Page 40 of Resistance Training
He does his fifteenth rep, and I grab the bar to let it up slowly. He gulps down water and then says, “Well. One thing I do know is Cindy always has the right idea. She said Scorpio men like to keep things close to the vest. I get it. But if you ever need to talk about feelings for a lady—I’m the guy who’s been married four times and doesn’t understand women at all.”
“So…don’ttalk to you about feelings for a lady?”
“Don’t talk to me unless you want to be inspired by my deep capacity to love and my astonishing inability to learn from past mistakes. Cindy says that’s the eternal optimism of mySagittarian nature. She likes that I keep tossing my heart back into the ring. And I like that she likes it.”
God, he’s just fueled by joy right now, and for the first time in a decade, I think I’m feeling envy instead of pity for someone who is clearly in love. “Are you into astrology too, Larry?”
“Fuck no. But I am into Cindy. So I dug up my birth certificate and let her do my chart. Turns out we’re a good match.”
“Well,Icould have told her that just from watching you guys together.”
“I tell you what, though. You telling her that wouldn’t have given her the confidence to do the things she did to me.” He whistles. “Now Ihaveto marry her,” he says, grinning.
As much as I admire Larry and Cindy and feel a sense of pride that they’re as healthy and confident as they are now, I really don’t want to think about them doing things to each other. My watch starts beeping, and I’m reminded that Vivian will be walking in for her session at any moment. Which is not the only reason I feel the need to remove my shirt right now, but if it happens to elicit the reaction I’m hoping for, then that will please me a great deal.
And not a second later, the sliding doors open and Vivian enters. “Thanks, Gwenny!” she calls out as she leaves reception.
“Please don’t call me that,” I hear Gwen yell back.
She’s wearing her hair down, flipping it over one shoulder and strutting, almost in slow motion. A Doja Cat song is playing from the ceiling speakers, and I watch her nod her head, roll her shoulders and hips as she sings along, so casually. God, her posture is beautiful. Always has been. She has the grace of a dancer, but there’s still something awkward and charming about the way she moves through the world when she knows people are looking. And they’re always looking. All the men in here are looking now. She’s confident, but she doesn’t take herselftoo seriously. That’s one of the things I loved about her in high school, and I know nobody else appreciated it about her.
She scans the gym, just like I saw her doing the other day. Except today she clearly planned ahead. She’s wearing a skintight black workout jacket and leggings that, shall we say, accentuate her curves in a very flattering way. And by that I mean she looks incredible and I can’t wait to see her from behind and she is the devil. I unintentionally release a guttural sound at the exact moment the song changes.
Loud enough that Larry hears and chuckles.
I clear my throat.
“Lemme guess,” Larry says. “That’s the Aries high school friend.”
“The Aries new client,” I correct him as I adjust my stance. Feet flat on the floor, arms crossed, like a bouncer. No one can knock me over.
“Uh-huh.”
I do the hot-guy squint thing I used to practice in the mirror when I first moved to Portland. It comes naturally, usually, but I have to remind myself to do it right now.
And finally.
Vivian sees me.
She gives me a once-over.
Her lips part.
She bites her lower lip.
And trips, just the slightest bit, bumping into Cindy.
She recovers quickly, laughs, as Cindy and Mabel grab her arms to steady her. I can see her blushing from here. She glares at me and then turns her attention to the ladies, who surround her.
It’s awesome.
“She’s just another client now,” I reiterate to Larry as I put my shirt back on.
Larry gets up from the bench and stretches. “Suit yourself, man. But what you resist persists. That’s a fact.”
“I hear you,” I say. “Thanks.”
And then a blonde gym member comes over to talk to me. I keep my eye on Vivian. She’s giving Cindy, Mabel, and Dolores her full attention most of the time but keeps glancing over at me and the blonde. I watch as Cindy enters her number into her phone. This…could become a problem.
