Well hey there lovelies :)
I've got a double upload for you because my dumbass literally fell asleep before hitting post.
What a shmood, lol.
Enjoy!
xoxo

Sammy

Friday was going about as well as you would expect.

Which was just shy of a shit show.

With my hand out of commission, I was forced to spar with the novices... something I constantly tried to avoid doing because these young reckless idiots were giving me high blood pressure. The truth of the matter was this: my hand wasn't good enough to handle sparing with the veteran fighters- especially if I had any hopes of healing it before our first fight night.

Grayson got started on working with the veterans, completing the warm up workout before heading into drills and combos.

I, on the other hand, gripped the hand pad even tighter to stop myself from popping Kyle in his face when he got distracted for the nine thousandth time.

-

This evening was definitely starting to play games with me. When it finally decided to present itself, I almost couldn't believe it.

"This has been the longest shortest day to exist." I sighed to Grayson, as we started to move the equipment back in place.

The guys had long since cleared out by now, all of them eager to enjoy their Friday night. Tomorrow we would have Dante back in the gym, which meant I was going to push everyone harder than I had before. Most men were looking at tonight as the calm before the storm.

"That I completely second. Sunday couldn't come soon enough. It felt like we haven't had an off day in forever." Grayson replied.

Technically, I really hadn't. Sunday's were just a fancy word for work from home. I still had so much to prepare for, and I wouldn't have much time to do it on this particular Sunday.

"Do you still plan on going this weekend?" Grayson asked, reading my mind. "You haven't gone in a few months."

I gave Grayson a shrug. "I feel like I should."

He didn't say anything, but gave me a nod as we finished resetting the gym for tomorrow.

Dante

Friday drained the last few juices of energy I had left in me. By the time I made it back to Fight Club, I barely made it up the stairs to the flat. Sammy and Grayson were, to my surprise, still in the gym moving equipment around. It looks like they were gearing up for some sort of circuit training tomorrow.

They both said a polite hello and gave me a nod. I offered them a weak smile, and a weaker wave before starting my ascent up those treacherous steps. I was happy they didn't hold me back for any questions. I wasn't sure my feet could hold me up that long.

Due to how quickly I had left for work this morning, I failed to take a shower. I wasn't expecting Sammy and Grayson to still be in the Gym area, working. I thought Sammy had already called it a day.

Because of this, my awkward self forced me to stay up here in bed until he finished.

Unfortunately, sleep found me far before that could happen.

-

When I awoke the next morning, I almost didn't know where I was for a second.

The uncomfortableness from my arms made me realize I was still wearing my work attire. Wedged deep into one of the trousers front pockets was my phone. I could feel it pressed painfully firmly against my hip bone as I laid on my stomach. My fingers struggled to slip into the pocket, as I flipped myself on my side.

By the time my eyes adjusted to the screen light, the digital clock on the small device's screen changed to 6:45am.

I had woken up much earlier than expected. When I thought about it, I couldn't remember even falling asleep.

That recharge was just what I needed, and it gave me the energy to pull myself out of bed pretty quickly. I wanted to get a head start on the day because waking up this early meant I had some time to take a shower. The immediate whiff of spilt liquor and sweat on my clothing almost made me nauseous. I quickly grabbed a towel from my duffel bag, but made sure to remain as quiet as possible.

I wasn't sure why all my movements sounded so loud on this particular morning.

Sammy was still fast asleep on the other side of the wall. The wall lamp he had on his bedside emitted a low glowing warm light that allowed me to see a part of his face. His hair was down for a change, and gently sprawled against the pillow case. He looked peaceful as he slept... but there was another thing stopping me from walking past.

Part of the comforter was pulled down to his lower abdomen, revealing almost all of his left side. As my eyes trailed across that perfect skin, I damn near had a heart attack. My hands tightened the death hold on this towel when I saw his torso start to move.

That was what pulled me out of that short yet deep trance, and forced my feet to move. If Sammy woke up to me staring at his half naked body like a fucking creepy at the edge of his bed, I would never be able to live with myself.

So I did what I needed to do, which was to get the hell out of that flat.

When I made it down to the gym area, I immediately noticed the new arrangement of equipment. Sammy and Grayson had set up stations across the gym in a rotation and It looked like there were 4 identical stations on both ends of the gym. One must have been for novices, and the other veterans.

I did my best to move carefully considering how little light there was. The locker room lights were fortunately still on, and I had little trouble making it to the showers. There was this weird creepy feeling about being down here in the gym so early in the morning. Luckily the showers were well lit with warm lighting, unlike the fluorescent lights in the gym.

Those gave off horror movie vibes for sure.

I set my towel down on the the counter, and starting to strip off the disgusting work clothes. Thanks to the large mirrors above the counter, the blackened bruise on my rib cage was clear as day. I couldn't remember whether it looked better or worse the day before, but the pain killers Kassie had given me definitely eased the pain.

As I shifted my body, I saw the bandage on my arm. My fingers latched onto the edge of the wrap, and slowly undid the fabric. Kassie had wrapped it again for me midway through my shift yesterday. She'd really done a lot actually.

I hadn't meant to tell her at first. I had managed to hold it together for a few hours, but it all fell apart when she placed her hand directly on the area of my cut. I couldn't hold back the painful groan.

Kassie immediately retracted her arm, and with about two minutes of what I'd argue was CIA Interrogation techniques, I explained to her what had happened.

I didn't explain to her everything, however. I had just mentioned my dumbass getting lost and Sammy coming to save me. Kassie was pissed I still showed up for work, but I told her I wanted to. Technically, I needed to if I was to survive in this city.

When I caught sight of the cut on my arm, I noticed it didn't look as bad as the bruise. The pain, however, was a bitch. As soon as those first few droplets of warm water touched the tender area, it sent new waves of pain down my arm.

Today was going to be a challenging day in terms of training.

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