Into The Ring (Phenomenal: 2)

10 ~ You Make Me Smile

"Doors open," Clarissa called at the sound of the doorbell, not looking up from her laptop and her homework as the front door opened. The heavy, long strides signalled it was Damien and she waved without looking around. "Grab a drink, I'll be done in like ten minutes," she said.

Damien headed into the kitchen and Clarissa turned her music back up, adjusting her earbuds and concentrating on the screen, taking exactly ten minutes before she sat back and shut the laptop.

Damien had already made himself comfortable on the other end of the sofa, stretching his feet out so they were stuffed behind Clarissa's back and she turned in her seat, leaning back against the armrest, tugging his feet onto her lap, his long legs pressed the soles into her stomach and she looked at him.

"So how was it?" she asked, smiling.

Damien was quiet for a moment as he took a sip of his tea, thinking. "Odd," he finally said.

"Oh yes?"

"It's only been a few months since I worked with a high quality, professional team, but it feels like the last time was ages ago," he said, slouching down in his seat, pulling his feet away from her waist and separating his legs, setting his feet either of side of her. "I don't think I've been trained that hard in months or given such a strict diet to follow..." He suddenly grinned. "I really liked it."

Clarissa laughed, settling her arms on his shins like they were an arm rest. "That's what I hoped to hear," she said, "My dad's right, you know, you'll take that title back."

Damien smiled at her. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves," he said, "This is just the first day of training and I haven't been in an official, professional match for ages. All this training won't do anything if I still freeze up."

"Do you know anything about your first opponent?"

"Craig Johnson," Damien said, reaching for her laptop and pulling it onto his stomach, tapping in her password and bringing up Google, tying in his name. "From Manchester. Heavy, solid fighter. Real heavy hitter, you don't want to fight up close and personal. Not the greatest in terms of stamina but he usually demolishes his opponents before he has to even think about getting tired."

"Sounds scary," Clarissa said, looking at the images of him.

"He is rather," Damien said, his tone thoughtful, "I'm somewhat at a disadvantage to. I'm taller than him and he favours body shots. I've seen his right hook knock people out. It won't be a pretty match, whatever the outcome."

Clarissa smiled at him. "You'd better re-learn how to dodge then," she said with a grin.

He smiled at her. "You don't seem the least concerned."

"I have complete faith in you," she said, shaking his leg, "All that self-confidence you don't have room for at the moment, I'm hanging onto it until you kick that self-doubt to the curb."

"How poetic," he said, laughing.

"Why thank you," she said, grinning, "You flatter me."

"I do try once in a while," he said. He watched her for a moment as Clarissa tilted her head to see the clock in the kitchen, checking the time. "Your dad sent me a message this morning."

"Oh yeah? I hope he wasn't rude," Clarissa said.

"No, it wasn't that," he said, "he was telling me about The Stanley Charity Event."

Clarissa was quiet for a moment. "Ah," she muttered, looking at him. "What about it?"

"You're first event back into that circle since your break up with Brett," he said.