Page 8 of Keep Your Guard Up
Even miles apart, I could still hear his voice as if he was right next to me. Talia’s shitstorm had burned all of the photos of us that I had, bar one that I’d managed to save. The book was buried deep in the duffle bag I was currently living out of, the photo of us at my first UFL fight night pressed between pages.
JJ, being the good friend he was, had been gracious enough not to ask any questions about why I was here and where all of my stuff was. Not yet anyway.
“All in good time, dear JJ. All in good time,” I said, blowing out the sweet weed smoke from deep in my lungs. “Thanks for having this ready, by the way.”
“Figured you’d need it, trading up your noble existence ’round the Harbour for the Soggla life.” JJ nodded, tossing me a cold bottle of water.
I grabbed one of the black and orange singlets from the Knock’s gear bag and slipped it over my head. Gruffing in approval, I sifted through the rest of the merch. Surprisingly, it was all real quality shit. Merchandise was known to be the ultra money grab around gyms with the knock-on bonus of free advertising. So it was nothing short of surprising that a small-town gym had their own brand of top-grade gear.
A loud, haggard creak sounded from behind me. I turned, preparing for whatever the fuck I was about to take on. Nope—not a threat—just JJ. His snoring rattled the bloody house.
No wonder girls snuck out during the night on him. Not a chance you could get a wink of sleep when a fucking foghorn was going off next to you.
My hands rubbed at my face. The grown-out beard now trimmed to short stubble pricked at my palms but I welcomed the feeling. Anything to override the overwhelming shitty feeling of being utterly fucking pathetic. I was the number one contender for the light heavyweight title belt in the UFL and here I was, jumping out of my skin over a little noise?
Fuck that.
Never again, I mentally chanted the mantra I’d been repeating since I hit the highway a few days ago.
~
The streets were pitch black when I arrived at the gym. I checked my watch to ensure I wasn’t too early.
4.30 am.
My first class of the day started at five-fifteen, but I mentally patted myself on the back for being the first one here.
Gold star, mate.
I dropped my bag between my legs and sat on the ledge of Knock’s steep, gravel driveway. Staring at the view around me, I wondered just how many of the greats had sat where my ass currently was, looking at the same thing. Was I squashing some legacy’s assprint at this very second?
Being farther out from the city lights, Soggla seemed to stay darker for longer. Somehow that wasn’t disconcerting, the opposite actually. The start of the sun was beginning to rise over the dated brick houses lined up at the bottom of the driveway, but no one’s lights were on.
Footsteps crunched on the gravel and a trim figure appeared. The slight gold coming from the horizon threw a small light onto the soft curls of her hair.
I stood, dusting myself off and slinging my bag over a shoulder. “Morning, Sunny.”
Her steps faltered as she tried to cover the flinch. “You’re awfully chipper for someone up at the asscrack of dawn,” she grumbled, stifling a yawn with the back of her hand. The bottoms of her fingers, just below her nails, had small, lined designs inked on them. Two of them had three circles with a diamond in different formations, the other two had two overlapping squares.
“Not a morning person I take it?” I smirked at her early morning form.
“Ask me again once I’ve had a coffee.”
Chapter 5
Chance
“Coffee?” Mari handed me a blue mug full of dark, hot coffee, her poor tired eyes barely open. Taking the mug from her hands, I flashed her an appreciative smile, struggling to remember the last time someone had made me a coffee I hadn’t paid for. I groaned as I sculled the balmy cup of pure fucking joy.
Ah, I’ve missed you, old friend.
Her eyebrows were flicked up in surprise.
“What?” I asked.
She shook her head slightly and straightened up. Clearing her throat, she huffed out a laugh. “Nothing. Just didn’t expect you to need coffee when you came in shitting rainbows this morning,” she grumbled and stalked back towards the kitchen.
I followed, a smirk rising to my lips at how easy of a rise I could get out of her.
