Burden to Bear

By David Manoa

I came out of a bad relationship to restart my life. The business that I started, Cloud Fitness, was the first step to moving on and I was lucky to meet an exceptional woman named Nikki Chalmers, that gave me hope that love is possible.
But I had secrets I couldn't tell Nikki and a jealous ex-girlfriend named Samantha Jones who made sure I would never be happy with anyone else, but her.

My name is Christian Cloud and this is my crazy story.

Contains content for mature audiences.

• Language: English
• Publisher: David Manoa
• Release date: Feb 23, 2018
• ISBN: 9781370804528

David Manoa

I am a writer based in Auckland, New Zealand.I write mainly contemporary romance.My interests are Rugby League, Cars, Gaming and Bodybuilding.

Book preview

Burden to Bear

~~~

David Manoa

Copyright 2018 David Manoa

Smashwords Edition

v. 2.6

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The author asserts the moral right to be identified as

the author of this work.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including photocopying, recording, information storage and retrieval systems, or otherwise, without prior permission in writing from the author, with the exception of a book reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.

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- Secrets I keep. Secrets that make me weep. Secrets that will always make me meek. Secrets that make me weak. Truth is the real salvation. I will set you free.

In a police holding cell, Christian Cloud lay on a dark blue plastic mattress. He stared at the flickering fluorescent light as moths circled the tubes. Moth dust drifted down like snow, making Christian squeeze his eyes. He turned his head to the right to the stainless steel toilet integrated with the basin. The tap dripped, the noise driving him insane. His forehead, stitched up but still bleeding after a blind shot with a metal bar by Dom Marino.

He sat up. Coughed. Blood trickled down to the corner of his left lip. Blood moving end to end. He licked his lips. The coppery taste of blood slid down the back of his throat. The coppery taste of blood pooled in his mouth, building up like the predicament he got himself in. He spat launching a film of blood on the white walls.

Christian stared at the disgusting mess he made trying to distinguish shapes from the effort. The slider moved across, and the Police officer shouted obscenities. Christian turned to dull stainless steel mirror he speared back his black hair. His dark brown eyes were sunken, his picked at the dried blood on his beard. Standing six feet two, 100kg. A body built like a sprinter, the cop moved the slider back when Christian stared at him with such dark and soul-less eyes. The policeman winced as Christian smeared the blood to write the words, you just read at the beginning.

The truth set him free, but his actions came at a price.

He whispers, I miss you, Nikki... Please forgive me.

***

Christian Cloud

Auckland

New Zealand

2 years ago.

Problems, we go through life experiencing it. You work hard, and no matter how hard you work, you keep getting fucked. I sit my desk staring my ringing phone. The tone reverberates around the room. The number unidentified. To anyone else, you would wonder who is calling, but I knew. I knew the pattern. The times they called throughout the day. That guilt when you owe money to a lot of people, and I can't do anything about the predicament I’m in.

I borrowed money from a number of finance companies to start my own business, Cloud Fitness. I needed the money to purchase exercise equipment for my gym. I tell you what man, I went into the venture on blind faith thinking hard work is the answer.

Luck is the key to success, hard work doesn’t mean shit.

I lean over the counter watching the scant amount customers working out. Dom and Jeff are at the squat racks getting ready to do bench presses. Dom Marino is a character, proud of his Italian heritage, he adjusts his headband in Italian colors over his forehead. Standing five foot nine with jet black hair, he checks his groomed beard in the mirror, he wears his grey track pants and his black stringer singlet. Jeff is in shorts wearing his stringer singlet. Jeff is a bit more conservative but another carbon copy. The twenty-somethings who do more posing in the mirrors then they do working out. Being in my mid-thirties. I raise my brow at this new generation coming through. Maybe I'm basing my judgments on these two clowns. But hey, they are paying customers, right?

Dom finishes his last rep struggling to lift the bar off his chest. He grunts and hisses while Jeff screams to encourage him. The screams echoed through the empty gym. I should have turned on the music.

Dom's arms shake violently as he lifts the 100kg weight. His muscles give out and the bar drops on his chest and rolls to his neck. Jeff struggles to raise the bar on the rack. Jesus Dom’s gonna choke! I sprint over and tell Jeff to grab the other side.

Lift! I shout.

We lift the bar and weights back on the rack.

Dom sits up, heaving, sweating. Clutching his throat. He narrows his eyes at me. Bro I had this!

Whatever. I smile, garnering a laugh out of Dom. He stands and looks into the mirror pulling his two straps down on his stringer singlet and starts flexing his chest. Left pec, Right pec both together. The same routine, every day. Vain bastard.

Dom says, Bro look at this sick pump. Yeah, we should go to the beach right now, C'mon Jeff take a photo of this right now. Quick bro. This is lightning in a bottle!

I sit on the bench and roll my eyes, as Dom adds gun sound effects to his poses. Jeff comes with his DSLR camera mounted on a stick and starts filming. Maybe these two douche bags are the reason why I don't have customers.

Dom smoothed his beard and tenses his whole body. Sucking his cheeks in, looking like a constipated duckface man as Jeff takes photos. "Yo bro email that shit me so I can plaster my Instagram, yo! Hashtag two guns yeeahh."

I raise a brow, Two guns?

Dom does a double bicep pose, Yeah bro two guns. My name online.

He makes gun sound effects for each arm… I shake my head, whether to cringe or laugh.

Dom drops his arms and places his hands on hips. "Dude? Where are all the females? Thought you said there would be heaps of people coming here."

Hey man, I've only been open for a month. I haven't officially opened yet. Call the last month a soft launch.

Dom smooths his beard, More like a soft-cock launch. Well, you better attract some females in here soon bro. My heart broke when you brought in all those dudes yesterday to sign up, you might want to change the name to faggot fitness. Ha-ha.

Dom and Jeff chuckle at own joke when they look behind me. They both perk up, Dom licks his index finger and smoothed his eyebrows, they both start flexing in the mirror for attention. I turn my head and wow. Wow... Wow... Wow.

She's damn fine.

I'm shunted into reality by a brunette woman standing by the counter. I move in closer, she's god damn, drop solid gorgeous. First Impressions. Her hair is straight, parted to the side cascaded over her shoulder. Her hazel green eyes are irresistible, making me stare into them, she blushes. I flinch, realizing I'm looking desperate, I smile and introduce myself. I walk around the counter and extend my hand out to shake.

She's a petite girl. With an hourglass shape and a butt like a peach, she took care of her body. I raised my head as she finger-combed a loose fringe of hair to the side.

"Welcome to Cloud Fitness, my name is Christian Cloud, the owner."

"Nikki, nice to meet you. I live down the