Curves | ONC 2020 Shortlist

13. Jenny, Mesmerized

Had the trainer been staring at her? Jenny couldn't be sure. She'd been so distracted by the fading constellation of freckles across Juliana's cheekbones. Was it a good stare or a bad stare? Did she look nice? Or was there a booger hanging out of her nose?

She gave a quick wipe to her nose with the back of her hand.

A piece of paper slid across the desk. As she scrawled her signature on it, she hoped it wasn't for giving away her next three paychecks or anything. Maybe she should have read the thing.

"Great." Juliana slid the sheet into a folder. Moved the mouse around. Clicked something on the computer.

Jenny got the strangest sensation that she could sit here watching those hands move around all day.

"One of the best things about personal training is it's customized to fit your needs." The trainer looked at her with those warm brown eyes. "What are your fitness goals?"

"To, um." Jenny swallowed, unsure if she wanted to share that. How could she tell a woman she was attracted to that she wanted to lose weight? To have the word 'muffin' refer to a breakfast item and not her midriff?

"No judgement. You want to get healthier, right?" Her eyes were so kind. So encouraging.

She nearly spilled all her frustrations, but stopped herself. "Yes."

The trainer nodded sagely. "And what would you say is stopping you?"

She blinked at the question. "I don't know. I don't think what I'm doing is working."

"But you're motivated."

She nodded vigorously.

Juliana smiled in response. "That's what I like to hear."

Jenny loved that smile. It was like a beam of sunshine.

They went on to talk about nutrition and exercise strategies. Jokes were exchanged. Jenny could honestly say it was the most enjoyable time she'd ever had in a gym. In the blink of an eye, forty-five minutes had passed.

"All right, we've got fifteen minutes left." Juliana stood. "Let's get out there and make the most of it."

Jenny reluctantly agreed. She was happy to make the most of it right here, just talking.

The trainer led her out to an empty mat, whereupon she began demonstrating a torturous move called a lunge. No doubt lunges were designed to instill a sense of fear and incompetence into the uninitiated. Or maybe that was just her.

Despite her wobbly start, though, by the end of their session, Jenny was able to perform a set of lunges without worrying about toppling to the floor. Not that she minded Juliana touching her to correct her stance. For the first time ever, Jenny's lack of balance had come in handy.

"You did great!" Juliana enthused. "We're going to be focusing on strength-building during our week together. The more muscles you've got, the more calories you burn. You ready for it?"

She knew the pump-you-up speech was standard motivational fare that all trainers probably used, but she couldn't help feeling energized by it. By her. Being this close to her made her feel good.

"Yes!" Jenny replied, letting the energy carry her. "You're really good."

A genuine smile lit the other woman's face. "Thanks. Though you may not think so when we actually work the full hour tomorrow. This was more like a warmup."

Jenny gave an exaggerated groan. "Don't tell me that. I thought you wanted me to come back."

"You have no idea," the trainer murmured.

She was surprised at the intensity in those liquid brown eyes. What did it mean? Could it be that—no. Better not to make wishful assumptions.

"I'll bet you say that to all your clients," Jenny teased.

Juliana gave a short, nervous-sounding laugh. "You caught me." She cleared her throat. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow!"

Jenny watched her stride back to the office, dumbfounded at the awkwardness that had suddenly sprung up. Had she said the wrong thing? Was her attempt at humor that bad?

She told herself it didn't matter. It didn't matter because after one glorious week of close proximity to this lovely person, Jenny would go back to her old routine, and Juliana would still be going home to Noah.

Speaking of Noah, here boy! Come here! Tap that vote button like I taught you. Go ahead. *slurp* Gross, Noah. Okay we'll keep working on it.