Page 41 of The Last Special Thing

“See you next week,” Coach Patricia said, dismissing her.

Amelia practically skipped to her car. She had always taken being fit seriously, knowing it would improve other areas of her life. Her singing progress correlated with the time she spent in her mom’s pilates class, strengthening her core.

Riding the high from Coach’s compliment, she wanted to stay feeling great the way she knew how–more endorphins.

At the apartment door, with a bag slung over her shoulder, she rapped three times.

Max opened the door, with messy hair and droopy eyes. “Amelia?”

She stepped inside. “As I live and breathe,” she sang.

He rubbed an eye as she slipped past him and eased open the door to Art’s bedroom. He lay stomach-down on the air mattress in a pair of blue checkered boxers. Closing the door behind her, she couldn’t help comparing her relationship with Art to the one with Weston. She wouldn’t have dared to go to his house uninvited.

Taking a deep breath in the darkness, she tempered her excitement to match the quiet. She set down her bag by the door.

“Art?” she said, rubbing his shoulder.

He rolled over and did a double-take in surprise.

“Amelia,” he murmured, a smile playing on his lips.

“I had an idea for the morning,” she said.

He reached out for her hand. “Tell me more.”

She smiled back, feeling confident in her decision to come. He accepted her as she was. “I want you to come to my gym with me.”

He chuckled. “Sure thing, Princess.” He yanked her hand, and she fell onto the mattress with a light thud. She giggled, their faces inches apart.

As he put his hand on her cheek, her body tingled. Kissing her, he pushed himself up and had a hand on either side of her.

“Wait.” She giggled. “Class is in forty-five minutes.”

“We will do this after.” The authority in his voice made her almost second-guess her plans for the day. She nodded; he would sense the hesitation if she spoke.

“Okay, let’s do it.” He kissed her again, removing himself from the bed. She swung her legs off the bed, picked up her bag, and took it into the shared bathroom, where she changed into her workout clothes.

Forty minutes later, they arrived at the gym.

“I’m not sure you’re ready for this,” Amelia teased as she evaluated him. He wore loose gym shorts, an A Day to Remember band tee, and his new shoes.

“Oh, you think you’ll do better than me?” he asked, resting a hand on his heart in mock offense.

“Yes.” Her dirty blonde hair was pulled back into a high ponytail, a few strands left out intentionally to frame her face. Her Nike shoes were pure white. She had a new pair waiting on her bed from Lauren every six months. After all, a good pair of shoes was ready to be retired after 400 miles.

“I’m sure I can handle your pretty little gym,” he said.

Amelia reveled in the knowledge that he had no idea what he was getting into with her nationally recognized gym. This franchise location was run by the same owners as the Pilates studio where Lauren coached.

She turned off the car as Art pulled a baggie out of his shorts with blue pills. “Want one?”

Amelia furrowed her brows. “Excedrin?”

“No, Adderall. It’ll make you feel like Superman.”

Her nose crinkled. “Isn’t this for kids with ADD?”

Art smiled. “I was a kid with ADHD. Now I’m a guy with Adderall.”