Okay! I'm so sorry, but I just couldn't shake how much I hated the chapter two that I posted a couple of days ago. I felt as if something were off, and I realized that I just didn't feel as if I were in Ally's head like I wanted to be, which led me to believe that I didn't introduce Austin to the story like I wanted.

If you have already read this chapter, the only thing that has drastically changed is the first part of it, the second half stays the same! It holds a little more detail about her past but it isn't super relevant.

I'm really sorry, I hate that I posted a chapter only to be changing it, but I couldn't move on with writing the next chapter because I hated the way I wrote chapter two so much.

But I deleted the chapter I posted before and I'm now posting this one.

I have a final this week, but I hope to get up chapter three for you all soon!

Hope you enjoy! Sorry for the confusion!

Ally

One session, that's it. Just one session.

One session was all that I had promised, and that was something that I kept reminding myself of repeatedly as I did the final steps of my morning routine, fighting every ounce of anxiety that told me to bail before I had even left my apartment.

It was currently half past six in the morning, and I had to be at the gym no later than seven.

The fact that I had allowed my two best friends to talk me into something so out of my comfort zone baffled me, but as I laid in bed last night replaying our conversation, I realized just how desperate I was for something, anything, to get me out of my head.

For the past two years, I had been so overwhelmed with grief, so lost within myself, and I had yet to find an outlet to express all the fucked-up shit I had rummaging around in my head constantly.

Since that night nearly two years ago, I had been through more therapists than I could count, tried multiple diets and homeopathic remedies to help up any serotonin I had left in my screwed-up brain, and I was convinced I had tried every antidepressant in the book.

I had tried running, yoga, meditation, and even acupuncture massage therapy after Cassidy had read articles on how it improved depression. But I could firmly say that even having hundreds of flimsy needles shoved nerve deep inside my flesh didn't help in the slightest.

And the last thing I had tried was simply time.

According to millions of people who had lost a loved one, no matter the situation, it was said that time was the best medicine. But I had given up on that to whenever a year and a half rolled around and the only thing that had changed was how numb I was becoming.

I had become accustomed to rolling with the punches, wearing the same fake smile every single day, priding myself that I had come as far as being able to work again after lying in bed for nearly six months after the accident – I had refused to leave my parents' house.

The thought of facing anything without him ripped a pain from my chest and throughout my body that had brought me to my knees multiple times.

And it wasn't until Trish and Cassidy had spent nearly every day of those six months coaxing me out slowly and surely – first from my bedroom to the living room, then from the living room to the backyard, and then from the backyard to the streets of Colorado.

I shook away the memories, popping a piece of peanut butter toast in my mouth before grabbing my gym bag and pulling on my puffy jacket. And once I swung open my apartment door, I cringed, resisting the urge to immediately close it and go back to my bed.

It was freezing.

But as I took in the sun rays awaking the sleepy sky, I admired it silently. I didn't think anyone hated waking up early more than I did, but on the rare occasions that I had been forced to, I never regretted it. There was something so refreshing and sedative about the world in the earliest hours of the day. Only a select few got to see the way the sky lazily transitioned from night to day, the freshest air invading your senses. Mother nature woke up beautifully, and it served as a promise to the start of an entire day ahead with so much opportunity.

So, with those positive observation, I closed the door behind me, locking up.

I jogged down the narrow, cemented landing and staircase before following the sidewalk that would lead to the gym two blocks away. My body shook, lungs aching with each deep inhale of the icy air. But as miserable as I felt, I couldn't help a smile that crossed my face.

On mornings like this Dallas would have the seat warmer already on and the heat turned all the way up before pulling into my driveway to pick me. It didn't matter that he was extremely hot natured. During the winter months, when the morning temperatures would be well below freezing, he always made sure I crawled into a warm truck with a warm seat.

And each morning I would greet him with the brightest smile and a kiss before stealing a sip of his coffee that was always in the travel mug that I gifted to him our very first Christmas together.

That had been our routine from the day Dallas got his licenses until the night he died – it had never grown old.

But that smile was instantly wiped away as my stupid brain reminded me that I would never experience that again. I swallowed, rubbing at the dull ache in my chest as I came to a stop in front of the same gym that I had been eyeing the night before.

'Kick Start Co.'

I stared at the entrance for a moment, debating backing out for only a second before pulling on the handle and stepping inside. A rush of warmth hit me, and I sighed in relief before taking it all in – and honestly, it was intimidating as hell.

The front desk stood a few feet before me, but behind it was an entire floor of exercise equipment organized in sections; an area for weightlifting, an area for cardio, and an area in a corner that looked to serve as a spot for yoga or calisthenics.

There was no ceiling that separated the first floor from the second, only a stainless-steel railed landing that formed a square around the perimeter of the building with numerous closed doors, each labeled with something I couldn't make out.

From the outside looking in, no one would have ever guessed it held this much.

I swallowed my nerves as I made my way towards the front desk. Behind it stood a young girl, her skin tone evenly umber, and her dark brown hair pulled back into a bouncy ponytail.

She smiled brightly before speaking, "Good morning! Welcome to 'Kick Start Co.' How can I help you?" Her bubbly greeting made her instantly likeable, and I remembered a time customer's thought the same of me.

"Good morning," I smiled shyly, "my friend signed me up for kickboxing classes. This is my first day, so I don't really know what I'm doing," I joked softly, wringing my fingers together.

Her smile never faltered. "Okay! What's her name and your name?"

"Uh, Trish De La Rosa and Ally Dawson," I replied, and her fingers were dashing across the keyboard before I even got Trish's name out of my mouth. And while she started intently at the computer screen, I glanced down at the name tag on her shirt – Kira Starr. My eyes shot back to hers when they landed on me again.

"Alright, Trish signed you up for three times a week at seven in the morning with our kickboxing trainer, Austin Moon. Of course, whenever you meet with him, you two can go over any schedule changes either of you might need. He is going to be on the second floor with the door labeled 'Kickboxing #1'. If I can get your personal information put it, and we can get you up to meet him!"

My lips parted as I stared. My kickboxing trainer is a him. I took a deep breath, wavering at the thought, but shook it off as I recited the information to Kira.

Over the course of the next few minutes, Kira took the time to show me around the first floor of the gym, making sure I knew where the locker rooms and amenities were. I was quiet most of the tour, taking mental notes as needed, and when Kira finished, I made my way into the locker area to strip myself of my coat and personal items.

Then, Kira took me to the second floor, and we stopped in front of the labeled door. My head turned as I heard a weight drop below us, but it snapped back to Kira just as quick when she knocked and yelled, "Moon, your seven o'clock is here."

In the next instant came a deep, rough "come in."

Kira motioned me forward, opening the door for me. "Okay, good luck with that one."

My eyebrows furrowed, and before I could respond, she was gone.

What the hell was that supposed to mean?

Inhaling deeply through my nose, I took a step through the entrance – and my breakfast was immediately in my throat.

When first hearing that my instructor was a male, I pictured someone much older than me. Possibly graying or balding, maybe married with a kid or two. I pictured him to be a retired boxer of some sort, and he would have a gentle smile as he greeted me.

But before me was nothing that I imagined.

The man standing in front of me didn't seem to have the definition of the word gentle portrayed anywhere on his body. Even with the distance between us, he soared over me, and if I were right up next to him, I had no doubt that I would meet just at his shoulder - wide shoulders that led into a broad chest where his arms were currently crossed, showing off each defined muscle cut to perfection.

But it wasn't his height or size that unnerved me, it was his face.

The smile I imagined didn't look back at me, but instead a straight line of his lips; no curvature to indicate any sort of emotion. His jaw remained slack with just enough sharpness to be startling. And his eyes were a beautiful golden hazel that stared directly into mine.

He ran a large hand through his dirty blonde locks that grew out just past his ears, the top layered to perfection.

"Good morning. I'm Austin Moon, I'll be your kickboxing instructor. Ms. Dawson, correct?"

The words that fell from his lips were confident, to the point, but didn't sound as rough as it did through the door two minutes ago. It sounded smoother, softer almost.

"Yes, but you can call me Ally."

I didn't bother giving him a smile, and he didn't send one to me either. Instead, he racked his eyes over me, and I felt an intense urge to wrap my arms around myself. I shifted my weight from foot to foot until he finally brought his eyes up to meet mine again.

"Let's go to my office. I need to make some measurements and take your weight."

He turned while speaking, his voice never lowering in volume as he began walking towards the other side of the room. I lagged for a single second before following behind him, giving into the urge to wrap my arms around my waist.

I looked around the room. It was bigger than I expected, much like everything else in this building. There were five punching bags scattered across a matted floor with loose equipment pushed neatly against the walls. Most of the floor was empty, but something told me that was purposeful.

The furthest wall from the door was made up of strictly floor to ceiling mirrors. I watched the both of us in them as we walked to the furthest corner of the room that held another door leading into an office big enough for a tiny desk and chair, file cabinet, and scale.

Austin didn't bother to sit in the desk chair, instead leaned down to pull up an empty file on his computer before turning to the file cabinet. Opening the first drawer, he pulled out body measuring tape and the little gun I saw on television that I knew pinched your skin in order to get your body fat percentage.

I eyed it in distaste, mentally cursing Trish and Cassidy for everything they were worth.

"Okay, step on the scale."

My lips pursed as I fought against an eye roll. Was a please too much?

However, I stepped forward and onto the scale without a word. The numbers blinked for a few moments before finally stopping on one hundred and ten pounds. I sucked in a little breath through my teeth. I hadn't been that low since freshman year.

I chewed the inside of my lip, looking up at Austin through my eyelashes. He stared at the number for a moment before turning and documenting it on the computer. If he had any thoughts on my current weight, his face didn't give anything away.

"Okay, step off."

I did as told.

"This isn't going to be comfortable, but I would like to see where we start with your body fat percentage. If it's okay with you?"

I hesitated for a moment before nodding slowly.

"Good. I'll start with your arms, then your abdomen, your sides, and then your thighs."

His words were between a question and statement, and before he made a move, he waited for my nod. And I swallowed harshly when his hands touched me. They were rough, as I expected, and gripped my arm firmly before positioning it as he needed.

After the pinch, Austin documented it in the computer before moving towards my stomach. He looked at me expectantly, and I averted eye contact as I rose my loose tee shirt up to underneath my breasts.

I crinkled my nose as I felt the device pinch me once more. It felt odd but not painful.

He moved to my sides after documenting the number, and then finally my thighs, maneuvering the device as best he could over my thick leggings. Once he was done, there was an entire other process of him measuring each part of my body with the measuring tape.

I kept my eyes down the entire time, twirling the gold band on my left hand with my thumb.

Afterward, he motioned for me to sit in the desk chair as he leaned against the desk, resting his arms back over his chest as he stared down at me – I squirmed subconsciously. God, since when did I become so awkward.

I wanted desperately to crawl out of my skin. There was no way I would like anything about this.

"You don't look like you want to be here."

My eyes shot up, and his gaze hardened when meeting mine. Running my tongue across my teeth, I debated whether to answer or not before finally just admitting the truth.

"I don't really want to be. My best friend signed me up without me knowing, and I agreed to one session."

He didn't move, didn't give a single damn indication to anything he was thinking. He did, however, purse his lips. His stare was so intense, like he was used to transparency, and maybe I was as transparent as they come, but the look on his face told me I was a puzzle that he wouldn't be able to solve easily.

"Ms. Dawson, I really don't like wasting my time."

I couldn't hide the amused scoff that escaped my chest.

"Trust me, I don't want to waste your time or mine. I don't see the point in this."

At that, he quirked a brow and for the first time since meeting him, his lips turned upward into the smallest smile on the softest chuckle. He shook his head, narrowing his eyes back on me.

"Well, instead of chit chat. Let's wrap your hands and see whether or not you find the point."

And by a miracle, I did.

For the next hour, Austin Moon did not take it easy on me.

The first fifteen minutes were high intensity workouts in order to get my heartrate up followed up by another fifteen minutes of calisthenics. My heart raced and raced as I forced myself through the following half hour of boxing combinations – combinations of calculated punches and precise kicks to the hundred-pound bag of plastic hanging from a chain.

During the first half of the workout, I kept cursing, making a mental note to put laxatives in Trish's drink. But towards the end, with my body running off adrenaline, I felt a fire of determination ignite in my chest. My punches got stronger, faster with each passing minute, and each kick was more powerful than the last.

My brain buzzed with a high that I had never felt before as I landed the last two blows.

However, that still didn't stop my back from hitting the matt. I stared up at the ceiling, forcing deep breaths through my nose and out of my mouth as my chest heaved.

Austin looked down at me, eyebrows raised as he waited not so patiently.

"You going to live?"

A snarky comment almost danced off the tip of my tongue, but I just closed my mouth, forcing myself up to my hands before slowly rising to my feet. Placing my palms on my hips, I stood in front of him, waiting to see what he had to say.

"Did you find the point?"

I continued to focus on my breathing, not bothering to share even a sliver of emotion.

His expression remained neutral as he glanced down at his watch. He didn't wait for an answer before he began to speak. "Well, let's say you did. I'll see you back here at seven sharp the day after tomorrow. In the meantime, I emailed Kira a meal plan I would like you to start. You are too tiny to be doing intense cardio without upping your caloric intake. You are classified as underweight for your height. Our goal is to strengthen your cardiovascular system as well as putting on lean muscle. She will print off a copy and give it to you at the front desk."

I opened my mouth to argue, but something about the look Austin shot me had my mouth snapping closed in an instant. I simply stared at him, not quite understanding how in the hell I had gotten dragged into this, not only by Trish, but now the stranger standing in front of me.

My gaze met with Austin's, and he studied me for a moment, his hazel eyes dancing back and forth between mine. Once they narrowed, I shrunk a centimeter, tearing my eyes from his to focus on anything else in the room.

"I expect to see you back here Monday, Ally."

And my eyes were back on his at the sound of my name falling from his lips.

So, what did you guys think!

I hope you enjoyed and I hope it came across better than I think it did, lol.

Thank you for reading! Let me know what you think!

-Meg