Abi is so engrossed in the magazine that she doesn’t notice my nose scrunching and doesn’t hear my heavy sigh. But Alek does. He tilts his head. As if he senses my sad feelings, he tells Abi, “Pictures always look awesome in magazines.”
“Hey, where’s Victor?” I ask as if I don’t care.
“He stomped off to his room. What was that all about?” Alek gives me a knowing look.
I shrug.
My brother narrows his eyes at me. “Weren’t you guys running together?”
“Yeah, but he was faster.”
And I turn around to get a glass of water to avoid the inquisition.
Victor doesn’t show up for dinner. I cook mac and cheese from a box and make a side salad. Abi and Alek’s eagle eyes dig into me the entire time we eat. I leave the couple and retreat to Alek’s room once we put away the clean dishes.
Opening my email account on my phone, my heart bounces in my chest when I click on Evan’s email. Reading the words “Welcome to our team,” I scream so hard Alek yells from downstairs.
“What’s the matter, Twinkle?”
“I got the job at the fitness center!” I yell, knowing too well that Victor can hear me from his room.
“Nice,” Alek screams back from downstairs, and I hear Abi reprimanding him, telling him not to yell anymore and to go upstairs if he wants to talk to me.
Victor doesn’t come out of his room. Despite the good news about the job, I’ll probably have a nightmare tonight.
* * *
Iget a loud squeak from Lily when I go for my orientation at the gym.
“Thank God you got the job. The guy who interviewed after you was so cocky, he thought he was a god. Good-looking but a jerk. And the girl—she was nice, but I thought I was gonna fall asleep while she talked for twenty minutes nonstop.”
I laugh and Lily smiles widely. I don’t miss Lily’s googly eyes when Evan shows up. He encourages me to start taking fitness classes around my shifts. My stamina will strengthen, so next time Victor runs away from me, I’ll catch him.
Evan lets us decide how to divvy up the shifts as long as the five of us are in agreement. Lily and I exchange satisfied glances.
He tries to change his facial expression to a serious one, but he fails. His eyes are always laughing and his lips are continuously turned up in a smile.
Although I don’t have the hots for Evan, I can see why Lily likes him.
“I’m a no-drama kind of boss. So girls, I don’t want any drama in my gym. I like to run business smoothly. So no exes or current boyfriend drama on the job. Okay?” Even his voice fails at sounding serious.
I smile and nod.
“No boyfriends,” Lily says while batting her eyelashes and looks at him dreamily. I giggle. The spark in Evan’s eyes doesn’t escape me.
* * *
One week. That’s how long it’s been without talking to Victor. Keeping busy is the best solution to ignore being ignored. I’m busy at work, learning new things. I met the other people who staff the front desk to agree on a schedule of our shifts.
Lily is the best. While she gives incoming students tours of the huge facility I stand next to her, absorbing her words, so later I can do this on my own. She also shows me the trainer’s room where the athletes get taped, do physical therapy, and sit in icy baths. Brrrr! How do they do that? On the days I run the desk alone, I’m surrounded by familiar faces of students and athletes who pass by the front desk every day, sometimes multiple times a day.
My brother saunters into the center a few times with his teammates. I roll my eyes at him but continue to bounce on my toes, feeling the lightness in my body when I’m at work. Every day I try a new fitness class. At night I’m so tired I collapse into my bed and sleep like never before.
Victor goes back to his previous training schedule and is out of the apartment most days. He’s out on Thursday night as usual. I miss him. I miss his stolen touches while Alek isn’t around. I miss the breakfasts and dinners he used to cook for me. I miss his attention.
But I deserve it. And I’ve almost forgotten my drama with Charlie. I haven’t heard from him lately, and my heart feels lighter.
Chapter Seventeen
