Not Even Close (A New Generation) by Elizabeth Reyes (books to read in a lifetime txt) 📗

Byron

Once again, the annoyingly cute and now contagiouslaughter distracted Byron from his crowd control duties. As usual the crowdswere huge whenever 5th Streetheld one of these signings. In the last several years they’d only gotten biggerand bigger for good reason. The big-name athletes participating in the signingsweren’t just boxers anymore. They’d since added a multitude of super star athletesfrom the other sports to their list of signing athletes at these events. It’s whyByron volunteered to come in and help out if they were ever understaffed. Henever knew what new big name he’d get to meet in person.

Having a brother who was one of the athletes doing the signing camewith its perks. His brother Leo, aka Beast was a former heavyweight champ,but his signature was still high in demand. So, Byron never had to stand in anylines and oftentimes got to hang out with said athletes in private when they loungedaround after or warmed up before the events in one of the training rooms.

Byron was currently monitoring the line near his brother’s table.The first time he’d heard the sweet laughter was when the group of girlsstanding in line made it inside the gym from the line that went all around it.He’d been around enough of his brother’s fights and these types of events toknow the difference between groupies and actual female fans. These girls wereway too young and innocent looking to be groupies. In fact, they were way tooyoung for Byron to even be looking their way. But it couldn’t be helped. Neverhad something like this been so damn distracting. For the most part, girlsgiggling and laughing in and around the gym where Byron had spent a lot of timefor years wasn’t anything new. It wasn’t unheard of for people to come to thegym and try to hook up.

Usually, it was pretty obvious if that’s what chicks were up to.It’s exactly why normally Byron wouldn’t give something like this a secondthought. But in this case, there was something so genuinely pleasant about thelaughter that he was pretty sure there was no underlying motive for it. Sure,there were plenty of guys around and Byron was certain he wasn’t the only onedistracted by the laughter, but it just didn’t feel like it was being done forthe sake of attention.

Byron couldn’t even pinpoint what it was, but it sounded sosincere. Particularly one of the girl’s contagious laughter. It’s theone he heard most often and each time she laughed so whole heartedly, it hadByron smiling despite not having an iota of idea what that hell was so funny. It’swhy it was so distracting. For over a year Byron hadn’t had much tosmile about especially not this often.

But as long as he’d been hearing it now, it didn’t appear therewas one certain thing that had her laughing. From the likes of it, Byrongathered she was just the type of giddy person who was very easilyamused—something he hadn’t been, in way too long. So, you’d think it wouldannoy him. Instead, he found himself continuing to uncharacteristically smile tohimself each time he heard it, even subtly glancing in their direction.

They were close enough now that when he glanced their way this time,he was able to make out whose laugh was the one distracting him most. She wasthe shortest most petite of the three young girls. As far as he could tell shewas Hispanic. Albeit a very light skinned Hispanic girl. Her hair was dark atthe top but blended into a golden blonde starting from the middle down to theends of her long locks. While petite next to the two other girls she stoodwith, she had curves that contradicted his earlier estimation about her beingtoo young.

At that moment she was holding her phone out, showing the othergirls something on the screen. He watched as the big smile flattened for asecond then just like that, her entire face brightened instantly, and she evencrinkled her nose bringing her fist to her mouth and laughed again. “No, no,keep watching,” she chirped through her laughs.

The other girls watched and laughed as well. Whatever the hellthey were laughing at must’ve been hilarious because she even did a littledance in place as she covered her mouth and continued to laugh. As much as hehated to admit it, what his surly ass would normally consider annoying, theentire scene was fucking adorable. Byron had been so sucked into the wholeshow, it wasn’t even until she looked up and their eyes happened to meet that herealized he was smiling just as big as she was.

The dancing in place ceased immediately and her smile slowly wentflat. As animated as she’d been that whole time her entire demeanor did aone-eighty. An air of bashfulness seemed to wash over her as she pulled astrand of hair behind her ear and glanced back down at her phone.

The abrupt realization came to Byron in a form of a knot in hisstomach. His interpreting her change of behavior as bashfulness was aconvenient one. Truth was he’d very likely freaked her the fuck out and he knewit. Now he felt like the biggest creeper on the planet. His cheesy ass smileflattened as well as he felt something he’d never felt before—a spreadingheat rise from his spine clear up to his neck and face and even his ears.

He wanted so badly to look her way again to see if she wasfilling her friends in on the creepy man who’d been gawking and smilingin their direction like a maniac, but he didn’t dare. He envisioned all three younggirls digging through their purses for their pepper spray or mace bottles tokeep handy in case Byron decided to do more than stare them down.

What the fuck was he thinking? For all he knew she could bejailbait. Despite the curves she could still be a very young teen. She sure asshit had the stature of a high school or even middle school girl.

“Fucking hell,” he muttered under his breath.

Glancing around for someone he could wave down to come relieve him,so he could get his ass out of there, Byron