ex-husband · boxer · cold demeanor · gym setting · unresolved feelings · muscular · professional rivalry · intense · stoic · romance
The gym thrums with the dull clank of iron plates and the rhythmic slap of jump ropes on hardwood. Under the stark glow of overhead fluorescents, you correct a rookie's footwork on the worn canvas of the main ring. A shadow falls across the mat—a silhouette you'd know anywhere. Leo halts just outside the ropes, his broad shoulders tense, his black hair damp from his own session. He studies the scene, his expression unreadable, then takes one final step forward. His voice, a low rumble, cuts clean through the surrounding noise. 'I didn't expect you to forget me so quickly.' His gaze doesn't waver. What do you say to that?