“Now back to Mystery Patient … It shouldn’t be hard to find him. If he was an employee health referral, he probably works for the hospital,” Dan pressed.
“Yes. I’m sure I could find him. But I’m not looking for him. I’ll see him again if I’m meant to.”
He rolled his eyes as he helped himself to a serving of fruit. She knew what he was thinking. He wanted to tell her she was afraid to put herself out there, but the last time he pushed the point, it ended in an argument. She wasn’t afraid to put herself out there, but whatever was meant to be, would be.
CHRISTIAN
Chris was wide awake. It was a rare morning when he could sleep in, but of course his body didn’t cooperate. He worked a lot of overtime and sometimes only allowed himself one or two days off each week. His regular schedule gave him three or four days off out of seven, but he could always use the money. Most of his coworkers worked a second job, but that idea never appealed to him.
After throwing his blankets to the side, he got up to look out the window. The cloudless blue sky greeted him as soon as he pulled back the heavy blackout curtains. He had plans to eat dinner at his mom’s house and wanted to get a few things done beforehand, but until then his day was free.
He usually went to the gym with James after work, but there was a new gym that had opened up just a few minutes from his house that he’d been wanting to check out. If it was nicer, he’d talk James into checking it out. Their usual one kept raising the fees and didn’t even have a lot of the amenities that the other ones had.
He took a quick shower, brushed his teeth, and dug through his drawers in search of gym clothes. Without much thought, he put on a pair of blue basketball shorts, a white muscle shirt, and a gray hoodie. He wasn’t even sure if he would work out. The main purpose of his trip to the gym would be to check it out and ask about the fees.
There were several cars in the parking lot, but it didn’t seem too packed for a Saturday. The gym was in a large building that shared a parking lot with a shopping center. Red and yellow flags surrounded a white Grand Opening sign. The doors opened to a large front desk staffed by several employees.
The young blonde closest to him greeted him with a smile. “Welcome to Iron Fitness. Do you have your membership card for me to scan?”
Chris stepped forward and leaned against the counter. “Actually, I’m not a member here. Is it okay if I just check it out?”
“Well, I’m Katie and I’ll be happy to show you around if that’s okay. And afterwards, feel free to stay and do your work out.”
Sounded like a good idea to him. He followed Katie as she gave him a tour. The lower level was mostly strength training equipment and free weights. He glanced at everything as she brought him upstairs to point out all the cardio machines. There were plenty of ellipticals, stationary bicycles, and treadmills. TVs hung from the ceiling throughout the area for anyone who wasn’t listening to music.
They made their way downstairs and Chris was able to get a better look at the weights. All of the equipment was top of theline and spaced out so people could work out without feeling like they were on top of each other.
“Along the back, there, is where we offer classes,” Katie explained as they moved closer. “That far corner is where they do hot yoga. The middle room is for spin classes. This right here is where they do Pilates, as well as aerobics and step classes. Right now, it’s Pilates.”
Chris watched through the glass while women dressed in fitted clothing held various poses while using resistance bands. He felt like a voyeur and was about to look away when someone caught his eye. In the back row, closest to him, he spotted a woman with light brown hair wearing a stunning messy bun. Her yoga pants showed off every curve, and the cropped tank top revealed a toned upper body. She moved gracefully on to the next pose, and he couldn’t take his eyes off her, even though she hadn’t turned enough for him to see her face. The grace in which she moved had him completely captivated.
“How long are the classes, Katie?” he asked, his eyes never moving from the woman on the other side of the glass.
She seemed slightly surprised by the question. “Forty-five minutes. This one should be over in about ten minutes and then the next Pilates class should start in twenty, if you’re interested. Feel free to join. The full schedule is up at the desk.”
“Thank you,” he said, forcing himself to drag his eyes away from the woman in the Pilates class.
The rest of the tour was a blur. There was a juice bar, swimming pool, and hot tub. Something about a trainer. They were only closed from midnight until six in the morning. He didn’t care. He was already planning on joining anyway. He kept looking at his watch, determined to get the tour and spiel over with in time to catch the Pilates class leaving. Creepy or not, he had to talk to the woman from the back row.
“If you decide you want to join, just stop at the desk on your way out. It only takes five minutes. Have a great workout!”
She had barely finished the word “workout” before he turned and made his way back to the Pilates class. Class must have been over because everyone appeared to be packing up to leave. It was fine by him.
As he stood waiting, the woman finally turned around and looked right at him. It felt like his heart stopped beating when he realized who he was looking at. It was the woman from the lab. Mallory, with the manifestations. Once his heart resumed to its normal function, it was at a much faster pace. He watched as recognition crossed over her features and a small smile formed on her sculpted lips.
She broke his gaze in order to finish packing up her things. The way her cheeks flushed as she packed told him she felt him watching her. He’d only met her one time, but when she stilled and took a deep breath before standing with her bag, he could practically hear her reciting something in order to calm her nerves.
“Hey,” he greeted once she made her way over to him.
“Hey yourself.”
She looked up at him through her lashes, and his mind immediately flashed to another visual of her looking up at him. He cleared his throat after giving his head a slight shake and tried to think of what to say next. This was a new development. He never had any trouble talking to women.
“Are you following me?” she asked when he failed to come up with anything to say.
For whatever reason, her teasing put him at ease. “No. I just came in to check this place out and maybe join after getting a workout in. Running into you was just a bonus.”
“Well? Did you get a workout in?”
