To say it's only April, nearly May, the temperature outside is forever rising. Sweat is dripping from my forehead in droplets, I feel like I'm being boiled alive – I may be a tad dramatic but I aren't used to this heat, it was only raining last week. Sure, we have really nice summers, but I hardly expected it to be this nice, this soon.

With the heat, sweat patches have formed under my boobs which is just so attractive. I really regret wearing dark blue today, I'm also wearing leggings since it's the coolest thing I own apart from shorts, and I aren't exactly comfortable wearing shorts just yet, so I'm stuck with black leggings, but at least I'm wearing a tank top.

I've just finished my last lecture of the day, most of it was actually quite boring, readying us for finals next month. It's now one-PM, I've got two hours until work starts, so I'm driving over to the gym like Ethan and I had planned to last night.

Since I'm trying to be more independent these days, I'm driving myself today, and that means I'm in my shitty, old, teeny car. The AC is still broken, my windows are rolled down, my music is blaring on full volume, pissing off my fellow drivers on the road this fine afternoon.

I hate my car, like so much. I used to love it, it was perfect for me, but Ethan's car has raised my standards, and now this truly does not meet any of them. I want a car that will not stall, that has working AC, and is actually comfy, but beggars can't be choosers, I guess. I'm just grateful I'm not walking in this weather.

As 'I Wanna Be Adored by The Stone Roses starts to play, a smile grows on my face and I go turn the dial up, but a pout comes to my face when I realize it's already on full. I start tapping my fingers on my steering wheel to the intro, waiting for base instrumental to come in, lowly whistling to the beat. This is one of my favorite songs of theirs, below 'She Bangs The Drums' and 'Waterfall'.

"I don't have to sell my soul... he's already in me. I don't need to sell my soul... he's already in me." Yeah, I love this song.

The Stone Roses are the perfect band to listen to when it's nice outside and you just want to rock out in your car with the windows down. They're my go-to music choice for the road because it's easy to listen to, and every song just gives me so much life.

I honestly don't know what I'd do without music in my life – I would truly be lost because it's gotten me through some hard times, especially this past year.

Eventually I arrive at Scar's gym, my music still as loud as before, and a smile comes to my face when I notice Ethan's already out here, a cigarette between his fingers which has me confused. I know he smokes sometimes, but usually there's a reason, and it has me worried. I hope he's okay.

Before I leave, I grab my keys out of the ignition, I turn down my music, and grab my little purse from the passenger seat. A smile comes to his face, standing from the stairs that I once sat on in the snow, and I reach out for the cigarette which he gladly passes, and I balance it between my lips.

"You okay?" I ask, taking a seat where he just was, blowing out a cloud of smoke, passing it back to him.

"Just stressed with college, work, then training. I've got a fight in two weeks, and considering that I've not been in the ring since November, I'm dreading it." He mentions casually, and I blink up at him, a frown on my face. He never mentioned it before.

"You've got your first fight?" I question, quite surprised at that.

"Yeah, Scar's just told me about it. We had a conversation around three months ago whether boxing was still something I wanted to do, which it is, my dream hasn't magically vanished." He tells me, stress washing his features as he passes me back the lit cigarette. "Anyway, he's just told me I've got one next Saturday. I'm dreading it because it was something I did constantly, I had matches every weekend, maybe twice a month. I know a loss is a loss, and I'd take it on the chin, but I don't want to disappoint Scar. So, for the last three months I've been training constantly, trying to get back into shape."

"You're in shape." I blurt out the comment, taking in his appearance. He's not lost muscle, in fact, his arms have got bigger.

"Not just physically, I know I'm fit enough, but what I mean is like my reflects, my mentality and everything. I'm positive I'm back to where I was, but there's always a part of me that's doubting that." He says, and I hum, understanding exactly what he means.

"Ethan, as much as I have no clue about boxing, I'm positive you'll be okay. I've seen you train a little, and your reflects are fast as fuck." I wouldn't feed into his ego like this, but right now I know he needs the boost of confidence. The smirk on his face makes me slightly regret the comment however. "I take it back."

"No, don't, I needed that." He says with a smile.

"You want the rest?" I ask, bringing the cigarette back to my lips.

"Nah, you can finish it." He shrugs.

"It's so fucking hot today." I mutter, and he hums, then laughs as he takes in my appearance. "Don't mock me, you know I can't wear shorts yet."

That shuts him up.

"How about in there, I can get you a pair? There's Scar, me, Felix and a couple guys but they're doing there own thing. I won't let them bother you." He says, and as nervous as it makes me, I actually nod, accepting his offer because I'm actually so warm. I may feel okay to wear tight shirts and tank tops, but shorts and short dresses still make me slightly uncomfortable.

"Thank you." I say with a slight smile.

"You're welcome." He returns the smile.

"Will they cover my thighs?" I question nervously – my scars aren't a massive worry, they're quite high up, so most shorts do cover them, but it's still a question I feel the need to ask.

"Yeah, they're gym shorts not booty shorts, also you've worn them before." He reminds me, and my face washes with nostalgia when I remember I have, the first time I came to this gym.

"You sure there's only a few guys?" I check.

"Yep, I promise. And if you don't feel comfortable, you can always change back into these." He says, and I smile with a little nod.

"Again, thank you." I whisper, taking one last drag of the cigarette before I stub it out of the concreate next to me and put it in my purse; I will eventually put it in the bin.

"Is that definitely out?" He chuckles.

"Yep, now are you ready to get your ass kicked?" I question, getting to my feet and he squints his eyes at me.

"Your ego is getting too big for your own good." He points at me and I scoff.

"Me? My ego is perfectly fine. Yours however... well, that needs to be pulled down a peg or two." I say, and he rolls his eyes. "Now, come on. We only have two hours."

With Ethan following closely behind me, I push the front door open, immediately being greeted by Maria on the front desk, her feet up on the table, her blonde locks up in a butterfly grip, four fans facing her, wearing her familiar smile.

"Hot?" I question with a little laugh.

"No, I'm cool now. But, I need to pick up the kids from school in... four minutes, and I don't want to move. I might just send Tony." Maria says making Ethan laugh. I always seem to forget that Scar is only a nickname for Tony, and Maria is the only one whom calls him it which is understandable, but I always get slightly confused when she addresses him as it. "So, how shall I help you on this disgustingly hot day?"

"Is there any size small shorts behind there?" Ethan asks, and she frowns for a second whilst thinking about it.

"Maybe. Wait a second." She mutters, removing her feet from the desk and bends down to check behind the desk which is where all the clothes are kept.

"It doesn't matter if you can't, I can work out in these." I say, frowning down at my leggings, and Ethan turns to me.

"And you'll go to work wearing the same thing?" He questions, and I pull my nose up at the mere thought of wearing sweaty clothes whilst working.

"Okay, you have a point. Can I please have a shirt too then?" I ask shyly.

"Oh, we have hundred of those, pick your size." Maria says, then makes a sound of victory as she sits back up. "Ha-ha, found some."

"Thank you." I smile gratefully, taking the black shorts from her. "And whatever size you find first will do."

"Here you go, sweetheart." She smiles, handing me a grey shirt, before she grabs her purse from the floor. "I guess, I should brace the weather, and pick up the kids."

"I'm guessing you don't really like the heat?" I question.

"Nope, hate it." She mutters with a roll of her eyes.

"Okay, well drive safe, if you need anything, call Scar, Felix or myself." Ethan tells her, and she pats him on the shoulder as she passes.

"Will do, and can you ask Tony to get someone to cover this desk for the time being?" She asks with a sweet smile.

"Of course." He responds.

"See you in twenty or so minutes, I'll make sure to send the kids your way to annoy you." She quickly says before slipping out of the front door.

"Oh how fun." He replies sarcastically.

"Shut up, your siblings are adorable." I say, and he just rolls his eyes in response. Stevie and Kurt are quite literally the only kids I can really stand to be around, they're just bundles of joy, and it's a bonus when they annoy Ethan and Felix to no end – it's genuinely amusing.

"Here's my key to my office, get dressed whilst I track down the man of the hour, so he can get someone to cover." He says, handing me the lanyard that was once around his neck.

Ethan's office is the first door on the left as you walk through the one into the actual gym, and whilst I unlock his door, he leaves to go find Scar. Stepping in here, it brings me a sense of nostalgia. I've only been in here once – that first time I came here – but I smile at how much can change in so little time. It's a bitter sweet really. Seven months have passed, I realize, but so much has happened within that time. We were friends, then we were near enough strangers, then we were more than friends, then in a relationship, now we're civil ex's and friends again.

It's scary how so much can change in such little time.

Making sure that the door is locked behind me, I don't waste a second before I put my purse down on his desk, and strip, pulling my tank top off above my head. I have the teeniest urge to just stay completely naked since it's quite cool in here, but then paranoia sinks in, and I'm quick to pull on the grey shirt, that turns out to be quite big on me, but I'm glad since it's warm anyway, and having something stick to me would not be nice.

I'm happy with the shorts, even though the size small are still quite big on me. I'm genuinely surprised at how comfortable I feel about wearing them though. I'm getting better, not only about the incident, but also what happened that night at the club, I know that, but every step that I seem to surpass shocks me. I surprise myself so much because I truly don't have much faith, but that only makes me happier when I am able to do these things. It makes me more proud of myself.

And with a smile on my face, I dangle the lanyard off my finger whilst I flick the lock on this side of the door, walking through before I use the key to lock it back up. I made the decision just to leave my bag in there with my clothes since it's safe and there's no other place I would put them – all the other times, we usually would go to the apartment beforehand, so that was never a problem.

"Frankie, Frank!" Felix yells, and I smile when I look up to see him jogging over to me.

"Hey!" I exclaim, joining in on his enthusiasm.

"I'm on reception duty, remind me to kill my brother when I see him." He rolls his eyes.

"Not a fan?" I assume.

"Nope, I'd rather be mopping floors than deal with the front desk." He says, and I fight the urge to roll my own eyes. I've worked that desk, it's not hard. In fact, it's very easy, you hardly do anything – maybe that's why he hates it. You just sit there.

"Where is Scar?" I question.

"In one of the rings, training one of his boxers for an upcoming fight. Kane's the one who practically demanded me to go, which I should probably do before someone comes in. By the way, he's at the nearest ring to the back door." He lets me know, and I smile gratefully.

"Thank you, Felix." I say before he jogs off again, and I shake my head as I walk my own way.

I'm not too anxious because as Ethan said, there is literally no one here at this time of day, usually people come in later. At first, even being in the presence of one guy had me on edge, looking over my shoulder constantly. Don't get me wrong, I still am nervous around them, and check over my shoulder. I don't think that will ever change, even before it happened, I was always weary with the male species in general, but I'm getting better. I'm proud of my progress, even if it's only minor.

"So, Kane, are you ready to get you ass handed to you?" I ask, smiling at Ethan as I approach the ring he's currently sweeping down.

"Sorry, I don't understand bullshit. What was that?" He hums, smiling as he lifts the rope, ducking under it.

I roll my eyes in response, grabbing the sweeping brush from him, so he doesn't have to get down, and I just lean up against the nearest wall before turning back around to face him.

"So, you coming up?" He muses, holding out his hand.

I gladly take it, letting him help me up since I only have little legs, and of course, the steps are at the other side. I've seen him get on this easily, but I'm teeny, I need the help up here. It's just a basic black ring, the ropes however are red – it's fitting to the theme of the whole gym. Most- in fact nearly every piece of equipment in here is either black or red.

"Pass me your wrist." I say and he frowns as he puts it out, and I smile as I steal the hair tie from it. "Thank you."

"Seriously?" He laughs.

"Yeah, I have no bra on and I have little trust in this shirt, so I'm tying it at the back." I inform him, pulling the shirt tight at the back into a knot, so the material clings to me.

"Yeah, I can tell." He muses, and I roll my eyes at his immaturity. So, I have perky nipples, deal with it.

He walks to the corner which coincidentally has the stairs that I could have used, and grabs both sets of gloves that were once hanging over the rope, and he holds out the little black pair of mine, his own being black and red – again, fitting with the theme.

"Thank you. So, I'm actually hitting you? This should be fun." I muse, putting my right hand into the glove.

"Yeah, so fun." He says sarcastically, a smile still on his face however whilst he puts his own gloves on. "Okay, so you know how last week, I wore the pads that you hit, we practiced your punches. Well, this week, you're going to aim those hits at me. Okay?"

"You're hitting me?" I question as I put my second glove on.

"Not fully, no, I've nearly killed people bigger than me, Francesca, I'm not that stupid." He responds, my jaw dropping – I really underestimated him, didn't I? "Now, remember, feet just over shoulder length apart, bend your knees. Always remember that to keep your weight distributed."

"You realize I know this?" I say with a cocky smile. "Elbows down, hands up. Got it."

"Fine, show me what you've got then." He mutters keeping eye contact with me, raising his own gloves to his face.

"Can I kick you?" I question, knowing I'm pushing my look.

"No!" He laughs, lowering his gloves, opening right up for me to take the first hit, landing an uppercut on his jaw. He didn't expect that, but I'm no way strong enough to truly effect him, he didn't even stumble backwards. It only leaves him with a smile on his face. "That was a cheap shot."

"Sure, sure." I roll my eyes, knowing that it definitely was.

"But good hit." He compliments, and I smile in response but it's soon dropping when I dodge one of his own swings.

"You say that I play dirty." I scoff, picking my guard back up. I'm not falling for that one again.

"It was too easy." He shrugs, and I push down the strong urge to kick him.

"Huh, well I'm sure I was the one that saw it coming and dodged it, whereas you didn't." I point out, getting under his skin.

"You're getting too cocky." He shakes his head, a smile on his face.

Whilst he's yet again distracted, I swing at him but he's quickly dodging it, taking me off course, and landing a punch to my cheek bone which has me immediately scowling at him. His hits aren't at all hard, he's been soft on me, I know first hand what his punches look like because I've seen him train, but it still catches me off guard because I truly didn't expect it.

"That okay?" He checks with me, raising his gloves again.

"Yeah, pretty weak to be honest with you." I say making his jaw tick.

"Francesca, I swear to God." He grits out, only making me smile.

"You know what, you're right, this is more fun than sex." I know I'm pushing every single button of his, but that's the point. I have a voice for a reason, I may as well play in the mud whilst we're at it. His guard is quickly lowered at my snarky comment, opening up for me to land yet another hit on his face. "You're too easy to wind up."

"Don't flatter yourself, darling." He clenches his jaw, and that familiar nickname that he always referred me as, especially in bed, makes me want to squeeze my thighs together to relieve the tension. He only smirks when my cheeks heat up.

"You do realize that I, a woman that has never a hit a person is winning again you, a man that has been training for this shit since he was a teenager?" I question him, stepping around him.

"You do realize you've just pulled the gender card on yourself?" He retorts, and I only nod, a smile on my face even though it physically hurt to say it. "And your hits are pathetic."

I swing at him again when I assume he's off guard from saying such a thing, yet he somehow quickly dodges it, pulling me into a headlock, my back flush against his chest

"Ethan." I squeak out in surprise and he chuckles in response. "This wasn't in the rules."

"We had no rules." He points out, not letting me go.

With the self-defense he's taught me, I think this through, fake sighing before I kick my leg back, my foot aiming right for his precious balls. His grip immediately loosens, his hands reaching for his crotch. I smile as I turn around to see him, but I'm not stupid.

"Catch me if you can." I duck under the rope and jump from the side of the ring, quickly taking my gloves off before I grab a bottle of water and take off running.

"Francesca!" His voice is loud and rough, and before I know he's chasing after me.

I probably shouldn't have said that, should I?

~~~~~

A/N

Ahhhh, I love this chapter so much! I've wanted to write this stuff in since the beginning but never had the chance to, but I'm back with a book full of everything that I missed.

Life update: It's beautiful outside right now, the sun is setting and I'm listening to Ben Howard. I've got a barbeque tomorrow with my family and I'm so excited for that – because of lockdown last year, we didn't see my brothers, so this is the first time I'm really doing anything for the summer since 2019, and I'm excited to have a drink, listen to music and just chill. I've missed it.

Question of the chapter:

Favorite alcoholic drink, or soft if you don't like it?

Vodka lemonade! But at least 2-3 shots of vodka in there, I'm not a lightweight honeys.

Edit: I got drunk and fell into the barbecue!

I hope this chapter was okay!

Thank you for reading! Please comment your thoughts, vote by pressing the little star, and if you want, you can follow me too. I'm also on Instagram – @daisyclouds89 Xx

3562 words!

~B