“You don’t know that. We have no idea what’s going to happen,” I snapped.
“You’ve seen the size of him. He’s strong, and apparently, been working up to this. He’s got this.” He reached for my hand, and I let him take it.
We arrived at the entrance, and I fidgeted back and forth on the spot. We waited for the door to open. It wasn’t quite so easy as before to enter. The doorman wanted some sort of code before letting us pass, but Oliver had everything we needed. Once inside, I took the lead, showing Oliver the way. We both stuck out in the place filled with bodies. It was packed in comparison to the last time I was here, and that made my panic turn sour. Maddison had spun this as a starter fight—his first chance. But the crowd was already circling.
We bypassed the bar and headed down to the level Mads and I had stood last time.
“It’s down there.” I nodded to the ring below us as Oliver looked around. “Mads wanted to see us. I think we should go down. I can’t risk him concentrating on anything but the fight.”
Oliver nodded. His mood had taken a considerable dive since arriving. My guess was that he hadn’t been expecting anything like this, and the realisation that his little brother has got into some sort of organised fighting scene was hitting home. He was not just trying to reassure me anymore.
I’d always considered both brothers my best friends, but Oliver and I seemed to have a smoother, easier friendship. Mads and I had plenty of tension, but that resulted in us being less comfortable in each other’s company. I’d analysed what the two differences meant over and over: if I was attracted to one more than the other, if I valued one characteristic more or less—but that just gave me more pain and heartache.
Oliver was my solace and who I turned to more than Mads. But Mads and I had a connection that lit me up inside. A different chemistry that brought its own problems. But right then, neither Oliver’s comfort nor calm outweighed my worry for Mads. His confidence and ego were attractive, but I’d have traded that right now if it meant I could keep him safe.
We made our way lower and were nearly on the floor with the ring. We pushed to the front railing so I could see everything below. “What time did Mads say it would start?”
“He didn’t. Just to get you here before ten.” I glanced at my watch. Five minutes to go. Oliver put his arm around my shoulder and pulled me to him. “It will be fine.” His contact did nothing, and if anything, just wound me up. He needed to stop placating me. My hands wrung the bar in front of me, desperate to do… something.
More people started to swarm around us, and the feeling of anticipation lingered in the air. We were pushed in closer by people all wanting to get a better view, but I didn’t relinquish my spot. I had to do this for Mads. He said he needed me, and I clung to that.
Just like last time, cheers and whoops from the crowd began to drown out the music, and I saw movement below. I didn’t recognise the man, so my eyes started to scan for Mads.
“There.” Oliver pointed over my shoulder, standing behind me and keeping me sheltered from the crowd that was encroaching.
Sure enough, I recognised the scruffy hair and the stance of Maddison, but that was about all. He was bare-chested, his defined muscles throwing shadows over his body from here. As he got closer, he looked up and started to scan the crowd. He was looking for me. I could feel it.
He soon found me, and his expression morphed the moment he did, happy to have me in his sights.
“Be careful,” I mouthed, and he nodded.
Hopefully, it was a promise he could keep.
Once we’d locked eyes, he gave a small nod, to Oliver, I presumed, before looking back down and getting ready. He bounced on his feet, moved his shoulders about, and then went to speak to an older man.
Nausea swam through my stomach, and saliva started to pool in my mouth. I turned around to face Oliver, now happy to be trapped between his arms. I stared at his eyes and searched for his strength as tears added to the mixture of emotions already in mine. He pulled me in and hugged me so hard that I forgot about the feeling in my stomach.
I stayed hidden, buried in Oliver’s chest when I heard the first roar from the crowd. I squeezed my eyes shut, picturing the blood I saw during my other visit, splattered across the ring.
“The other guy,” Oliver relayed, but I kept my eyes closed.
Another cheer, more noise, and I waited for the update again, but it was unbearable. I twisted around, desperate to know how Maddison was.
I watched, fixated, as Maddison moved around his opponent. He jabbed, kicked, and spun, all sorts of moves that put him in control and out of arm’s reach. Chords of muscle stood out in stark definition every time he moved, highlighting how much he had been training for this. The other guy was already stumbling, his face red from exertion and pain.
Maddison didn’t give up, and I was in a fight with myself to look away. It was clear that Mads had the upper hand and, as he said, he’d be fine. But I wanted him to stop now, and it didn’t look like he would. Maddison continued to rain down punches, knocking his rival to the ground.
Watching him at that moment, I didn’t recognise him. Something had come over Maddison like a determination I’d never seen before. Putting the opposition on the ground wasn’t enough for him. He continued to beat on him until there was no movement.
“Stop. Stop. Stop stop stop stop stop,” I shouted, getting louder and louder amongst the din of the crowd.
He finally relented and raised his hands above his head, claiming his victory. He turned to me and pumped his fists. I took a step back from the rail and into Oliver, but Mads just beckoned us towards him.
“Come on.” Oliver took my hand and led me around the level until we found a way down. Two large guys with arms crossed and don’t-mess-with-us frowns blocked our path.
“They’re with me!” We both heard Maddison from below, and our path was suddenly cleared. Oliver led us down, and an ecstatic Maddison met us. He moved in to hug his brother, cheering and yelling as he did, clearly still pumped from the fight.
Sweat covered his body and drenched his hair. Once he’d finished with Oliver, he moved past him and headed for me. He seized me, lifting me clean off my feet and spun me around. I clung to his shoulders, my fingers digging into his muscles for any sort of grip. My feet hit the ground again, but before I could speak, Maddison crashed his lips into mine. He kissed me so thoroughly, I was lost in the moment, my arms wrapping around his neck, my legs turning weak and unstable as I surrendered under his strength. Our mouths fused, and I was lost to him. All I could feel was Mads—all I could taste was him.
Salt and copper and heat.
Finally, he eased up, and I could breathe again, panting as hard as Maddison had been a few moments ago. He looked down at me, a huge grin on his face, as he pulled me against his chest and kissed the top of my head.
As I turned to the side, I saw Oliver standing by with anguish etched on his face. My gaze dropped, and I tried to back out of Maddison’s grasp, as blood rung in my ears, and my stomach dropped through the floor. Guilt engulfed me at what Oliver had just witnessed.
Maddison let me go, now surrounded by other people I didn’t know. The man I saw at the start and some other guys pulled him away from us and back towards the way he’d come into the ring area.