The Exposure Within

Chapter 1: ZoeyAnother day, another creepy DM from a guy in Zoey’s rollerblading group chat. You’d think he’d get the hint after never replying to him, but, no, he was annoyingly persistent. Although there were plenty of girls in the same group, none of them were really her type. That said, did she even have a type after the disastrous relationship during her stint at university? And even if there was a girl who ticked all her boxes, she could never guarantee they would return her interest. After all, not all gay girls resembled your stereotypical Ellen, or Big Boo. She huffed and rolled over in her cheap IKEA bed. She’d dreamed, no pun intended, of a plush, super king, Silentnight setup, but sadly, a journalism apprenticeship just didn’t allow for such luxuries. She re-read the message: Hey gorgeous. About time you ‘roll’ into my arms, isn’t it? Zoey huffed again, with an even more frustrated exhalation this time. Enough is enough, she thought. It’s about time I got my ass up and into something new! * * * * It was a sunny Saturday morning during the Easter bank holiday weekend, which meant one thing: rollerblading session after breakfast! Right around the corner from Zoey’s humble abode, next to the trickling river, was a perfectly smooth, freshly laid chunk of tarmac. Whilst most people would see this as an eye sore ahead of the new supermarket that was due to be built, she saw it as her own private track. What more could she want! Apart from pancakes, with streaky bacon, and maple syrup, who wouldn’t want to start their day that way? She opened the fridge and had a stare off with the bacon. Just as she was about to reach in and take the mouth-watering, salty treat, she clocked the blueberries on the shelf below. A sensible little voice popped up in her head, and she knew which option she should choose, but it was the polar opposite to what she wanted. Damn you, blueberries. Before getting her skates on, Zoey decided to kick start her “something new” by jumping on to a new Google search and typing in: L-o-c-a-l G-y-m. The page immediately became flooded with results. That was the easy part. The hard part was to try and find a gym that wouldn’t be intimidating or full of meatheads hogging all the racks. Though she was of slight build, she enjoyed using the squat rack to help keep her booty strong for blading competitions. Plus, wearing tight jeans with her peachy derriere sitting pretty on top of her long legs filled her with inner confidence; a rare feeling these days. She took interest in a gym which looked to have a wide range of equipment, as well as nice, clean changing rooms, even if they were of a communal style rather than individual cubicles. The thought of changing in front of other girls made Zoey feel a little uncomfortable, but the mention of a sauna and hot tub excited her. What better way to soothe aches and pains after a hard workout than a soak in warm, toasty bubbles, with jets hitting all your good spots! CLICK! Whoop, congratulations on taking the first step to a healthier lifestyle! We will see you tomorrow, at eleven a.m. You’re booked in with Alex, The confirmation email read. Alex. I wonder what he’ll be like, Zoey pondered. Who would have thought it? A personal trainer, on a Sunday, and a Bank Holiday! If that wasn’t something new, she didn’t know what was. Feeling accomplished with taking action to make a positive change in her somewhat mundane life, on top of opting for the healthier breakfast alternative, she was then even more enthusiastic to get out to work up a sweat. On went a cute, teal beanie, sitting atop her plaited, golden locks. Next went a pair of reflective Ray-Ban sunglasses (thank goodness for all the pre-loved selling sites available online). And finally, up went the neatly tied rainbow laces of her skates before gracefully gliding off. * * * * At precisely ten fifty A.M. the next day, Zoey found herself standing outside the gym, full of nerves, mixed with excitement, ready to embark on a new adventure. She peered in through the glass pane of the door to scope out the talent. Not bad. Just as she was about to stop staring and enter, someone opened the door from the inside. Into the gym she fell, as if being pulled by an invisible force. She managed to catch herself before face planting the front desk, but unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to prevent the embarrassed sensation slowly burning into her cheeks. “Hi there! Don’t worry, nobody saw.” The friendly receptionist winked. “Well, I do like to make an entrance!” Zoey cringed, reading the name badge of her new ally. “Thank you, Kelsie.” * * * * Zoey was instructed to set her bag aside in one of the many lockers and to get warmed up on the treadmill. Her personal trainer would be over shortly. She made sure to choose a treadmill as far out of the way as possible. This was her first PT session, after all; she didn’t want to make a fool of herself twice in one day. The options on the machine looked fairly simple: a stickman with lines behind it as if running, and another stickman on what looked like stairs. She lightly pressed the “up” button next to the “running” stickman. Success! The floor beneath her began to move. Just as Zoey was finding her stride on the treadmill, she clocked a muscly guy walking towards her. He was wearing the gym’s baby blue uniformed polo shirt, the sleeves tight on his biceps. She prepared to be greeted by her new PT, but he walked straight past her to another client. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a brunette girl with beautifully broad, strong shoulders, also in the uniform, heading her way. Her dark ponytail swished behind her like a pendulum as she walked. As she got closer, Zoey noticed the girl had a side lip piercing, a hoop, a very sexy hoop, in fact, hugging a very full, luscious, bottom lip, that Zoey’s eyes were immediately drawn to. Her heart rate suddenly increased and not from the pace of the running machine! “Zoey?” The stranger curiously asked. “Yes, hi, Alex?” Zoey shyly responded. The muscly, brown-haired babe responded, “Our system never gets my name right. It’s Alexa.” “Like the robot?” Zoey quickly replied, ignoring the apparent confusion over the s*x of her new PT. “Good one, I’ve never heard that before.” Alexa rolled her big, brown eyes. “Any more hilarious quips like that, and you’ll be doing extra press-ups, Zoey.” Alexa did not break eye contact. You can press up on me! Zoey naughtily thought.