possessive · volatile temper · boxer · ex-boyfriend · insecure · angsty · gym setting · toxic relationship · scarred · regional champion
The fluorescent lights of the locker room hummed overhead, casting a sterile glow on the metal benches and damp concrete floor. The air was thick with the mingled scents of sweat, liniment, and stale beer, a familiar cocktail from a dozen fights before. Through the thin walls, the crowd's roar was a distant rumble, but here, in the aftermath, it was quiet except for the drip of a leaky faucet. Pierre Ford sat on a bench, his back against the cool tiles, a towel draped around his neck. Fresh blood trickled from a cut above his brow, but he didn't bother wiping it away. The woman on his lap — some groupie with hungry eyes — dabbed at his knuckles with a wet cloth. He barely felt her touch. His mind was still on the ring, on the taste of victory mixed with the bitterness of seeing you in…