“That I need to hit the gym?”
“No, what you said before that,” I urge, happiness already blooming inside of me.
“I like hanging out with you?” he repeats, then clears his throat. “Is that weird?”
“No! Why would it be weird to enjoy hanging out with your BFF?”
Rowanshakes his head, but he’s smiling and looking at me with this soft expression that does something to my insides.
“Well, shall we, then?” he asks and waves in the direction of my gym.
I bounce on my feet as I lead the way to my home gym. It’s got floor-to-ceiling mirrors on two sides, a giant TV on one wall, and all sorts of gym equipment that Ray had picked out scattered through the room. Ray is mainly in charge of procuring the equipment because I have no real interest in working out. This room wouldn’t even exist if I didn’t need to keep in shape for my job, and I refuse to set foot in an actual gym.
“Is this the bike that caused Ray’s unfortunate tumble?” Rowan asks with a smirk.
“Is that another joke? Two in twenty-four hours? This is a miracle!”
Rowan snorts. “Miracle indeed. Or you’re just rubbing off on me.”
I think, for once in my life, I’m left speechlessandblushing because now I’m thinking about all the kinds ofrubbingI’d love to do to him.
Rowan coughs awkwardly. Either he can read my naughty thoughts, or he realizes how his words could be taken; hopefully, it’s the latter. I mean, people with supernatural powers don’t exist just yet, right?
RIGHT?
“I mean your goblin energy, you being the king of chaos and all,” he clarifies.
“Oh, right,” I reply lamely. I can feel my cheeks heat, but I totally ignore that and add, “Now Ray’s the one rubbing off on you! Better be careful you don’t mention the bike incident around him. He may not look like it, but he has a black belt in Taekwondo.”
“Duly noted,” Rowan replies, amusement flashing in his eyes. “So, what’s on the workout plan for today?”
“There’s an exercise channel I like to follow along with. I’ve been enjoying their jump-rope-focused videos. Oh, you should totally do it with me! Wouldn’t that be fun?”
I fetch the jump ropes hanging from the wall. I’d purchased a set of five the other week, and this will be the first time more than one will be utilized. It’s the first time I’ll have someone besides the virtual person in the video to jump rope with me, and it’ll beRowan.
I’m excited on all fronts. Rowan must be able to tell, since he silently accepts the jump rope and follows me to the wide-open space in the middle of the room.
“I got you the longest one,” I tell him, then add, “Do you know how to jump rope? Should I show you?”
The idea of teaching and sharing something I enjoy with him is getting me super pumped about this activity.
Rowan meets my eye for a second, then breaks our gaze and clears his throat. “I’ve never really had to before,” he admits, then adds, “I’m not exactly light on my feet.”
“There’s a first time for everything,” I say with a laugh and examine his giant form. “Here, you want to hold the rope like this, then stand up straight with your elbows tucked near your ribs.”
I demonstrate the correct posture, then, with a flick of my wrist, the rope loops around, and I execute what I consider a perfect jump.
Rowan claps, and I take a deep bow with a hand over my chest. “The trick is to keep on the balls of your feet and jump when the rope is in front of you. The best way to learn is to try it, c’mon!”
Rowan looks unsure as he positions the rope around him. He fixes his posture and whips the rope over himself, only for the rope to get tangled in his feet.
“It’s normal to fail the first time. It’s all about timing your jumps, and you’ll get used to that with more practice,” I encourage and demonstrate a few more jumps.
Rowan furrows his brow but gets into the ready position again. He twists his wrists, and this time, successfully manages one jump. I clap hard and cheer him on as he continues to do it twice in a row.
Each jump only has him elevating a couple of inches in the air, but his height and large mass probably don’t help matters. “You ready to try out the workout video? It’s a beginner one, so I think we got this!”
“Sure,” he says, though he doesn’t sound certain at all. I grin, then turn on the video and press play. The man in the video is very excited to be there, probably as excited as I am to be doing this workout with Rowan.
