I didn’t wait for Danny after that. I wasn’t ready to face her, but I emptied my pockets to the homeless guy as I walked home. Already, she was making me want to be a better person. I turned up at the cafe a few times after that, but never made it inside. When my day had been hard and shitty, I’d watch her from across the street. Seeing how she was with people and how she’d smile shyly when she thought no one was looking, instantly made my day better. Every girl I’d ever met acted like they were performing for me. Everything they did or said invited me to look at them or touch them. It was the rare exception when they didn’t want me to fuck them. This girl just wanted to be invisible. I didn’t really know her, and I worried that I’d built her up in my head to be something she wasn’t, but by the time I grew enough balls to muscle in on Danny’s breakfast and actually meet her, I was already half in love. It was probably why I acted like a total tool that first time, too tongue-tied to even open my mouth.

Em knew I loved her, but I didn’t think she’d ever know just how much. She was my peace, my inspiration, my motivation, and my reward. She was my salvation. The centre of my fucking universe. I was going to conquer the whole world and lay it at her feet. It was the least she deserved. People thought the IBF Championship fight was the hardest thing I’ve ever fought for. It wasn’t. Getting that girl to fall in love and marry me was the hardest fight of my life.

I hit the bag Kieran was still holding harder and harder until he was grunting with every punch. I could feel Em watching me, and I smiled, knowing that my need to impress her fuelled each hit. Now that she had me here, my appetite for training was relentless. Until Frank was gone for good and I knew my girl would get the happy ever after she deserved, this fight wasn’t over. It was only just beginning.