Sammy

When I awoke the next morning, I was surprised to see I had woken up before my alarm clock went off. Last night's work had landed me in bed closer to 2am. I half expected to not wake up at all.

There was this weird gust of energy spiraling within me that was something I wasn't used to having this early. The time was now going on six and I was going to need to burn some of this energy pronto. Especially because I had no classes today.

I made the bed quickly, before slipping on my work out shorts and grabbing my gym bag. This had to have been the greatest part of living above the gym, and the only reason I went through the vigorous work of converting the upstairs studios into my apartment.

When I made it down to the dim lighting and fresh mats, the sweet smell of sweat and leather filled my senses.

It was home.

I set my iPod into the dock and turned my playlist on shuffle, then I got suited up for this work out.

Dante

The first thing that came through my senses were the low vibrations of music.

My eyes snapped open- startled, and for a moment, I wasn't sure where I was. Vague memories of the night before slowly started to come back to me.

I was in Sammy's spare bedroom.

On Sammy's incredibly soft spare bed.

When my body stirred awake, it was as if someone had poured oil into my joints like they did the tin man in the wizard of oz, and I could magically move again. My arm stretched high over my head as I sat up.

The music was much clearer now that the grogginess from sleep was starting to wear off, and I decided I was going to investigate.

The stairs going down were so long and steep, I had to take them slowly to keep from falling down. When I made it to the gym, most of the brightest lights were off besides one. Sammy was underneath this light in his boxing attire, throwing combos at a bag.

Almost instantly, my eyes were drawn to him.

His stance was beautiful. He was centered, grounded internally, yet quick on his feet. When he threw a right cross or a left jab, he sent the bag flying. I slowly moved to get a closer look. On his next right jab, I saw him land a powerful hit, but it wasn't fully on target. He sent another jab which was even stronger, but still not on target.

That was when he took a step back for a breather, and unfortunately noticed me. He jumped in surprise.

"Oh Jesus, Dante- Sorry. I didn't hear you come in." He smoke in between pants of breath.

"I-It's my fault, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you." I replied. Sammy quickly dismissed it.

"Not a problem. Just came down here to burn some energy." He explained. "Shit I'm sorry, was the music too loud? Did I wake you up?"

I quickly shook my head no. "I was up." I lied. "I just came down to see where it was coming from. That's when I saw you... you- uh, you're really good." I blurted out.

That made Sammy laugh. It sounded like wheezing in between the shortness of breath, but it was unimaginably attractive nonetheless.

"Oh god, I'd hope so. I am teaching this after all." He joked. "But just good? I mean I guess you haven't seen much yet." He had a killer smile playing at his lips, and that smile was just... wow. I felt myself staring, and quickly looked away.

"Your power is... insane." I spoke honestly.

And it was.

Sammy was quick and strong. Just watching him hit that boxing bag made me fear for whoever was sparring him.

"But I noticed with that last punch, what you're aiming for is a more impactful hit. If you move your left foot back with your toe pointed slightly out, you'll create a space on your right side. It's almost like an... open pocket to relieve some of that free energy. Instead, try pushing up off the back of that foot to create more controlled energy. Think of it like a train track. The tracks give the train direction."

Sammy quickly caught his breath as he listened. He had no complaints, no comments, he just listened and did what I told him. When he hit the bag again, the noise it made when leather smacked leather, echoed through the gym.

It was perfect form.

Sammy's head spun in my direction with a large grin, and I hadn't known I was wearing a bigger one.

I had missed it.

This.

Analyzing.

Sammy slid out of the ring to join me. He pulled off the slightly worn gloves, and unwrapped those tightly bound fingers. It was a simply act, one I'd seen done by my father thousands of times... but Sammy made it look so damn attractive.

Next, he lifted the hem of his shirt up to wipe away the abundance of sweat that was running down his face, back, arms, everywhere. I hadn't noticed how much work he had put in this morning until now. When his shirt lifted, I caught a glimpse of his mid drift.... and it was every bit as chiseled and refined as I had assumed, and then some.

Sammy's body was the pure definition of lean.

I didn't give my eyes the luxury to wander just in case he caught sight of my ogling stares and drool.

"You're amazing, you know that?" He asked me as soon as he flipped his shirt down.

No, you're amazing. I wanted to counter, but I caught myself.

"T-Thank you." I struggled out instead.

"I know we had that conversation yesterday, and I completely understand why this would make you feel uncomfortable..." he drifted off for a moment.

I finally allowed my eyes to meet his.

"But I wanted to offer you something different from last night. Something that would be mutually beneficial. Instead of you just staying for free until you're able to work out your situation, I could give you some work here. We've been on the hunt for someone to keep an eye on the novices. To be frank with you, I've got to work on strengthening my veteran team right now.

"You could make the schedule and just come when you're free, so it wouldn't interfere with your work at Tidal Wave. The roof is a completely separate ordeal that you will absolutely keep the compensation for, this is strictly just about fighting lessons and a more fitting place to stay in the meantime."

His eyes bore into mine, which was a continuous inexplicable feeling for me. I had followed every word he said, but processing them proved to be a challenge. The word yes almost slipped past my lips but I caught it at the last moment. My eyes broke contact with Sammy's.

This wasn't something to mindlessly agree to.

I had told myself that I was going to stay as far away from Fight Club as humanly possible. I had meant to stay the farthest away from fighting in general. This wasn't what I came to this city for...

But then the words Sammy had told me the night before, started to resurface.

So far Sammy, Kassie, Grayson, and the gang at Tidal Wave had completely discredited what I assumed NYC to be.

If I was being honest with myself, I wasn't sure my reasoning for coming to this city still rang true. Instead of disappearing, everyone I had come in contact with here had made me feel more seen in the last week, than I may have ever felt in Texas.

I glanced up at Sammy again.

"I'll help, but there is one condition." I told him.

Sammy gave me an understanding nod. "Just name it."

I took a deep breath.

"I'll help, but under no circumstances am I to fight. This means no practice hits, and no sparring. I don't want to step foot in a ring or even on a mat. All I'll be here for, is to give some direction." I spoke honestly yet sternly.

For my own sanity, this was something I could not compromise on.

Sammy nodded again. "You won't have to, you have my word."

My lips twitched up into a small smile.

Somehow I had gone from having one job... to now three?

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