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“You’re doing it wrong,” he hisses, as if my blunders are making him very mad. “Make sure your elbow isn’t locked.” Pull the fist that isn’t hitting back. You won’t have a strong punch if you don’t do it correctly. “Again.”
I pant and do my best. It seems impossible to do it correctly. I wish he would let me go because this is my first time learning how to fight. But Liam won’t let up until I get it right.
I don’t even know how long it’s been since we went down to the basement.
“Again,” he says.
We are now on to the next level because I couldn’t hit my punch.
He’s teaching me how to block my enemy’s strike, and once again, I’m failing terribly.
How could I win if he was the one who assaulted me? He’s a friggin champion.
He puts me down again and then instructs me to get up again, this time for the thousandth time. I don’t even know how many times it’s been.
“Again, Emily,” he snaps and turns his back to me, getting ready for another round.
The way he talks to me makes my heart hurt.
“I can’t,” I eventually exclaim, throwing my hands in the air and standing up. “I can’t do this.” You’re being too pushy. How can I beat someone like you? ”
My chest goes up and down, and then my voice gets softer. “Just, please.” “Turn it down a little.” I sound like I’m begging him to do anything.
“No,” he shouts. His body shakes with rage. “Are you crazy? Someone who assaults you could intend to murder you. His eyes are filled with rage as he yells, “He’s not going to back down.”
I’ve seen Liam furious a lot, but I’ve never seen him this angry. We need to stop this. It’s not good for him, and it could even be worse for me.
I respond, “I haven’t even mastered my stance.” “This is crazy, Liam.” I can’t do it this way. How about we take it easy? ”
“Because we don’t have any f*****g time,” he yells, as his voice echoes throughout the basement.
I can’t believe what I’m seeing. His eyes are red, and the way he’s breathing scares me. He may have a heart attack at any moment.
He isn’t panting because he’s been working out. He’s panting because he’s scared and angry.
“Again, Emily,” he replies in a short tone.
I feel like I’m going to pass out at any moment. My head hurts so much and the room is spinning.
Is it already night outside?
I keep falling to the ground, unable to protect myself from Liam’s onslaught. This time, I can’t get up again. I can’t even move my cheek off the cold cement.
I’m tired, both physically and psychologically.
“Get up.” Liam’s voice is trembling.
I can hear how scared he is. I can even feel it all over my damaged body.
“Get up, Emily!” he screams.
I close my eyes and let my tears flow. I can taste it in my lips as I’m laying here on the ground. My body might ache, but it hurts more to watch him like this.
Liam…
You stated you weren’t my idol.
Why are you working so hard to keep me safe that it’s hurting both of us like this?
“Emily.” His voice breaks. “Get up.” Try it again. “One more time,” he says in a painful whisper. “Try not to die.”
But I’m already dead.
“It aches,” I say gently. “I can’t even move my body. Liam—” I finally let my sob burst.
Liam runs over to me and kneels down. He moves my body so that I can lie down with my back on his lap and puts his arms around me.
“Shit. “I’m sorry,” he says, his eyes hazy. I swallow a knot in my throat. “I’m sorry, Emily,” he says.
“I—”
“Shh,” he says, cutting me off. “No need to talk.”
I can’t take my eyes off of him. I want to see the brightness in them again.
“Just rest,” he adds. “I’ll take care of you.”
I let out a moan as he tightened his grip on me.
I’m falling asleep before I realise it.
I sit on my bed and stroke Emily’s hair. She hasn’t woken up yet, but she moves when I touch her.
I’m not going to wake her up yet since it’s still too early in the morning. She needs to sleep.
I pounded her too hard in the boxing ring yesterday. I knew I was being too harsh on her, but I was afraid as hell. All I could think about was losing her.
I knew from the start that this area may be dangerous for her, and after what occurred recently, my anxiety became even more.
If I can’t keep her safe…
As soon as I think about it, my eyes clench shut. It’s my biggest dread right now, and it’s eating me up inside because I know it may happen.
I get up to go for my morning jog. I want to be with her every second since that’s the only way I can be sure she’s safe, but I need to think straight after what I did to her yesterday.
I don’t want today to end like yesterday did. I don’t want to push her too hard and injure her again. I need to go for a jog this morning to clear my head and get rid of all this unrest in my body.
I kiss Emily’s hair and sigh. I recall how much she appreciated it when I attempted to make her feel better yesterday.
I let her sleep on the bed last night and gave her a little massage on her arms and legs. I knew she was in pain, so I tried to make it better.
The aromatherapy oil still smells good in the room, and I’m delighted it may let her relax for a little while longer. I’ll just wake her up when it’s time for breakfast.
LAY LA
As the sun’s rays tickle my cheeks, my eyelids flutter. I gently open my eyes and extend my arms.
God, my body hurts since I practiced so much yesterday.
I turn over to my side, hoping to see Liam still resting next to me. But he’s not there anymore, which makes me sad.
I sit up in bed and hug my knees as I think about what we’re going to do today. A smile spreads across my face as I look at the aromatherapy candles on the nightstand. I appreciate the little things he did to make me feel better. It’s funny to see someone who can be so grumpy and scary suddenly do something nice like that.
I lie back against the headboard and pick up my phone from the other nightstand. When I read the name of the person who sent me a voice message, I smile again. It’s Liam.
I tap the message to hear his voice and wonder what he intended to say when I was still asleep.
“Hey, I’m going for a jog for a little. I didn’t mean to wake you awake. I shut the door behind me as I left the room so you would be secure. Please wait for me till
I return. I put the extra keys on the desk in case of an emergency.”
I know why he’s doing all this, but I can tell that he’s being extra careful.
I get out of bed and head to the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face. I hum and sing while I do this, as I always do. I wonder whether Liam has ever been bothered by this.
I stop moving as soon as I realise it and stare into the mirror. But then I shrug and keep brushing my teeth. He previously told me I was unpleasant.