Emily’s Pov
I watch how he uses his body to help kids defend themselves, and how confident these kids look, more than what I feel like a grown-up. He hadn’t noticed me yet, so I looked around the gym. It’s massive. Gloves hanging everywhere, kickboxing bags hanging in rows. Weights everywhere and a cage obviously to learn and defend yourself. I sat down on the bench, waiting for him to finish his class. I don’t know what to expect when he finishes, but he did tell me to find out who he is, so that’s what I did. I’m amazed by these kids, how they know how to turn themselves out of a position when they're in trouble, how they can block a punch and how they use their legs to stay firm. “Thank you, guys. We’ll catch up with some warmups tomorrow and choose who will join the tournament.” The kids high five each other and grab their bags. I’m getting nervous. One thing I could never control, even as a practice nurse. “What are you doing here?” He asked me when I jumped up from the bench and he used the towel to clean the sweat off his face. “I want you to train me?” He stares at me like I just asked him to marry me. “So you did find out who I am?” “Yes, I did, and I need you to help me defend myself.” He took off his gloves and placed them in his bag. “Go home, Emily.” He said coldly. “Please, I need you to help me defend myself,” I begged. “Hit me.” He said unexpectedly, making me uncomfortable. “Get in the cage.” He placed hand gloves on my hands. “Hit me.” He said again, but this time more aggressively. “if you can’t handle the punches, how will you ever stop them from abusing you?” “Hit me?” Blake yells. Making my eyes twitch and angry because of speaking to me like that. “Hit me, or I will hit you,” he said again. I picked up my fist to punch him as hard as I could, but he grabbed me and picked me up before my fist could connect with his jaw. Our eyes melted together, and I’m slowly disappearing into a dark place the more I stare. “You not ready.” he jumped over the cage and left me with the gloves and asked questions why he didn’t want to help me. “So you can teach children, but a woman you saved from getting a beat down you can’t help?” I yelled at him. “I don’t help women. They always fall in love with me, and get their hearts broken when I’m not interested. That’s worse than a getting a beat down,” he admits. I jumped out of the cage and walked straight up to him. “I’m not any woman. I’m here to learn how to defend myself, nothing else.” My face is inches away from him. “Why do you want this so badly? You’re a woman,” he asked suspiciously. “I have my reason.” “Not good enough!” he turned his back on me. I lifted my top and removed the bandage from my ribs. “Is this not a good enough reason for you? You should know, you’re the one who saved me from that man.” he turned to look at my blue-purple ribs, my lip still busted and my face still swelled up. “Okay, but let’s get one thing straight. I will train you, but that’s where it stays, no strings attach and you can’t fall in love with me,” he said honestly. “Don’t flatter yourself, Mr Blake. I’m here to defend myself, not to find a man.” he smiled and pulled my top down. “Be here at 3 pm. That’s when the junior classes end, and Emily, you will be the first woman I ever trained. Don’t spread the news. It will flag this gym with women.” I grin. Can one man think so much of himself? “Deal, but you have to promise me, the day I walk out of here, no one will ever be able to touch or hurt me again.” he doesn’t respond, just nodding in agreement. “See you tomorrow.” I smiled and grabbed a bottle of water from the counter, making him even smile a bigger smile. I went to the mall and shopped for some gym clothes. I’m pretty sure my nursing clothes won’t do the trick. I got a few tights and tops and training shoes. I stared at the gloves and took them as well. I need this. I feel scared, but at the same time, I’m feeling excited about learning. I want to get rid of the nightmares and the fear of ever being hurt by anyone again. Especially my stepfather. I haven’t spoken to my mother since I left when I was 18, but if anything should happen to me, she is my next of kin, and obviously, my stepfather would glow, seeing how I look now. He has reminded me ever since I can remember that I’m weak and will never find someone that will love me because I can’t defend myself. “Move up lady.” the rude man said behind me. I grabbed my basket and felt like punching him, but like I said, I don’t know how to defend myself yet. I went home and unpacked the gym clothes and placed them in a gym bag. There are still a few things that I need, but I will get to that. For now, I need to focus on the training and my studies. “Shit,” I said out loud. I still have a test tomorrow. I grab my books and open the pages that I mark that I still have to study, but I can’t concentrate. The only thing I can think of is the gym classes tomorrow. I made one cup after another cup of coffee and tried to get the words in my mind, but it was useless. All I can think of is the day I give back my stepfather what he deserves. For everything he put me through as a child, and as an adult with nightmares, him stands over my body while I bleed and he refuses my mother to call an ambulance. I closed my books, I will wake up earlier to study. There is no use in studying now. I fix my mind on the training.Emily’s Pov I keep checking the clock. My shift ends at 3 PM, so I have to rush to the gym and hope Blake will still train me. It’s 2:34. Jeez, can these last few minutes just fly? “Emily, can you please help with these patients? We’re short stuff and the nurses can’t keep up.” I sighed, watching the clock. There are literally 10 minutes left. I rushed to the first patient and then the second one. “I really need to get going,” I said to Linda. She glares at me like I had a date or something. “No, it’s not what you think? I’m actually...” I kept quiet before I told her where I was going. Blake asked me to keep this to myself. I’m sure Linda won’t say a word, but I need this. I’m already 5minutes late, so I pray he will still help me. I jumped on the bus and it wa
Blake’s Pov “Can I get you something to drink, Sir?” the bar lady asked, while my eyes followed Emily’s every move. Her beautiful blond hair hanging perfectly down her back, her bright blue eyes that can make any man go numb by just looking at her. Her body is slim and perfect. “No thank you,” I responded while she threw herself at me. I try to figure out why a nurse wants to learn how to defend herself? I know it’s not just because of what happened in the Alley the other night, something happened to her that made her angry, and she’s been holding on to that anger and pain for a long time. I’ve seen kids being abused that came to me for support and the same anger and pain they showed is multiplied on Emily’s face. I know how to teach you to defend yourself, but with her it&rsq
Emily’s Pov “Hey.” I greeted Blake when I enter the gym. He doesn’t greet me back. He threw the gloves at me and instructed me to punch the kickboxing bag. “Okay.” I thought we connected last night, but clearly, he is still a jackass. I put the gloves on and hit the bag as hard as I can. I kept going with Blake busy on the phone, glaring at me like I’m failing a math test. “You’re doing it wrong,” he said, walking up to me. “Clearly, that’s why I’m here for you to show me how to do it, remember?” “Get your posture right by standing with your feet and shoulder in a wider distant, and your front foot facing the punching bag.” he grabs my leg and pulled one to the back and one facing the bag. He pulled my shoulders up. “Don’t shy away from emptying your punch
Blake’s PovEmily has left the club. It’s silent and just me and all memories hanging around in the club, staring me in the face!I picked up gloves and put them on. This time I used Emily’s.As I pull it over my hands, I can feel the pain. I don’t know her story, but I have my own story about why I started to become a kickboxer. The memories of my father run through my mind when I pull the punch bag closer.“Did you hit him back?” father is sitting with a knife peeling his apple on the front porch when I came home from school with a bloody nose.“I asked if you punched him back?” I hear my father’s voice clearly as I punch the bag.I just stared at him that day, remembering how he used women, how he was never there for me. He only cared about his title as the world-famous kickboxing champion and how women were falling at his feet. And here I am, getting bullied at school because I&
Emily’s Pov “Miss, what happened? You need to tell us what happen so that someone can help you.” the unfamiliar woman is laying in the ED, her lip busted ad can barely keep her left eye open. My day shift is almost finished and Blake said he will pick me up so that don’t have to take the bus in the rain. “Miss?” she picked her head up long enough to look at the man that was standing in the doorway with his arms crossed. “Did he do this to you?” I point a finger at him and asked her again, but she looked scared when I pointed it out. “Did you do this to her?” I push forward to the man with so much anger inside me. “Wow, wow. I would never beat a woman like that.” he jugg
Blake’s PovI’m still sitting on the couch like an ass. What was I thinking?If my dad was here now, he would’ve said with your *dig* but yeah, he is not here, and that is not what I was doing. For the first time in my entire life, I felt something, something that I wanted more of.I’ve had women in my life before. I know the adrenalin feeling of winning over and over, and I know how it feels to have a joint and to zone out, but this feeling I don’t know.It’s a feeling of wanting someone or something so bad that you’re willing to give up everything for that.It’s a feeling that you can’t see or touch, but it stares at you brighter than the sun and cuts you deeper than a knife. It’s a feeling that you beg to hold on to, but it’s slowly slipping away into the darkness, and the only way to grab it is to climb down the lather and pull it up.*meet as, at the club, drinks on
Emily’s Pov I watch the clock against the wall for the 100th time now. Linda was supposed to be back by 10, it’s already 1 PM, and I haven’t heard from her. I pulled my phone out and there were no messages, no calls from her. What could’ve happened to her? Surely you don’t take that long to evaluate someone? The patient called this morning to go to a house call. She actually asked for me, but Linda took the phone before I could answer it and said she will go. The lady apparently wasn’t strong enough to get to the hospital, so we had to send someone out to evaluate and stabilise the patient to get to the ED. I haven’t heard from Blake in 5weeks. I’ve stopped training as well. Blake proved that night that I was weak, not
Blake’s POV “What happened?” I jumped out of the car when I saw Em sitting on the staircase waiting for me to come home. “Seriously, Blake, we have to get going!” Vicky climbs out of the car and, like always, fucking moans about shit. I run up to Emily, who looks like she passed out a few times. Her face was swollen. I search for any bleeding marks on her body, while my body is trembling with fear. What happened to her? Her knuckles are busted, so it means she fought back. I had a small smile on the corners of my lips, but I still have fear. “That’s my girl,” I mumbled. “Blake?” Vicky yells. “Just call a damn ambulance. We have to get going.” My eyes still scan her body. She’s really here, beat up, but she’s here.