Deception and Desire

Chapter Seventeen - Disappointed

⟪Elizabeth⟫

When I woke up the morning of Kaden's match, it was to the sound of the door creaking open. I sat up, blinking away the sleepiness from my eyes. Kaden walked in, heading toward the bathroom. I glance at the clock. 6:00 A.M.

"Kade?" I spoke up, making him stop.

"I didn't wake you, did I?" He turned to me.

"No, not really," I say. "Where were you?"

"Gym."

"You should get some rest," I tell him.

He sighed, rubbing his hand over his jaw. "I did rest, Liz. I'm going to go shower, we'll head to breakfast after if you want."

"Okay, yeah. Sounds good."

+++

"Are you excited?" I asked, glancing up at Kaden, who sat across from me at the diner we had picked for breakfast.

Kaden shrugged, turning away from the table to cough into his arm. He cleared his throat. "Yeah. I've got this."

"Kade, are you feeling okay?" I asked, reaching out to place my arm on his.

"I feel fine," he told me.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

I sighed, giving his arm a squeeze before letting go. "My parents said they would come. They also said not to worry about paying for anything. My Dad insisted it was okay, but they appreciated the offer. They like you."

Kaden nodded his head. "I strive to please."

I rolled my eyes, but was glad to hear a joking tone returning to his voice. "Okay, sure."

He laughed a little, and the sound calmed my nerves. Over the last four days Kaden had gotten worse and worse. Yesterday and today he was much better. And now he was returning to himself. So I'd say we're almost in the clear of whatever this was.

"Anyway, I was talking to Emily and I think she likes Alex," I say. "Maybe we could play matchmaker."

"I don't meddle in my brother's love life," Kaden stated.

"He apparently meddles in yours. Honeymoon suite ring a bell?" I pointed out.

"Yeah, but we walked into that one."

"Fine, you don't have to meddle. I'll meddle. Do you think Alex might reciprocate her feelings?"

"Okay, Dr. Phil," Kaden began, "sure. I'll play along. I don't know. Okay? Ask him, not me."

I rolled my eyes. "Fine. I will. And don't call me Dr. Phil."

Kaden smiled. "Whatever you say, Dr. Phil."

+++

I sat next to Alex, waiting for Kaden's match to start. Excitement bubbled in my chest. I watched as Kaden walked toward the ring to join the man he would be fighting. He slid into the ring, completely focused.

The bell rang and the match began. It started out great. The first three rounds, Kaden had the upper hand until the bell rang again, signaling the beginning of the fourth round. Suddenly, Kaden stumbled, leaving an opening for the other guy to throw a punch.

It went downhill from there. Kaden couldn't keep up anymore. He tried, he really did. But he seemed to slow down.

I was on the edge of my seat, holding my breath, silently willing Kaden to get back up off the mat.

"Come on, Kade..." I whispered as he tried to pull himself up. I noticed how he seemed as if he was struggling to breathe. He was then thrown into a coughing fit, but somehow still got to his feet.

I watched as he was able to gather himself for a few moments. But he was still too slow. Too slow to block the next punch to his jaw. He stumbled back, hitting the mat.

"Come on, Kade. Get up, get up," I whispered.

He didn't.

Eventually, the bell rang.

Kaden had lost.

The second that he pulled himself from the ring, I ran toward him. Blood dripped from the corner of his eye, his lip, and from his nose. A nasty looking red mark was blooming around his eye and another at his jaw.

As I approached, I heard him whispering an apology to his father, who reminded him it was all right. I gently touched his arm. "Kade?" I asked.

His eyes turned to mine and there was a disappointment in them.

+++

Kaden has been quiet since the match. Now we stood in the elevator to our room. Suddenly, the elevator came to a shaky stop. The doors didn't open. We weren't on our floor. We were stuck.

Kaden let out a humorless laugh. "What a wonderful night, huh?" He leaned against the wall, sliding down until he was sitting.

"It's alright," I tell him, moving to sit down next to him. I then made a call to the front desk to let them know we were stuck. After that, we sat together in silence. "I'm sorry," I whispered to him, turning my body to face his.

"I fucked up tonight," he whispered back, shutting his eyes.

"You'll win next time," I assured him.

He opened his eyes, meeting mine. "I still fucked up."

I set my hand on his forearm. "It's okay, Kaden. I promise you that one loss isn't the end of everything."

He just watched me then, eyes searching mine. "Maybe you're right," he whispered, and I realized how close we were. His face was mere inches away from mine. I could feel his breath fanning my face. His eyes flickered down momentarily, landing on my lips.

My breath hitched, heartbeat picking up. He leaned closer, reaching up to place his hand on the side of my neck. His touch was warm, sending a shiver down my spine. Seconds later, his lips landed on mine. My own hand latched onto his wrist as I kissed him back.

His tongue brushed my bottom lip as I circled my arms around his neck. Twinning my fingers into his hair, I moved to straddle his lap. I ran my fingers down his jaw, making him pull back a little, wincing.

I stopped, pulling away. "I'm sorry, I forgot you–" I began.

"It's fine. I'm all right," he told me, catching my wrist in his hand. He ran his thumb over the inside of my wrist. "It's okay."

Then I realized I was still on his lap and a blush flooded up my neck and across my face. I moved off of him, clearing my throat.

Well, this is going to be one awkward situation, isn't it?"

A/N: Sorry for the short chapter. Hope you enjoyed!