Tonight, however, that coping strategy was straining itself.
I tried to convince myself that maybe Aiden’s secret wouldn’t be that bad. If it happened to be drugs, I didn't have to take them. If it was a surprise tattooist, who liked tattooing from a bathroom stall, I didn't have to get a tattoo done. The only problem was, as we got closer to this back room, those reassuring thoughts were squashed by the looming feeling of other, slightly more intimidating fears.
He led us into the small alcove in the back of the club. To our left were the bathrooms, and on our right was a broom cupboard with a door that hung broken from rusted hinges. And I thought that was it; Aiden just wanted to show us some tiny room and call it quaint until he walked up to a large red sheet hanging over the back wall and pulled it aside to reveal another door.
Red flags, as red as the sheet in his hand, were popping up everywhere. I was beginning to think knowing someone for two months wasn’t enough time to be someone’s soulmate. Right now, it looked like he was about to introduce us to sex trafficking.
I gulped. "Kira, I don't think we should—"
Aiden pushed open the door, taking Kira's hand and leading her into a dimly lit corridor.
I hesitated. Unsure whether to turn back around and call it a night or follow my friend to make sure she would be okay. At least if we died, we would die together.
Don't be so dramatic.
"Are you coming, Lil' Lily?" Aiden asked as he held open the door with a smirk.
I squared my shoulders and marched past him into the corridor.
He chuckled as he wrapped his arm around Kira again and led her forward.
The door slammed shut on its own behind us and I jumped slightly at the sound, clutching the strap of my shoulder bag a little tighter as I followed the couple.
The corridor was straight and narrow, with flickering lights over a chipped cement floor, a moldy smell in the air, and greenish-gray colored paint that was peeling in flakes off the walls. It only took about 20 seconds to walk, but it felt like it stretched for miles before it curved right and ended at another door. This one was more solid than the last and made of steel.
I took Kira’s wrist, stopping her from going any further. “What are we doing?”
“Relax, will you,” Aiden interrupted, pushing down on the door handle. The latch clunked, and the hinges hissed before a stream of shouting poured through the opening. “It’s just for one fight.”
I balked. “Fight?”
Kira looked confused. For the first time tonight, she hesitated. “Aiden, wait a second—”
“Babe. We can’t wait around in the doorway. It will look suspicious,” he crooned, taking her hand from mine and leading her through the door.
I was still processing what he meant as my legs moved on autopilot to keep up. I wasn’t sure if I moved because I was in too deep and didn’t want to leave Kira, or because what Aiden said made me uneasy.
We stepped onto a grated platform that overlooked a large basement. It was split into two rooms by a wall of plywood. From this high up, I could see a kitchen and possibly a lounge area behind the wall, but I didn’t linger on that detail as my eyes went directly below us. The first half of the basement was packed with men surrounding a square space in the middle of the room, where two men were fighting.
One was pale and sweaty with blood dripping from his broken nose. The other was a younger man in white shorts and bright red sneakers that popped against his dark skin. He ducked and weaved like a tall rabbit, bouncing out of reach with a grin.
Standing above the whole thing, it was obvious this gathering was illegal. But the hunched-back old man circling the inner edges of the pit, who I had assumed at first was a referee, was doing nothing to stop how violent the fight had gotten. Instead, he was the commentator with a mic in one hand and a bell in the other.
I peered down over the railing and was about to tell Kira we should leave. Except when I turned around, Aiden was already steering her down the crowded flight of stairs. Not wanting to be left alone, I hurried after them, weaving through the men cheering from the stairs and politely excusing myself as I squeezed by. Every step went against every grain in my introverted-rule-abiding-strict-parent-influenced body.
We maneuvered through the crowd until we reached the metal barriers separating the pit from everyone else. Before I knew it, I was boxed in and pushed into Kira’s side as the fight played out before us. And then came to an abrupt end when the pale guy was knocked onto his back.
The bell rang, the fight was over, and the crowd was left divided. A mix of deafening boos and cheers erupted throughout the basement as the fighters left the pit. The younger of the two walked with a slight bounce in his step as he took a bow right before the exit.
An ear-piercing screech erupted from the speakers around the space. The commentator in the ring had tapped his microphone to get everyone's attention. Once the crowd had quietened down, he announced the next fighters, which caused the all-male audience members to dig into their pockets. At the same time, several guys with buckets and tickets moved through the crowd.
Aiden leaned in towards Kira and me, a grin on his face as he reached into his pocket. "Looks like we got here just in time."
He purchased several tickets and dropped cash into a bucket, looking pretty pleased with himself as he crossed his arms, tilted his head back, and watched the commentator.
The first fighter to enter the ring was a short, muscular man with a buzz cut. He didn’t stop moving once he jogged out, bouncing around like a taut spring, ready to burst at any second. He was introduced as Billy the G.O.A.T and ran about the pit, boxing the air and flexing as the crowd cheered.
The commentator waited a moment for the crowd to settle again. A strange sense of anticipation settled over the room.
