"Your arch is very good. Have you trained before?"
Sona Hu tried to tamp down the annoyance as she curved her back in an utterly wicked arch. Of course she was good, she almost made it to the Olympics. Still, that had been over 10 years ago and it wasn't good to dwell on the past.
"You're very talented."
Mentally, she preened a little from the praise. It was surreal to be back at a gym for the first time in over a decade. Of course, this tiny brick and mortar establishment was hardly reminiscent of the state-of-the-art facility she trained in when she was younger. She felt herself relax a little more as her body went back to motions it half remembered. She knew she would be sore in places she forgot could be sore the next morning, but every stretch felt like coming home.
It didn't hurt that Alec's calloused hands were on her body, pushing her into every stretch. There had been an instant connection when she first found herself in the tiny, newly opened gym in town. When she was signing up for lessons, she could tell he had a real passion for gymnastics. Posters of gymnasts from all eras across different nations adorned the limited space. The gym was filled with quality equipment where no expense was spared. His body was also a monument to male gymnast fitness standards. Alec was probably a few years older than her, but he had a body in absolute peak form.
Sona was certainly in fine form herself, but nowhere near her peak thinness she had as a teenager. Normally, it was easy to feel accomplished and beautiful because she wasn't surrounded by wannabe Olympian gymnasts any more, but she was certainly slovenly next to Alec.
It was easy to overlook because of the obvious lust he had as he eye-fucked her constantly. Normally she would've found it annoying, but his hands and actions remained perfectly professional. And besides, it felt... nice, to be looked at like that. Appreciated by someone like him.
"I trained for a bit," she replied.
He gave a small chuckle. "You've trained for more than a bit. You look like you got into gymnastics at quite a young age. Probably quit for a few years too."
Sona was shocked by the accuracy of his statement. Maybe he had been looking at her body so intently for practical reasons. It stood to reason a gymnastics instructor might need to look very closely at a student's body to know what type of lesson he needed to tailor to.
She then awkwardly realized she hadn't replied to his statement. "Yeah, you got it," she said awkwardly.
He let out another chuckle, but there wasn't a hint of smugness. Casually, he lifted her body in the air for a handstand.
"Well, how'd you get into gymnastics, and what brought you back here today?" he asked.
She strained her arms to try to hold her handstand as long as possible. A few seconds later, her balance tipped. Before she could even hit the ground, Alec caught her in his strong arms. The rush of sensation from blood falling to her head and her sudden drop caused her to be extra sensitive to his large hands holding her waist and thighs.
Slowly, Alec deposited her on the ground. Spread-eagle and on her back, she took a few seconds to catch her breath.
"Ah, I went to nationals a few times, but I quit after I didn't make the cut for the Olympics when I was 17. Focused on school. Decided it would be good to support a local business," she said with forced casualness. Quit was a honestly weak word for what she did. Sona had thrown out her gymnastics equipment in the dumpster after cutting it to shreds with scissors because she failed to make it to the Olympics. She had a weeks-long temper tantrum that led to her being suspended from school for fighting. Teenage Sona had not taken well to failure.
She looked over her shoulder, a wry smile on her face from the memory. "You know, a fairly normal story."
"I would have gone a little harder on you if I knew you went to nationals."
"Ha!" She sat up from the mat. "I do need some time to get back into the swing of it."
"Hey, for what it's worth, I think you've still got it," he raised his hands defensively.
"Shut up and help me with the next stretch."
"You got it boss!"
Weeks later, Sona was feeling indecisive in the changing room. Wrapped in just a towel, she had taken a quick shower which did nothing to douse the heat inside of her. On one hand, she wanted to run right out of the changing room and give Alec a big sloppy kiss. On the other hand, she wanted to hit herself for having such a ridiculous thought. The way he looked as he demonstrated poses to her was positively sinful. There were weeks of banter that she couldn't determine where good customer service ended and flirting began.
As she tried to use her key to open the locker, she realized she didn't have it. Now she had a number of choices. The normal person thing to do would be to put on her sweaty workout clothes and just grab the key where she left it. However, she knew that she was Alec's last customer of the day and the gym had been locked up. They were the only ones there. If she walked out wearing just the towel, well, she'd see where things went from there.
The sound of lips smacking on lips echoed in the otherwise silent gym. And within that room, a single towel fell to the ground, and what followed was the breathless gasp of a girl being pushed against a wall.
Sona knew she had a type. She was for the gymnast men. Away from the watchful gaze of her mother or coach, Sona had enjoyed meeting up with boys from the gym. The rigid, lean muscle on hers and the way they could twist her body around was something she didn't realize she needed until it was gone. Her one attempt with a non-athlete guy after retiring from gymnastics had left her horribly disappointed. If they didn't want to fold her like a pretzel, then what was the point?
