A Love That Was Never Meant to Be

Chapter 005

Callum's point of view

A loud, grating beeping jolt woke me. Eyes hardly opening, I groaned as I searched for the alarm clock. The only light in the still dark room came from the red glow of the numbers flashing at me.

I start my day at five thirty in the morning. Gym's day.

I sighed heavily and swung my legs over the edge of the bed, rubbing my face to try to wake me. Though my body has hurt from yesterday, skipping wasn't a choice. I needed to get back on track because lately I had been slacking off.

Rising and stretching, I rolled my shoulders on my way to the toilet. Later, a quick shower helped me become somewhat more alert. After wiping the steam off the mirror, I looked at my reflection and ran a hand through my damp hair. I could see shadows under my eyes. There was only a slight blemish on my jaw. Nothing a beneficial workout couldn't correct.

Reaching back into my room, I picked a black sleeveless hoodie and some fitting gray sweatpants. Convenient. It was easy to move in. After putting them on, I grabbed my gym bag, already filled with a towel, water bottle, and headphones.

As I walked into the kitchen, the smell of fresh coffee hit me, but what really caught my attention was Theo.

He was leaning against the counter, sipping his protein shake, his gym bag already located beside him. His outfit? He wore tight gray compression shorts and an identical tank top.

"Damn, you really take gym fashion seriously," I said, opening the refrigerator.

"Gotta look good while lifting," he shot back, eyebrow raised.

I grabbed for the protein shake he had put close by. "This mine"?

He laughed dismissively. "As if you don't already know the answer. Er.wer."

I took a sip and grinned. Theo and I followed a favorable schedule. Most days, we worked out together; occasionally, we would go to the penthouse's private gym. I preferred the VIP gym a few blocks away because it had more individuals, more individuals. Extra vitality. More drive.

Theo reached for his bag and went towards the door. Are you arriving, or what?

I drank still another long sip before following.

Outside, the early morning air was cool against my skin, but the moment we stepped into the gym, the familiar mix of sweat and metal filled my senses. The environment was home—the low hum of music, the clanking of weights, the consistent rhythm of bodies pushing themselves to their limits.

Theo went off to film for his wellness vlog while I headed straight for the weight section. My eyes looked about for an empty bench, and I claimed it as soon as I saw one.

Lying back, my fingers curling around the cold steel, I grabbed the barbell. I inhaled deeply. I let out a cough. I felt the weight pressing against my muscles as I raised myself up. Though I welcomed it, a familiar burn settled in almost immediately. I was exactly looking for this. The anguish. The challenge. The emphasis.

I sensed eyes staring at me as I kept running repetitions. Familiar presence.

Though I knew, I did not look straight away. Victoria.

I grinned and gently flexed, giving my motions just a little extra effort. Her gaze fixed on me, confirming a brief check. We locked eyes, and I made my move. I blinked my eyes.

She bit her lip, a faint flush rising up her neck, then turned away fast.

I laughed under my breath, then turned back to work.

One hour later, I was walking towards the showers, and sweat hung on my skin. The cool tile under my feet shivered my spine momentarily, but the heat of the steam-filled room rapidly corrected it.

I inhaled slowly as the water dropped over me, muscles still ablaze from the intensity of the exercise.

Then I started to hear it.

The door moans open.

Looking over my shoulder, she was there.

Victoria.

Her wet hair hung onto her skin, light-catching droplets sliding down her shoulders. She said nothing at first, then moved farther inside with an expression that was incomprehensible but yet full of something I couldn't exactly identify.

Turning back towards the water, I pretended not to be hyper-aware of every movement she made.

She said, "Hey," at last, in a low, silky voice.

"Hey," he said. Though my pulse had definitely picked up, I maintained a laid-back tone.

Before she stopped next to me, I could hear her soft patter on the tiles. Closed. The distance between us is too great for a casual conversation.

“Mind if I join?” she asked, a playful lilt in her voice.

I let the question linger, the tension thick between us. “Not at all.”

She stepped under the spray beside me, and the air shifted.

The water cascaded down her skin, little rivulets tracing paths over her collarbone, her arms. Though it was useless, I made myself keep my eyes forward.

She tipped her head back and let the water soak through her hair. "Feels nice, doesn't it?"

I tried to swallow hard. True, it does.

Now, the distance separating us was virtually nil. My body became highly conscious of hers— the heat, the vitality.

She turned to face me, her eyes fixed on mine. Her manner was difficult to interpret. One of a kind. An assessment.

"Do you ever find yourself simply letting go?"

daily, every day.

I moved forward, the distance becoming zero.

Her breath faltered slightly; her chest rose and fell in time with mine.

"Do you mind working extra here with me?" She mumbled, her voice tinged with something that burnt slowly through my bloodline.

I graced a low, teasing smile. "I don't care." I won't bother you as long as you don't. Still, I should caution you..."

a deliberate stop. She looked at something dark and fluttering, full of yearning.

"I enjoy it rather hard."

Her lips opened to show laughter dancing across her face.

The tension tightened, coiling. The electricity charges the air between us.

She then moved one slow step forward, her voice hardly above a whisper.

"How hard??"