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I return the smile, and I hope he can’t tell that I’m squealing inside. It must be all the encouragement he needs because he’s in motion. His long legs striding. Right. Toward. Me.
Oh crap. Ohcrapohcrapohcrap. What should I do? What would Faye do? She’s the master of flirting and can make guys fall to their knees begging for her to give them the time of day, and why isn’t she here when I need her?
Because I spent all that time panicking about how I should act and what I should do with my arms, the result is that I stand there staring at him with my mouth open until he reaches me.
He stops right in front of me. Smiles. His lips move. He’s saying something, but all I hear is Maluma singing in my ears.
He looks down at the leg press and back at me, his lips moving again. He must be asking if I’m done with the machine.
I frantically rip out one earbud. “Yes,” I say, flinching at my excessive volume.
His eyebrows draw together, as if confused why I’m still awkwardly standing in front of the machine he wants to use.
This is the closest I’ve ever been to him, and I’m positively failing at my one chance to make him fall in love with me.
He opens his mouth to say something, probably to ask what my issue is, but before I can embarrass myself any further, I turn around while popping my earbud back in, and speed walk the hell away from him.
“Maybe today would’ve been the day I got up the nerve to speakto him,”I mimic myself in my head and roll my eyes at my sheer stupidity. Yeah, because talking to him went real well,andI gave him my leg press machine before I even used it.
Ugh. What isupwith me? I should quit while I’m ahead and leave now, but I’ve had such a shitty workout today I’ve totally wasted the gas it took to get here, and that’s not exactly cheap, at least not cheap enough that the money I get from lifeguarding can comfortably cover it all. Maybe just one more exercise to make the drive here worth it, then I’ll head out. Back extensions always make me feel strong, and that’s exactly what I need after failing to stand up for myself with one guy or flirt with the other.
The equipment is on a forty-five-degree angle, so I lean on it and adjust the pads on my hips. Then I bend down over it so my head is close to the floor and my bottom is in the air and bring myself up with a straight back. Even though I’m a little sore, I decide to hold extra weights to really ramp up the intensity.
On rep six, I lift back up to peek at Mr. Blue Eyes. As if he feels my gaze, he looks in my direction. I dip back down to do another rep, and when I pull myself back up, I realize that he’s not lookingatme, he’s looking at something behind me. When I go back down, I check to see what he’s looking at, and even upside-down, I recognize Pervy Gym Guy with the lion tattoo behind me. Then there’s a flash.
Blood rushing in my ears, I straighten and stumble off the machine. The weights slip out of my hands and land on the padded floor with a muffled thud. Pervy Gym Guy is looking at his phone, which he just used to take a picture of my butt.
My heart sinks and my vision blurs. I don’t know what to do; I feel so disgusted and violated. I want to cry or slap that pervert or run away and hide. I want to yell at him until his head explodes. Destroy his phone with a barbell. Instead, I stand here helplessly, staring daggers at him, without doing any of those things, without grabbing his phone and bashing him with it.
Before I can blink, Mr. Blue Eyes is in Pervy Gym Guy’s face, and Mr. Blue Eyes’s arms are gesturing wildly.
I rip my headphones out so I can hear what he’s saying.
“—the fuck raised you? I’ve never seen something so disrespectful. Who the fuck do you think you are to treat a human being like she’s only here for your disgusting lonely jerk-off session later tonight?” Rage radiates off Mr. Blue Eyes, I can feel it from all the way over here.
“Whoa, chill out, dude. She’s hot—”
“Chill out?!”Mr. Blue Eyes is bigger than Pervy Gym Guy, and gets even closer to him, making Pervy Gym Guy shrink into himself.
I glance around the gym, andeveryoneis looking at us.
Looking atme.
My breathing turns shallow, and my head spins. Ihatebeing the center of attention. I hate causing a scene. I hate everyone staring at me.
I don’t know what happens next, because I scramble out of there and into the changing room before more people come over to judge me, to get a look at the girl too weak to speak up for herself.
Why violate someone like that while they’re in the gym?
This is the second time in one day I’ve had an issue with that guy. I should’ve said something harsher the first time instead of floundering the moment he talked back and embarrassed me. I should report him to management. I should tell Faye so she can rip him a new one. I shoulddo something.
Throwing all my things into my bag without bothering to zip it up, I grab my car keys, faltering as I exit the changing room. People are looking at me. A group of girls in the corner are whispering and gawking. A bunch of guys close to them are doing the same, and one points at me. My breath halts. I’ll tell management another time. I need toleave. I need to get out of here rightnow.
Racing through the gym with my head down, I’m almost at the door when a voice behind me calls out, “Hey, wait up!”
Even though everything seems hazy, I spot Mr. Blue Eyes jogging toward me in the reflection of the glass door. I should’ve known it was him calling out to me. Even his voice is perfect.
Deep and silky.
