Page 2 of Fight for You

“You sure, Mac?” Caleb asked, interrupting our moment. Hesoundedsurprised, but there was a knowing gleam in his eye. I’d been friends with him for years, and he was well aware of my “type”. My problem was that my type never seemed interested in me once certain things came to light.

“I’m positive.” Although I was attracted to the man, I also wanted to help him. He sounded desperate to train, and I was more than happy to coach anyone with that much drive.

“Okay then.” Caleb gathered up some papers, which he handed to the man. “Avery, just fill these out and bring them back next time.”

“Thank you.” He took the stack and folded it into the bag at his hip. “And thank you so much for taking me on, Mr…?”

“My name’s Troy McAllister,” I replied, “But everyone calls me Mac.”

“Because he’s roughly the size of a truck,” Caleb added with a chuckle.

“I can see that.” Avery’s cheeks pinked, as if he didn’t mean to say the words out loud. Caleb chuckled again, and I patted Avery on the back, nearly knocking him over.Oops.

“Come on, I’ll show you around.”

I took him through the gym, showing him the punching bags, speed bags, and weight benches before taking him to the back corner. “You can put your bag by the wall.” He did as I asked, and then I pointed to a scale. “The first thing we need to do is get your height and weight.”

Avery nodded and stepped onto the base. I raised the height bar and lowered it onto his wavy platinum hair. “Okay, you’re right at five foot six, and…” I scooted the block back and forth until the weight balanced. “One hundred six pounds. That puts you in the straw weight category. Make sure not to miss any meals or you won’t qualify.”

“Oh, I don’t want to fight professionally,” Avery said, shaking his head like the idea terrified him. “Wait; you thought I could?”

“Sure, why not?”

“Maybe because a strong wind would snap me in half?”

His wide eyed expression made me chuckle. He was adorable. “Hey,anyonecan box. Have you ever heard the saying, ‘It’s not about the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog’?” Avery nodded. “It’s true. In the off-season, our fighters will spar outside their weight class for practice. I’ve seensmall guys take down opponents twice their size. It all comes down to training and determination.”

“Wow. That’s comforting to know, but I’m still not interested in a fighting career.”

“That’s okay,” I shrugged. “Boxing is still great exercise. It can improve your balance, strength, endurance, and overall health.”

Avery nodded, but none of those benefits seemed to interest him. “Honestly, I’m just needing to learn some self defense moves.”

Unfortunately, everything was beginning to make sense. “Who’s bothering you, Shortstack?” I wanted names and photos so I could teach them some manners…with my fists. Again, not a professional thought, but oh well.

“Just some guys at school.” As he answered, his cheeks pinked, though he had no reason to be embarrassed. It wasn’t his fault people were dicks. “I thought things would get better once I went to college, seeing as we’re adults, but apparently some people won’t grow up. Usually, they just call me names, which I can handle, but today was the first time they got physical. If things get worse than a few shoves, I need to know how to defend myself.”

Anger tore through me, along with a hefty case of guilt. “I didn’t mean to offend you when I called you Shortstack. I’ve never called anyone that before - it just sort of came out, but I didn’t mean any harm by it.”

“I know. I’ve learned to tell the difference.” Avery gave me a smirk which lit up his pretty blue eyes. “But if you get to call me Shortstack, I should get to call you Big Mac.”

I snorted as I shook my head. “You know, I wasjuststarting to like you.” Though in reality, I loved the playful teasing, and even the silly name. “Okay, so if you’re not looking to fight professionally, let’s get right down to business on the basics. Follow me.”

I led Avery away from the scale to an empty corner of the gym. I wanted to focus all my attention on him without any distractions, and for him to feel at ease. “Before I show you any offensive moves, let’s work on your defense. Go ahead and drop into your defensive stance.”

Avery blinked at me, and I realized I needed to start from scratch with him. So I explained, “A defensive stance is very important. It’s your foundation of movement, strength, and protection. Here, I’ll show you; stand naturally.”

He relaxed his shoulders, appearing casual and comfortable. I placed my hands on his shoulder and gave a gentle push. Avery rocked back on his heels; I didn’t mean to knock him over, but sometimes I misjudged my own strength. Luckily, I was able to keep him upright by catching him with an arm around his middle.

He looked up at me and swallowed hard. A few silent moments passed between us before his cheeks pinked and he cleared his throat. “Guess that wasn't very defensive.”

“No worries; I'll show you. Are you right or left handed?”

“Right.”

“Okay, so put your right foot back and point your toe at a forty-five degree angle. There you go. Now bend your knees a little.” Once Avery was in position, I nudged his shoulder with the same pressure as before, but this time, he didn't budge.

“Wow,” he muttered with a blink.

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