Right Hook (Gaslight series) COMPLETE

78| Fight night

Max ♕
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Guiding Alyssa toward the back of the gym, I try not to let my nerves overshadow hers. I tighten my grip on her hand, approaching the bodyguard blocking the door with apprehension. After a quick check on his list, he nods brusquely, murmurs into his earpiece, and escorts us through an employee hallway to a compact locker room.

Alyssa settles onto a bench while the burly guard outlines the schedule, looking terrified as hell. Her eyes are shut tight, and she's anxiously biting the side of her perfectly manicured nail. I turn to the guard, tell him we're all good, and wait for him to leave.

"Listen to me," I say, pulling her closer by the waist, and she immediately leans into my chest. Gently, I brush a loose strand of hair behind her ear. I wish I could say something to give her more courage, but experience has taught me that words don't mean shit in the moments before a fight. The anxiety gnawing away at her insides is all she'll be able to focus on.

Instead, I hug her. I hug her so tight that for a second, I worry I'm going to crush her and start to loosen my grip, but she buries her face in my t-shirt.

"I wonder if Tee is already here," she murmurs into the material, hugging me back, "or if she's stuck in that line. Oh god, what if Maddie and Hayden don't make it? What if–"

"They'll make it," I say fiercely in her ear, and immediately, her body relaxes against me. We remain like this for a while longer, her eyes shut, her face buried in my t-shirt, our breathing in sync. I realize I don't want to let go. Not now, not ever.

The locker room door opening suddenly breaks us apart. Hayden appears in the doorway, watching us while holding a box of equipment. "Everything alright?"

I nod silently, and he crosses the room to set the box on a bench. He pulls out the tape, handing it to me without a word, and I turn to a still-nervous Alyssa as she spreads out her hands and allows me to wrap them.

"It's a full house out there," Hayden says, sounding proud, but Alyssa's face drops. A full house is a good thing – tickets have sold out, and people care enough to watch you fight – but I know first-hand how terrifying it can be.

"Don't think about the crowd," I tell her, finishing up her hands. "You focus on your opponent in front of you and nothing else. Not even me."

She nods as I put her black gloves on. She clenches her fists, raising them near her face as she looks at us. I step back, feeling a wave of pride swell in my chest as I watch her.

She's fucking beautiful.

"Close your mouth, O'Connor," Hayden quips, earning him an exasperated glance from me. He grins wickedly, then turns to Alyssa, offering her the gumshield. "It's almost time," he says as she takes it and puts it in her mouth. "O'Connor will go to his seat, I'll give you the Hayden Walker pep talk, and then you'll go out there and put everything you've learned to use."

"I feel like I've already forgotten everything," she mumbles through her gumshield, but it comes out as gibberish. She takes it out and repeats herself, prompting Hayden to tilt his head.

"Trust me, once you're in the ring, it'll all come back to you like instinct," he says.

She smiles and turns to face me. I draw her closer, hesitant to let go, but I know she doesn't need me to protect her; she never did.

"I'll be sitting front row," I say against her ear. "The second you feel yourself getting scared, you look at me and remember how fucking proud I am of you, alright?"

She smiles as I start to pull away, pulling me closer by my t-shirt before kissing me. "I'm probably going to look like hell tomorrow. You better kiss me again while I'm still cute."