“Nine kilometres every Saturday,” he says and he nods towards the leg press. “Speaking of which let's do some light leg work before tomorrow.”
“Nine? Why not ten?" I ask as I follow him.
He waves a hand around his face as if to dismiss the question. “Ten’s too much. Eight is not enough," he mumbles. “Right, sit yourself down.”
Unlike I did a week ago at my first gym session, I attack my first twelve reps with enthusiasm. This is the third time we've met to work out together this week so I'm now starting to understand how the machines work and I've started to notice my body adapting to more reps, heavier weights, longer sets. My muscles still burn and my body aches more than I would like but it's a good kind of pain. It's a hot and sharp tension that suggests something's going on, something's happening, something's changing.
Which is exactly what I wanted.
Giles nods with encouragement and as I begin my second set of twelve leg extensions, I start to wonder what's in it for him. Every time we come to the gym, we focus on my routine, my exercises and my goals. It probably shouldn't have taken me this long to think it, but shouldn't Giles also be doing his workouts? Shouldn't he be dragging a tank across the gym floor and dead lifting twice his body weight?
“Is this not deadly boring for you?”
Giles frowns at me. “What do you mean?”
“You're just helping me. You're not actually training yourself.”
“Oh, it's fine. I came already first thing this morning, and I’m here on the days we don't train.”
“Wow, you're really... committed. But, I mean, it makes sense. It's why you look like... that.”
Giles blushes and looks away to the other side of the room. This isn't the first time he's become awkward when I've brought up his physique so I change the subject as I start my third set, my legs feeling a lot warmer now.
“So that Tony fella hasn't bothered you again since he saw us training together?”
“No, he hasn't,” Giles says but his eyes haven't returned to me.
“Is that a problem?”
That drags his eyes to mine.
“Why would you say that?”
“You don't seem pleased, or relieved,” I offer through gritted teeth as I push through the reps.
I watch as Giles' shoulders sink. “It's not that... I just... No, it doesn't matter.” Giles shakes his head.
“Try me,” I say as I come to do my last two reps. “I can actually be a very good listener, especially when I need to stay sitting in place because I'm pretty sure my legs are going to shake like jelly if I were to stand up right now.”
I'm pleased that this pulls a smile from Giles. He steps closer and leans against the back of the machine. “I'm just a bit of a disaster at relationships. And I thought rejecting Tony's advances would help me stay focused on waiting to meet the right person. But now I just feel like I kind of rejected myself, if that makes sense.”
“I get it. His advances were good for your ego.”
“Yeah, and I sometimes think that maybe that's all I should expect from life, you know. That maybe I'm an idiot for wanting... more.”
“More?”
“Yeah, like, you know, love.”
I stare at Giles without blinking, unsure why this surprises me so much. It's not because I think it's a ridiculous thing to want. I just didn't expect a man who looks like Giles to want this.
“And you don't think you'd find love with Tony?” I offer when I realise I've not spoken in a while.
“I highly doubt it,” Giles scoffs.
“Why? He seemed like a nice guy. Great calves.”
Giles laughs. “You noticed that? Are you sure you're not queer?”
