Inheritance

Chapter 5

"Is he a model or something?" I asked the red-head, as we watched Caleb disappear into the men's locker room. 

The squared tag on her chest revealed that her name was Kathy. She stared at me like I had magically grown two heads before she released a labored sigh. 

"No, he's the Caleb Lavine. As in celebrity fitness trainer, retired NFL Quarterback, and owner of this facility." She pointed around the gym, using her index finger as a reference point.

"Oh wow, that's pretty impressive." 

"He doesn't date clients by the way." She added. I was beginning to learn that this Kathy girl was very blunt.

"Okay...that's good to know, I guess." I wasn't interested in him, anyways. He wasn't my type. 

I had been around enough attractive athletes to understand how they generally operated. I had also heard countless horror stories from shared acquaintances of mine who frequently dated them. Patricia being one of them. 

Professional athletes viewed themselves as high value men who could have any girl they desired. Therefore, they expected the women they dated to worship the ground they walked on. Quite frankly, they believed that any woman they gave their attention to should consider themselves lucky to have been chosen from an exhaustive list of options. 

As if that could ever be me.

"Shall we begin ladies?" Caleb spoke again, once he'd returned fully clothed to the lobby. Hopefully, he hadn't heard the extent of our conversation. Though, I hadn't really said anything that could be considered too self-deprecating.

"Yes! Let me just grab a few things. I'll be right back!" Kathy rushed into a small room located behind the counter, momentarily leaving me alone with Caleb.

"So...where are you from? I feel like I'm picking up on some sort of accent." I decided it was best to engage in small conversation, rather than stand around in awkward silence with a stranger.

"Ah, yes. Most people don't usually notice, since I moved to America when I was still quite young. My family is originally from New Zealand. Have you been?"

"No, but I want to. I know someone who lives in England and is always talking about going there. I figured I'd buy us tickets and fly them out there for a visit during one of their birthdays." 

Was I over-sharing? He just seemed so easy to talk to.

"Okay guys, I'm back! Sorry about the wait." Kathy returned with a clipboard and some equipment in her hands.

~~~

It had taken around forty-five minutes to walk through the entire facility. It was much bigger than it appeared at first glance, spanning three floors and equipped with a basement-level training institute. The tour had been torturously exhausting and I found myself ready to leave by the end of it. But, I decided to stick to some light cardio and weights for at least thirty minutes. Then, I'd leave.

Which led to now. 

Caleb had been helping me use the leg extension machine for ten minutes. Albeit, it was rather unnecessary, given that the machine's displayed instructions had been relatively straightforward.

"So, how old are you Caleb? That is, if you don't mind me asking. Kathy mentioned that you retired from the NFL, but you look very young." I asked, in between my second set of ten reps.

"Yeah, people tend to ask me that a lot." He paused momentarily, then smiled. "I'm twenty-nine. Last year, I took a pretty bad hit during our opening game and blacked out. I was in a coma for a week. When I woke up, the doctors told me that I had a rare heart disease and playing football could make it critical. I fucking love that sport, but not enough to die for it. So, I retired after seven years." 

He tapped my leg to signal for me to continue my reps, which I had stopped doing to listen to his story.

"Wow, I don't even know what to say. I'm so sorry you had to go through that. But I'm glad you found a new passion. And you're damn good at it, if I do say so myself." I finished my last set, then stood up from the machine.

Glancing at my watch, the time now read 8:35am and I had to get back to my penthouse. Not knowing what to say next, we both stared at each other until Caleb cleared his throat. He briefly stumbled to grab his phone from his pocket, then handed it to me.

"Look—I'm not trying to be too forward or anything, but I really enjoyed talking to you. Maybe we could catch up over some coffee one of these days, whenever you're free." He finished his sentence, then nervously gauged my reaction.

"I'd love that." I hesitated, but still grabbed his phone. I entered and saved my contact, then returned the device back to him. 

Perhaps Marco was right about something. I had to start living my life or else I would miss out on good opportunities or great men. I wasn't defined by my past. And deep down I knew that I had severe trust and abandonment issues, which was why I naturally steered clear of dating.

"Well, I have to get back home. But thanks for making my time at the gym so much more endurable. It was a pleasant surprise."

"Glad that I could be of service to you. See you around, Sasha." He showed off his pearly whites and I smiled back at him. As I walked away, I felt his eyes on my back.

Okay, looks like I might be enjoying this gym a little more than I initially thought.

~~~

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~Chelly😘