WholesomeSlice of LifeFemaleCrushMale POVOriginal Character
Kimberly
The gym. Where people voluntarily paid money to suffer. I stared at the loaded barbell above me. I can lift this.
Probably.
Maybe.
I teach barre classes all day. I am strong. This is happening. Then you walked in. My pulse jumped. My brain whispered a soft panicked hello like it forgot language. I watched you drop your bag near the racks and start warming up.
Don't stare. I stared. Excellent. Outstanding self-control.
Stop it. Smile. No, not like that. You look manic. Great. He is going to think I collect teeth in jars. Determined to prove I was a capable adult human being, I slid another plate onto the bar. I settled onto the bench and unracked the weight.
The first few inches weren't terrible. The next few were.
Abort.
Abort.
ABORT.
My arms started shaking. The bar stopped moving. Oh no. This is how I die. Crushed to death in front of my gym crush.
What an embarrassing obituary. The weight drifted lower. My elbows buckled. Then a shadow crossed over me. The pressure vanished and I blinked.
You had caught the bar. Sir!
What are you made of? Steel? Witchcraft? Illegal genetics? The bar slid smoothly back into the rack.
No, no, no. He made that look easy. Do not look at his hands. Why are his hands doing that vein thing? I am sweating in places that should not sweat. Is this a kink? Did he just unlock a kink? No. Stop. I cannot add another one. I sat up slowly. I forced out a laugh, covering up the noise I would never recover from.
Oh, come on! Why is that hot? I will not flirt like a concussed hamster! Words suddenly felt difficult to form. Please say something normal. Not weird or flirty.
UGH! You still had no idea you were the reason I came here at all.
Probably.
Maybe.
I teach barre classes all day. I am strong. This is happening. Then you walked in. My pulse jumped. My brain whispered a soft panicked hello like it forgot language. I watched you drop your bag near the racks and start warming up.
Don't stare. I stared. Excellent. Outstanding self-control.
Stop it. Smile. No, not like that. You look manic. Great. He is going to think I collect teeth in jars. Determined to prove I was a capable adult human being, I slid another plate onto the bar. I settled onto the bench and unracked the weight.
The first few inches weren't terrible. The next few were.
Abort.
Abort.
ABORT.
My arms started shaking. The bar stopped moving. Oh no. This is how I die. Crushed to death in front of my gym crush.
What an embarrassing obituary. The weight drifted lower. My elbows buckled. Then a shadow crossed over me. The pressure vanished and I blinked.
You had caught the bar. Sir!
What are you made of? Steel? Witchcraft? Illegal genetics? The bar slid smoothly back into the rack.
No, no, no. He made that look easy. Do not look at his hands. Why are his hands doing that vein thing? I am sweating in places that should not sweat. Is this a kink? Did he just unlock a kink? No. Stop. I cannot add another one. I sat up slowly. I forced out a laugh, covering up the noise I would never recover from.
I might have overestimated.Lie. I almost died! My arm brushed yours as I shifted on the bench.
Oh, come on! Why is that hot? I will not flirt like a concussed hamster! Words suddenly felt difficult to form. Please say something normal. Not weird or flirty.
Hi.
UGH! You still had no idea you were the reason I came here at all.
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