"Too deep, ahhh..." Sherlyn moaned digging her nails into Ardeth's back.

"Shit baby, you are so tight." Ardeth said as he gripped her hips and pumped inside her.

"Yes, ah don't stop." Sherlyn cried as she felt the familiar pressure develop.

"Not going to stop anywhere near." Ardeth huffed as he thrusted into her, his hand raising and squeezed her breasts sending her to the edge.

"Ardeth... I am coming." Sherlyn cried as her insides squeezed him in a tight grip.

"Come baby." Ardeth said as he gave a one hard thrust, and came undone along with her.

"That was great, baby." Ardeth pecked Sherlyn's lips, as he raised up to discard the condom. "Ready for round two?" He winked.

"No sir." Sherlyn laughed pulling over his long T-shirt.

"Why?" Ardeth asked confused.

"I have to cook, remember the vegetables we left in the kitchen." Sherlyn shook her head.

It was the day after Thanksgiving, and Sherlyn came over to Ardeth's home, they decided to cook lunch together.

"We can order in."

"No way, I am letting those poor vegetables go in vain." Sherlyn said walking inside the bathroom.

"Wait, atleast..." Ardeth walked into the door, and banged his head,"You can't lock me out."

"I can." Sherlyn answered as she turned on the shower.

"What are you cooking?" Ardeth asked wrapping his arms around Sherlyn's waist from behind as he watched her toss the vegetables.

"I am making some fried rice, and chicken curry." Sherlyn answered as she stirred the contents in the pan.

"Hmm... It smells good." Ardeth said as he continued to hug her.

"You can watch the match, while I prepare the lunch." Sherlyn said as she stirred the vegetables.

"I like to watch you cook for me." Ardeth rubbed his nose on her neck.

"Why is that so?" Sherlyn chuckled.

"It's fascinating, I was never allowed inside the kitchen in my father's home, since the workers used to keep everything ready on the table time on time, I didn't even get a chance to step inside the kitchen" Ardeth smiled. "Later when I moved out, I tried some of the recipes on internet but they never turned out good, so eventually I gave up."

"So, you have never seen someone cook food for you in real life?" Sherlyn asked turning her head to look at Ardeth.

"I vaguely remember my mother making Pancakes, when I was a child. After her it's you, whom I am watching so closely, cooking food for me." Ardeth kissed her temple. "I don't want to miss my chance to watch you cook."

Sherlyn smiled.

"Can you taste this and let me know whether I need add more salt or anything?" Sherlyn said scooping the rice in the spoon and placing it near Ardeth's mouth.

"A little pepper should do the magic, the salt is adequate." Ardeth said tasting the food.

"Why can't you spend the weekend in my apartment, we both can cook, eat, and spend time together." Ardeth said as he helped Sherlyn to carry the dishes to the dining table.

"First things first, My father would never allow me to spend a weekend with you." Sherlyn said placing the plates and spoons on the table.

"Okay, not the weekend, can you spend the Saturday with me?" Ardeth negotiated.

"Nope." Sherlyn shook her head, "Marcie and Amelia are planning for a girl's day, I am going to spend the day with them."

"Fine." Ardeth huffed.

"I am spending my day with you today, and your are sulking about tomorrow." Sherlyn complained.

"I just want you to be with me." Ardeth said.

"Our girls day out is all set, I can't back out." Sherlyn said holding Ardeth's hand that's on the table.

"I know, I am sorry." Ardeth sighed, "Have fun, and call me if you need anything."

"Thank you." Sherlyn smiled.

"Hey Nick, enjoyed the holidays?" Sherlyn asked Nick, as she met him in the corridor.

"Yes, had fun." Nick smiled, "I got to know you enjoyed it a lot with the girls."

"Marcie?"

"Yes, she posted the pictures on social media." Nick answered.

"Yeah, we had a girl's day out, spa, movies and stuff."

"What about my boy? Did he enjoy the time with your family?"

"He enjoyed it, and my family loved him." Sherlyn smiled.

"Great then."

"Are we heading to Soccer court now?" Sherlyn asked as they walked past the classrooms.

"Where else can we go when our boys are in Soccer court sweating hot." Nick winked making Sherlyn laugh.

"Hey Collin." Sherlyn greeted as they found Collin near the stands.

"Hey Sherry."

"Do you know where Ardeth is?" Sherlyn asked looking around.

"Ardeth?" Collin asked confused, "This morning he came to the Soccer court looking all furious, and they he left the practice half way, I thought you knew."

Sherlyn and Nick looked at eachother, Sherlyn in puzzlement, and Nick in worry.

"Sherry, I think we have to go home and check on him." Nick dead-panned making Sherlyn look at him worried.

"Collin is it okay if I head home with Sherry?" Nick asked.

"You go, I will ask Johan to drop me home." Collin said giving a push to Nick.

"Come on, Sherry." Nick said opening his car door for Sherlyn to slip in.

"Nick, why are you looking so worried?" Sherlyn asked as fear began to cloud her mind.

"Sherlyn, do you remember the night, when Ardeth came home all injured?" Nick asked as he revved the car.

Sherlyn nodded remembering the night, he came to the apartment all bloodied.

"It wasn't the first time, he came home like that. Whenever he has a tug with his family or something upsets him, he goes to the ring to fight, and sometimes he returns home drowned in his own and others blood." Nick informed making Sherlyn's heart drop, "He hasn't been to the ring ever since he started seeing you, but now it's happening again."

"He is not taking my calls." Sherlyn bit her lip worried.

"He must be in the ring, shit." Nick cursed. "Let me check with Blaze, he works in the ring." He said punching the numbers on his phone, and speaking with someone with a serious expression.

"He is in the ring." Nick punched the wheel. "I will drop you at home, and will pick him up."

"No, I will come with you."

"Sherry, it's a dangerous place."

"It's okay, let's not waste the time, go." She nodded her head with a determined look.

Nick sighed and drove his car in the direction of the ring.

Sherlyn and Nick ran towards the ring passing bulky and sweaty men in the corridors. The froze in their steps as they watched Ardeth fighting with a bulky, muscular man in the ring, his face was a mixture of anger and frustration, blood dripped from his eyebrows and corner of lips.

"Come on hit me you fucker." Ardeth growled spitting the blood from his mouth, looking menacing.

"I am going to hit you till you pass out, fucker." The man growled as he lounged towards Ardeth, hitting him on his face, making him cough up the blood, Sherlyn stood frozen in her steps shocked, her mind blank with the amount of violence infront of her, shocked seeing Ardeth laugh like a maniac spitting blood.

"Is that all what you got, you twat." Ardeth laughed before punching the man sending him to the ground.

The man groaned in pain curled up on the floor, as the men rushed to help him.

Ardeth kicked the man's leg mercilessly, and turned around taking of the gloves, and froze as his eyes locked with Sherlyn, who was watching him like she saw a ghost, looking pale.

"Sherlyn." Ardeth whispered as a tear slipped down her cheek.

Sherlyn wiped the tear with back of her hand, and ran out of the shabby looking dark hall, as her guts twisted and she felt like throwing up.

Nick shot a disappointed look to Ardeth, before he ran behind Sherlyn.

"Sherry." Nick called as he watched Sherlyn letting out silent sobs leaning against his car.

Nick wrapped his arms around Sherlyn as he let her cry. He knew what she was going through, the first time he saw Ardeth fighting in the ring, he more or less felt the same as Sherlyn, watching his friend he had known for years, look so menacing, and ruthless in the ring, hungry for the blood.

Sherlyn leaned her head against Nick's shoulder and cried, while he rubbed her back. Looking at the pair of shoes stop beside him, Nick raised his head and looked at Ardeth, who looked down at him with a regretful expression, blood dripping from his cuts, his hair dripping wet from the shower he took.

Nick looked at Ardeth, who nodded his head as they silently communicated.

Nick released Sherlyn, as Ardeth stepped forward to hold her.

"Sherlyn." Ardeth's voice was merely a whisper as he carefully approached her. "I am sorry." He said squatting down on the concrete floor beside her, as he grabbed her arm.

Sherlyn yanked back her arm from Ardeth's grip, and slapped him across the face. Ardeth remained silent as she looked at him, her eyes blazing with fury.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed?" Sherlyn shouted. "I know you have problems, and you think that getting yourself or others beaten to death will solve them?"

Ardeth looked down unable to answer her.

"Are you able to see what you are becoming. You looked like a ruthless blood thirsty monster standing in that ring, not the Ardeth I love." Sherlyn sobbed.

"I am sorry." Ardeth whispered.

"Why? Why are you doing that?" Sherlyn cried hitting him with her fists.

"I am sorry." Ardeth hugged her, as she cried holding him.

Sherlyn wiped her tears as she looked at Ardeth, she raised her finger and touched his bruised lip. He remained stoic.

"You need to clean your cuts and bruises." Sherlyn sniffed.

"I will do that when I go home." Ardeth smiled at her concern.

"They will get infected by then." Sherlyn mumbled and turned to Nick. "Let's get him some help." She said.

"I will go heat some pizza." Nick excused himself and left Ardeth's room, closing the door behind.

Ardeth sat on the couch as he watched Sherlyn, tidy up the things that were laying on his bed. Sherlyn and Nick took him to the hospital to tend his injuries, except for a bruised rib, and some cuts, he was fine. Sherlyn gave him a cold shoulder throughout the ride, and continud to give him one.

"Take rest, I am heading home." Sherlyn mumbled as she began to walk out of his room.

"Sherlyn, wait." Ardeth said stopping her holding her hand.

"I have to go home." Sherlyn wiggled.

"Baby, please listen to me." Ardeth begged. "Give me a chance to explain."

Sherlyn nodded and took a seat on the coach.

"This morning, after I dropped you at college, I went to the cafe to get some coffee, and there I saw Paige." Ardeth started, "Paige Mayers was the daughter of my father's assistant, Mr. Mason Mayers, she used to visit my home whenever her father has some work with my father, we used to play together, and went to same school. She was my best friend."

Sherlyn listened silently.

"Later her father sent her to a boarding school, and I never had a chance to meet her. The last I met her was one month before I walked out of my father's home."

"The day I decided to come out of my father's home, I had a big fight with my father, because he wouldn't let me live my dreams. In the course of our arguments, he told me something about him becoming rich soon, and I would come back begging for his mercy. Back then, my father's company was facing some crisis, and I knew Tristan and my father was planning something but I didn't pay much attention and I came out."

"A month later, I read in the newspaper that there was a fire accident in my Father's company which turned everything to ashes, and some of the workers died struck in the sudden fire." Ardeth informed, "Mason Mayers was one of the unfortunate people who died in the fire accident that fateful day, my father got the insurance money and invested it in some other businesses and grew his fortune."

"Today, when I met Paige, she accused me saying that we killed her father. She was working hard doing four different jobs trying to make the ends meet, being the sole bread earner for her family. Only if I hadn't been a shit headed fool and listened to my father's plan, I could have done something to stop that mishap from happening." Ardeth regretted. "It's because of my father many families are suffering out there, while he was enjoying the luxurious life. I couldn't do anything even though I know the truth because there is no evidence against him. It's frustrating that I couldn't do anything to bring justice to all those families." Ardeth ran his hand in his hair.

"It's not your fault Ardeth, you shouldn't blame yourself for something that was not in your control. I know you wouldn't have let it happen if you had known about it. We can't change the past, so, don't spoil your present and future worrying about it." Sherlyn said, "I feel sorry for those families, I know how it feels to loose a family member, but right now we can't do anything, Ardeth. Expect for wishing for them to find peace and happiness."

"I was not in a right mind in the evening. I felt very frustrated and angry, and felt like I should find a release to let it out, I had been doing it for years now." Ardeth sighed.

"Hurting yourself won't bring you peace, instead try to speak and share your feelings, it will lighten you up. You have an amazing friend, who supports you, and you can always share your feelings with me. But hurting yourself and others is a big No." Sherlyn shook her head in disapproval.

"I am sorry, I promise, I will try to control my anger, and speak about the things." Ardeth said looking Sherlyn, "Please forgive me."

"I will forgive on one condition."

"What's that?"

"You shouldn't hide things from me, especially the ones that hurts you." Sherlyn said, "Promise me."

"I promise." Ardeth nodded, and Sherlyn smiled wrapping her hands around him, pulling him into a hug.

"Don't ever scare me like you did today." Sherlyn mumbled against his chest.

"Never." Ardeth kissed her hair, and leaned his cheek against her hair.