“Yep! That’s him! I’m surprised you remember!” My dad yelled back at me.

I’m surprised I remember too. Kenny and my dad have been friends for as long as I can remember. He has tried to keep me in the loop with Kenny’s wrestling career ever since I left for college four years ago, but sometimes when you are gone for so long you lose touch with what your life used to be like before you grew up. Now that I am freshly out and graduated, I decided to come back home to spend some time with my family and return to my roots. As a graduation present, my dad has invited me out to a AEW Dynamite event and now that I’m sitting here at ring side, I feel more at home than I have in a long time.

“Are you ready to go? Are you ready for this?” The lyrics from his entrance music ring in my ears and it feels like a warning for something coming.

Suddenly there he was, standing at the entrance of the stage. The sheer power of his presence was enough to knock the air out of my lungs. I watch as he walks down the ramp and I’m transfixed by the sight of him. There is something different about him though. This isn’t the Kenny that I grew up with. The Kenny that I remember is sweet, kind and goofy. I don’t see any remnants of kindness in the man that is now making his way around the ring. There’s something else there. Something superior. Something dominant.

He’s wearing his AEW championship belt around his waist, but all I can see is the black and green spandex tights that seem to tighten around his thighs with every step he takes. His hair is wild with black and blonde curls and his beard is a light stubble. His body is very large and very masculine and the veins in his muscles run up his arms like snakes. His blue eyes seem darker somehow.

I find myself holding my breath as he gets closer to where my dad and I are sitting. He looks over to my dad and nods lightly in acknowledgment. His eyes shift quickly to me, and I swear all of time seemed to slow down. His eyebrows raised slightly, and a small smirk escaped his lips. Was this his way of telling me he remembered me? Suddenly, I start to become very aware that I am no longer the young girl who used to follow him around and the energy from his eyes on me just now made me realize that maybe he’s aware of that too.

The rest of the wrestling match seemed to go by in slow motion and each time we locked eyes with one another was like a shot to my chest.

One-Winged Angel. Bang.

V-Trigger. Bang.

Snap Dragon. Bang.

By the end of the match, it felt like my skin was on fire. My heart would not stop racing. I’ve never experienced this feeling before. This attraction dominated every inch of me, and we haven’t even said one word to each other yet. What was this feeling that has overcome me? It’s nothing like I’ve ever felt before. While I was trying to control my breathing and calm down enough to gather my thoughts and have a normal conversation with my dad about the event, a man in a dark suit and earpiece walks up to us.

“Mr. Omega would like to see you two promptly.” He opened the barricade from in front of us and ushered us through. “Quickly please.” He ordered. I looked at my dad with raised eyebrows and he smiled back at me.

“You didn’t think you weren’t going to say hello to Kenny, did you? You haven’t seen him in so long! I’m sure he’ll enjoy catching up with you!” My dad chuckled and followed the man happily.

I walked slowly behind them. I don’t know if I was ready to be in the same room as him. If the electricity between us was so strong with just a look, what would it be like to talk to him? To have all his attention on me, but the closer we got to his locker room the stronger the connection felt to him. It’s like there’s a magnetic pull guiding me to something powerful. The terror and nervousness slowly leaving my body is being replaced with an urgency to get to him. To learn more about this new version of Kenny.

The man who brought us to Kenny’s locker room knocked lightly on the closed door, waited for a moment then opened the door slowly. “You two may enter now.” He nodded at us

We both walk into the room and my dad makes his way towards Kenny, congratulating him on a great match. I stay behind and take in the view of his locker room. There were some reminders of the old Kenny tucked into the corner of the room. A lot of gaming equipment. The rest of the room reflected the AEW champion. Brightly colored and variously printed blazer jackets hung lined up on hooks across one of the walls. A 70-inch flat screen tv is playing compilations of Kenny’s wrestling matches. There’s a black leather couch on the other side of the room and his AEW championship belt lay across the couch.

Suddenly I am aware that both my dad and Kenny are staring at me. “Hey! Come say hello to Kenny!” My dad waves me over to them both. Just as I’m about to introduce myself again to him, my dad’s phone starts to ring. “Sorry guys, it’s your mother, I got to take this!” He answers the phone as he walks out, shutting the door behind him.

I’m now standing in front of Kenny while he lounges in a chair. He looks freshly showered. His curly hair is wet, and some droplets of water start to fall onto his white t-shirt. He lifts the t-shirt up to his face and dabs at his damp neck, revealing his strong and chiseled torso. I can’t help the thoughts of wanting to touch his body. To run my fingers over his abdomen. I watch as he slowly scans me from top to bottom.

“Oh, I’m sorry...” I apologized quickly after realizing that I’ve been staring at his body for too long without saying anything.

“What do you have to be sorry for?” He raised an eyebrow at me questioningly.

“Well, I guess for staring. I just haven’t seen you in a long time.” I laughed awkwardly

“You shouldn’t ever apologize for staring. I mean I don’t blame you. I am the God of pro wrestling anyways. Why wouldn’t you stare?” He said arrogantly

“Well, I think I like the old Kenny better.” I said playfully. “He was a lot nicer.”  I didn’t want to admit to him that I was beginning to like this darker side of him more.

“That’s too bad. I don’t think he’ll be back for a while.” He leaned back in his chair and squinted at me. I couldn’t help but smile at his reply and I think he caught my lie. “So, I hear from your pops that you are back home for an undetermined amount of time?”

“Yes” I replied, “I guess I was feeling homesick. I missed it here. The wrestling events, I mean. I used to love watching you wrestle.”

“Used to?” He pouted.

“Sorry, I mean I still do, of course.” I stumbled across my words. “You are an amazing wrestler. You always have been. I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’m seeing it differently than when I was younger. When I watched you wrestle tonight it was like I was in a state of euphoria and every time you looked at me, I felt this sort of exhilaration. It’s like I’m seeing your wrestling from a different perspective now. Does that make sense?” I bite my lip anxiously. I feel embarrassed after revealing my feelings so soon to him, but I don’t think I could have hidden it any longer when the way his eyes penetrated me made my cheeks flush hot.

“It does.” He stood up from his chair and in two short strides he closed the gap of space between us.     “I am not the same man that you grew to know when you were a kid. I have an immense power and strength that no one can match. I am the best in the world. I am the AEW champion, of course. And you are not the same kid anymore either. You are a different person now too. I would say I’m seeing things from a different perspective too.”

A small smile escapes his lips as he stands over me. I looked up into his dark blue eyes and my heartbeat quickens. Why does he have this effect on me? He’s staring at my lips now and I realized I was still biting on my bottom lip. I could see it in his eyes that he wanted to kiss me, and I held my breath waiting, but he didn’t kiss me instead his eyes searched me for a moment like he was rethinking something. I started to feel worried that he had changed his mind and before I could make a move for the both of us the door swung open, and my dad walked through smiling. I took a step back and looked at Kenny with wide eyes. I had forgotten all about my father. In the short moment I had alone with Kenny I was prepared to do anything he had asked of me without any regard of where we were or who was around.

“Alright guys! Thanks again for the tickets Kenny, we had a great time! Dinner is on us this weekend, okay?” He shook Kenny’s hand and pulled him in for a hug.

“Of course, I’ll be there.” He said smiling. His eyes shifted to me. “Will you be there as well?”