It's cold outside today. I'm dressed in a T-shirt and shorts with sweatpants and a hoodie over it. I have the heat blazing in my car and yet I'm still freezing. I'm seriously thinking about going home and forgetting the workout. But I glance down at my stomach and decide to keep going. I'm losing those abs I'd worked so hard for all year and now that it's summer, there is no excuse not to have nice abs.
Joanna is there and waves me by without making me pay or swipe my membership card. I smile gratefully. I love that woman.
I go to the locker room first and stuff all of my sweats into one of the lockers and pin the key to my shirt. Then I jump on one of the treadmills. I love to run. I will admit that it's pretty miserable when you start getting tired and you have to push yourself, but that first half hour or so when you feel like you're flying is the best there is.
I set the treadmill to a decent level and my feet start flying. I place my hands on the heart rate monitor and watch as my heart starts beating faster and faster. I feel beads of sweat starting to form on the back of my neck. My eyes flicker to the windows and I watch the people in the pool below. I hate listening to music while I run, it takes away from my awareness, so I watch the people swim. Usually there's someone I recognize, but not today.
I'm so caught up in watching the people below, that I don't realize there's someone next to me until I feel their fingers brush my shoulder. I jump a foot high and punch the stop button just before I slip off the belt.
"Scare much?" he teases.
I'm about to tell him off when I start to recognize that face. It's the guy who I ran over who should be dead now. I can't really be mean to him now. So instead I say nothing and start the treadmill again.
To my annoyance, he climbs onto the treadmill next to mine. I try and ignore him but he's leaning over and reading my screen. And if there's something that I can't stand, it's nosy people. "Can I help you?" I snap.
He just shrugs and turns back to his own treadmill. I try and keep running but now that guy is really starting to bother me. Why was he looking over at my treadmill? What did he want? Was that smirk because he thinks I'm running slow? I glance down at my screen. I've run three miles in twenty minutes. That's not slow. I shake my head. What an ass.
I can't keep running now that this guy is next to me, so I get off my treadmill and move over to the machines. Now I'm not too strong, but I don't really care what people think. A lot of guys give me looks when I move over to the machines. They make me feel like I'm not good enough to lift. Well, I am and I don't care so I keep working anyway.
And then there's that stupid guy again. What the heck does he want? He smirks at me and flexes his biceps. I feel my cheeks heat up and look away. I can hear his snickering. Then again, I wouldn't have heard it if he wasn't following me everywhere.
I get up and toss my towel over my shoulder. "What's your deal?" I snap.
He's sitting at a machine and lifting. My eyes betray me and sneak over to see how much he is lifting. And I can't say I'm not impressed, he's lifting over 100 pounds. And he sure as hell looks like he can. That russet body is all muscle. And he's huge!
Paul leans forward onto his knees with that same smirk. "Doesn't seem like I'm bothering you" he laughed and leaned back.
I shook my head and felt my cheeks burn again. This guy is really infuriating. "I don't really appreciate you stalking me."
"Don't flatter yourself. I'm not stalking you."
"Whatever. Just leave me alone." I'm so frustrated by Paul that I just skip the rest of my workout and go back into the locker room. At least I know he can't follow me here. I pulled on my sweats and placed the key back in the locker. I glance in the mirror and today for some reason, I have a million flaws apparently. My hair is sticking out of its bun and because I'm not wearing any makeup I look overtired.
With a sigh, I tear my eyes from the mirror and wave goodbye to Joanna. I give the parking lot a quick glance and look for that Paul guy. I don't want him knowing where I live. It's bad enough that he's followed me around the gym. Any more of this and I will go to the police. Or maybe the council because he appears to be a native.
I sit in the car for a few minutes to let the heat start. It's still cold in the car despite the heat blasting but I have to get going. The steering wheel is like ice beneath my fingers and I shiver involuntarily. Two seconds before pulling out of the parking lot, I see a blur of color behind me and I slam on the brakes.
Not again, I think as I hurry out of my car. I stop dead in my tracks and debate climbing back into the car and speeding away. He stands there with a smirk and his eyes roam over my body. I feel very self-conscious and back away to my car.
"Are you sure you passed driver's ed?"
"Wouldn't keep happening if you'd leave me alone" I snap and duck into my car. I don't care if I did hurt him. Maybe he'll leave me alone now.
Of course that's not the case though. He ducks his head into my window and I shriek. And now I'm screwed. Because I can't drive away or I'll decapitate him. I start rolling up the window. His hand flies forward and I flinch, thinking he's reaching for me. This is how it ends. Getting kidnapped by some creepy ass dude I ran over.
I peek my eyes open and see his hand on the window pushing it down so it doesn't roll up all the way. I sigh and stop trying to roll it up because I don't want to break my window. But he didn't stop pushing and with a loud crack my window completely shattered.
And now I'm mad.
I stay in my car because I'm honestly terrified of this guy, but I am not going to let this go. "What is your problem?"
"Sorry 'bout that" he says not looking the least bit sorry. I shiver as the cool air leaks into my toasty car. This guy is really starting to make my blood boil. "Tell you what. You let me take you out to dinner and we forget about this."
I shake my head. "Do you know how much this is going to cost to fix?"
"Less than a lawsuit for hitting a pedestrian" he shoots back.
I gasp. Is he really black mailing me? His alluring eyes say it all. He totally means to blackmail me into this dinner. And as much as my mind is telling me this is wrong, after all this guy has been stalking me, I have to accept. I can't afford to get my ass sued. I'm a college student with a mediocre job. I can't afford anything.
"Where?" I snap darkly.
Me smirks because he has won and I shiver again. This time though, not because of the cold. "Meet me at Donny's at seven."
I shake my head and he leaves with a cocky grin.
Oh well. It's one date. Just one. It doesn't mean anything. And it's not going to spawn anything.
