sparring matches Jason and Max had with each other, eventually they too started to have people stop their training to poke their heads in and watch.
Kylie liked how Trisha was driven and strong like herself but she never let the sparring matches go beyond the mats. Always giving everything she had but also knowing she was testing herself more than she was trying to win a fight. A pretend fight, which is what it actually was.
The night Kylie, Max, and Jason took things way farther than Kylie thought she would ever go, Kylie and Trisha were having one of those sparring matched at the gym. Kylie remembered the trainer, Jax, ringing the bell and hearing the cheers and applause of the other people in the room. She remembered seeing Max and Jason in the doorway both nodding in approval while they clapped before turning around to go back to their own training again. Jason on the speed bag and Max on the heavy bag held in place by Ferran, one of the other trainers and part owner of the Ultimate with Jax. Kylie really felt like part of the club then.
“Nice job ladies,” Jax called out to them. Jax was herself quite an experienced fighter and had working with Trisha and Kylie a lot. You could tell from the way she smiled, Jax was really proud of the work the two of them had put into their training. Kylie touched gloves and helmets with Trisha which was the tradition after finishing a match to show respect for your opponent.
Kylie ran into Max though on the way to the woman’s change room feeling totally spent from the sparring match.
“Those where some nice rounds you guys put in there,” he said looking impressed. “Nice moves and a bit of power now I see.”
Kylie took off her head gear and said, “I always had the power, you just never took the time to watch.” She didn’t give him time to respond and walked straight over to the woman’s locker room, but she could hear him laughing a bit. Max and Kylie had developed this sort of teasing and flirty relationship. At first, it was Max that always started the banter but lately Kylie was also going out of her way to tease Max a bit when the two of them were working out at the same time.
“Careful you don’t break a nail hitting that thing,” she called over her shoulder when she was almost through the doorway to the shower. Kylie could hear all the other people training in the room let out a big “OOooooohh”, followed by Max telling everyone to knock it off.
After showering Kylie walked over to her usual locker which was right next to Trisha’s.
“Ohh man, you should really think about finding a new sparring partner,” Trisha said, “I’m getting a little tired of getting thrown around by you,” gingerly pulling her T-shirt over her head.
“Hey, it’s not like I don’t need a hot bath with some epsom salts tonight myself.”
As Trisha finished with her shirt and started pulling her hair back into a ponytail she said, “I saw Max and Jason both taking an interest in our fight again tonight. What ya think of that?”
Kylie brushed Trisha off with a smirking huff. Trisha was always talking to her about the guys in the gym. Trisha had a boyfriend, which also meant that she was constantly teasing and prodding Kylie about hooking up with one of the guys there. Kylie didn’t want to mix up sex with what she had going on in the gym, but she was also starting to realize she hadn’t been with anyone in a long time, and the hard bodies all around her all the time were starting to get more and more tempting every day.
“Two of the best fighters here at the gym people say,” Trisha continued on after she realized Kylie wasn’t going to take the bait and reply to her question. “Both of them are probably equal favorites to win the tournament this year people say. I wonder if that would also translate to the sheets as well.” After pausing another moment or two, “you know maybe their fighting styles match their fucking styles.”
Kylie couldn’t hold it
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