Chapter 10
Ten
Kaden
The smell of sweat and old canvas always brought me back.
Open mat. “Come on, let’s go!” I called out while clapping my hands together.
My fighter, Alex, bounced on the balls of his feet across from Xander, who was a whirlwind of controlled chaos.
I watched his eyes, trying to gauge his focus.
He looked good, but from what I knew about Xander, he was quick. Alex had his work cut out for him.
“Jab, Alex! Work the jab!” I yelled, my voice cutting through the cheers coming from the crowd. Alex flicked out his left, tagging Xander once, twice. Good. Xander stumbled back, and reset. “Now the leg kick!”
Alex wound up in a blur of motion but Xander checked it just in time.
Damnit. He closed the distance, feinting high, then shot for a takedown.
My stomach lurched. “Sprawl, Alex, sprawl!” He dropped his hips, but Xander was relentless, driving into him.
They clinched, wrestling for position against the cage.
My hands instinctively mimicked the motions I called out, urging Alex on. “Under hook! Alex! Turn him!” Alex fought, strained, and then, with a surge of power, he spun Xander off the cage. Xander tried to reverse, but Alex was on it, transitioning beautifully to a body lock.
My voice was starting to get raw. For a split second, Xander was airborne as he tried to execute a kick before crashing to the mat with a thud. Alex was right there inside control, quick as a flash. “Look for the choke! Don’t let him get you in your head.”
Alex moved, releasing pressure which gave Xander the chance to squirm underneath him. He had his arm trapped before he shifted, sinking in the choke. I could see Xander’s face redden, his hands pawing at Alex’s arm. Xander tapped, once, twice. Done.
“Stop!” The referee called out before sliding between them. Alex immediately let go. He was out of breath and sat back on his heels for a moment. After he stood up, he offered a hand to Xander and once he was on his feet, they were hugging and talking like they were the best of bros.
I walked toward them, a grin splitting my face as I observed their interactions. Alex looked over, still breathing heavily but beaming as Xander rubbed his neck, a wistful smile plastered on his face. “Congrats again, man,” Xander gasped. “Good job, coach.” Xander extended a hand for me to shake.
I patted Xander on his back. “Your last kick would have taken him out had you landed it. Keep up the hard work and I can see it becoming a signature move for sure.”
“Cool, thanks, man.” Xander smiled and rushed off to the locker room.
While Alex and I wrapped up our conversation, a hand grasped my shoulder. I turned to see Arlo, his own grin as wide as mine. “Nice one, coach,” he said, his eyes sparkling. “You called it perfectly. He looked great out there.”
“He was great.” A surge of pride swelled in my chest. “Just doing my job, man.” I watched Alex, sweat-soaked but victorious, shake Arlo’s hand before he, too, took off go get cleaned up. “This is why I do it. This feeling right here.”
Arlo’s brow quirked. “You wish it was you though, don’t you?”
I tried to shrug it off, to push back the familiar ache. “This is a different feeling, though. I still feel accomplished.”
“Kaden,” Arlo interrupted softly. “It’s okay to be happy for your guy and still wish you’d been on the mat today.”
I stood there, the words hanging in the air, before I blurted out, “One day, I’ll be back out here.”
Arlo’s mouth split into the biggest grin. “There you go.”
It was true. With Isabella out of my life, training had become my singular focus. Another amateur fight wasn’t just a dream; now it felt like a tangible goal. “We should celebrate. Drinks are on me.”
His pleasant reaction collapsed. “Sorry, I can’t tonight.”
“We always go out after open mat,” I said, genuinely confused. “You better have a hot date?”
Instantly, Arlo’s smile returned, even brighter than before.
“Actually, I do.” He pulled his phone from his pocket.
“And I’m running late.” He was gone before I could ask another question, leaving me alone in the suddenly vast, empty room.
The silence settling around me was more deafening than the cheering crowd which had filled the room corner to corner just minutes ago.