Curves | ONC 2020 Shortlist

7. Jenny Meets the Trainer

Jenny giggled at the blank look on the woman's face. She wasn't sure what it was, but something about her made her feel completely comfortable. Safe. Safe enough to crack a ridiculous joke. She was rarely comfortable around anyone, let alone strangers who helped her off the floor after tumbling onto her butt.

She had kind eyes, this woman who came to her aid. She saw genuine concern in their light brown depths. And... something else? Interest?

She shook off the thought. No, it couldn't be anything other than concern. That was her job, after all.

The trainer's brow scrunched as she struggled to figure out how to react.

"I'm kidding," Jenny relented. "It's just Jenny."

"Oh!" The woman smiled, brow easing with a mixture of relief and amusement. "You had me going for a second there. I'm Juliana."

The name suited her and her beautiful smile. Jenny extended her hand in greeting. "Nice to meet you, despite the circumstances. Thank you for helping me back there."

Juliana's grasp was warm and firm. "No problem at all. What happened anyway, if you don't mind my asking?"

Jenny hesitated. How appropriate was it to talk about your first and only ex-girlfriend to a complete stranger? "I, uh, I saw someone I knew, and I guess I lost my footing."

"Must have been quite a distracting person," Juliana teased, one corner of her mouth lifting into a lopsided smile.

"You could say that."

Juliana must have sensed her evasiveness, because she changed topics. "I just need to make sure that you really are okay. Sometimes people are injured and they don't even know it. You could still be in shock."

Maybe she was still in shock. Despite the sensible ponytail, Juliana was still very attractive. Her face had a light dusting of freckles across a perfect nose, and her lightly tanned skin reminded Jenny of all the athletes that visited the sports shop.

Did all trainers look this good?

Snap out of it! She needs to make sure you haven't lost all your marbles. So let's try to keep a couple of them in there.

"Do you feel sleepy?" Juliana asked.

"No."

"Do you feel nauseated or dizzy?"

"I don't think so." Jenny decided not to mention the wobbly feeling she was getting from being this close to such a good-looking trainer.

"Okay, follow this pen with your eyes." Juliana proceeded to move a pen left and right through the air.

Jenny complied, but said, "You know, I fell off because I'm a klutz, not because I'm drunk."

Juliana tilted her head. "The tests and questions are kind of similar, aren't they? I hadn't realized that. It's just that bump on your head has me a little worried. Hold on." She leaned forward and gingerly probed the swollen area on her forehead.

"Ow!"

"Sorry. Let me get an ice pack for that."

The nimble trainer had gotten up before she could protest. She watched as Juliana bounded effortlessly to a different room, like a sneaker-wearing gazelle. She was toned in all the right places. She soon reappeared, ice pack in hand. Even the way she lifted the pack in the air was graceful.

I'm a lumbering beast.

"Here we go." Juliana wrapped the ice pack in a towel and carefully applied it to Jenny's forehead.

She sucked in her breath, but it wasn't too bad. The towel eased the sudden cold. Jenny took over holding the ice pack in place, brushing Juliana's warm fingers in the process. "Thanks."

"That'll help with the swelling. Does it hurt to hold your arm up like that? You fell on that side, right?"

"Yes. I mean no. I mean—" I mean your proximity is doing weird things to me. Get a hold of yourself, Jenny. "Yes, I fell on this side, but it only aches a little."

Juliana nodded. "It might hurt more tomorrow, but this is good news so far. I think it's safe to say you don't need an ambulance. But you really should see a doctor."

The thought of expensive doctors soured the mood. She wasn't sure her health insurance at work had kicked in yet. Was the waiting period six months? She'd have to look into that. "Okay," she said simply, and pretended to adjust the ice pack. "I should go."

"You can rest awhile longer if you'd like. I don't mind."

Was that hope she heard in Juliana's voice? Probably not. She was just being nice. "No, I think I'm good to go. Maybe I should finish my workout."

"Definitely not." Juliana pressed a hand against Jenny's thigh, as if holding her in place. "You need to go home and rest."

"You're probably right." Jenny swallowed against the giddiness flipping through her stomach. This amazing creature was touching her thigh. When she looked at the hand, Juliana moved it away.

Jenny realized she was in danger of embarrassing herself further if she stayed. Salivating over a pretty trainer right after falling off an elliptical wasn't exactly romantic. She leaned forward to get up, then plopped back down when a sharp pain shot through her inner thigh. "Oh."

"What's wrong?"

Jenny put a hand over the area and rubbed it. "It hurts. Like, a lot."

"You probably pulled it during the fall. If your leg was still on the machine and the rest of your body fell, that muscle could've been stretched too far. It's called a groin pull."

"Groin pull? Talk about adding insult to injury." She shook her head. "My coworkers will ask me why I'm limping, and if I say groin pull, they'll think it's a euphemism for playing with myself."

Juliana laughed.

Such a delightful sound.

Encouraged, Jenny continued, "Then one of them will probably tell me, 'Whaddaya know? I was pullin' on my groin just last night!'"

Juliana laughed even harder and shook her head. "You're funny."

Was it silly how many warm tingles this little comment generated? More words bubbled forth. "I'm here all week. Tip your waitresses." Stop, Jenny. Just stop.

The trainer simply grinned. "Can I help you up?"

"Sure."

Juliana offered her shoulder for Jenny to lean on. Jenny placed her arm around the trainer's neck and gradually stood up. Juliana was strong and very steady.

Should a girl enjoy being helped to her feet this much?

With Juliana at her side, she limped her way to the locker room. While Jenny retrieved her things, Juliana ran over to the supervisor to let her know what was going on, then came back to help her to the parking lot.

When they were out the front door, Jenny immediately regretted having parked so far. "Crap."

"What is it?"

"I'm parked over there," Jenny pointed in the direction of her car.

"That's not far."

"No, the back row. In the corner, way over there."

Juliana gave her that crooked smile again. "Oh, that's not bad. I commend you for not being a parking space vulture. It's kind of amazing how much time some people spend circling for a spot by the front door. Like walking is such a hardship. At a gym."

Parking space vultures. Jenny smiled.

They gradually made their way across the lot. Juliana was unwavering in her strength and encouragement. And she smelled like clean towels. All too soon, they arrived at her little hatchback.

If you're exercising right now, please pause before tapping the Vote button. Wouldn't want you to injure yourself. ;)