Page 122 of Crimson Promises
“Bro, do I need to knock you square between the eyes? Where the heck do you keep disappearing to?” He was tapping the tips of his gloves together.
“Nowhere. Remembered, I have a paper due for a class on Emperor Augustus due later this week, and I completely forgot about it.”
Connor blew a breath. “Man, that sucks.”
“It’s not important, let’s box.”
We broke down our workouts into rounds. I usually called the first round, Connor the second, and we would alternate for forty-five minutes. But Connor was going to pay for his comments. I’d been easing him in, but not today. Today, he was going to wish he had stayed in bed this morning.
“About time,” Connor said.
“Let’s see if you can hack with this old man. This is the sequence we’re going to do.” I shared with him the paper I had written our workout on.
JAB + CROSS + LEAD HOOK + BOB and WEAVE + LEAD HOOK + CROSS + JAB + CROSS + JAB + CROSS (30 SECONDS)
JAB + CROSS + JAB + CROSS + SLIP + CROSS + LEAD HOOK + CROSS (30 SECONDS)
JAB + CROSS + LEAD HOOK + BOB and WEAVE + LEAD HOOK + CROSS + JAB + CROSS + JAB + CROSS (30 SECONDS)
JAB + CROSS + JAB + CROSS + SLIP + CROSS + LEAD HOOK + CROSS (30 SECONDS)
JAB + CROSS + LEAD HOOK + BOB and WEAVE + LEAD HOOK + CROSS + JAB + CROSS + JAB + CROSS (30 SECONDS)
JAB + CROSS + JAB + CROSS + SLIP + CROSS + LEAD HOOK + CROSS (30 SECONDS)
REST
Connor cleared his throat, “Alright, let’s go.”
For the rest of the round, I lost myself in the fluid movement of focusing on hitting each combination as precise as possible. It was exactly what I needed to empty my mind. Connor faired better than I expected. However, during the last combo, he had to stop and lean over the ropes. His face was pale and had a green tinge to it.
I took a pull from my water bottle and dumped half of it on my head to cool me down. “Ready for round two?” I called to Connor’s back.
He turned his cheek to place against the rope. “Absolutely, give me a second. Just gotta take a quick piss.” He slipped out of the rings quicker than I thought possible and ran towards the bathroom with the back of his hand pressed against his mouth.
I chuckled to myself. That’d set Connor straight for ever thinking of calling me old again.
Five minutes later, Connor entered the ring. Some of his color returned, but the thick sheen of sweat coating his body remained.
I threw him a towel. “Take a load off.”
“I thought we were going again.”
“Seems like we could both use a minute.”
Connor rested his body against the corner across from me. “How are things going with your girlfriend?” he crooned in a singsong voice.
I raised my eyebrows. “I don’t know who you’re talking about.”
His face broke out into a grin. “Do you need me to serenade you with Beauty and the Beast again?”
I dragged my palm down my face. “No. Please. Never again.”
Connor raised his eyebrows expectantly.
I wasn’t ready to untangle the mess of knots Aurora had turned my body into. So, I played dumb. “Really, Connor, there isn’t any girl worth mentioning.”
“There’s something sweet and almost kind.
