UNTIL DAYLIGHT

2

2.

Hell has less draft,

spirits knock on the door.

"With your right, Mirko! Bend your leg, keep your foot stretched!" Shouted my coach.

"Hit! Focus!" He continued in a louder, more pronounced voice.

I kept hitting my knee against the micro sack he was holding stuck to his arms and stomach. Every knee, right, left fist, focus Mirko!

He struck one last time, folding me to my knees, tired. It was a whole afternoon that I worked on the legs and defense. I still had to improve, understand where I was wrong. What was the point I should have paid more attention to.

Sometimes I thought that Muay Thai was not for me, although it had positively influenced my life.

"You can stop here for today, let's resume in two days. Are you sure you want to fight tonight?" He asked Me as he removed the tools from his body, and dropped them to the floor.

"I'm sure! I have to figure out how to improve myself, or not?" I looked up crossing his, and smiled amused.

“Think about improving the black eye you will most likely have in two days when we train!” He teased me as he approached me, patting me on the shoulder. "I know you'll do your best .." he Almost said it softly.

He walked away disappearing into the locker room, and I stayed there for a few more minutes, thinking about whether or not to have that meeting. Maybe Giorgio was right; I should have avoided it tonight if I didn't want to risk making a s**t figure. I was weak in legs, which was a big disadvantage for a boxer.

I got up and started kicking and punching against invisible shapes. The last few hits and then I'd go home to mentally prepare myself.

***

After taking a shower, I tied the towel around my waist and headed for my room. I had been living in this house for 4 years now, together with some guys who had become like family to me.

"Oh Mirko, are we going to bet on you tonight, or are you leaving us poor?"

Mario looked out of the kitchen, looking at me with a grin on his lips. He thought he was a nice guy.

"I don't think you are invited, Mario." I said in response, laughing. "I don't know .. I don't feel sure about this meeting .." I confessed, thinking back to Giorgio's words.

"Milla will come to see you." Mario made an expression full of malice. He knew how much I liked his cousin, and every time it was always the same story: he provoked me not to make a fool of himself, more than I already did of mine!

“You're a pain in the ass, you know that right?” I mumbled, rolling my eyes as I walked into my room. I locked myself in, and went to throw myself on the bed. The towel loosened, and I began to close my eyelids.

A little rest certainly wouldn't hurt me!

I had met Milla the year after I moved here with Mario. I initially thought she was Mario's girlfriend, I avoided even looking at her.

I certainly didn't want to wrong my best friend!

Then he confessed to me that it was only her cousin's, and that I was free to hit on her. Milla represented everything that I liked: she was feminine, well-groomed, and she had two blue eyes that made me lose my mind every time we had s*x.

The first time she was in her house. We had been to the cinema, and after we accompanied her, we stayed together to talk about her in the car. A look, a smile, my fingers slowly caressing her skin on her thighs. Slowly, one thing pushed the other, and I found it on top of me, panting.

But there had never been anything between us that went further, although I certainly wanted to. I tried. I had been trying for 2 years now to try to change her mind, to start a more serious relationship, or, in any case, something that made me understand that she too was interested in me, that she felt something!

It's not always easy to express your feelings, but sometimes I thought he only needed you when she had no one behind her. Milla was like this: she liked to be courted, admired, and this made her very full of herself. And I, like a fool, continued to welcome her in my arms.

I had someone too, like that, indirectly ..

***

I bandaged my aching knuckles, climbing back into the ring. I felt tired, and my body seemed to have become heavy; I couldn't figure out how to attack and how to defend myself.

I heard Mario and Andrea yelling, I was actually letting myself go, destroying. I parried the punch that was about to hit my face, staggering right after. I started throwing punches not understanding anything. An excruciating headache had taken over my temples, as well as physical pain. I clung to the review, taking breaths of air.

I turned to my friends and Milla was there.

She was looking at me.

I took strength and pounced on the guy, starting to kick, ending with punches.

When he came out of there, he came out the winner in the last few minutes, with a black eye that would surround my face tomorrow.

"Of course you got it right, huh .." Milla giggled, stroking my hair.

"I was not very focused! I'm working on the defense and on these." I started clapping my hands on my thighs, with a smile.

We were in her car, near her house. She looked at my legs and smiled, placing a hand on one of them.

"I like you so .." she whispered.

“Are you declaring yourself?” I asked hopefully. Maybe it was the right time for her to reciprocate.

"No, Mirko! We already talked about it .." She stood straight, frowning. "I don't know how I feel about you, but I just know that I love you, and that I want to have you in my life. But, don't ask me for something that goes beyond .. Not now .."

I rolled my eyes. "Always the same story."

She opened the door and got out of her car. She looked at me confused.

" Where are you going? "

"I'm going home, Milla. Where should I go?"

“I'll give you a lift, get in!” She exclaimed.

I shook my head and started off.

As always, I was losing out. Each of my stories was always the same way: none that took life seriously.

Sometimes I envied Mario. I envied him having someone who tried to understand him, to sleep with at night. We are human. We are so human that we often need to depend on someone in order not to always depend on ourselves.

I was angry with myself for this, for these thoughts that I was having. Thoughts and wishes that I wanted to come true. Things I wanted to experience like any normal person.

I ran into someone, but I didn't stop. I did not want to argue even with some stranger bothered by this gesture that was not from me.

“Of course you're polite!” She exclaimed in a shrill voice. I shook my head, continuing to walk, but slowly. I went after a girl!

“I haven't found anyone here who can apologize here yet!” He continued. "Ah, f**k it .." he finally murmured, deducing that she wouldn't get an answer from me.

I wanted to go home, lose myself in bed, and sleep, sleep, and sleep again.