Chapter 2
545 Words
I cleared my throat, trying to mask the embarrassment. But no matter how hard I tried to play it cool, my face was burning up.
Bruce pretended not to notice, but I distinctly heard him swallow.
Luckily, this minor slip-up didn't disrupt the treatment.
Bruce chuckled softly, displaying a maturity that belied his youthful looks.
"Anterior pelvic tilt is caused by prolonged tightness in the back muscles, especially your latissimus dorsi and quadratus lumborum. It's not too severe yet. A few more sessions should do the trick."
Bruce guided me to turn over, bringing my perky buttocks right into his line of sight.
Under the pressure of his hands, my body naturally began to tremble.
"This is a classic case of anterior pelvic tilt." Having finished his assessment, Bruce picked up a chart to fill out my details.
I let out a silent sigh of relief. Thank goodness he paused, or else my thong would have soaked through and ruined the table sheet.
"Typical symptoms include an arched lower back, a protruding lower abdomen, and lower back pain after standing for long periods. A weak gluteus maximus and weak core muscles fail to pull the back of the pelvis forward. This imbalance in tension causes the pelvis to tilt naturally. Long hours of desk work are also a major factor."
I nodded. He was spot on, but there was one question I desperately needed answered.
"How long will it take to heal?"
"At least two months."
I fell silent.
Two months... Could I afford to wait that long? Could my marriage with Jason survive until then?
Noticing my distraction, he spoke softly, "I have a faster method, but I'm not sure if you'd be comfortable with it."
"What is it?"
As long as there was a way, I wanted to try it.
But what Bruce said next completely shocked me, leaving me frozen in place.
"To properly stimulate the muscles, I can use my own body to treat you."
"What do you mean?"
He looked at me, a spark of intensity igniting in his eyes.
Terrified, I propped myself up with my hands and tried to back away, but Bruce caught me.
"Don't be nervous. This is the fastest treatment plan available—it increases tension in the gluteal muscles. In simpler terms, I lie on top of you to stimulate your back and glutes."
I was utterly bewildered.
"You mean you want me to do that with you... for therapy?!" Wouldn't that be cheating on my husband?
Bruce pushed up his silver-wire glasses, his tone sounding entirely innocent.
"We have a strictly professional relationship. This is just treatment, so don't overthink it."
I hesitated, and he pressed on, "Besides, this treatment requires consistency. If you tried doing this with Jason, there's no way he'd stick to it. I'm the perfect person to help you."
His words hit me like a bucket of ice water. It was true. Jason was busy with work, our intimate life was in shambles, and he had been so cold to me lately. He would never commit to helping me with this.
"You can try it out first to see if it works. If you don't like it, you can stop anytime."
Under Bruce's persuasion, I finally nodded in agreement.
- Writer
