,” She breathed, wrapping her arms around his neck.

“I thought you left,” He mumbled into her hair.

Shae scoffed, and pulled away from Forrest's tight grip on her slender frame. She didn't get much space between them, but she was able to crane her neck to meet his dark eyes. A smirk played across her lips.

“There are more important things in life than modelling,” She informed him.

“But, Shae, I mean, it's the chance of a life-time...” Forrest sighed.

She nodded, a few strands of blond falling into her eyes.

“And I realize that, but it's never what I wanted, anyway,” She shrugged. “I mean, I was happy with you, and the studio – and I don't know why that had to change.”

Forrest smiled, and kissed her forehead.

“I could have been dating a Victoria's Secret Angel,” He murmured against her skin. Shae rolled her eyes, and gave his arm a smack.

He met her eyes again, and chuckled.

“But, I mean, you can still give me a private show, right? I don't have to share this,” Forrest wrapped his arms tighter around her waist. “With every other fuckin' guy in America.”

Shae laughed, and buried her face into Forrest's sweaty, bare chest.

“I love you,” She murmured.

Forrest was silent, but continued to hold her tightly, and rub her back. Just as he rested his cheek on the top of her head, Shae's head snapped up. She nearly clipped him in the jaw as she lifted her head, her eyes wide.

“What?” Forrest asked, his smile fizzling. “Did you forget something? Please tell me we don't have to fly to New York to get your luggage.”

Shae shook her head.

“Forrest, I love you,” She told him. “I mean, I love you. I love you, I love you, I love you.” She repeated.

She said it.

It got past her lips.

And she didn't even have to think twice.

“I love you, Shae,” Forrest grinned. “I love you, I love you, I love you, too.”

The moment they both had been waiting for came. Their lips pressed together, and much like before Shae had left, not a single question went unanswered. Shae twisted a few pieces of Forrest's damp hair around her fingers, and his own fingertips pressed into Shae's skin.

It had been a hard road.

But there wasn't a second that Shae could look back upon, and regret.

They pulled apart, for air, and Shae rested her head on his chest. Some members of Forrest's “team” burst into the change-room, interrupting their reuniting moment. She sighed, and closed her eyes.

“Just, Shae, do me a favour...” Forrest's voice reverberated through his chest, and Shae lifted her head. She raised her eyebrows, and waited.

“It's probably best if you don't come to my fights after all,” He chuckled. “You're a horrid distraction.”

Before Shae could protest, Forrest's lips crashed against hers.