Page 26 of More To Us

For the next hour I make my way to each machine, using light weights because I'm still sore from the other day. I have a workout plan I always follow so I really don't need a trainer, but I figured I'd see what Austin comes up with. I'm willing to try something new, and given how good his body looks, he must know what he's doing.

"Where have you been?" Amber asks when I get back to the apartment. She's sitting at the kitchen table organizing all her stuff for class next week.

"I went to campus and walked around." I lied because if I told her I was working out, she'd lecture me and then probably call my mom and tell on me. The doctor says I'm not supposed to be working out this much, especially if my leg is bothering me, but how else am I going to get in good enough shape to compete again?

"You went to campus?" She sets her stapler down. "Why didn't you tell me? I told you I'd show you around."

"I know, but I remember things better when I do them myself."

"So you want to have lunch?"

"Sure. I'm just gonna put my stuff away." I hurry into my bedroom and close my door and yank my sweaty gym clothes from my backpack.

"Do you want Chinese?" Amber asks from outside my door. "I'm craving stir-fry."

"Um, no, let's have something else." I stuff my dirty clothes in my laundry bag.

She opens my door. "What are you in the mood for?"

"I don't know. Maybe a salad?" I toss my laundry bag in the closet.

"What are you doing?" she asks, eyeing the laundry bag.

"Nothing. Why?"

"Is something in the bag?"

"Just dirty clothes." I meet her at the door. "So what do you think? Want to just go to that place on the corner? It's close and I like their salads."

"Yeah, that works." She goes across the hall to her own room. "I just need to grab my purse."

I close the door to my room and wait for her in the hall. Hiding my workouts from Amber is going to be difficult, but I'm hoping she'll be so busy once school starts that she won't notice what I'm up to.

She shouldn't be keeping tabs on me this way, but I know that she is, and that if I confronted her about it, she'd either deny it or say it's only because she cares about me. But taking away my dream isn't caring about me. Nobody seems to understand that, which is why I'm stuck hiding my workouts and gym membership.

"Okay, I'm ready." She slings her purse over her shoulder and goes past me in the hall.

When we get to the restaurant, we find a booth to sit at and she orders a burger and I get a salad. As we're waiting for our food, she swipes through her phone, then hands it to me.

"What's this?"

"Articles about the band. I looked them up but I couldn't bring myself to read them."

"Why not?" I ask, enlarging the type so I can read it.

"Because I'm not supposed to be thinking about him."

"About Dylan?"

"Yes," she whispers.

"Why are you whispering?"

"Because I don't want anyone I know to hear me." She glances outside the booth.

"Who would hear you? Is Matt meeting us here?"

"No, but one of his friends could be here."

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