FORBIDDEN LOVE
Whoever Aiden was fighting hit harder, moved faster, landing a combination in the first round that made me actually gasp out loud, Priya's hand landing on my arm in reflexive sympathy.
"Oh, that had to hurt," she muttered.
"Don't say that."
"Sorry. Continuing to watch in supportive silence." She didn't, not really, wincing audibly every time a punch connected, but I appreciated the effort.
For the first two rounds I sat frozen at my screen, one hand pressed over my mouth, watching him take hits that made my own body flinch in sympathy. But somewhere in the third round something shifted — sharper, more controlled, almost angry in a way I hadn't seen from him before — and by the final bell he'