Midterms were never fun, but midterms in senior year were like torture.

Natalie yawned, leaning back in her chair, and stretching her neck. She'd been hunched over her desk for hours now. If she closed her eyes for too long, she could swear she saw letters printed to the back of her eyelids.

She shook her head. She couldn't close her eyes. Not for too long, otherwise she'd begin to drift off. She needed to snap out of it. She still had half a page of questions to complete before her maths exam tomorrow.

Picking up her pen, she began copying down the next question when the sound of tapping stopped her.

She paused, listening carefully, and there it was. Tapping. Coming from her window.

Standing, she turned, looking towards her window to find a silhouette. She startled, her breath catching, before gathering her wits.

"Leon?" she exclaimed. She moved to the window, tugging it open for him. A cold breeze hit her, raising goosebumps on her bare arms. "What are you doing here at one in the morning?"

He was seated on the roof that extended beneath her window; his legs stretched out like he was lounging about on a bed rather than a rooftop.

"I'm looking for you, clearly," he said. He peeked over her shoulder at the lamp turned on at her desk. "What are you doing still awake?"

She sighed, stepping back, and he took it as a cue to step inside. He wore shorts and a baggy hoodie, and his hair was wet like he'd just washed it.

This was a Leon she'd never seen before. She wanted to melt at the sight of him, dressed so casually.

She turned away, gesturing towards her notes. "I'm studying. At least, I'm trying to."

"Are you always studying?" he teased. He walked towards her desk and picked up a paper. "Trigonometry? Is this why I haven't seen you all week? I've been coming to the nurse's every day, you know. I thought you said you wouldn't stop coming."

Every day. Just for her. She was definitely in the process of melting now.

She shrugged. "It's just for a few days. I have exams. How's your, you know..."

"My face?" he asked. She warmed, nodding, and he laughed, stepping closer. "See for yourself."

He was less than a step away from her now. He leaned down slightly, craning his face so that she could see it clearly in the light.

His eye was less swollen now, but she could still see a bit of bruising around his eye. His cut on his forehead had healed and was covered with a dark scab.

"It looks good," she said, reaching towards his face. Her fingers brushed his skin before she even realised what she was doing. She cleared her throat, letting her hand drop. "It's great. I'm glad it's healing."

"All thanks to you," he replied. He smiled, dropping her notes, and stepping back towards the window. "I think you need a study break."

"A study break?" she echoed.

"Yep." He sat on the windowsill and looked at her. "Let's go. We won't be long."

"Go? Leon, I have an exam in the morning."

"And you've studied all day for it." He held a hand towards her. "Come on. We'll have fun. Promise."

She laughed, then realised he was serious when his hand didn't waver. She frowned. "No way. I need to rest. Prepare."

His hand refused to move, but he lifted one shoulder in a shrug. "Well, it's your choice."

He let the words hang in the air for a moment. Natalie pursed her lips.

"I can't just leave in the middle of the night," she said. "What will my parents say?"

Leon smirked at her. "Who's gonna tell them?"

His words sent a flutter of excitement through her chest.

It was true that she'd studied all day for her test, and she felt more prepared than possible. But it was also one in the morning, and Natalie had school in the morning—a test, even—and here was some boy she barely knew sitting on her windowsill, asking her to go somewhere with him.

It was dangerous.

It was something she'd never done before.

She wanted to go.

She stepped closer, reaching a tentative hand towards his. He took her fingers in his and the excitement in her heart grew.

She glanced over her shoulder one last time, at her room dimly lit by her desk lamp, at the notes scattered on her desk, then followed Leon out her bedroom window.

The wind was cold, and Natalie inhaled a sharp breath, wrapping her arms around herself. She'd forgotten she was in her pyjamas. At least she'd worn a matching set tonight that could somewhat pass as regular clothes—a simple grey top and matching grey shorts.

In one smooth movement, Leon hopped off the rooftop, landing quietly on the grass below. He glanced around, making sure nothing or no one was around, and brushed himself off. Grinning, he lifted his arms towards her.

"Okay!" he whisper-shouted. "Jump down!"

"Jump!" Natalie exclaimed, then immediately slapped her hands over her mouth. She remembered to whisper when she said, "You must be insane."

"It's a short drop and I'll catch you."

"No way, I'm going back inside."

"Natalie!"

She groaned, letting out a frustrated sigh before peeking over the edge. Leon looked up at her, his arms outstretched.

"Come on!"

"God help me," she muttered to herself. She closed her eyes for a moment, pretending she was Ophelia from her books about to leap off a balcony to chase a hot villain.

Eyes still shut, she sat on the edge of the roof before hopping off, like sliding into a pool. Except this wasn't a pool, and there would be no water to break her fall.

She couldn't believe she was doing this.

Leon caught her in his arms, bringing her to a gentle stop on the grass. She grabbed him, squeezing her eyes shut as she fought to breathe again.

"You did it!" he laughed, still holding her.

She looked at him, still grabbing onto his arms like she'd fall if she let go. "That was so scary," she breathed.

He grinned. "Great. Let's go."

His hands slid from her back to take one hand into his, and he led the way to the street. Natalie shivered from the cold, glancing over her shoulder to make sure her parents hadn't heard them.

She turned as they reached the road, noticing a black motorbike parked in front of them. She gaped at it.

"A motorbike?" she whispered, more to herself than anything.

Leon chuckled. "Yeah. The Golden Ring's version of a company car, I guess. I don't really ride it to school or anything, or the teachers will pop a vein. But, when I need to fight or train early in the morning, this is what's most convenient. Didn't need a supervisor for this licence, or anything like that."

Natalie didn't respond. She was too busy staring at the thing, bug-eyed.

"Have you been on a motorbike before?" Leon asked.

Natalie shook her head, snapping from her daze. "No."

"Well, that's about to change," he said. He looked at her, his eyes dropping to the goosebumps on her skin. He released her hand and pulled his jumper off his back, passing it to Natalie instead. "Put this on."

"Oh, Leon, no. I'm fine," she began but he thrust the jumper into her hands.

"Put it on," he repeated.

This time, Natalie obeyed. It was huge on her, the result of overly large muscles that he'd developed from his sport of choice. He grabbed the helmet from his bike and settled it over Natalie's head. It was so heavy; she felt her head tilting sideways from it.

"I'll go slow," he promised, fixing it for her. He smiled, patting the side of her helmet before swinging a leg over the bike and reaching a hand towards her. "Ready?"

Natalie glanced back at her house.

She could change her mind now. She could climb back through the window, finish her practice exercise, and get a good night's sleep in preparation for tomorrow.

She looked back at Leon's outstretched hand. Her fingers curled around the hem of the sleeve of his hoodie.

She made a decision.

"Ready," she said, taking his hand. She swung a leg over the bike and settled into the seat behind him. He placed her hand around his torso.

"Hold here," he said. "Tight."

Natalie did as she was told, squeezing him tightly around his abdomen. Her chest pressed against his back, her heart thundering inside.

He turned the engine on, and her heart leapt into her throat.

"Hold tight," he reminded her.

And then they were off.

Her grip instantly tightened as the motorbike lurched forward and down the road. A scream caught in her throat, and she gasped, holding on as Leon lead the pair across town.

True to his promise, he didn't go as fast as he could have. There was no speeding through traffic intersections or swerving left and right. But it didn't matter to Natalie. To her, this was the most exhilarating moment of her life.

Not only had she never snuck out before, but now she was on the back of a motorcycle? With Leon Hughes?

If she wasn't gripping onto him so tightly, she might have thought she was dreaming.

It was a total of fifteen minutes before they arrived at their destination—a dimly lit bar on an empty street corner.

Leon parked the bike, offering a hand to help Natalie off the bike. She took it, steadying herself on solid ground.

"How was it?" he asked, grinning.

"It was like flying," she replied, her voice breathy. "I mean, I thought I was going to die."

He laughed, reaching up and pulling the helmet from her hair. She released a breath, smoothing a hand over her hair before meeting his eye. He watched her. The street was dark around them, but she could see the softness in his eyes, her own eyes reflected back at her.

He blinked, turning towards the bar they'd parked in front of. Despite the tinted windows, she could still tell the inside was dark and almost empty. On the front of the door, the words Golden Ring were printed in bright gold ink.

Realisation hit her. He'd taken her to the bar he worked at—the boxing ring.

Leon led the way. He pushed through the glass doors, waving towards the bartender. Natalie waited a few steps behind him as they exchanged words, too caught up in looking around the cosy bar to pay attention to what they were talking about.

The place was almost entirely empty, save for the bartender and two patrons seated at the bar. Quiet music played in the background. Most of the tables had empty glasses on them and Natalie had the feeling she'd just missed all of the excitement.

Leon had brought her here when the bar was sleeping. She wondered what this place must have looked like an hour ago.

"This way." Leon's voice brought her eyes back to his. The bartender behind him leaned over the bar, smiling at her as if he knew something she didn't. She warmed, remembering that she was in her pyjamas and Leon's massive hoodie, and tore her eyes away.

"Sorry?" Natalie asked.

Leon nodded towards a door just behind a bar that seemed to blend into the wall, especially within the darkness. She gave one last look at the smirking bartender before following Leon. She resisted the urge to grab his hand, suddenly feeling anxious in this quiet bar.

He pushed the almost-hidden door open, revealing a short hallway and a staircase leading down.

"There's usually a panel here that makes it look like a storage closet," Leon explained as he led her down the stairs. "I'll shut it when I close up tonight."

As they reached the bottom of the staircase, the boxing ring came into view.

It was large and in the centre of a massive, dark room. If she squinted her eyes, she could make out two other bars on either side of the room, though much less extravagant than the one upstairs, and a large board hung on the wall at the far end of the room. Most of the names meant nothing to her—except Leon's, there at the top of the board along with two other names and a bunch of numbers that she didn't understand.

A few doors dotted the walls of the room and Natalie quickly realised that this wasn't just a simple boxing ring where Leon occasionally fought, this was a Boxing Ring, capitalised and bolded. This was the kind of place where competitions were held, and bets were taken. Just hours ago, this place was probably lively and filled with crowds. She could still smell alcohol and sweat in the air.

"So, this is where you fight?" Natalie asked, turning back to Leon.

He ducked under the ropes and entered the boxing ring, grinning at her. "Yep. I didn't have a match today, but I had training. Can you imagine me here fighting?"

Natalie stepped closer until she was looking up at him from the edge of the ring. He seemed so small in the centre of it all, like the high school boy he was.

"Not really," she said.

The Leon that existed in her head now was one who came limping into the nurse's office just to ask for her name. Her version of Leon gave her his hoodie and walked her from school through the back alleys so no one would see them together.

Her version of Leon couldn't be found bloodied in a boxing ring, savagely beating a man double his size.

"Really?" Leon asked. He turned sideways and jabbed the air a few times, so quickly that Natalie thought she could hear it. "How about now?"

"Okay, I can kind of see it now," Natalie said, laughing. He smiled at her and moved closer, reaching a hand through the ropes towards her.

"Come," he said.

Natalie listened.

She took his hand, letting him pull her up into the ring with him. From here, everything looked different. The room shifted. She felt nervous and excited all at once, as if she were about to fight someone herself.

"My next fight is tomorrow," Leon explained.

"Tomorrow? Shouldn't you be resting then?"

He shrugged. Her hand was still in his and he took slow steps backwards, guiding her to the centre of the ring, his eyes on her the entire time. "I needed to see my good luck charm."

Natalie paused. She processed his words. "Are you talking about me?"

He laughed. "Who else?"

Her face warmed and she looked away. "I'm not much of a good luck charm."

"Of course, you are. Every time I see you, my injuries magically heal."

Natalie rolled her eyes, but her lips stretched in a wide grin.

"I don't need rest anyway," he continued. "When I step in the ring, the adrenaline hits and it's like I'm fully recharged and ready to go. I could win on no sleep at all."

"Confident," Natalie commented quietly, more to herself than anything.

"If I can't be confident in myself, what can I be confident in?" he asked.

He stepped back, releasing her hand and immediately falling into a fighting stance. He bounced on his toes and jabbed the air a few more times. Even when he was pretending to fight, his face looked completely different from what Natalie was used to. His eyes grew focused, his face turned stern.

Every move he made seemed calculated and perfected. She could see the hours of training in the way his body moved. She ached to see how his body would move in a real fight, with a real opponent.

"Show off," she teased, and he grinned childishly at her.

"I can't help showing off with you here," he replied. She warmed under his gaze.

"You're good," she said. "At least, I think you are."

"It's all muscle memory at this point," he said, swiping at the air. "It's like chess. Your opponent makes a move, and it all clicks together. You react."

Chess—now that was something Natalie knew about. She shook her head. "I just can't imagine it."

He paused, turning towards her. "Imagine what? Fighting?"

She shrugged. "Fighting. Training. Committing so much of your time to something."

"Don't you do the same with studying?" he asked. Natalie blushed. She didn't want to be known as the girl who studied all day. "It's all I've ever seen you do."

"Yeah, but it's not like I want to. I have to study. To get into med school."

"Med school?" he asked. His face shifted, like something in his mind had clicked together. He whistled lowly. "Wow. But, I mean, you chose med school, right? To commit your life to that? It's the same thing."

Natalie frowned. She hadn't thought of it like that. She supposed he was right. She did choose to become a doctor, right? Even if it was years ago, it had been her choice. She was the one who wanted to be a doctor.

But why did it seem completely different to her?

"Do you like boxing?" she asked slowly.

Leon laughed. "Like is an understatement. I love it. In the ring, when I'm training—it's like a whole new world. I don't think I could ever give it up."

Natalie hummed. Studying didn't feel like that to her. Studying felt like she was being crushed by the weight of a million expectations resting on her shoulders. Studying felt like the urge to shut her eyes and pause time for a few hours—days, years. Just to get away from it all.

"Do you want to try?" Leon asked suddenly.

Natalie blinked. She shook her head, smiling awkwardly. "Oh, no, I could never hit someone..."

"You don't have to. Think of it as... self-defence training." He gestured towards her. "Come here."

She'd jumped out a window with this boy and rode across town on the back of her motorbike. She figured she might as well listen to him now.

She moved towards him, and he grabbed her elbows, circling behind her. He lifted her arms into a similar stance he had been in, their backs to the main entrance.

Natalie moved with him, clenching her fists, and shifting her hips to the side.

He was so close; she could feel his breath on her neck when he laughed.

When she blinked, she could see him there—that day almost a week ago, when he'd almost kissed her. Or she thought he was going to kiss her. If they'd had an extra second, would he have?

"Fast learner," he whispered. His chest was pressed against her back and when he spoke, she could feel his words against her.

Her heart stuttered.

Leon released her arms, tapping at her fist and demonstrating the correct way to make a fist beside her hand.

"Like this," he said. He tapped at her first two knuckles. "You want to hit with these knuckles. We don't want any broken fingers."

She copied him and he nodded, moving in front of her.

"Alright," he said. "Punch me."

Natalie dropped her hands. "What?"

"Hit me."

"I'm not going to hit you."

"Oh, come on, Natalie," he said. "You're not going to hurt me. Just throw a punch."

She frowned. He lifted a brow at her, challenging her. She sighed. This boy could convince her to do anything.

Lifting her hands again, she reassumed her stance and, with much hesitation, threw a fist out at him.

Leon caught her fist and held it there.

"Good try," he said.

"Which means bad punch," she translated.

He shrugged. "Everyone starts somewhere. The first thing you need to do is stop closing your eyes when you punch."

Natalie blinked. She hadn't even realised it, but he was right. She squeezed her eyes shut when she threw the punch.

"Second," he continued, "don't move your body too much when you're throwing a jab."

He moved behind her again, his hands shifting to her hips. Natalie's whole body turned hot. How was she supposed to focus when his fingers were squeezing her hips like that?

"Stay here," he said. He took her arm and guided it straight out in front of her. "Punch quick with the palm down. This is a jab. The most important punch in boxing."

He released her and Natalie tried the motion again by herself, jabbing the air with her fist.

"Good," he said. He lifted her other arm higher. "Keep this up. This is your defence. Then snap back quick from the punch. Keep yourself protected."

Natalie nodded, trying again a few more times. It was hard to focus with Leon's eyes on her, his fingers on her hips. If she really concentrated, she was sure she could still feel his warm breath on her skin.

But she had to admit, it was fun. She threw a few jabs into the air, trying to focus on snapping back into her defence. Her smile grew with each punch as she felt the motion become stronger, more stable.

Leon released her and she turned to find him grinning.

"You could take me down anytime," he teased.

Natalie laughed. "I don't think I could ever reach your level. Even if I trained every day."

"Yes, you could," he replied immediately. "You're a fast learner, Natalie. When you put your mind to it, you can do it."

She turned quiet, his words repeating in her mind. He had so much faith in her, so much pride. She'd never heard someone speak about her that way before, not even her parents. She had to be blushing hard by now if she wasn't before. She was glad the ring was dark.

"Do you want to know my secret technique?" Leon asked, breaking the silence. He fell to sit on the boxing ring floor.

Natalie followed him, sitting on the slightly elastic ground with her legs crossed. "Leon Hughes' secret boxing technique? The one that makes him win all the matches? How could I say no, Coach?"

Leon stared at her, his smile widening. Her mouth turned dry at his stare. She looked away, shrugging.

"I mean, I'm curious. I guess," she said.

He chuckled. "It's simple. You just need to slow down."

Her eyes snapped back to his. "Slow down?"

"Yep."

"But—isn't boxing fast? Like, isn't that the whole point?"

"Yeah, but there's no point being fast if you're being sloppy. Instead of throwing punches at random, slow down, feel out your opponent. See how they move and how they react. It's all about strategy. Like I said, it's chess."

Natalie hummed. It made sense.

Suddenly, a slam came from behind them.

The pair spun, looking towards the front door, where the sound had come from. They sat in silence for a moment, as if expecting someone to emerge. When no one did, Leon said, "Probably just Lance upstairs closing down the bar."

Natalie, nodded, facing him again.

"Well, thank you for letting me in on your secret technique," she said. "I promise not to tell anyone."

Leon laughed. "Good. Although, it's not much of a secret. Any good boxer knows it. It's just a matter of applying it."

He looked at her and Natalie smiled. Still sitting, she turned her body and threw a jab at Leon's chest. He caught it with ease, but rather than swatting her fist away, he placed it against his chest, just between his ribs where she could feel the low thump of his heart through the thin material of his t-shirt.

"Oh, you got me," he teased, feigning pain.

Natalie laughed. "I had a great teacher."

"Not great enough apparently," he said. Slowly, he pried her fingers open and moved her thumb to the outside of her fist.

Natalie gave him a sheepish smile. "Oops."

He laughed, closing her fingers back into a fist. He didn't let go. Not immediately. He held her fist in the centre of his palm, smoothing his fingertips over her knuckles. She watched him, heart racing the entire time, as he traced a path from one knuckle to the next.

When he reached her last finger, he sighed and let go, standing.

"I'd better get you home," he said.

Natalie's heart sunk. She wanted to spend more time here with him. She wanted to learn more moves and watch him fight. And that was just an excuse for what she really wanted—for him to hold her more, to feel her. To sit beside her and to talk to her.

She wanted to learn everything about him, until he wasn't a shadow anymore.

"You have that important test tomorrow," Leon added.

Natalie laughed in disbelief that he'd remembered. It felt like she'd told him hours ago. She'd certainly forgotten.

She stood and followed him to the edge of the boxing ring.

"Thank you," she said, before she could feel the night really slip away from her fingertips, "for taking me here. I feel a lot better about tomorrow."

"Of course," Leon said. He smiled at her, his eyes taking that gentle look they had when he looked over her. He ducked under the ropes and held a hand towards her. "Let's go?"

Natalie didn't have to think about it anymore. She took his hand and followed him out of the ring.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE

Updating in a timely manner?!! Round of applause please hehe I just have so much inspiration when I don't have uni classes it's incredible. I hope you liked this LONG chapter, I didn't know where to cut it so here are all 4200 words for you guys!! 

Also there was a little foreshadowing in this chapter... can't wait to see if any of you guys caught it 👀 see you next time!