Welcome to Ohio

Ten

As training is wrapping up, I get a text from dad saying that Fousey is gone, and I sigh to myself, kinda happy that after this roller coaster that has been the past 24 hours, I can go home and relax with my family.

"What's up, kiddo?" Carli asks, coming over and sitting beside me as she unties her cleats.

"Just got a text from my dad."

"Yeah? You grounded?"

"Nah. He's just letting me know that his friend left, so when I get back to Ohio, I'm going straight home and sleeping in my bed." I say and Carli chuckles.

"While I move home to New Jersey." Carli says and I shrug.

"You said that magic word though, home." I say and she nods.

"You've got a point."

-

At the hotel, I groan as I lay on the bed, looking at my girlfriend as she crawls over me before laying beside me, her left arm pulling me close as she rests her head on her right hand.

"My little soccer star." Alex says and I grin. "How's it feel?" She asks, tugging at the USA crest resting over my heart.

"Surreal." I say, putting my hand over the crest. "Like I'm going to wake up any second now and be in my room back home." I say and Alex grins at me.

"Well, it's real, Jules." She says and I smile, sitting up and kissing her softly.

"I'm gonna go shower real quick, and then we can do whatever you want." I say and Alex nods.

-
Alex
-

A lapse in activity. Well fuck, I sigh as I watch Julie grab some Maverick joggers, her dad knows the Paul brothers, and she fell in love with the joggers, so for Julie's birthday, she got a big box of Maverick merch, a few unreleased pieces as well, but still, she's got the clothes with the bird on it. So she grabs a blue pair of joggers, some underwear, and a teal? I think it's teal, it's a bright colored shirt that says 'scars mark my strength' on it. And watch as she disappears into the bathroom to shower. As she showers, I sigh as I try to decide what we could do.

"Hey babe." I call out as I hear the water turn off.

"Yeah." Julie responds, sounding distracted.

"I was thinking that we could just have a day in, y'know? You had a rough morning, you should rest." I say, looking over at Julie as she comes out fully dressed, drying her hair with a towel.

"No movies? Or trampoline parks? Or crazy haunted abandoned places you want to do to?"

"What? You don't want to spend the day in?"

"This is my first time anywhere besides New Mexico, Ohio, or the Bahamas, babe. I wanna go explore." Julie says and I smile, watching as she comes over and crawls into bed beside me. "But I will not complain about taking a nap." Julie groans out, getting comfortable, pulling me close.

"Oh, I'm taking a nap now, too?" I ask and she nods into my neck, sighing tiredly.

"Yeah." She mumbles and I grin, playing with her hair.

-

A while later, I groan as I feel Julie shifting around, so I open one eye to see her scooting to the edge of the bed, sitting at it and sighing as she rubs her hands on her face.

"Jules?" I ask and Julie turns to me.

"Shit, my bad, Alex." She says and I sit up, but Julie turns fully to me, pushing me back down to the bed with a gentle hand on my chest. "Relax. You were sleeping so good." She says and I sigh.