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Because I’m now fighting against something I am completely unfamiliar with. And I will be controlling it.
“And another thing, sleeping in is good for your health. A good night’s sleep does wonders for your mood. So, I mean, you could use more sleep.”
And Luca’s annoying fucking mouth is certainly contributing to the growing need to hit something.
I slip through the ropes of the ring after him, tuning out his rambling as I strap on my gloves. I feel ready. I can do this.
I need to do this.
Fear is not going to ruin me.
As I shake out my arms and blow out a breath, Luca finally shuts his mouth and observes me for a moment. We’re the only ones in the gym this morning, as anticipated, and I’m thankful for that. I need to get my head back in this without the pressure of everyone watching. They saw what happened yesterday… they know.
“So, body sparring.” Luca taps his gloves together and cocks an eyebrow at me.
I nod. “Yeah.”
He nods as well, thoughtfully. “Not what I expected.”
“And what did you expect?” I ask, tension entering my muscles as I prepare for whatever bullshit he’s about to spew.
“Drills,” he says simply, with a shrug of his shoulders. “But, as your trainer, I do actually agree with your choice. In general, body sparring is useless, so usually I would hard-core roll my eyes at you for suggesting such an absurd thing.”
All I can do is glare at him and keep my jaw clenched. Of course this is going to his fucking head, and I know that very soon I’m going to regret accepting his help.
“But it’s a smart move,” he continues, and those words take me by surprise. “You get to focus on technique, work on speed, angles, positioning, and footwork against an opponent with body shots only. Eventually we add in feints to the head, building it up to take a full headshot. You’re still training in striking to prepare for the fight, but… not pushing yourself into anything too soon.”
My glare softens as his words sink in. As insufferable as he is going to be during this whole process, he does get it. And I’m glad he understands.
His lips quirk up in a smile as he raises his gloves. “So let’s get this party started.”
With a nod, I raise my gloves as well and settle into my stance. The familiarity rushes back in as I step towards him, taking a deep breath in and readying myself for what I am meant to do. This is where I am supposed to be and where I belong. The underlying edge I’ve been feeling since I returned from my concussion is confusing, but as I take in the feeling of my gloves on my hands, the ring floor beneath my feet and the sparkle in Luca’s eyes, it all settles. And I can’t help but huff out an amused breath at that. He used to piss me off more than anything, making me angry beyond belief, desperate to fight and inflict a maximum amount of pain. And now, I’m grateful for his presence here as he helps me through something I never thought I would have to face. Something I don’t want to have to face without him.
And even as he taps his gloves together with a wide smile and bounces on his feet, an action that used to make my blood fucking boil in a fight against him, I find comfort in it.
In him.
I hold out my glove and Luca stops his hopping, tapping my glove with his.
As I step in towards him, I block everything else out. The worry, the frustration, the fear of never being able to fight again… I push it all aside and try to bring my focus into this moment, right here. It’s just me and Luca, with no expectations, and an understanding. I let his words echo in my head as I blow out a breath in preparation for my first hit on him. As frustrating as it is not to just pick up training where I left off, I know I can’t push myself into anything too soon.
I start with some jabs to Luca’s body, which he easily blocks and returns. It feels good to hit and block him, but when his jab leaves his head open, I fight the urge to land a straight punch to the side of it. It’s exactly what I would do if this was a fight or full spar, but instead I quickly move to the right, focusing on my feet and landing a right hook on his open ribs.
The grunt that escapes him sends a surge of exhilaration through me, and I immediately lift my hands again, ready to dish out more.
“Maintained a bit of that speed we worked so hard on after all,” he says through a low, dark chuckle.
“A bit?” I step in again, landing a jab on his forearm and then a cross to his body. But just as I start to step out of his reach, he counters it with a hook, right under my ribs.
“Yeah, a bit,” he says, hopping to the side with a smirk. “And you still think too much. Saw that one coming a mile away.”
My eyes narrow on him as I settle into my position again, thinking this would be a lot easier if I could just punch him in the mouth. But I can make the most out of body sparring today, slowing him down and draining his stamina by continually attacking his body. Which is something I’ve been wanting to pull into my fights anyway. With body shots, I can slow and immobilize opponents that get fixated on hitting the head, which many do, and it will create more opportunities for me to land headshots and gain the edge.
I step in, bringing my right hand to his midsection in a straight punch. And even though it gets him, he recovers quickly. But before he can rotate to get a hit on me, I step to his outside and trap him to his right. And in my head, I see at least five other ways this would have gone if he could hit my head or bring his knee into it. If he countered with an uppercut, I could have–
“Stop,” Luca groans as he maintains his position, quickly moving out of my control and landing a combo on me, finishing with yet another fucking hook to the ribs.
“Stop what,” I snap at him, stepping back to create distance and keep my eyes on his gloves.
