Page 17 of Ravaged From Fate

“Good grip,” Cyrus remarks.

“Good gym you’ve got here,” I reply.

Cyrus grins at that. “If you’re prepared to wait one minute, I’ve just got to sort out something in the back, then I’ll show you around the place.”

“No problem.”

I take a seat in the reception area as Cyrus bounces away to the back office. He’s light on his feet despite his size.

Yeah, he’s a real boxer alright.

I take a peek around the desk at the gym behind. There’s a boxing ring stationed in the middle, illuminated by a vast array of lights. Around the ring is different types of exercise equipment, punching bags, and free weights. All you need to run a world-class training center. This Cyrus guy is clearly serious about his sport. A true professional, I’ve got to admire that.

Maybe it wasn’t such a bad decision to pop by after all.

“Do you like the look of the place?” Caspian asks when he returns.

I nod. “Looks good.”

“I spent a lot of time over the last few years building it up. Sank a lot of money into this gym, but it’s all finally starting to pay off. It’s my baby.”

“You’ve done a great job,” I compliment.

Damn, I must’ve spoken more in the past twelve hours than I have in the last two years.

“Let’s go for that tour, then,” Cyrus suggests. He takes me around the place, showing me the different equipment available. I’ve been in enough gyms to know what he’s talking about and he knows that too. He gives me respect, and I like that. As we tour around the changing rooms, Cyrus starts to tell me his story. “I’m from East Springs. Trained as a boxer since I was old enough to wear a glove. This sport was in my blood, you know? I had a passion for it, and my size certainly helped. My dad was wary of me getting into the ring, but he still allowed me to continue practicing even if we had to drive over to the next town to box.”

“Did you go pro?” I ask.

“I moved to New York for a couple of years working in security and doing boxing,” he says. “Did a few professional fights and all. But I hated that big city life. I preferred it back here in my hometown. I came back and opened this place, hoping to inspire the next little boy like myself.”

I nod along. I like this guy’s attitude.

“This guy looks like a fighter. You gotta watch out, Cyrus.”

That comment comes from a girl we pass. She’s landing blows on a punching bag. She’s small, but is a ball of muscles. She has her dark hair tied back in a ponytail and glances at Cyrus and me with a tough stare.

“Ignore Juniper,” Cyrus says, rolling his eyes at the woman. “She has a bad bite but is actually a real softie underneath all her bravado.”

“Speak for yourself, Mister Head of Security.”

“You should get back to practicing if you want to beat me up, Juniper.”

“Maybe you should fight someone your own size for once, Cyrus. What about this guy?”

Cyrus introduces us two. He explains that his gym is practically Juniper’s second home. She growls at that. I like her already. The two of them have an easy banter between themselves. I’m usually deaf, dumb, and blind about these kinds of things, but I definitely see a little spark between the two of them.

“I bet you could dominate Cyrus,” Juniper tells me.

“He’s just here for a tour,” the Samoan replies.

“That sounds like an excuse to me. What do you think, Caspian? You want to get in the ring with Mister Show Off here?”

I look at Cyrus. He shrugs.

“I’m happy to have a spar with you,” he says.

I look down at my jeans and shirt. “I’m not exactly dressed for it.”