My mind flashes to the time when Dylan asked me to encourage him by putting him down. The thought makes me want to smile. The month was brief, but it was fun while it lasted.
Halfway through, Marina wipes her forehead and says, casually, “Did you watch the game this weekend, Ce?”
I shake my head. “What game?”
She smiles. “You’re funny. Hockey.”
“Oh,” I say. “No, I didn’t.”
“Dylan…” The sound of his name reminds me that he still exists, that what we had was just in passing, and that it clearly didn’t mean anything more. “––was benched on Friday but played on Saturday.”
“Why was he benched?” I ask. The idea of him being benched doesn’t make sense.
The girls look at me like it’s strange. I don’t know. And then Marina shrugs. “I don’t actually know. I thought you would.”
I grin. “I have no idea.”
“So,” Marina says, glancing at Rose and then back at me. “You don’t even talk to him anymore?”
I busy myself with the dumbbells, putting them away.
“He’s busy,” I say.
“Yeah, but I thought you guys were…” She makes a gesture with her hands. “Tight-knit.”
“Yeah, I mean, we are. We’re just friends, and he has a lot going on, so I’m not going to bother him.”
She nods, and then the gym door opens behind me. The loud sound fills the gym. All three of the girls look over my shoulder, but I keep putting the weights away.
“Ready to finish? We can run or bike.”
Marina immediately says, “Bike.”
I nod, turning to follow them. And the person who just walked in is Cory. My heart races at the thought of Dylan walking in here, but why would he?
Cory waves, and I follow the girls to the bikes.
The rest of the week flows easily. I attend my classes, submit my assignments, and by Wednesday, my hefty paycheck from the UK finally goes through. Seeing the large sum of money in my account makes my stomach tickle. This is what real freedom feels like. I feel like I can do anything, be anyone that I want, and live a full life. I submit a payment to the college that covers the rest of the semester, then sit on my couch in my apartment, watching a movie while scrolling endlessly on social media, jotting down new content ideas.
On Friday morning, I’m in the gym with Marina when the loud front door squeaks open, and Scott walks through.
“Weird,” Marina says while we’re on the bikes. Rose and Madeline have joined us for each session this week.
Scott says something to Gavin, and then his eyes catch mine.
“I’ll be right back,” I say to the girls, hopping off the bike.
I walk up to Scott as he walks over to me. “Hey, Scotty.”
“Ce,” he greets. “Thought I’d find you here.”
My eyes stay on his, confused. “You’re looking for me?”
“You’re not answering my messages.”
Shit. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were texting me.”
“I sent you a message on Instagram.”
