The Illusion

Eight

I don't think I'd ever been in this room. Not even before. I knew we had boxing stuff but I was more, run on the treadmill and do squats. The idea of fighting never really appealed to me. But we'd been working up to today for the past week and a half. We'd gotten my fitness almost back to how it normally was. Leo had been impressed that I could indeed lift over my own weight like I said I could. Just another thing I'd been able to prove him wrong on.

But today was the day Leo taught me how to fight. He'd assured me he'd be nice and wasn't going to hit me, which was obviously nice to hear. Didn't mean I wasn't expecting him to though. Followed quickly with a 'never believe a person when they say they're not going to hurt you'.

"Okay," He exhaled, walking into the middle of the ring and I was struggling to pay attention to what he was saying. Seeing what he'd been hiding under all his tee shirts was almost making me drool. Get it together Freya. "Now, let's see what we're working with Freya. Give me everything you have in one punch."

"Everything? I don't want to hurt you." He smirked at me, like I was telling some flirty joke. "I don't!"

"Trust me, you're not going to hurt me. You trust me right?"

"Stupidly." Leo held up his wrapped up hands.

"Everything you have, into my palm." He'd wrapped a similar cloth around my hands, laughing the whole time under his breath about how small they were compared to his. A conversation we seemed to be having a lot. There was a whole foot between us and I bet even in my heels he would still be taller than me.

I sucked in a slow breath, one foot slightly ahead of the other to steady myself before I made a fist and slammed it into the palm of his hand. I don't think either of us were expecting it to hit so hard because he took 3 quick steps back, trying to stop himself from falling. His eyes wide as saucers, looking at the palm of his hand. He opened and closed it, shook it out and breathed out a short sharp laugh.

"Where the fuck did that come from?"

"Did it hurt? I'm sorry! You told me to-"

"Freya- hey, no." I bit down on my lip as he came back to me, holding his hands on the tops of my arms. "That was astonishing. I wasn't expecting you to pack that much power behind you. You've never hit someone before."

"I used to fight with Milo but just brother sister stuff. I guess as his punches got harder mine might have? I don't know. I haven't hit anything since I was I don't know 14?"

"In 9 years?" I nodded. Leo chuckled again, standing back with a single shake of his head. "Well alright then. Let's do it again now I'm expecting it." He pushed his foot a little further back. "Swing with your hip this time."

"With my hip?"

"Yes." I raised an eyebrow at him. "Rather than jabbing, straight out, turn your upper body and swing." Not a clue. Jabbing?

"What's wrong with how I punch now?" He stood up straight and another breath left his lips like a laugh. He moved, across the ring, dipping under the rope and holding it up for me.

"Come here." I hesitated but moved over to him, going under the ropes and jumping down to his side. He gently laid one hand on my hip, pulling me with him over to a punching bag. "Hit it. Hard as you can again. How you normally do." I did, pretty impressed at the thump it'd made and the way it moved on the chain holding it to the ceiling. "See how it moved? That's the power you're pushing out of your hand into the bag. Now, stand- like- this." He moved my legs slightly, putting one in front of the other and standing behind me. He grabbed my right hand and balled it up. "Now, as you turn into the punch-" He pulled on my left hip and extended my fist, chest pressed against my back. "You're giving yourself some extra force. You've got stability in your feet, which is going to help too. Try it." He let go of my hand, putting it on my other hip.

I turned my head slightly, looking up at him, suddenly very nervous. My heart pounded in my chest and I swallowed it back down as it tried to escape. He nodded, trying to encourage me to throw the punch. The man was effortlessly perfect and it was starting to piss me off. I scowled, looking back to the spot on the bag and throwing the punch like he wanted me too. He kept his hands on my hips, moving with me as I twisted.

The bag swung a lot harder this time. The rattle of the chain causing me to look up at it.

"See?" His breathe fanned over the side of my face, shivers running up my spine. A wave of anxiety washed over my brain and I swear, he sensed it. He felt me tense up but still didn't move. "Just me Freya. You're okay."

I pulled my feet back to how he'd shown me, fighting through the flight response my body was trying to sink into. You can't go forever not being touched Freya. He's just showing you how to throw a punch right. It's literally just Leo. Chill out. I pulled back, hitting the bag again, pushing my anxiety into it through my fist.

"Good." He dropped my hip, grabbing the bag to stop it swinging putting his hand back as soon as it did, holding me a little tighter, making sure I felt him touching me, pressing his back into me a little more. "Use your emotions Freya. He didn't have a right to touch you. He hurt you. Watched you bleed. Smiled when you begged him to stop. His men didn't care when they were kicking you into the ground. Channel it. Get that out int-" My fist hit the bag, enough to send it flying, Leo tugging me out of the way before it swung back to where we were stood. "That's it Freya!" He tried not to shout but his voice raised a few octaves. "Perfect. That was perfect."

"Really?" He turned me around, weak smile on his face.

"Absolutely. Want to do it again?" I nodded. As long as your hands are right where they are. Keep them there.

"Again."