Bella & the Boxer🥊 | LRH

C H A P T E R T H R E E

T H E B L U E L A M B O R G I H I N I T H A T P L A Y S T A Y L O R
S W I F T

The hour of 3am was nearing, and it was the boxers favourite part of training; so many relentless hours of throwing punches that his fist couldn't even feel the throbbing sensation anymore. Absolutely numb. "Mate. You're gonna fuck it up so bad you won't even be able to fight later. Call it a day." His trainer paces around the ring referring to the blonde's hand.

"A couple more minutes." Luke puffs out in between his huffing, wiping the front of his hair flush to his forehead due to the sweat. Ashton shakes his head. He loved Luke like a brother. They are so much more to each other than just a trainer and his client. But holy fuck- this man was as stubborn as a god damn bull. "Hemmings. Enough. Know your limit." Luke turns away from the punching bag harshly and angrily, hands still clenched at his side. "No amount of bruises on my knuckles or exhaustion will ever stop me from ripping that guy into shreds. Understand?" Ashton just walked off the ring, grabbing a towel from the bench, throwing it at Luke's broad body glistening in sweat. "Go home."

With that Ashton made his way out of the arena and left the final decision up to the boxer. As headstrong as Luke can be, especially when it comes to fighting Calum Hood, he is logical. One of the reasons why he is so good at what he does. He can calculate every move in his head and execute it in an even slicker manner. Luke uses the towel to wipe away the fluid from his body. Walking over to his duffle bag, he throws the towel in, rummaging for his grey hoodie. He heard footsteps behind him but assumed it was Ashton coming back in for something. "Hey." A voice softly filled the empty arena. A voice that was far from the boy's close friend and trainer. Luke's eyes meet a girl who is practically a silhouette in his blurry vision. But he could make out who it was. Hell, the boy could be blind, but he would know if it's her. "The hell are you still doing here?" He asked, casting his head back down to his bag. "You told me you'd be here till 3, so I waited. I want an explanation." Elizabeth approaches him slowly, her red dress flowing around her as she walked. "To what?" Luke mumbled, knowing very well what she wanted. "As to why you became dick of the year in the blink of an eye." She crossed her arms over her chest to protect herself from the cold air the basement arena was engulfing her with.

"What's wrong with having dick of the year?" He smirked, slipping on his hoodie. "Luke." She sternly stared at him. "Cmon, no sense of humour past 3 am?" He nudged her shoulder lightly. Elizabeth was quite shocked at how gentle the push actually was. How can someone who chose to spend their life in violence be so soft? She made no comment on it however, believing she would sound foolish. "You had no right to talk to my friends like that."

"I know. I'm sorry to you and to them. I just-" The boxer flicks his tongue over his lips, understanding how childish he is about to sound. "I saw the guy I'm fighting about to walk in. You guys went up just a second before he did." She laughed quietly, "and what's wrong with your opponent seeing you talking to a few pretty dancers?" The boxer furrowed his eyebrows at her attempt to understand his lifestyle. But she can't. And unless you're in it, no one ever will. "For him to look at you three like the next sluts making their way into my pants? Fuck no." He zipped up his duffle bag in a rough, swift motion, throwing it over his shoulder.

His reply took her off guard, but that's like everything else the boy did. All a total mystery to her. "Are you cold?" Luke takes notice of the short sleeved dress she has on. "I can check my locker room for an extra hoodie." "No no. I'm okay. You were planning to go home, yeah?"

"And sleep my life away for a few hours, yeah." He giggled, leading the way out of the arena. "I have the car, I'll take you home."

--

"The only reason I didn't reject the offer to take me home is because you shouldn't be going home alone at 3am."

"My personal security guard. I'm honoured." They laughed while putting on their seat belts. "I am also honoured that although it isn't your birthday anymore, it was just a few hours ago and it is my duty to make your 22nd birthday better than just training all day." He just stares at her, awaiting the catch he knew was coming. She smiles and hit play on the stereo system from the car. Taylor Swift starts blasting through the speakers- far too loud for any occasion let alone 3 in the morning. "Oh god." Luke pinches the bridge of his nose, fighting the urge to smile. "You cannot turn 22 without playing this song. It's illegal." She grabs his wrist in attempt to get him to start dancing along with her. "You are the biggest dork to exist." The blonde with black bags under his eyes laughed along to match the smile on Elizabeth's face. Her smile falls after getting a better look at his hands. She turned the volume down and asked him curiously. "How long does it take for it to go away?" Luke follows her gaze and looks down at his hands. "The swelling or the bruises?"

"Both."

Luke shrugged, not even knowing the answer himself. "I don't know. I've never waited for it to heal."

"You keep training? After a fight?"

"Training for the next. Of course."

"You fight a lot. Isn't it normal to not fight for at least a month?" She continues to ask him with curiosity in her eyes. "Not for me. The better you are, the more people want you fighting." He shrugs again, fixing the strings of his hoodie. "I get a bigger pay check then most of the guys though, so I can't complain."

"Pay check if you win." Elizabeth partially asked partially stated. "Yeah."

"And you always win."

He smiles, chewing on the grey strings that are supposed to be hanging down his chest. "Often, yes."

She didn't think much of his response, since it was everything she already knew. She just started driving off and turned the volume back all the way up, the two of them just singing their tired hearts out to Taylor Swift as the busy streets of New York lit up dimly. Once they reached their apartment complex, Luke reached for the gym bag he threw in the trunk earlier. He saw 2 bags but didn't think much of it, assuming it was Elizabeth's. However walking toward the apartment entrance he checked a tag the bag had hanging from the strap reading; calum hood. Luke pauses, holding the tag in his hand. Elizabeth rushes behind him. "Luke! You took the wrong bag."

Luke snaps back to reality, turning to see Elizabeth behind him holding his duffle bag. "That's my brother's friend's. He must have left it in there." Luke didn't say a word, just exchanging the bags. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah."

"Maybe I can watch your match tomorrow?" She asked hopefully. "No." He shut down immediately. "I mean- I. I do better when the crowd is full of strangers." Elizabeth didn't push. She just nodded. "Alright. Good luck."

"Thank you." Luke breathes in, preparing for a very awkward elevator ride up.