A spark

As we walked, I found myself talking to her more than I expected. She kept glancing at me, and after a moment I realized exactly where her attention had wandered. Her eyes lingered for just a second too long before she caught me noticing and looked away, a faint, almost embarrassed smile appearing on her lips. I decided not to mention it. At least not yet.

“So, what did your friend mean by ‘another loss’?” I asked.

“Oh… that.” Ellie sighed, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “I’m ranked 698th right now. I was getting close to 600, but I’ve already lost twice today, and losing again brings me below 700th. One of those matches was against your friend Max.”

“Max?” I groaned. “Of course it was.”

She laughed softly. “My boyfriend is trying to get revenge for me, but honestly? He’s an idiot.”

I couldn't help smiling. “So your boyfriend picked a fight with my best friend? And sold you to me to do it?”

“Apparently.”

“That doesn't sound like a very smart man.”

She looked at me sideways, amused. “Are you defending him?”

“Absolutely not.”

Her laugh made me smile again, and somehow the tension in my stomach began to disappear. I glanced at her, taking in the way she carried herself, the confidence beneath that playful expression. She was exactly the sort of woman I'd always found attractive, and being this close to her wasn't helping me concentrate.

“Do you know Max's ranking?” I asked.

“Yeah. We checked after my match with him.” Her expression turned slightly disappointed. “Rank 36.”

I nodded, trying to keep my face neutral.

“And I suppose you're somewhere around there too?”

I hesitated. “Tw-…” Her eyebrows rose. “Two hundred,” I quickly corrected. “A little lower.”

It was a terrible lie, but apparently a convincing enough one. “I've kind of lost interest in boxing,” I admitted. “Max brought me here because he thinks I just need the right opponent to get interested again.”

Her expression softened, and then her eyes lit up with curiosity. “Oh? And how's that going?”

“Not very well.”

She smiled. “That's unfortunate.”

“Very.”

“Maybe you just haven't found the right opponent yet.”

I turned toward her. “No. I definitely haven't.”

She raised an eyebrow.

“None of them were like you.”

For a moment she said nothing. Then a slow, mischievous smile spread across her face, and I could see that my words had landed exactly where I'd intended them to. “Careful, Jack.”

“Why?”

“You're making it sound like I'm special.”

“Maybe you are.”

She laughed under her breath, looking away as though she didn't want me to see how pleased she was. “You know, for someone who's supposedly ranked two hundred and doesn't like boxing anymore, you're pretty confident.”

“I'm just telling the truth.”

“Are you?”

I leaned slightly closer, lowering my voice. “You'll find out in the ring.”

Her eyes met mine again, and there was a spark in them now. She wasn't intimidated. If anything, she seemed to be enjoying this far too much.

“So that's it?” she teased. “I'm supposed to be the one who convinces you to fall in love with boxing again?”

“That's the plan.”

“Sounds like a lot of pressure.”

“I think you can handle it.”

She looked me over deliberately this time, no longer bothering to hide her interest.

“Maybe I can.”

I smiled. “Good.”

“And if I win?”

“Then I'll have to admit you were right.”

“And if you win?”

I let the question hang for a moment, enjoying the way she watched me. “Then you'll have to admit I'm exactly what you thought I was.”

Her smile widened. “Cocky.”

“Very.”

“Annoying.”

“Probably.”

She stepped a little closer as we walked, her shoulder almost brushing mine. “But interesting.”

That caught me off guard.

For the first time all day, I wasn't thinking about my ranking, quitting, or how boring my previous matches had been. I wasn't even thinking about Max.

I was thinking about Ellie.

And suddenly, the next match didn't feel like another obligation. It felt like something I actually wanted.