Chapter Seven — The First Shift
204 Words
It happened during a late evening workout.
They were stretching on mats, sweaty and exhausted.
“I can’t believe I didn’t die today,” she said.
“Disappointing,” he replied. “I was counting on it.”
She rolled her eyes.
She glanced sideways at him — his damp shirt clinging to his chest, his hair messy, his jaw sharp.
Her stomach fluttered.
She immediately looked away.
Nope.
Nope nope nope.
This was not happening.
“You’ve changed,” he said suddenly.
She stiffened. “Good changed or bad changed?”
“Good,” he said. “You’re… brighter.”
She shrugged. “That’s just endorphins.”
“No,” he said. “It’s confidence.”
She smiled faintly. “You trained it into me.”
“I didn’t train anything,” he said. “You did the work.”
Silence settled.
Then she said softly, “Thank you. For not treating me like I was broken.”
His eyes softened. “You were never broken.”
Something in her chest cracked open.
The air felt heavier — warmer — charged with something unfamiliar.
She stood too quickly. “I need water.”
“Okay.”
She fled.
And hated herself for it.
- Writer
