Chances

Chapter Nine

Someone knocked on David's door around four in the morning. When David woke up to the sound of someone banging his door, he knew it would be no one but Dean.

So without putting on a decent clothing, he walked to the door and ready to pounce on Dean, he opened it to meet a cheerful woman wearing a white t shirt and a black skiny jeans. She had tied her hair in a pony style and she had a black training shoes on.

David looked at her with a questioned look. He didn't understand what she was doing in front of his room at the moment. So he closed his eyes and took in a deep breath and when he opened them, she was smiling like a little girl who came to remind her dad about the ice cream shop he had promised to take her to.

“What is wrong?" He finally asked when he realized just staring at her wasn't going to help solve the mystery.

He leaned on the door and folded his arms on his chest. That was when Marisca noticed he was only wearing a pair of boxers. She blushed and smiled to cover it all up but that little action didn't skip his eyes. He smirked when it dawned on him how his naked chest had effect on her.

Marisca did keep her promise and she was there to wake him up. She ran her fingers through her neatly tied hair.

“I told you I'd be helping you guys today so I woke up early so we would start early," she quickly reminded him. Which, it took him several seconds to remember what happened yesterday.

He remembered the kiss too; the very one he went to bed thinking about and hoping Dean had never been around.

“I almost thought we were going for jogging. You sure look like you are going for that," he admitted, glaring her over once more. He couldn't help but deeply stare at how the jeans fitted her so well.

“Arh, you mean this isn't good?" it sounded as a question as she lowered her head to check herself well, “I thought this was OK. I didn't know what to wear so I settled in for this.”

David heard the disappointment in her voice and saw the sadness on her face. So he smiled at her and shook his head.

“You look amazing. I've never seen anyone as beautiful as you are...even in a simple t shirt. I'd give everything away just to sit across a table and stare at you the entire day, in fact for the rest of our lives,” he confessed.

Even though he had said that to make her feel better, he didn't lie about it. He told her the truth. What he had wanted to say to her the moment he saw her again at the awards night.

And she looked exactly how he wanted her to look. She was with no makeup. And she looked more beautiful than she was when she put some on.

“But of course don't tell my mother I told you that. I always tell her that too. But I don't go that deep,” he added and she laughed, knowing too well how her relationship was with his mother.

The woman didn't seem to like her and she wasn't going to sit around and wait for her to like her.

“OK, it's too early and please lady don't knock on my door until it's 7:30am" he quietly continued to himself; unless you want me to get my hands busy on that gorgeous body of yours.

She cleared her throat and he jerked from his thoughts. He brought his head out to look in the hall way and realized nobody was coming out. As he was sending his head back inside, their faces became so close, both of them felt each other's breath and Marisca could've sworn she thought he was going to do something naughty.

“OK, I'll ask Dean to take the little champ to school while you and I take care of the restaurant. We can also go up to the hotel and check it out also, that is if you do not get tired by that time," he told her so she wouldn't worry about their son. He had planned to take him around the neighbourhood after he closed from school.

“Sounds good then. OK, I'm going back in. Come get me when you are finally out," she commanded and started to walk away.

He looked at her back and he felt a stir in his chest, knowing too well he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep again. He liked the way she commanded him as she swinged her waist. She sounded like a little girl commanding her dad to tie her shoe lace.

It was amazing how they talked and he liked it when she wasn't shouting or angrily eyeing him. She felt so care free and he hoped it was going to last long.

He went back in and as quickly as he knew it would be, it was 7:20am already. So he came out and gently knocked on her door too.

She didn't respond and he tried the door knob. The door wasn't locked and he peeped inside and he saw her sound alseep. He chuckled and walked in.

Her chest rose and fell. He kept looking at her as she had her left hand over her head on the pillow and her other one on her stomach. Her two legs hanged out of the bed since she was still wearing her boots.

Her breathing was normal but he didn't understand why his body was reacting differently. Or he just failed to acknowledge why.

He walked closer to her and tapped her on her legs and she immediately raised her head. She smiled at him and he smiled back. She asked him to go and wait outside as she straightened the sheet on her bed.

He waited calmly outside her room and she did that as she looked into the mirror for the last time before heading out.

***

Everything was going on well. People rushed inside the restaurant to see with their own eyes if indeed it was Marisca that was helping in there. There were people who wanted to sit and eat with her.

People took pictures and some took her autograph as well. She didn't know what to do when other's kept asking her about what she was doing there. She just kept her answer simple. She told them she was on a vacation and decided to help others.

People asked her when she was going to release her next song and she told them she was on a break and wouldn't know when she'd be returning but she hoped it wouldn't take much time.

David watched as she got distracted after every second to attend to her fans. He liked how happy she smiled and winked at him before turning back to her fans. But what he didn't like was when a young man asked for a kiss from her. He was ready to separate them if she had considered kissing him.

But before he got there, she had given the man a peck on both his cheeks. She smiled at him and she waved him good bye when the man was leaving.

The frown on David's lessened and he didn't even know why it was there in the first place.

He went closer to her and she smiled at him. It was genuine. Even though she had thought of what her fans would think, she didn't know she'd smile or be happy when he stood beside her.

“I told you you wouldn't find it easy when you get down here," he teased and she hit his arm playfully.

“But you can't deny the fact that here is quite busy today. Wouldn't you like to hire new people? Because I intend to come down here every day," she suggested and he messed the little hair she left in front of her face, up.

She almost chased him around for doing that. She had never been happy like how she was that day. Even though she had Leah, there were things they never did; like play together, work together and other cute cool stuff.

Dean had just returned from town and he saw the crowd outside and he had to pass through the main house to get to the restaurant. The whole place was full.

He met their mother in the house watching the movie he had brought home the other week. She was aware of what was going down there. She didn't want to add that to Marisca's good books.

Dean kissed her forehead and sat closer to her. She was chewing some popcorn and he digged his hand inside the bag and she hit his hand.

He quickly removed it and he screamed as if he didn't like that gestures. They both laughed as he stood up.

“Going to take care of the hotel since everyone is busy at the restaurant. I don't know when the people are going to be less there. You should've seen the people," he continued, "we should get famous and get that attention. I hope the press read more meaning into that so they'd figure out about Tyler's father.”

But the woman only kept chewing her popcorn, watched the movie and laughed. Dean shook his head and headed toward the door and without wasting time, he disappeared outside.

Later that night, Leah came home with many bruices all over her body. Tina was the first to see her as the other sat to talk about what happened during the day.

Tina quickly drove her eyes away, wishing Leah fell on the stairs while climbing up. But unfortunately, Marisca saw her and helped her into one of the empty seats, which was no where but beside her.

Marisca asked her about her day and David offered to bring her ice.

“I'm used to this already. Don't worry about me. I'll get better after a good sleep. Just wait and see,” she told them with pride.

“You should see her tomorrow. It will be like she didn't come home like this. Trust her, you'll see,”Marisca praised her friends as Dean couldn't help but want to say something. But knowing how easy he got himself kicked by her, he kept his mouth shut.

“I'm surprised someone isn't speaking today," David played with his words as he poked Dean's shoulders.

“Chickening out I guess. Try getting yourself hit almost all the time and you'll see. It's not like I get a kiss after that, at least you get some," he said, betraying what he saw yesterday.

Leah raised her head to watch her friend closely. Marisca begged her to understand. And Leah didn't say anything which meant Marisca would have a lot to explain.

“You are tough, I admire you for that. And you should always take good care of yourself," Dean finally decided to tell his fighting or quarrelling partner.

Leah eyed him and didn't do anything but nod her head and he also did same.

Even though everyone grew up to know her to be tough, she had some soft spots as well. She couldn't help but keep thinking about Dean and as much as she tried to stop herself, she kept doing them naturally.

She kept planning on how to hit and kick him when he made a foul comment about her without hurting him. Or she kept thinking about what he'd be saying to her next.

“Boxers are always strong. In fact fighters are supposed to be tough. It's pretty normal for them. No big deal for them," Tina in a nice way, chipped in so they wouldn't admire her enermy too much.

“Yeah you are right. But she's tougher than most men who stand inside the ring to fight," Dean defended and Marisca smiled at Leah. She's gotten someone fighting for her already.

Even though he fought with her all the time, he wasn't going to let anyone make her feel little. As funny as it may sound, he was OK with himself making fun of her but he wasn't OK when Tina made it seem normal about what Leah made for a living.

“I can defend myself perfectly well. As you can see, my lips are perfectly fine," she confirmed without realizing the hole she was digging.

“How would I know that if I haven't yet kissed them?" he also absent mindedly questioned which caught Leah off gaurd.

David was first to understand his best friend. He knew the two secretly liked each other but he wasn't going to make them realize it.

Marisca didn't also miss that heart beat she knew her friend felt. Tina rolled her eyes when she also read the real meaning behind his statement.

“OK I'm off to bed and I hope nobody interrupts me. Oh and I...David can you give your mother these? I noticed she kept smiling and admiring C.K. whenever he fought. I took pictures of him the last time we had the champion sessions. I printed them out yesterday but forgot to give it to her I guess," Leah handed the pictures of C.K; a famous fighter who nobody knew him since he fought with a mask on, to David.

Even though nobody saw his face, he had a hot body and cute eyes. And even the older generation couldn't help but admire his figure.

Everyone laughed as they found out the old woman's little secret.

Turning out the lights in the sitting room, he walked to Leah's door and gently knocked on it. He kindly placed the little box in his hand on the floor and disappeared into his room.

Leah opened the door some few minutes after she got back from the washroom. She didn't meet anyone behind it. But as she was about to close the door, she saw the package laying in front of her. She tried to bend but stopped since it was painful to do so.

She then kicked it inside and slowly pushed it to her bed with her foot. She sat on the bed and hugged her feet around the box. Slowly, she raised the box onto the bed. Letting it fall on it, she opened the box and found a balm in it with a little paper as well.

I normally use this when we play around and I get wounds and bruises. Don't worry, I've got more in my drawer. I hope it works for you too. Have a good sleep.

She smiled and admired the handwriting. She didn't know who it was that sent it to her. She knew Marisca's handwriting and she doesn't remember how Tina wrote but she knew the handwriting wouldn't belong to her since she knows Tina wrote badly and so that left the guess between the two brothers.

She hoped it was who she hoped it was. She was sure she'd be even better before she used it...that would happen if it came from him.

He checked behind the paper and read the little writings:

I think you know who I am. Your enemy I guess.

She couldn't help but smile and feel pretty. Marisca thought and knew her friend would never blush to this kind of gestures. She wouldn't blame her since she didn't know she could either.

Until she met him.