Chase came inside and scanned the room. He was taller than Gina—close to my height—but where she was slender and her features soft and delicate, he was muscular and his face angular. Another thing I'd noticed about how different these two were from regular Chinese folks.
When I raised my hand, he recognized me and came toward us. Pulling out a chair he sat, apologizing at the same time. "Sorry, Rena, the meeting ran longer than I anticipated."
This wasn't the first time I noticed that Chase had his own name for Gina. It made me curious, but they were probably closer to each other than anybody else.
"Kofi kept me company." Gina touched her twin's hand. "You hungry?"
"A little."
She moved the placemat and plate toward him, then handed him the utensils. While Chase ate, Gina drank her slushy.
"Not a word out of you," she said to me, when she put the cup down.
"Your wish is my command."
Her smile widened and her dimples popped out, drawing my eyes. As I laughed, I thought it was a pity we'd never spent more time together outside ofWorkout Boost.
Her amusement dried up, but Gina continued to stare at me. Her gaze was questioning, as if she was seeing me for the first time.
I wondered if she was thinking the same thing I was, but there was no chance to ask as Chase butted in with a question and the moment was lost.
Chapter 2
Gina
IFELT A LITTLE WEIRDover what I was doing—running back to the gym like a groupie to get the attention of that favorite instructor. Strictly speaking, it wasn't about that. I liked Kofi and was surprised at how much I enjoyed his company on Wednesday evening.
We got along from the moment we met eight months ago, but until we sat together over our food I didn't know he was wicked-funny. Kofi always seemed self-possessed and quiet, the opposite of who I was.
I now knew what I wanted out of life, but it wasn't always that way. The demands from my parents, especially my mother, always weighed on me, making me reluctant to pursue my passion.
Chase and I had been in Miami several years after we both completed school. Now, we went home every so often for the holidays. His major was finance and mine was journalism. After that, I had gone on to study graphic design. My long hours at a desk and my love of food made exercise a necessary. I wasn't disciplined, so turning up here ensured that I exercised several times each week.
I was halfway through my arm routine when I spotted Kofi. He walked into the weights room with the owner of the gym. His muscular arms were folded across his chest as he spoke. When he pointed to one corner of the facility, they walked to the line of treadmills and continued their discussion.
Since I didn't want Kofi to catch me watching him, I concentrated on my biceps through the mirror. But my eyes kept straying to Kofi, who was tall and wide, like a professional athlete. As far as I knew, he didn’t play a sport. He ran one hand over the hair on his jawline and continued to the back of his neck, dragging my attention to the muscles flexing in his arm. Nothing about him had changed since Wednesday and I'd been vaguely aware of his physique, but today ...
