~ Fray's POV ~
It had been a few days since I saw the woman in the apartment across from mine. I had pushed any thoughts of her from my conscious mind, but every time I walked into my apartment, I secretly hoped her door would open again.
Before everything went south for me in Chicago, I worked in construction. After school, I'd head straight to the work site around the block and do whatever tasks I could. I got paid under the table, and the money was good, something I could save for myself. The older guys on the crew were kind and took me under their wing. They knew I had a rough time at home and gave me a safe place to be. I enjoyed the work; it was loud and distracting, but there was nothing like starting something and seeing the finished product of your hard work.
I pulled into an empty spot, and Austin parked beside me. He was one of the new workers, only around for a week or two, but something about him set me on edge. Beyond dealing and flunking out of high school, an aura of entitlement irked me. I wasn't one to judge, knowing firsthand the struggles life could bring, but Austin seemed different. Raised with a silver spoon on the north side of Seattle, the guys said he had it all handed to him.
Sitting in my car, I heard a knock on the passenger door. I turned to see Austin grinning in a way that made my skin crawl. I rolled down the window just a crack, not in the mood for small talk. "You heading up?" he asked, his tone too casual for my liking. I took a deliberate bite of my bagel before slowly nodding. "Just asking. Wake up on the wrong side of the bed, Martin?" His attempt at humor fell flat, and I rolled my window back up, focusing on my phone.
He thought he was funny, but there was no point in entertaining him. Most of the time, I gave him cold stares or ignored him altogether. There was no pressure; I refused to let a privileged white man get under my skin ever again.
Finally, I gathered my tools and got to work, determined to focus on the job and not let Austin's presence distract me.
~~~~~
I sat in the gym locker room, reflecting on this second job I had taken up. My schedule was flexible; I often worked the weekends when nobody else wanted to come in, but I sometimes found myself here on weekdays.
Days blurred together, much like they did back home. Yet, my social interactions here were a stark contrast. I felt drained and jittery, having only eaten a bagel and had two cups of tea that morning.
Then it dawned on me—it was Tuesday.
Tuesdays were the days Liz would come in. She was a gym member I had recently helped, although her lack of knowledge about fitness was somewhat embarrassing. Whenever she came in, she'd keep her eyes on me, constantly seeking assistance. As I observed her making her way to her usual locker, our eyes briefly met. However, she scanned the entire gym until I completed my final set of Russian twists to share a moment of eye contact. I sat on the ground afterward, slightly out of breath, feeling the intense burn in my core from the workout.
Sure, she was pretty enough, but not my type. I couldn't look past the paleness of her skin, her thin blonde hair, and her icy blue eyes that seemed almost cold to the touch. She reminded me of a vampire with her intense gaze. There was no attraction on my side; to me, she seemed desperate, like she was trying to reenact some movie scene and seduce me after gym hours. But I wasn't that kind of person, and anything intimate to me was about mind, body, and soul. Liz gave off no such vibes; her intentions were clear as day.
"Hi, Fray!" Her sudden appearance interrupted my disassociating thoughts as I was in between sets, my abs burning and sweat dripping down my neck. "What are we hitting today? Legs? glutes? Both?" I looked up at the desperate woman with a broad smile above me. Feeling slightly uncomfortable with her towering over me, I stood up and gulped water to buy myself some time.
