Chapter 33
Thirty Three
Kaden
Time passed by quickly.
Val and I continued building our relationship while I also spent hours a day helping her train for her rematch against Mia.
The night before the fight felt like we were standing in the eye of a hurricane.
Everything going on around us was chaos.
The media was buzzing, the betting odds were going up and down.
The weight of the rematch against Mia was weighing heavily on Val’s shoulders. I did everything I could to ensure this strange hotel room in a city far away from home remained her safe space. If I was being honest, I also needed this space to clear my mind, while preparing for my own fight
I watched Val pacing back and forth from the bedroom door.
She was full of nervous energy, going over all of her training in a mental rehearsal.
I watched the floor as she practiced her footwork and was intrigued at her fight against the invisible person she had created in her mind.
Her punching was slow and precise. Her focus was beautiful, yet utterly fragile.
Even after all this time, she still looked like the scared woman from Arizona who was running on pure adrenaline.
Walking up to her, I refrained from breaking her concentration. Instead, I let my presence settle and allowed her to come to me when she was to a point where she could break free. Soon she stopped and slumped into my arms. “Is everything okay, my love? Are you feeling worried about tomorrow?”
“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 late nights, 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.