Someone Someday (All in Good Time Book 2) (3 page)

Jordan motioned for me to follow her again. "We have a couple of women's-only kickboxing classes if you're more comfortable with that," she said from over her shoulder.

We walked down a hallway through a door that opened into an even bigger gym. This one had bleachers on one wall that overlooked a huge area with wall-to-wall mats. There were at least fifty people on the mats, all of them wearing that karate suit she called a gi.

They were working in teams of two just as they'd been doing in the striking gym, but these guys were laying on the ground together with their bodies pressed up against each other and their limbs entangled. I had a feeling Jiu Jitsu would be out of the question. It was hard to tell who was who with so many people wearing the same thing, but there seemed to be at least ten girls on the mat.

My eye went from pair to pair, seeing if I could find Chris. "Chris is in the back corner wearing a black gi," Jordan said, reading my mind.

I smiled and nodded when I found him, but didn't really know what else to say.

"How do you guys know each other?"

"We work together at Miller's."

"Ooh, yum. I love that place."

"Yeah, it's good," I said. "I'm just there part time in the evenings."

I watched the action on the mat intently as we spoke, and Jordan must have seen how overwhelmed I was because she brought me to a spot on the bleachers. She spent the next half hour explaining the principles of MMA, exactly what they taught at the gym, and how it could apply to me. By the time she finished talking, I felt considerably more comfortable and thought I just might try to get my feet wet with one of the intro-level striking classes.

Chapter 3

I decided to hang out till the level-one striking class started at 11 o'clock just to see what it was all about. Jordan went back to the front desk after we talked, leaving me in the bleachers to watch the Jiu Jitsu clinic.

The students took a few water breaks while I was there, and Chris came over to talk to me and introduce me to some of the others. He made a point of saying how proud he was of me for showing up, and everyone standing around acted like it was a fantastic idea for me to start coming to classes.

I never dreamed this type of place would attract easy-going, welcoming people, but I was wrong. Everyone seemed down to earth and really cool. I watched them interact with each other and couldn't help but feel like I might actually enjoy being a part of whatever sort of camaraderie they had going on.

I went outside a few times before eleven just to get some fresh air and pass some time before the striking class started. It was ten minutes till, and I was standing in a shady spot near the entrance looking down at my phone when someone came up to me and spoke.

"Hey, is that you?" a guy's voice said. I assumed at first that he couldn’t possibly be speaking to me, but he was extremely close and no one else was around. I looked up, and lo and behold, there stood the guy I danced with in the club last night.

I knew it was him, I could tell by the smile, but I still made a facial expression like I couldn't quite place him.

"I met you at The Breaks last night, remember?"

"Oh, yeah," I said, faking sudden recognition.

His face cocked to the side and he made a curious expression. "Do you train here?" he asked.

"Me, oh, no. I mean, I thought about trying it out. My friend's in there doing that clinic and he's trying to talk me into signing up." My gaze shifted to the duffle bag he had hanging from his shoulder, and I motioned to it. "I guess it's safe to assume
you
train here."

He smiled. "Yeah, I've been coming here for about two years. This place is awesome. You know who the owner is, right? He had like twenty UFC fights."

"Yeah, I heard all about that just now. I'm not really into UFC, I was just sort of looking into it for exercise."

He smiled and looked me over from head to toe. "It doesn't seem like you really need to get in shape," he said.

I could tell he thought I would be flattered by the compliment. The poor thing had no idea I was immune to flattery.

I shrugged. "Everybody needs to get in shape," I said. "Plus I heard it was good for self-defense."

"It's awesome for self-defense," he agreed. "Are you looking into Jiu Jitsu?"

"Maybe, but I was thinking I'd check out kickboxing first."

He shrugged one shoulder, lifting the duffel as he patted it. "That's where I'm headed now," he said. "There's an intro class starting in a few minutes."

"I know. I'm going in there to watch a little."

He gave me a confident little smirk and a wink. "I usually do the level two class, but level one's good after a night out."

"Yeah, level two looked pretty intense."

"Level one's intense too, but it's nothing you can't handle. You'll catch on easy. You should let me know when you're coming to your first class, and I can meet you here so we can partner up."

I smiled. He might be slightly full of himself, but I had the feeling he'd take it easy on me, and that gave me comfort. "That'd be good," I said.

He took a step toward the door and started to open it. "I better go get my hands wrapped," he said. "You coming in?"

"Yeah, I'll be in there in a second."

He winked again. "What's your name, by the way?"

"Lexi."

"I'm Jason." His hair was cropped short on the sides but longer on top, and he ran his hand through the top of it like a male model. I was sure that he had an easy time impressing the ladies. I smiled thinking his efforts were cute, and he smiled back, assuming his charms were working. I came really close to winking at him as he was on his way in the door, but I decided against it, thinking he may take my sarcasm as a genuine wink.

I spaced out on my phone for a few minutes longer because I didn't want to seem too eager to get in there. The lobby was pretty quiet when I went inside, and Jordan and the other girl both looked up from their desk with a smile.

"Heyyy," Jordan said. "Are you gonna head in there to check out intro class?"

"Yeah, do I just walk right in?"

She nodded. "There's a bench on the side. You can't miss it." Then she changed her mind and pushed her chair back to stand up. "I'll walk in there with you," she said.

I was thankful for the company and told her so. "I recognized one of the guys that was coming to this class," I said as we walked.

She glanced at me with a curious expression. "Oh really? Who?"

"Jason," I said. "I don't really know him, I just met him once."

"Jason Lane?"

I shrugged. "I guess so."

"The hottie with the motorcycle?"

My face showed my cluelessness when she looked at me. "I just met him once, and I didn't see what he was driving."

"Did he just get here a few minutes ago?" she asked.

"Yeah, I saw him outside."

"Yep, that's Jason Lane." She gestured behind us toward the main gym. "He's gone out with a few of the girls here. He's sweet, but he's a little bit of a player."

And there it was, yet another reason why I was right about not being interested. She glanced at me like she regretted saying that. "But he's a good guy, don't get me wrong."

We were walking into the striking gym as she said it, so I didn't bother responding. I just smiled as if Jason's player status didn't really matter to me, which it didn't.

Jordan and I found a spot on the bench and watched the first ten minutes of class. There were about twenty students in the class, and all of them were decked out in gear just as the level-two students had been. I found this somewhat intimidating, but Jordan assured me I'd be fine.

We watched them warm up and begin the class, and she whispered explanations to me about what they were doing and why. I had to admit, in spite of my reluctance, I was intrigued.

Jason glanced my way several times just to make sure I was watching. Each time I smiled, and he returned it.

We were just about to walk out when Chris came in to see how I was doing. "Hey," I said. "I was just going up to the front with Jordan to see about signing up."

Chris' face broke into a huge grin. "I knew it!" he said. "I knew you'd be sold if you came." He looked at Jordan. "You know she came with me, right? So you can hook me up with that discount or whatever."

Jordan smiled. "Yes, Chris, I'll hook you up." Her expression turned serious as if she reconsidered and she pointed onto the mat. "But Jason already told me she was with him," she said with a straight face.

Chris' smile faded and he looked onto the mat. "Who's Jason?" he asked, looking annoyed.

Jordan and I both giggled. "I'm just playing with you," she said. "I'll hook you up with a discount next month."

Chris gave her a satisfied smile, and as he did, I glanced onto the mat. Jason was staring at us with great curiosity, and I gave him a quick, casual smile before turning away.

"I'll meet you at the front," Jordan said, walking off and leaving me standing there to talk to Chris.

He was dripping with sweat and took a long drink from a bottle of water. "What are you signing up for?" he asked just after swallowing.

"I'm gonna do a couple of private lessons with Coach Josh before jumping into class. I was hesitant to show up without knowing anything."

"So you're doing striking only?"

"For now."

He took another sip of his water. "I really think you should try Jiu Jitsu."

"I think I'm gonna like hitting things," I said smiling. "It looks fun."

"I'm sure it is. I'm just so hooked on grappling I can't imagine not doing it."

"I might ease into it," I said.

Chris reached out to hug me. "I better get back," he said. "I'm sorry I'm so sweaty."

"No biggie."

"I'm glad you came. I think you're gonna love it here."

"It seems like a cool place," I said.

"Oh, it is. We're like a family."

Chris turned to walk out and I followed him. I glanced at Jason on my way out, but he was in the middle of doing something with his partner and didn't see me.

***

I did two privates with a man named Josh the next week. Jordan knew what she was doing when she sold those private lessons to me, because Josh was an experienced, patient coach, and I had a ton of fun both times.

One of the first things he taught me was how to wrap my hands with the hand wraps that went underneath your boxing gloves for added support. That was one of my favorite parts about the whole lesson. Those hand wraps made me feel tough, and I found myself practicing them at home.

The gloves and wraps that came with my membership were extremely basic, and after that first private when I figured out how much I enjoyed myself, I went straight to a sporting goods store that Josh recommended and bought an upgraded set. I also bought the shin pads he told me about and a mouth guard.

By the second private, I was all decked out just like the other students I'd seen that first day. I would have never considered myself to be a violent person, but there was something soothing about hitting pads. The physical release felt like a relief on multiple levels, and I stretched out on the bed after my second lesson feeling sad that it had taken me this long to figure out how awesome boxing was.

I was sore from head to toe and was blown away by all the new information, but it was one of the best experiences I'd ever had. I thought about throwing different combinations into the pads as Josh called them out.
Jab, cross, hook. Jab, jab, cross. Cross, hook, uppercut. Jab, cross, kick.

I smiled remembering some of the specific times I stumbled around like a rookie goofball, but I didn't care or feel embarrassed. I was hooked—absolutely hooked. I couldn’t wait to try my first class and hoped it would be as fun as the privates.

I was still thinking about it the next day. I hadn't even been to my first official class and I was already thinking about trying to talk Laney and Zack into going with me. I'd just gotten off work from a long morning at the coffee shop and was in their kitchen eating a snack. Laney was propped against the cabinets watching me eat a bowl of yogurt and chia seeds with great interest.

"Zack!" she yelled, with a fake look of concern aimed at me. "Somebody kidnapped Lexi and replaced her with a girl who eats yogurt instead of Cheetos."

"Ha ha, very funny," I said, putting a spoonful into my mouth. "I have to eat clean if I'm trying to train kickboxing."

"That's right, Laney was telling me you were doing that," Zack said, coming into the kitchen. He reached past Laney and into the cabinet, and she tickled him under his arm, making him jerk back and laugh.

"I really want you guys to come to this gym with me," I said, ignoring their cuteness.

"I'm not going anywhere for a few months," Laney said, patting her belly.

"I'll go," Zack said. His willingness took me by surprise. I wanted him to say he would, but I hadn't imagined it would be so easy.

"Really?" I asked.

He smiled and pointed to the bowl in front of me. "It must be good if you're eating chia seeds."

"It is good," I said, throwing a couple of light punches with the spoon still in my hand. "It's so much fun. I think I'm about to turn into a beast, as they say."

Zack and Laney both laughed. "I think I could get into boxing," Zack said reaching into the fridge for some juice. He poured it into his glass and took a drink. "What's the name of the place?"

"Summit," I said.

"Summit? The MMA gym?"

"Yeah, you know about MMA?" I asked.

"I watch a little UFC." He paused, thinking of something. "I think I know a few people who train there, actually."

"I'm not surprised. That place is huge."

"Laney said you really liked it so far."

"I do. I did two privates with one of their coaches, and I'm going to my first real class tonight. You wanna come with me? They'll let you do thirty days for free to check it out."

He looked at Laney and they both shrugged at the same time. "I don’t care," she said.

That made Zack shift his gaze to me. "Let's do it," he said with a smile.