So for the past forty-five minutes I’ve been working through a series of weightlifting exercises. After spending so much time with my trainer, I know them like the back of my hand.
This privately owned gym has all the bells and whistles and it’s got mirrors throughout. Mirrors that I caught Roman looking at me through when I was doing one of my heavier sets. His eyebrows raised when I did my deadlift. No doubt he was expecting me to use a lighter weight.Jackass.
With an annoyed huff, I plunk myself down onto the mats to work my way through a series of stretches, and roll my muscles out. Looking up from the floor, I notice a beautiful blonde woman walk into the gym. Since it’s a privately owned space that’s closed off for us, it must be someone Roman knows. She looks like a Victoria’s Secret model without the wings.
Perhaps a little too short for that, I think on closer inspection. Her platinum hair is pulled into a bun that’s somehow perfectly messy and chic at the same time, and she’s wearing a long-sleeved pink workout set with trainers that are so white they must be brand new.
The woman gives Roman a quick wave before spotting me. She heads in my direction, plopping herself down about ten feet away from me and giving me a smile that feels warm and genuine.
“Hi,” she beams.
“Hey,” I answer, fighting hard to make sure it doesn’t sound like a question on my end. I have no clue who she is, or why this blonde bombshell is trying to talk to me.
“I’m Jill,” she says, “Roman’s sister.”
Oh.
“Do you mind if I share the space?”
“Uh, sure.”
“Thanks,” she says breezily, “already done your work out?” She gestures to the mats.
“Just a little one for me today. I don’t want to get too sweaty before getting photographed,” I explain before realizing that shit, I shouldn’t be talking about being photographed to her.What is she supposed to know? Am I supposed to pretend even for her? Is she supposed to think that Roman and I are a legitimate couple?Before I have the chance to go into a total tailspin of worry, Jill puts me out of my misery.
“Understandable, the tabloids are brutal even on a good day.” She looks at me and gives me a quick little smile before launching into some calisthenics that she makes look as easy as breathing.
I feel like a weirdo just watching her, even though she started the conversation. “Mind if I follow along?” I ask, hoping that somehow makes it less odd.
“Of course not,” she beams before dropping into a plank with form so perfect it would rival that of a Navy SEAL. Following suit, I look into the mirror.
Roman’s moved on to weightlifting. The sleeves of his dark gray shirt go down to his wrists, ensuring the tattoos are mostly hidden, save for the compass. It’s easy to lose focus onwhat I’m meant to be doing as I watch him repeatedly lift and lower an impressive weight on the barbell. Can I be faulted for staring at the man when he’s squatting like that? He may be a total jerk, but that doesn’t stop me from staring at his perfectly formed–
“How are you feeling about all of this?” Jill asks.
My head whips back over to her, heat flooding my cheeks. Mercifully, Jill doesn’t comment on what I was looking at.
“About the workout?” I laugh, trying to gently steer the conversation.
Jill sees right through me as if I were cellophane. “Sure, if that’s what you’d like to talk about.” She gives a soft smile that chips away a bit of my resolve. She’s so genuine it’s hard not to immediately take a liking to her.
“I don’t know. It’s all a lot to take in,” I admit as I stare down at the mat.
“Yeah, I can only imagine,” she says wistfully. And I suppose that’s true, the Everett siblings were born famous, with their parents being huge celebrities back in the day—thank you, Google—and being in the industry themselves, they’ve never known a life without paparazzi and contracts and films.
Unsure of what to say, I come out of the plank. Jill follows and begins to launch into a series of burpees.
“Well. If it ever gets to be too much or if you ever want someone you can talk to, you can always shoot me a text,” she says after a set of ten, before pulling out her phone and sliding it over to me so I can put my number in.
I have no idea why she’s this invested in being kind to me, but the idea of someone wanting to trade numbers and reaching out like this fills me with something warm and bright. We trade numbers, and then, being the beautiful drill sergeant she is, Jill leads me into a workout that could make a grown man cry.
An hour later, Roman finally deigns tospeak with me. When he approaches Jill, he gives her a smile, and then when he looks at me, it fades all too quickly. Jill gets the cue.
“I’ll see you later, Roman. Clover, it was nice meeting you.” She grins before walking toward the back of the building.
“Nice of you to finally come over here,” I say, voice dripping with sarcasm.
“There are no photographers or people in here we need to pretend in front of,” he says matter-of-factly. “And I needed to work out. In case you missed the memo, our movie has a lot of stunts we’re responsible for.”
