New Recruits

Chapter 6

After the second day of training, Sonya and Mandy felt tired, with what felt like all of their muscles aching, and their backs absolutely killing them. But it was the good kind of exhaustion and pain that they were both used to from their past training regimes in their old disciplines.

They had gone back to the apartment as soon as they had showered and changed after training, only stopping at a store to stock up on food and cooking ingredients. All day, they had only eaten a couple of donuts each. With amount of work they were putting their bodies through, they knew that it was important to eat enough to stay healthy. For that reason, Mandy had cooked them a plentiful dinner for their first meal in the apartment.

While they sat on the couch eating, Sonya decided it was time they ought to get to know each other better. It seemed like a strange thought, given the many times they'd had sex the previous night, but that was how things had worked out. She certainly had no regrets about it.

"Where in New York are you from?" Sonya asked. "I definitely hear New York in your accent."

"You do," Mandy smiled after a mouthful of food. "I'm from Westchester County. My family lived there all my life. I have four brothers, all older than me."

"That's Italian breeding," Sonya said with a laugh.

"For sure," Mandy laughed. "How about you? How many brothers and sisters?"

"I'm the middle of three girls," Sonya said. "My youngest sister has a different dad, though. My parents divorced when I was two."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Mandy said sympathetically.

Sonya responded with a smile and a bit of a shrug. "Thank you, but it's okay. It happened so early that I never knew them together. My dad moved out, but we always kept in touch. He's still on good terms with my mom, and he's always been a big part of my life. I can't pretend he's always agreed with my life decisions, but I can't say he was wrong when he disagreed with me, either. He told me he thought moving to LA to train for MMA was a bad idea. Here I am having done it, damn near bankrupt."

"But signed to WWE," Mandy pointed out. "You obviously got scouted through MMA. It's why you're here now, so it absolutely was not a failure."

Sonya smiled. "I guess you're right. Okay, your turn. Tell me about your family."

"My parents are separated as well," Mandy said sadly. "They split up a couple of years ago. The divorce isn't finalised yet. It's been very hard on my dad." Abruptly, Mandy burst into tears.

"Hey, it's okay," Sonya said, taken by surprise. She hurriedly put her plate on the floor and embraced her lover in an attempt to comfort her. "It's okay. Shhh. Don't cry," she said soothingly.

"I'm sorry," Mandy gasped, embarrassed by the unexpected flood of emotion. "It's just... I love my dad so much. I've been so close to him my whole life. He's always been there for me. Anything I've wanted to do, he's supported me. Any time I've struggled, he's been there for me. Seeing him hurting so much after mom left hurt me so much."

"Were you still living with your dad before coming to Orlando? I know you said you were working in his deli?"

Mandy pulled back from the embrace and wiped her eyes, getting herself back under control. "Shit, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to lose it like that. I just love my dad so much."

"It's fine. You have nothing to apologise for," Sonya assured her. "Besides we all need a good cry sometimes."

Taking a deep breath, Mandy wiped her eyes once more. She spent a moment poking at her meal with her fork before she was able to continue the conversation. "Yes, I was living with my dad. I worked at his deli for a while. He built that business up from nothing. It's his pride and joy. I have to take you there one day."