I woke up soaked in cold sweat. The nightmares were back because of that stupid confrontation last weekend. They weren't as bad, but they were back.

"Fuck. Come on, Ace. Breathe," I coached myself just as I had been taught years ago. 

Inhale, count to twelve, exhale. Repeat as needed. 

My breathing had mellowed down but my mind was still agitated. It would not rest without a fight.

Stupid bitch! If she thought I would actually help her after what they've done, she's delusional. Crazy bitch. I threw the idea out the moment they brought it up.

But I could not get what Sheryl said out of my mind. I could not get her, Carlo, and Franco out of my mind. In fact, the past was suddenly in the forefront of my brain and I've been trying my best not to replay it.

It was just four in the morning and I could not go back to sleep. To make myself useful and to forget, I showered and went directly to the office. Never mind that no one else was there, never mind that work would not technically start for another three and a half hours. I needed to get out of my bed and busy myself with something.

♤

"Hey man, do want to go to QC tonight?" Jaxx asked in the middle of lunch. We were in the food court of the building having a late meal.

"QC, as in Quezon City, meaning to the fight club? Nah. I'll pass." One, because I didn't want to see Jacob fight, two, because I might vomit my dignity again, and three, I didn't want to see Jacob, period.

Fuck, I sounded like a whiny little bitch.

"Don't you want to see that girl with purple hair again? She's been asking about you," he smirked.

"Nope. Not gonna fall for that one, man," I chuckled. "Besides, I don't want to get held up at knife point again."

"You got held up while we were there?"

It slipped my mind that I had to keep that one a secret. It wasn't a big deal anymore because the kid happened to be Jacob's fan. I sniggered remember that night. "Oops?"

"What the hell? You're such a wimp! How? You were with us! Or did you go there by yourself?" he was now laughing with me.

"I wasn't with you the entire time, if memory serves me right," I gave him a bored look. 

He tried to convince me but I was firm on my decision. "Give it up, Ben, the answer is no. Not happening."

But nine hours later, I found myself on a pile of crates, watching men beating each other bloody. I hate Jaxx and his persuasiveness.

"Is Jacob going to be the main event again?" I shouted over the cheering, hands over my ears.

"Yep. Though it's not a fight for the title. He's up next," Jaxx answered but he was focused on the match. When the bell rang to end the fight, he looked at me with a raised brow.

"You sick already, delicate?" he ridiculed. He has been teasing me about how soft I was, not being able to stomach the fights. Calling me delicate was cute and more politically correct, he said. Asshole.

"Fuck you, but yeah," I chuckled. I wasn't completely okay watching the fights so the knowledge that Jacob was coming up next took my sickness to a whole new level. I sat back down and placed my head on my hands. Beads of sweat started to form at the back of my neck. The air was thick and it was getting harder to breathe.

Why was I even here? Why did I agree to this again?

I felt a presence beside me and a cool weak draught hit my clammy skin. When I lifted my head, it was the purple-haired girl. She was holding a playing card and used it to fan me.

"Hey," I smiled awkwardly. "Well, this is embarrassing. You always catch me when I'm sick."

"Is this why you haven't been coming?" she asked sweetly.

"What? No, of course not. It's work and any other reason except this," I poked some fun at myself, she giggled.

"I'm going to Jake," Jaxx announced and jumped off the crates without waiting for my reply.

"Has The King been fighting even after he won the title?" I asked but interrupted her when she opened her mouth to reply. "Sorry, I haven't properly introduced myself. I'm Ace."

"Katya," she smiled and shook my hand. "And yes, he has, though it seemed he has been doing it as a release than a passion."

"What do you mean? People who come to fight clubs fight for release. They passionately fight to passionately release pent-up energy – frustration, anger, or the desperate need for money. Who fights for passion?"

She lightly hit my cheek with the card, her eyes wide and mouth agape. If she was offended by what I said, she was quick to hide it playfully.

"You did not just say that! This may be an underground club but most of them are trained fighters who don't come here for 'release of pent-up anger and frustration'. That's so cliché! Where did you learn that, Hollywood?"

"I mean, why else would they come here? For passion? Please. Now that is so Hollywood," I mocked her. She laughed again and bumped my shoulder while I chuckled.

My eyes involuntarily drifted to the ring where Jaxx and The King stood, and I was surprised to see their eyes already on me. I haven't seen Jacob since the time at the office more than two weeks ago. His eyes were full of warmth and tenderness then. Now, his deep blue irises were cold as ice it could freeze beer to sub-zero.

And I have no idea why my insides were in running amok when they should have been frozen by his glare. The queasiness that I had momentarily forgotten was back and I had to cover my mouth and swallow hard to keep the slowly rising bile at bay. I shut my eyes and steadied my breathing.

When I opened my eyes, he was still staring even though Jaxx had slapped his arm. I gave him a curt nod and a small, forced smile because I didn't know what else to do. He clenched his jaw before giving me the slightest nod.

"See what I mean? The King has been angry and frustrated the past few fights it shows in the cage. He's been rough and merciless, taking out his opponents by brute force and not by strategy," she pointed out as she resumed fanning both of us.

"Why are you here anyway? If you don't mind me asking."

"Here in this warehouse or here beside you?" she teased, a charming grin forming on her lips.

"Both, I guess? And why do you have a card?"

The lights were immediately dimmed and the balding commentator was giving some reminders before the fight, something about playing fair.

"My uncle owns the place. He's that guy over there," she pointed to the man with the mic. "And I'm here beside you because I can be. And this card?" She flipped it a couple of times, looking at the value and the back of the card as I did. "I just found it beside you. I thought it was yours."

"Why would I be carrying a small playing card with me? And a ten of spades? Shouldn't I be carrying a king of something if I were rooting for The King?" 

"The king of hearts, since he has won everyone else's. But not mine." She gave me a cheeky grin and another wink.

"Stop being cute," I chuckled and bumped her shoulder. The heat from my cheeks helped with the nerves but it was only temporary.

The bell rang and the fight began. As usual, I kept my eyes away from the octagon because even the sound of flesh slapping against flesh made me sick. Suddenly there was uproar and even Katya stood up and shouted profanities.

"That was fucking dirty! That's a penalty!" she screamed. "King, get up!"

 The protests were getting too loud that my hands went from over my mouth to cover my ears. It was like I was in a basketball championship game between my alma mater and Chino's. There were calls for a penalty and a lot of curses were thrown around. People booed while others jeered. But when her words registered, I shot up and immediately fixed my eyes on the cage.

The contender was already being pushed to one corner. The referee was telling him off but the guy didn't seem to be listening. He peered over the referee's shoulder with a malicious smirk on his face.

A little off the center of the octagon, The King was lying on his back. Jaxx was hovering over him with his back against us, covering my view of Jacob's head and face. Another person jumped in the cage and knelt beside the fallen fighter. His face was angry but full his eyes were full of worry. That was when I realized that despite the two men talking to him, his limbs remained motionless.

Panic took over me as I continued to stare at Jacob's unmoving body despite Jaxx's vigorous shaking. My heart pounded so hard and fast I was afraid it might break out. Even without any directive, my legs moved to rush past the onlookers and fans. When someone tried to stop me from getting inside, I flew off the handle causing him to immediately grant me entry.

"Jaxx, what happened? Is he all right?"

"Does it look like he's all right? Haven't you been watching?" he angrily replied before he felt Jacob's breath with the back of his hand. I wanted to punch him for not being helpful but he was just as tensed as I was, maybe even more because he was close to the guy.

The other guy who was checking his pupils looked very familiar, I had to do a double-take. He caught me staring and offered a quick smile.

"Vince. I'm a friend of Cara and Jasmine. We've met before," he said before he continued to rouse his patient. Jaxx clenched his jaw at the mention of his ex's name and threw a fiery glare at the guy.

"Ouch, you bloody bastard," Jacob grimaced and withdrew his finger from Vince's pinch. He cradled his head in his hands and curled to his side while groaning and spitting expletives.

"Well, at least we know he's alright. King, hey man, look at me," Vince ordered. He asked Jacob a few more random questions maybe to ascertain that he's thinking straight and that he was oriented to date and place.

Jacob's opponent had forfeited their match because of his flagrant violation of the basic sportsmanship rule. It took a while for Jacob to regain consciousness and it seems the entire warehouse was holding their breaths. When Vince gave him the go signal, Jaxx helped him sit up before pulling him up to stand. He swayed a bit but once he raised his right hand, a collective sigh of relief echoed as the audience clapped and cheered him on.

I remained there not believing what just happened and all the thoughts that just ran in my mind while praying that he was okay, that he would wake up. I was still on my knees while I watched Jaxx and the other people help Jacob off the cage. Our eyes met but there was nothing there. It was a confused and blank stare at the same time.

Vince tapped my shoulder and held his hand out, breaking our eye contact.

"He's okay for now. But you need to take him to the hospital for a cranial CT scan to check for any hemorrhage. And you need to check for his consciousness for the next twenty-four hours."

"Check his consciousness? How? Wait, what are you doing here?"

He chuckled at my confusion. "I'm one of the in-house medics. I volunteered because who doesn't like fight clubs?"

I don't, that's for sure.  "Right."

"So, going back. Someone has to be with him at all times to make sure he still wakes up, give his medications and make sure he doesn't do anything stupid," he said as we walked out of the ring. He wrote a prescription on a piece of paper and gave me the instructions.

Jacob was sleeping reclined on the passenger seat in front while Jaxx drove quietly. I could not help but steal glances at his sleeping form until Jaxx cleared his throat.

"You, uhm, do you think you could stay with Jacob for the observation period?" he looked at me through the rearview mirror. It was a good thing he caught me while I was yawning. He did not see my jaw drop.

"W-why me? You're his friend and he's closer to you," I said, rattled.

"I would do it if I could but I can't, that's why I'm asking you to do it."

"Why can't you? You spend a lot of time with him already, what's a few more hours a day?" I pushed. He sighed heavily.

"Look, I know you're not comfortable with him and this entire arrangement, but it's just twenty-four hours, man. I'll cover the firm. Or, all right, how about we split the time if you're really adamant about this." He negotiated and already, I felt his desperation. It was true, if he could do this, he would not be begging me.

"What's wrong, dude? Why can't you do this? I'm not saying 'no, I won't'. I'm just asking."

"It's Mamá. They found another mass higher in her colon and it's bleeding. They're conducting more tests and I'd like to be there with her," I didn't miss the way his eyes shone with the moisture forming in them. 

The Shitty Friend Award was up I think I might have just bagged it for not even knowing what he was going through and being a dick.

A wave of guilt washed over me. I loved Tita Ella like my second mother yet there I was acting like the inconsiderate brother to my friend because of stupid feelings. I felt even worse when he opened up about his mother's recent health problems and diagnosis: it might be cancer. My heart broke for her and for my friend. I was speechless thereafter, unable to conjure any truthful and sincere consoling words.

After picking up the few things I needed for the next whole day, we headed to Jaxx's condominium. Jaxx may have felt guilty and I assumed he offered his place for us to stay because there was no way I was inviting Jacob into my unit. 

The moment we woke him up, Jake had been glaring at me and yet not speaking. He has started boring holes at the back of my head too, and our twenty-four-hour journey had just started.

The unfamiliar surrounding disconcerted me as we stepped out of the lift.

"Jaxx, I think we're on the wrong floor," I said as Jacob brushed past me.

"We're not. This is my floor," he answered icily. He leaned against Jaxx for support as he keyed in his code. Once we were inside, Jaxx left because he had to drive back to El Valle.

His place wasn't that big but it was neat and clean. Thank god. Because I don't know if I could last a minute in a messy, stinky bachelor's pad. The interiors were tasteful mostly in black, white, and gray with a bit of dark wood.

"I can take the couch," he offered.

"Nah, it's alright. You need better sleep, doctor's orders. I'll take the couch." I said without looking at him. I threw my stuff on the said couch before he could argue further.

"Be my guest," he clipped. 

"I am, so be nice." His arrogance was annoying me. I was here to help him. It wasn't like I was jumping at the opportunity to be with him! Tension was building up the second he locked the front door. I concluded that we should not be left in one room for a prolonged period of time, that is, for more than five minutes.

"The doctor said for you to take one of these capsules."

"I'm okay. I don't need those," he scoffed and drank water out of the bottle from the fridge.

"Suit yourself," I scoffed back and lay on the couch. If he was going to be an ass all day, I think I might actually survive.

♤  ♡  ♧  ♢