“It’s not the fight itself I am worried about.” She paused, and my curiosity was piqued. “It’s the brief silence your mind invents right before the bell.”
“Ahh.” I nodded. I knew her words by heart, revisiting a moment I'd survived a lifetime ago. When you were getting ready to start the fight, even though the crowd cheered loudly, it was like everything around you goes silent. just you and your opponent, waiting for the ding of the bell to signal the beginning of the fight.
I wrapped my arms around her waist and held onto her tightly. “What if I seize up like last time?” Val asked nervously.
There it was, the question I had been waiting for her to ask for weeks. The admittance she was still fighting nerves from her last fight. I cupped her face and tilted her wide eyes up to meet mine. “You won’t.”
She had her doubts. “Why won’t I?”
Releasing my hold on her, I escorted Val to the bed and directed her to sit down. Noticing her collar was twisted, I reached up to fix it. “This is what we’ve been training for. We didn’t just condition your body, we’ve also been conditioning your mind. The Val who fought Mia before? She’s gone. That girl was running on coffee and survival. Now, you are fully hydrated, running on structure.”
I paused and kissed her forehead before continuing. “Every punch you make is a choice. When you retreat, it’s because you are using tactics you’ve learned, not panic.” I dropped my hands. “This fight is the payoff for all of your early mornings and latenights, every bruise, and every waking moment you’ve spent with your mind on fighting.”
Val smiled. “Well, not every bruise, sir.” She let out a giggle making my heart melt and her breath began to slow. I could tell she was finally starting to calm down and not let tomorrow consume her completely. There was a point in which thinking about it could do more harm than good.
I kissed her forehead again. “Good girl.” She looked up at me with slight confusion then it seemed to click with her why I had said it and she snuggled it. “Tonight is not about the ring. Tonight is about ritual and rest.”
Then, I spent the next couple of hours pampering and focusing solely on Val’s relaxation. We did a simple dinner down at a restaurant inside the hotel and ate amongst the hustle and bustle of all those who surrounded us, simply enjoying each other’s company. Later she settled onto the sofa back in our room and I pulled her legs into my lap, slipping her shoes off and gently dropping them to the ground, rubbing her feet.
She began to doze off and I found myself content with how the evening went. I carried her to bed, happy her frantic energy had been replaced with peace. Once she was settled and tucked in, I showered before nestling myself into place beside her. As soon as my body sank into the bed, her hand found its place on my chest. I continued to lay awake for another half-hour, listening to the sound of her breathing before finally dozing off.
Thirty Four
Val
Morning came faster than I had anticipated as I hopped out of bed and began to get dressed in the black sweatpants and hoodie Kaden and I had picked out the night before. Simple, comfy, and matching. I appreciated the love and care he showed me last night, but I still had an anxious feeling building in the pit of my stomach. It had me worried today wasn’t going to run as smoothly as he had assured me it would.
I was greeted with an electric energy as I stepped into the arena lobby. In the distance, I could hear the sound of a crowd, regardless of the fact it was still hours before the event began. I couldn’t let them distract me though. I needed to remain silent and focused. Suddenly, I was reminded of Kaden’s presence as he placed his hand on my lower back, helping navigate the concrete maze of hallways to my dressing room. I turned around and wrapped my arms around his neck, staring into his eyes as I let out a sigh.
Kaden smiled and pushed my hair behind my ear. “You’re going to do amazing. Regardless of what happens today, I’mso proud of you.” He leaned in and kissed me deeply, sending butterflies fluttering like crazy in my stomach. “I love you, Val.”
Hearing those words flow from his mouth never got old. The more he told me, the deeper I felt it. We barely had time to set down my bags before I could hear the footsteps approaching us from outside the door. “You two look incredible!” Arlo walked in, beaming, holding two insulated cups.
“Thanks.” I smiled at him and gladly accepted one of the cups. “I hadn’t had a chance to grab coffee this morning and I definitely needed it.”
Kaden raised his brow, “Don’t forget to hydrate too, just because you claim coffee to be a bean soup with a water base, doesn’t mean you don’t need actual water, too.”
I glanced over to see Arlo shaking his head, indicating he wouldn’t be coming to my rescue for this one. “I didn’t mean to interrupt anything.” He wiggled his eyebrows at Kaden who then pushed his shoulder back in a cut-it-out type of way. “I just wanted to congratulate you both on this sell-out! Everyone wants to see this match!”
Kaden gave Arlo a clipped nod, continuing to keep his focus on me. He was intense, but in a good way. “Well, don’t forget it’s also for a good cause.”
“This is true, he agreed.
Suddenly, an idea popped into my head. “Since the event has raised so much, what if we divided it up and donated to multiple charities, but still keeping the theme the same?”
Arlo nodded. “Sounds like a great idea to me.” He paused. “Well, I’ll let you two get back to it, I’ll see you in a bit man.” He held up his fist to me to bump. He was always a good, necessary distraction of positive energy and Kaden was so lucky to have him as his best friend and business partner.
It wasn’t long after Arlo had made his exit. Suddenly the door was creaking open again, and I was grateful Kaden and I hadn’t gone our separate ways yet.
Mark.
What was he doing here? He stood in the doorway radiating a gross and cheap aggression with a synthetic bravado, a sneer twisting his mouth. “Well, well, look at the happy couple.” His words drawled as his eyes swept back and forth between Kaden and I. The air went stagnant and my blood began to run cold.
“You’re in the wrong room, Mark. You are not accredited to be back here.” Kaden’s voice was stern. “You have ten seconds to leave on your own accord before I have security remove you.”
Mark laughed, it was high pitched and strained. “You playing tough in front of your little princess?”
Kaden didn’t raise his voice, instead he just stood there, his eyes fixated on Mark. It was seemingly enough to crush Mark’s flimsy ego. “I’m not asking again. Get out of this space, now.” His tone was a statement of finality as Mark’s face flushed red. He spat a curse and retreated, slamming the door behind him.