He releases a tortured breath, scrubbing the side of his jaw. “I wish I could. But I can’t let it slide because of how much it affected you.” A deep pause. “What happened at your dad’s place?”
“Let’s just say I shouldn’t have gone.” My voice quivers as I lean against the couch. “You know, I tried so hard to keep my family together. Maybe it’s about time I stop trying.”
“I know how that feels,” Kayden mutters quietly, eyes swimming with agony. When I raise a brow, wanting him to elaborate, he shakes his head and looks away.
Frustration nips at me, but I pull myself back from prying any further. I need to respect the boundaries we’ve set up. It’s better to have them. Every time his gaze sweeps over me, it makes me feel even more exposed than I already am.
“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry that things between you and your family are so strained,” he murmurs, head tilted toward me.
“It’s been broken from the start. It’s my fault for having any expectations in the first place,” I say, my breath tight in my chest. I brave a steady hand through my hair. “I’m just tired of feeling like things are beyond my control. This thing that we have, this deal—” I swallow hard, feeling my throat getting clogged up. Understanding dawns in Kayden’s eyes.
“I know. I won’t let you down.” He nods thoughtfully, rife with pointed determination. “I need this win just as much as you do.”
“Then let’s train,” I order, extending a hand to him. He eyes it cynically. “Get up.”
“It’s late,” he reminds me. “Breaking Point is closed.”
“That’s fine. We don’t need a gym,” I tell him, a smile sneaking on my face. “I have an idea.”
***
I lead Kayden upstairs to the rooftop of our building. Alex told me about this place earlier this week, citing it as one of her go-to make-out places with Daniel when her place feels too claustrophobic with Cara and Simon around. I push through the door, careful to jam a brick in the opening to keep it from shutting behind us.
“Nailing your footwork is the best way to offset someone bigger than you, like Jax. You need to be quick and light on your feet all the time. Good footwork will also be handy when you’re against a Muay Thai fighter or a wrestler,” I say as I drop my duffel bag on the ground. Kayden stands around awkwardly in his fleece hoodie, battling the blistering cold.
“You get good at building balance and controlling your distance, it’s an easy ride to claim that championship.”
I grab a soccer ball from the bag, resting it on one side of my hip, and then sling a timer around my neck. “We’re gonna do some kick-ups. All you have to do is keep the ball up and moving. Don’t let it drop to the ground. No hands or you start over. I’ll be timing you.”
Kayden looks at me like I just told him to jump off the building.
“What?” He gapes at me. “Are you kidding me?”
“Nope.”
He blinks dumbly at me. “This is a soccer exercise.”
“It’s also a great exercise to improve your balance and coordination. Which you need.”
Kayden’s gaze flickers to the ball and then back to me, eyebrows descending low on his face. “I probably won’t be able to do more than ten seconds.”
“That’s a shame. I was only gonna let you go to bed if you hit a minute. So I guess you should start soon if you don’t wanna freeze to death on this rooftop.”
He shakes his head. “This is ridiculous. There are footwork drills for this kind of thing.”
“Julian used to swear by it. He was a soccer player in college before he turned to fighting. And there’s a reason why he’s one of the most decorated MMA fighters,” I tell him confidently. Kayden still looks unconvinced, though. I shrug nonchalantly. “If you’re not keen, we could try something else. Like ballet. Though I would recommend we get a pink tutu and ballet flats for the full effect—”
“Fine. Give me the ball.”
I throw Kayden the ball and he seizes it midair with his hands. Giving the ball a light bounce with one hand, he tries to catch it with his feet. He manages to bob it from one foot to the other twice before it hops away from him.
“Give it back.” I sigh and he throws the ball back at me.
“You’re kicking it up too high. Try to keep it around waist height,” I instruct as I show him how it’s done. Tapping the ball as lightly as I can with either side of my feet, I make sure to keep it low enough that I don’t lose control but high enough to get some momentum.
He grunts and tries again, kicking the ball upwards with his feet. Each time, he loses his balance after a couple of seconds and the ball bounces away.
“Your feet are too pointed. Connect with the ball on the forefront of the foot.” I do a slow pace around him as Kayden attempts it another time. The ball flies past his head and lands on the other side of the rooftop. He grunts irritably as he goes to retrieve it. “Stop kicking it so hard. You’re not trying to score a goal here. You wanna be tapping the ball upward lightly.”