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Liv
I’mfinishingupatthe gym when I glance to my left and find Jeremy nearby. He meets my eyes in the mirror and smiles, but returns to his workout. I watch him out of the corner of my eye for a second, then stand and put my weights away.
“Good workout?” he asks as I pass him. He sets his weights down and rubs sweat off his forehead with a towel while he waits for my answer.
“Meh. I’ve had better.”
“We all have our off days.”
I nod and sip my water.
“How was your birthday?”
I stare at him for a second. He forgot my birthday twice in the five years we were together. “It was great. I got to hang out with Brody Metzer.”
He raises his eyebrows. “That sounds perfect for you. I bet that was amazing. How did you manage that?”
I look to the side, contemplating my answer.
“Oh, right,” he says, putting it together.“Are you dating Luke again?”
I decide to go for honesty. It’s clear he’s trying to turn a new leaf and while he hurt me, I’ve put everything he did to me to rest.
“No, we’re not. Luke and Brody are best friends from high school. He just happened to be there.”
“Oh. Well, that’s cool.”
“Are you still with Amber?” I ask out of pure curiosity. He can’t hurt me anymore.
He blanches. “No. We split a while ago. She uh... had some issues. She’s getting help for them now.”
“I’m sorry to hear that, but I’m glad she’s getting help.”
He lets out a humorless laugh and shakes his head. “You’re an amazing person Liv, to say that after everything I put you through.”
I shrug. “We all have our issues.”
He grunts and nods.
“Well, I’ll let you get back to it. Catch you later,” I say.
He nods with a smile and returns to his weights.
Over the next few weeks, my energy goes into work and the gym. Jeremy is at the gym most days, so we work out together. He doesn’t ask me to hang out with him outside of the gym and I have no intention of asking him either. It’s quite the twist to the future I’d thought I’d have, but it’s not unpleasant. Plus, his presence prevents other guys from hitting on me. I never thought I’d prefer Jeremy’s company to the random men at the gym, but here we are.
“Can I ask you something?” I say when we’re resting between sets.
“Sure.”
“Why did you come to John’s house that day last year?”
His gaze falls to the ground. He takes in a breath, then meets my eyes. “I’m willing to tell you, but it’s going to be uncomfortable. You won’t like the answer and I don’t want you to hate me more than you already do.”
“It’s the only way to grow. And I don’t hate you, for the record.”
He sighs and regards me for a moment. “Can I start from the beginning? Or do you want me to skip that part?”
I motion for him to continue. We never hashed it out. Maybe talking about it will help us both.
