Spar

Chapter 1-4

The pain spread through Tyler’s arm and down his side until he could feel the muscles slacken in spite of his determination to fight. The pain was both a warning and a reward. Nothing thrilled him more than finding out he could take a little more punishment before his body forced him to concede defeat. Only in the dojo was he safe to explore the limits of his body, mind, and spirit. All that punishment came with a rush of endorphins and a better knowledge of who he was and what he was capable of. That knowledge was priceless.

Surrender was inevitable and warranted, given his inferior position. After their little chat, he hoped Jaime wouldn’t simply let him out of the hold. When Jaime didn’t even loosen his grip, Tyler smiled in spite of the pain. Now it was a matter of strength of will. To his astonishment, Jaime’s strength was much more subtle than appearances would have suggested. Finally, the dull thud of Tyler’s free hand hitting the mat signaled to Jaime to release his hold.

With a heavy sigh, Jaime released Tyler but stayed close. Jaime’s watchful eyes remained fixed on Tyler as he sat up and rubbed his arm. Tyler was amused to see Jaime’s concern.

“That was good.” Tyler grinned. “You’ve got to show me how to do that move.”

Between the worry and relief in Jaime’s eyes, Tyler was pleased to see a good measure of triumph. If it were he, Tyler knew he’d be damned proud of pinning a higher rank. The more he worked with Jaime, the more he found they shared a similar spirit when it came to the tenacity required in the martial arts.

“You’re a masochist, Sempai.” Jaime extended his hand to help Tyler up.

Grateful for the assistance, Tyler took Jaime’s hand with the one he could still feel. The sensation was only beginning to return to his other arm.

“Just a little.” The grin on Tyler’s lips widened. “Again?”

“Hai, Sempai.” Jaime beamed.

After nearly half an hour of sparring, Tyler was convinced Jaime was a keeper. Once he got past worrying about his partner, Jaime’s love of training took over. Gone was the wall of insecurity Jaime hid behind. Instead, Jaime was single-minded about the task at hand—which was whupping Tyler’s ass. When it came to grappling, Jaime had Tyler beat hands down, and he knew it. Tyler had to respect Jaime for enjoying a good pin as much as he did.

“You really do like making me eat mat, don’t you?” Tyler asked as they went to the changing room to get out of their sweat-soaked uniforms.

“I love anything that’s a challenge,” Jaime replied and stopped outside of the changing room. “I’ll just grab my bag and go. It’s getting late.”

That familiar wall of nervous energy enveloped Jaime again. The confident martial artist who had spent thirty minutes toying with Tyler and wrapping him into a pretzel was replaced with a shy, hesitant boy. Jaime bolted into the changing room ahead of Tyler but only stayed long enough to grab his bag and leave. Driving anywhere in a sweaty gi, no matter how close, was not something anyone would enjoy. Jaime kept his eyes on the ground as he bowed to Tyler.

“Sayonara, Sempai.”

He might not have known Jaime for long, but Tyler was determined to figure out why the man was so nervous around guys. For someone who obviously loved training as much as he did, Jaime flip-flopped between cautious defensiveness to downright passivity, depending on who he was working with. This was not the Jaime he’d seen on the dojo floor five minutes earlier when Jaime had him in a choke hold so secure he would have lost consciousness if he hadn’t tapped out. All Jaime’s confidence and self-assurance were gone.

Jaime didn’t even look up as he walked past Tyler.

“Sensei Melissa said you trained in high school. Why did you stop?”

Jaime turned and met his gaze with a pained expression.

“I made a mistake.” Jaime shrugged then shook his head. “I won’t make it again. Sayonara, Sempai. Thanks for the sparring match.”

“Sayonara, Jaime.”

Whatever had caused Jaime to abandon his training still ate at him and kept him from being the best martial artist he could be. Tyler was more determined than ever to help him out. In helping the students, Tyler inevitably learned more about himself.