Better off without him

Chapter 27 - Harper

The noise at the stadium was deafening. We had been sitting here for almost four hours watching fight after fight and I got the same feeling every time someone in the octagon started bleeding or took multiple punches to the face. I could almost feel a phantom type of pain like I was the person in the ring. I had been to many of Lex's fights, but I still couldn't quite stomach watching the viciousness of each fight. The skills these men possessed, having to put their bodies on the line for recognition, money or for the love of martial arts was astounding. The announcer called Alexander "The Brawler" Johnasson's name and I swear the crowd went wild. I watched on the big screen in front of me as he walked out with his entourage following behind him, swinging his arms in a punching motion making everyone go wild. The audience kept chanting "Brawler, Brawler, Brawler" and I felt a surge of pride engulf me for Lex. He spent years training to get to where he is today, channeling his anger into a sport that he absolutely loves and even longer trying to convince me and his mum to come out and support him. Sitting here with Xavier and watching Lex do what he loves the most made my heart swell with happiness.

Before I knew it, Lex was in the ring, while the referee read out the rules to him and his opponent and the loud ring of the bell went off. They touched gloves and began circling each other. I kept my hands around my torso rubbing circles around my little peanut, while my eyes stayed glued to Lex, hoping that he'd be okay after this fight. The guy he was challenging looked fierce and also has a huge following. One minute they were standing apart and the next, they were circling the octagon with their hands up in a defensive stance. Lex's opponent kept trying to get a punch in but Lex kept dodging them. You could tell by the other guys face and demeanour he was growing frustrated. He was known for his early finishes and was looking to have another early finish. I could tell already that he was no match for Lex, who looked composed and was biding his time to strike.

"Are you alright sweetheart?" Xavier whispered in my ear, grasping one of my hands and kissing it.

"I'm fine. Lex will finish this guy in the next round," I said giggling.

"How do you know that?" Xavier asked raising an eyebrow.

"I know Lex and this guy seems so arrogant. Trust me."

"You want to bet on that sweetheart?"

"Depends on what you're offering," I answered with a coy smile.

"If Alexander wins this fight in round two, then I'll do whatever you want. But if he wins in either round 3, 4 or 5, then I get to move in with you as soon as we get back to New Zealand. Do we have a deal?" He said looking confident while holding his hand out to me.

I pretended to think it over before clapping my hand with his and agreeing.

"Deal."

The bell sounded at that moment, signalling the end of the first round. I eyed Lex, who looked unscathed and ready to take on the world. His opponent on the other hand could barely open his left eye and sported a large bump on his forehead. The bell went off again and both men made their way back to the middle touching gloves before circling each other. The other guy made an attempt at striking Lex, who ducked down so quickly and swung his hand and hit his opponent square in the jaw, knocking him to the ground. Lex pounced on him and starting reigning punch after punch to his face before the referee put a stop to it. Lex immediately got up and raised his hand in victory, while Xavier and I jumped out of our seats cheering.

Lex looked over at me and winked and I couldn't help but smile. He walked over to his opponent who was finally up on his feet and hugged him. I turned towards Xavier and raised an eyebrow at him in silent satisfaction.

"I told you so," I gloated.

"I knew he was going to win but I thought the fight would go on a bit longer. I'm just disappointed that I don't get to move in as soon as I wanted. So whatever you want, I'm at your mercy."