Chapter 26 Ali
Ali
FEbrUARY
It was happening. Sixx Sinclair was about to be the youngest BJJ world champion. Everyone in the arena knew it, and the air was thick with excitement as we watched, holding our breath as history was made.
The rule books for the event clearly stated that only contestants eighteen and older could compete in the adult division of the tournament, with one exception. If a participant turned eighteen in the current year and before the next tournament.
Sixx was only a few short weeks away from turning eighteen and met the exception-to-the-rule requirement.
Last year, he’d won his eleventh juvenile division world tournament.
When he’d entered the adult championship this year, many people scoffed.
Just because he’d won his age ranks over the past decade, they didn’t think he could pull off a win the first year in the “big leagues.” That train of thought only lasted for the first few rounds, and then they all changed their tunes quickly.
Sixx was focused, determined, locked in on his goal, and ready to take what he’d worked his ass off for since he was a little boy.
Roanna sat to my right, holding my hand so tightly I could barely feel my fingers.
Mom was on my left, not squeezing, but holding her breath just like the rest of us.
Behind us, London, Genesis, and Aubree all tapped their feet in excitement.
Sin was on the floor near the mats with Mestre, Bentley, and my dad.
I loved how my father was down there supporting not only Sixx but Sin as well.
I wished I could be with them, but I knew it would distract my boyfriend.
Abi, Hayat, and Sammy sat beside Sixx’s aunts in the row behind us, their men close at hand. Especially Vaughn, who had Amala strapped to his chest while she slept peacefully. Jamie and Sammy had a bet going on how long it would take for Sixx to make his opponent submit.
Jamie said three minutes.
Sammy gave it less than two.
One minute and forty-seven seconds later, Sixx had the other guy tapping.
As soon as the ref acknowledged it, Sixx released his captive and was on his feet.
Slowly, the other man got to his feet, his face red from exertion and defeat.
Once he was standing, the ref stepped between them and then lifted Sixx’s hand into the air.
And the entire place went crazy.
Screaming our excitement, Roanna and I threw our arms around each other, laughing and crying at the same time. Sixx did it. He’d succeeded in becoming the youngest BJJ world champion in history. I was so damn proud of him.
When Ro released me to hug her sisters, I looked down to try to find Sixx.
He stood with his dad on one side of him, Mestre on the other.
Everyone around him was grinning, no doubt congratulating him on his accomplishments.
His own smile, however, was absent. He had that shuttered expression on his face, and I knew if I could see his eyes better, they would be blank.
He was struggling. He’d had a lot of physical contact all day with strangers, random people patting him on the back more than once. And with the loudness of the crowd, he was fighting to keep his wall from dropping from all the overstimulation.
Climbing over seats and people, I made it to the end of the aisle and hurried toward the floor. Media was everywhere, along with other teams and a plethora of sponsors. Ducking and weaving, I pushed my way through the ever-growing crowd.
Bentley spotted me first and started moving toward me, clearing a path to help me reach them faster. Dad caught sight of me and said something to the others. Sixx turned, his eyes landing on me, and I picked up my pace.
By the time I reached him, his arms were already open, and I was in the only place I ever wanted to be. He lifted me off my feet, and I wrapped my legs around his waist. Exhaling heavily, he buried his face in my hair, allowing the rest of the world to disappear as he found his safe place.
“I need a minute,” he muttered, his arms contracting around me. “Just a minute and then I’ll be okay to do the media shit.”
“No rush,” I soothed, scratching my nails up and down his neck, earning me a growl-like rumble from him. “I’ve got you.”
“We’re going to take a thirty-minute break and then come back for the awards presentation portion of the event,” Mestre announced to everyone in our vicinity.
“Son, take a walk. Get a drink. Do what you need to clear your head,” Sin advised. “Don’t come back until you’re ready. Anything else can wait.”
“Thanks, Dad,” he muttered.
Without releasing me, Sixx walked through the crowd. Outside the gym, there were just as many people, most of whom were taking a bathroom break. Thinking fast, I saw a sign over a door that read “Personnel Only” and pointed it out to him. Moments later, we were behind it.
Finding the light switch, I discovered it was a utility closet. Thankfully, it was fairly soundproof because when the door clicked closed, most of the noise outside was cut off.
Sixx slouched against the wall and slowly sat down, arranging me on his lap so I was comfortably straddling him. I kept scratching up and down his neck, letting him find his own way back to me. There was no rush. Time had zero limits between us and his mental health.
“I almost dropped the wall,” he admitted an indefinite number of minutes later. “Right at the end, before he submitted. It was so close, Ali. I barely held on.”
“But you did, and that’s what counts.” I rolled my forehead against his the way he normally did when he comforted me. “Sixx, you were amazing today. I’m so proud of you.”
“I just want to go home and hold you, daisy girl,” he said, the exhaustion in his voice squeezing my heart.
“Then we will leave,” I said with a shrug. “It’s your day. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. The choice is always yours, babe.”
Groaning, he dropped his head back against the wall.
“No, I need to stay. It will be good press for the school, and Mestre already agreed to help us get it started. He loved the whole concept of branching off and having a facility primarily for neurodivergent students. If I leave, I’ll let too many people down. Including myself.”
“I’ll follow wherever you lead,” I promised, pulling his head to my chest. “Right now, just take the time you need.”
“Fuck, baby, but I love you so damn much,” he breathed, closing his eyes. “I wouldn’t be here today without you, Ali. There’s no way I would have made it this far.”
When he said things like that, it made my heart hurt.
He really believed he wouldn’t have survived without me, that if I weren’t with him, he would have let the other part of himself win.
Maybe he would have. Maybe I was the one who helped him fight to keep his wall up, but he was the one who had to hold it in place.
I could only imagine how heavy the damn thing must have gotten over the years.
Stroking my fingers over his jaw, I kissed him.
Slow and soft, just as a reminder that I was there and I would never leave him.
Hands contracting at my waist, he kissed me back.
I’d worn jeans and his team’s newest hoodie with everyone’s names on the back.
He slid his hands under the hoodie, heating a trail over my skin as they traveled up to the edge of my bra.
“Sex in a utility closet might be fun,” I teased.
“My first time getting my dick inside you is not going to be in the same room as a dirty mop,” he grumbled.
Giggling, I brushed another kiss over his lips before trailing my mouth along his jaw and up to his ear. “Fine, Mr. Grumpy, but we’re not opening that door until I get a taste of every part of you.”
His already rock-hard erection pulsed against the seam of my jeans. “Ali.”
“Just a little taste,” I murmured, nipping at his ear.
“Please, Sixx. All those fangirls out there are driving me crazy, drooling over what’s mine.
I need this. That way, when you are up on that dais, getting your medals and all those other awards, I can remind myself that I’m the only girl who can make you feel good. ”
My need to mark my territory was strong when he competed in any tournament. Now that he was the world champ, all those thirsty bitches were looking extra hard at him.
Understanding filled his brown eyes, and I felt his body instantly react between us. “Always only you, Ali. You know that.”
“I do. And right now, I need you to show me.”