Page 13 of Isolated
I was thirty-one now. I was hoping to meetthe onesometime soon.
Feeling a bit emboldened by his statement, I asked, “So, why didn’t you ask me?”
Something shifted in his expression, something I hadn’t ever seen before now. “Honestly, it never crossed my mind. Besides, I had no idea you’d want to do something like that, anyway.”
It never crossed his mind.
Right.
That’s because Landen wasn’t anything more than mygym buddy. Or perhaps it was that he saw me as nothing more than that to him.
Even if we got along great and had some fun when we were working out together, it was clear that I was looking far too much into things. Landen was so friendly, playful, at times, but that’s where it ended.
No matter how great things seemed to be on my end, he hadn’t ever asked to see me outside of the gym. I could only take that to mean he wasn’t interested in me like that. So, I had no choice but to accept that this was all that I’d have.
But on the off chance that there was some interest on his part, and he was hesitant to take things to the next level, I thought it was worth putting the thought in his head. “Well, the next time you need a date to a wedding, I’m your girl.”
A look of surprise followed a short chuckle. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
I should have been happy with that response. I guess it was the knowledge that wedding season had ended, and it was unlikely that Landen would be executing that plan any time soon.
On that thought, I figured it was best to shift the conversation away from talk of weddings, dancing, and a date with Landen. “Alright, so I’ll warn you now. I hope you’re feeling strong today, because although I’m prepared to offer some help if you get stuck on these squats, my legs are already feeling like jelly. I might not be very effective.”
“Thanks for the warning. I’ll plan accordingly.”
I took that to mean that if he thought he might struggle with getting that one last rep, he’d likely not go for it.
Sure enough, that’s precisely what happened.
Landen was concerned about my ability to spot him, so he held himself back. And that left me feeling completely bummed about my decision to switch topics. Because in doing that, I made it so Landen didn’t need me to put my hands on him even once during his workout.
It was always my favorite part of my time at the gym, and today, I’d taken it away from myself.
Tomorrow would have to be different.
FIVE
Iris
“Jeez, Iris. Did you not eat today? Try to breathe in between bites.”
I sent a sheepish look across the table to Steph as I lifted my shoulders toward my ears. Taking a few seconds to finish chewing what was in my mouth, I set my food down in front of me and realized what I’d done. I’d spent the first ten minutes of lunch shoveling the food into my mouth, barely able or willing to take in anything or anyone around me. “I’m sorry.”
Kasey appeared to be just as concerned as Steph. “Are you okay? I mean, everyone is looking at you.”
My eyes darted around the room, confirming that Kasey wasn’t exaggerating in the least. I offered a reassuring smile to those who were still looking my way. While there were a few people who hadn’t bothered to pay any attention to me, it seemed there were some who couldn’t help but look in my direction to gawk.
Nova and Madison, who were the office gossips, sat across the room, staring at me with nothing but pure disgust. I didn’t allow that to bother me, though. Those two would find anything to blather on about, even something as ridiculous as a woman being eager to eat her lunch.
Then again, considering I didn’t exactly have any issues with Georgia and Anthony, a pair that rarely took time to notice anyone but each other, and even they were staring at me with disbelief from the table beside mine, I had to accept that perhaps I’d accidentally drawn some attention to myself.
My eyes continued to drift around the room. Only a few seats away from where my friends and I were seated were Warren, Brett, and Tanner. Brett was the sweetest, kindest soul at Mono Mark Solutions, and he blushed any time a girl looked at him. Of course, that meant the second I made eye contact with him, his face flushed with embarrassment, and he looked away. Warren and Tanner, the male versions of Nova and Madison, smirked and whispered. Brett clearly needed new work friends.
I returned my attention to Steph and Kasey, apologizing once again. “I’m sorry. I normally would have grabbed a snack mid-morning today, but I didn’t have a chance. Now, I’m starved.”
“In all the years you’ve been working here, you’ve never missed having a mid-morning snack?” Steph questioned me.
She didn’t need an answer, knowing full well that precisely that had happened before. “Okay, you’ve got me. The problem is that I decided to take things up a notch atthe gym this morning, and I think it’s kicked my metabolism into overdrive.”
