Free Last Chance To Fight by Ava Ashley Page B

it!” I’d shout.
    “Women,” he said, shaking his head. “So confusing.”
    Finally, I gave up and decided to just go along for the ride with him. After all, I thought, when has he ever let me down before?
    The answer was never, and this night was no different. After a wonderful dinner and a few glasses of wine, I was feeling something close to bliss as I strolled down the street arm in arm with the only man I’d ever loved. I didn’t think I could possibly be any happier, until Hunter stopped suddenly and said, “We’re here.”
    I looked up and saw that we were in front of something called The Grand Marquis .
    “What is it?” I asked. “A movie theater?”
    “Exactly,” Hunter said. “See what’s playing?”
    I gasped when I saw the sign, and grabbed Hunter’s hand impetuously.
    “Oh my gosh, Casablanca !” I cried. “Is it an old-timey movie theater?”
    “That’s right,” he told me, squeezing my hand. “They play a different feature every week.”
    “This is amazing!” I cried in delight. “Can we come every week?”
    “For the rest of our lives,” Hunter said, “if you want.”
    I smiled happily and didn’t answer, wanting it so badly that I was afraid if I spoke I would jinx it, and something terrible would happen to break us apart. We bought two tickets, some popcorn, and a drink to share, and headed into the theater.
    “Oh, it’s perfect,” I said, seeing the plush red seats and the old-fashioned curtains. “Just exactly what I wanted.”
    “I’m glad you like it,” said Hunter. “So, front and center as usual?”
    “Yes please!”
    When we sat down together and I snuggled up next to Hunter for one of my all-time favorite movies, I could not possibly have been happier. He wrapped his arm around me and squeezed me tight, and I spent the whole movie in a state of pure joy. Nothing could have brought me down from feeling so good, not even when Rick and Ilsa had to say goodbye to each other at the end of the film. My life, it seemed, was going exactly the way I wanted.
    Exactly, that is, until we got back to my place and found that there was a little surprise waiting for us on my doorstep. It wasn’t the nice kind of surprise, either.

Chapter Fifteen
Hunter
    A fter a great time at dinner and then the movies, we got back to Anna’s apartment to find a large manila envelope on her doorstep.
    “What’s this?” I asked.
    “I have no idea,” she responded, picking it up to examine it.
    To our surprise, we saw that the envelope had my name written on it, in big black magic marker.
    “What the hell?” I asked. “Who could have left this here?”
    “I don’t know,” Anna said, her voice quiet with fear. “Let’s go inside.”
    When we got inside and opened up the package, I could hardly see straight because I was so blind with fury.
    “What the fuck is this?” I yelled. There, in front of me, were big glossy photographs of Anna, beautiful Anna, and that piece of shit Nathaniel kissing her with his hand up his shirt.
    “Oh my God,” Anna whispered, almost to herself. “He had someone taking photographs the whole time.”
    “When did this happen?” I asked.
    “A few days ago,” she said. “I told you...”
    “How do you know him?” I shouted, still in such a rage I couldn’t put two and two together. “What the fuck is he doing touching you?”
    “Wait,” Anna said, realizing what was happening way before I did. “You mean, you know him too?”
    “Yeah I know him. That’s Nathaniel, my number one enemy,” I told her. “I got him banned from the CFC last year for using drugs.”
    “Oh my God,” said Anna, slowly sinking down on the couch. “I can’t believe it, he...”
    “He what?” I demanded.
    “Hunter, don’t you get it?” she said, looking up at me. “That’s Nate. My ex. The one who came over here and scared me.”
    “What?” I picked the pictures up from the table to look again. “What the hell?”
    And then, as much as I didn’t want