winded
609 Words
"How many miles can you run?" Julian crossed his arms over his chest, showing off just how many people he could throttle without breaking a sweat.
"Barely one, on a good day," I said, feeling fidgety with his onslaught of questions about my physique. Julian was intimidating, with an obvious penchant for working out and way too observant eyes. I was grateful for my height that nearly had eye level with him at 5'8. "But in this new body? No idea."
"What about push-ups? Sit-ups?" He rattled off a bunch more that I'd done maybe once in my life. I was pretty average for my height, with a fluctuating muffin top, touching thighs and little to no muscle.
The werewolf change had brought on several changes that were steadily showing up - muscle replacing fat, bunching beneath my skin. I could feel the newfound strength coiling against my bones, readying to be released.
We began with endurance training, finding my limit, testing my strength through lunges, squats, push-ups, sit-ups. I didn't give out as fast as I thought I would, apparently I'd also gained some major stamina with this werewolf awakening. It had attached itself to my human side as if to say, I'm never letting go now.
Julian was patient and attentive, pointing out when my posture was off or how to do something more effectively. He had gentle hands, adjusting me if I was doing something wrong and I didn't comment that his hands were a little too warm for comfort.
We only worked on the basics, making my body into a weapon to avoid any accidental shifts and so I wasn't in so much pain after each shift.
We spent two hours with bits of conversation and comfortable silence. I felt at ease despite the rigorous exercise; he had a lot more patience than I would've had if the roles were reversed.
I nearly fell over when he said we were done and nearly guzzled half a bottle of water down.
"Saturday, we'll start on some self-defense," he said, nodding to the matted area.
Now my legs lost function and I was spread eagle on the soft grass. "I think I sweat half my body weight. And used more muscles than I ever have in my entire life."
He gave me a half-grin, offering a hand to get up and I took it hesitantly. I wasn't ready for the force of his pull and went straight into his bare chest, which was like a wall. "Christ, I'm so sorry," I said using my hands to push off his torso. I was nearly sputtering but i collected myself and backed away.
There was a look on his face that I couldn't exactly read. "It's okay," he said, clearing his throat. "Rest up and we'll meet on Saturday."
"Yeah, that's fine," I said, releasing my hair from the tight ponytail, shaking it out with my fingers.
"Just don't bring the bat. You won't be needing it," he said so seriously, it took me a minute to realize he was joking. I rolled my eyes at him.
I opened his mouth to say something back but Liv appeared like a ghost at his side, sweat-slicked but her eyes were filled with a dancing energy. "You ready to go?" She looked to me.
"Uh, yeah. We can go." I said, bending to pick up my water bottle. We started to part but I met Julian's eyes over my shoulder and waved. He waved back with that same expression I couldn't decipher on his face.
It left me a little breathless, and not just because of the workout.
. . .
- Writer
