Song for Chapter: The Seed(2.0)~The Roots ft. Cody Chestnutt
SAGE
My hand slams on the snooze button of my blaring alarm. With a groan, I swing my legs over the edge of the bed, mentally preparing myself to start another day. After hitting thirty, a couple of years ago, I make it a point to ignore the subtle dull aches that are starting to accompany me first thing in the morning.
Stretching my arms above my head, the tight muscles of my back strain, pulling and lengthening against the soreness, resulting from the lactic acid build up from yesterday's workout. I should have stretched more. Yawning, I drag my hands through my medium length hair and ruffle it out of habit.
I love mornings. Always have. I'm told I drove my older sister crazy as a kid, barreling into her room ready to start the day while everyone else was still asleep.
I knew better than to barge into my parents room after the one time I did, resulting in me getting yelled at by my parents. Well, my father yelled, my mother screamed—finding her on all fours—my dad was standing behind her. I chuckle but mostly cringe, recalling how my young mind and naiveness actually thought they were wrestling.
Their door was always locked from that point on. I sigh, shaking my head at the other memories trying to come to mind from my childhood, before standing and heading into the bathroom. Channeling my focus on the excitement coming over me to head to the gym for the first actual day now that we got most of the bullshit out of the way, we can get straight into the workouts.
A pair of fiery earthy eyes pop into my mind, followed by the sound of her laughter and her neon lace panties and bra that were both completely see through. Splashing cold water on my face to help remove yesterday's first meeting images, I run a hand down my face, rubbing the stubble on my chin.
I'm not a believer of love at first sight, that's bullshit. Attraction though? One hundred percent.
I can't explain it, but I was magnetized to the new recruit who looked like a chaotic sexy mess more than anything; with her oversized clothes, and black hair that was thrown up on top of her head like an afterthought. More of it was down than up, especially after the treadmill fiasco. And her glasses? Definitely sexy.
Something tells me she likes to hide behind them though. Maybe not, I'm more surprised to find I'm curious to find out. Remembering the pain that briefly reflected in her eyes before she gave her real reasons for joining the boot camp and then what her cousin overshared, I hope she's not doing this for some fucking asshole who probably lost out on a good thing and will undoubtedly sooner or later come to his senses and try to win her back. The thought creates an awful bitter taste in my mouth.
What the hell? I frown at the runaway way train my mind is on and then look down at my morning boner, groaning. I have a rule. I don't get involved with clients and I don't plan on breaking that rule anytime soon, no matter how intriguing and sultry a client appeals to me.
My morning routine is the same as always, and I enjoy the repetitiveness of it. It's dependable, certain and...safe. Once I'm ready I begin the battle that is getting my son to wake up. Recalling my own preteen years I know better than to just walk in his room no matter what time of day it is and call out his name, after I knock. "Obie!"
I wait a few more seconds before I knock again and open the door slowly giving him plenty of time to stop me if needed.
The room is dark with the exception of the muted bluish glow coming from his fish tank. I cross the room and painfully stub my toe on one of his free weights on the floor. "Son of a bitch!" I hop around, reaching for my foot to rub some of the damn pain away, but then trip over his skateboard, crashing down on his floor with a loud thud and even more cursing.
Obie sits up on his bed, disoriented from sleep. "What? What happened? What's going on?" He rubs his eyes looking down at me. "Dad, what are you doing on the floor?"
I mentally count to four before I respond. "You're cleaning your room when you get home from school today." Groaning, I sit up. "And I mean, really clean it if you want to do that movie night at Justin's house this weekend."
"I was already planning on it, you don't need to threaten me." He groans and pulls the covers back over his head.
Reaching over, I yank his covers off. "Nope. Time to rise and shine, grumpy bear."
"Hey!" He reaches for his blanket, but I move away, taking it with me.
"DAD!"
"SH! You're going to wake the neighbors!" I whisper-yell at him.
"Pretty sure you already did that when you fell. Felt like a freaking earthquake." He eyeballs me then slides down the side of his bed, crumbling onto his floor in dramatic fashion.
He's not a morning person.
And getting ready in the morning, like we have somewhere to be? Forget it. One small task can take up to fifteen minutes which accounts for us being late more often than not. Something he inherited from my ex-wife–his mom, entirely. But I'm determined to teach him the value of punctuality even if it kills me.
"Obediah." Using my firm voice, I crouch down so there's no doubt he can't hear me. "If you don't hustle and get ready and dressed in five minutes, movie night is not happening this weekend."
I brush back his dark curls, studying his face, painfully aware of how fast he's growing up. "And no video games tonight."
"Fine!" He whines before letting out a huff and pushes my hand away as he sits up. "But if I do a really good job with cleaning my room can I start going to Justin's in the mornings before school instead of Mei's? His house is on the way to your work anyway."
"The first boot camp of the year is underway this week and Mei will be coming over after today since I'll be out before you get up." I remind him and he slaps his hand to his head. "And I thought you like hanging with Mei?" I straighten, trying not to let myself panic at the prospect of seeing his friends' Justin's mom. InwardIy cringing at how each and every one of the encounters usually necessitate her eyes lingering over me and shamelessly zeroing in on my junk.
"I do like Mei, but I'm getting too old for a babysitter don't you think? And FYI Justin's mom is dating someone."
It's uncanny how my son can sometimes read my mind. "Oh?"
"Yep, Justin says he's cool." He pulls off his pajama shirt and tosses it on the floor and ambles over to his dresser pulling out a clean T-shirt. "So, you're safe." He grins over his shoulder at me.
Narrowing my eyes at him, I bend down and throw his shirt at him. "Very funny."
He chuckles, snatching the shirt off his face, but then his smile fades into a thoughtful expression. "You know, it's okay if you want to have a girlfriend, Dad."
I jolt at his words. "What?"
"Everyone needs someone," he says, looking down at the shirt in his hands.
I fight through the unexpected emotions that flood over me. "I have you, Obie."
He snorts. "Come on, Dad. You know what I mean. You never go out with anyone–like ever. No one serious since what's her name? Emily?"
"Amelia."
"Yeah, Amelia. She was nice and then she just stopped coming around."
"I didn't think you would remember."
He was five when I dated her and I was hoping he was young enough that he would not be affected by her sudden absence. There was some dating prior to Amelia, but she was the first person I felt safe enough to let in after my divorce. I swallow the bitter taste of repeated rejection she left me with when she decided the package deal of me and Obie was too much for her.
"You haven't dated anyone since her, how would I not notice?" He shrugs and tosses his pj shirt in a hamper.
I choose not to date right now. I have too much shit to deal with as it is, I don't need a relationship to complicate my life even more.
"I appreciate your concern, son. But I think I'm doing just fine."
"Sure, but you could be better. That's what you're always saying, right? You're great the way you are, but we should never stop setting goals for ourselves. It helps us grow into who we are meant to be."
I stare at him dumbfounded. I'm always wondering if what I tell him actually sinks in. "Thanks for the reminder. I'll think about it, but I won't make any promises. I like our manly duo."
"Lame, Dad." He groans. "I'm not going to live with you forever, you know? You need to find your beaver."
I start choking on air, coughing violently. "My what?!"
Obie hops around trying to get his pants on. I resist the urge to instruct him to sit down and put on one pant leg at a time.
"Your beaver." He casually repeats before he jumps up, buttoning his pants and heads to the bathroom. "And not just any beaver but a girl that's like an Eurasion Beaver." He brushes his teeth, the toothpaste foaming at the edges of his mouth. "They stay with their partner for life. I learned about them last year. I mean, it's mostly for survival, but you could throw in some hand holding, I'm sure."
Grunting in response, because I'm unsure what to say to this unexpected topic of conversation, I start heading for his door. "Don't take too long."
On our way out of the apartment, I swing my bag over my shoulder and walk in line with Obie towards the elevator to head down to Mei's floor. "Tell you what, Obie, I'm willing to negotiate dropping you off at Justin's house three days out of the week, after the boot camp is over, if I don't have to remind you to do your chores or homework—"
"Deal! I promise I'll do everything everyday, I swear!"
"And..." I hide my grin as his smile crumbles, waiting for me to continue, "you keep it up, but not just that. You need to get up and ready on time in the mornings and eat something before we leave."
He lowers his head and agrees, sullenly. "Okay. But you have to give me at least three passes, in case I miss a day or two...or three."
"Two."
"Deal." He holds his hand out for me to shake. I chuckle before pulling him in for a side hug and ruffle his curly hair. Something else he got from his mom.
"Aw, come on Dad, don't ruin the hair."
"Why? Got some girl's eye on you?"
He looks down as the tops of his ears turn pink from the growing blush on his face. "No."
"Hm. If you say so...you know it's okay to have girls as friends—"
"Jeez, I know, Dad. Please stop with the lecture." His eyes shift around uneasily. I get the feeling that he thinks I'm going to give him the talk, which technically we've already covered, not in detail, but the basics. The memory makes my stomach turn in knots, but it needed to happen, sooner than later. Thankfully, his follow up questions were simple.
We step off the elevator and walk to Mei's door. We befriended her five years ago when we moved into the building and I got some of her mail by mistake. She's widowed and retired and generously offered to help out with Obie when he was younger, becoming a trusted friend.
"Call me as soon as you get home from school."
"Don't I always?"
"Smartass." I mutter but my frown morphs into a smile when Mei opens her door, greeting us.
"Obie, Sage, running a little late. Did you eat, dear?" She asks Obie. He shakes his head with a sheepish smile and she gives him a kind, knowing smile in return. "Well, I bought some of your favorite Pop Tarts. Go on and grab one before the bus gets here."
"Bye, Dad!" He gives me a weak hug and rushes into Mei's apartment without waiting for my response.
"Thank you, Mei. Just a reminder, I'm starting a new boot camp group this week, and I'll be going in a little earlier than usual. I think by the next one, he might be okay on his own, so we don't have to impose on you."
"No one's imposing when I offer to begin with." She waves me off playfully. "I'm usually up at five, my internal clock doesn't care that I don't want to get up. And yes, he's growing up quickly."
"I can't thank you enough for always helping out. You've been such a blessing to me, to us."
"You know it's always my pleasure. Obie is such a good young man. Would do him some good to have a female influence at home though." Mei bluntly advises and clicks her tongue.
My unamused face earns a smile from her. "You and Obie are ganging up on me today."
She raises a thin eyebrow waiting for me to elaborate. "He said I need to find my own 'beaver'." Mei covers her bubbly laughter with her frail hand.
"Smart boy. Beavers mate for life, you know. Not the North American ones, but the Eurasion breed do."
"So I'm told." I sigh. "Anyway, I gotta run, already behind schedule and I'm sure to hit traffic." I give her a quick kiss on the cheek before dashing back towards the elevator.
"Drive safely!"
___________
Weaving in and out of the damn traffic put me in a sour mood real fast. I prefer to arrive at the gym before most of my staff—which I usually manage, even when Obie is pushing the time—to get tasks handed out instead of feeling rushed. But today I not only hit every damn light on the way, a city utility truck backed up into a pole, causing a huge detour too.
I yank the front door open, muttering under my breath when the cocky grin on Ezekial's face greets me. He loves to rub it in on the rare days he beats me to work.
"Morning, Boss."
"Good Morning."
"Chilly today, right?"
"Saying good morning does not mean I want you to have a conversation with me."
Riley, our front desk staff, giggles. "Come on, Zeke, you know better than to talk to Coach when he doesn't have his coffee cup in his hand."
"Everyone else here I take it?" I ask, taking the stack of mail that she's handing me.
"Yep, waiting on el capitan to bark orders at us."
I look up from flipping through the mail and Ezekia's smile drops. "I mean to instruct." He corrects himself and swallows. "Casey finished going over her stuff and did the warm up with the group."
Scanning the room I find the participants starting to pair off with their trainers and training partners. I purposely split Zeke and his buddy Enrique knowing they'd be better off working with different people than each other. They tend to goof off from what I've seen when they've come in on their own together.
A slow grin spreads on my face at the look of shock Enrique has when Frank walks over to him to introduce himself. Frank is an ex-body builder..
I paired Olivia and Joanna together and figured their friend Natalia would work best with Becky, another trainer who also just had a baby a few months ago. She seems happy as they converse with one another. Their phones are out, no doubt sharing pictures of their babies. The other participants seem pleased with their partners and trainers as well.
After asking Riley to set my things in my office, I make my way over to my cadets. They're still stretching on the mats, lying on their backs, with their knees pulled into their chest and then begin alternating pulling their legs towards their heads when I catch the tail end of their conversation.
"All I'm saying is this is going to be fucking hell, Oli. And I'm going to make sure you and Quique hear about it any chance I get. I mean, we got paired with Mr. Zero fun out of any of the trainers. People who workout are supposed to be happy, you know because of the happy endorphins. So, what's the captain grumpy pants issue? You'd think he'd be a ray of sunshine not Oscar the grouch."
"Isn't it obvious?" Olivia responds, turning her head to face Joanna.
"What is?"
"Why he's not happy."
Joanna doesn't answer right away. "...No?"
"He's not getting all of his physical needs met, you get what I'm sayin'?" Olivia shrugs and I've heard enough.
"Ladies."
They both freeze and they simultaneously shift their heads up and back to look at me.
"You'd both get a hell of a lot more done if you spent less time talking, specifically about my physical needs, and focused on the task at hand. Let's go." I beckon the girls to follow me. Olivia leans in whispering something to her and Joanna shakes her head in response.
I grunt a morning greeting, looking over paperwork on a clipboard, they mutter the same in return. "First—"
"Actually Coach, I just want to say upfront, I respond well with positive reinforcement in the form of candy, treats, gifts..." Olivia trails off as she looks at me.
"That's not how this works."
Olivia looks at Joanna with a look that I can only describe as complete devastation. I inhale and exhale deeply. "As I was saying, while your goals are different...based on your assessments, I've worked out a detailed split that's fairly similar with the exception of an extra day for you, Miss Espinoza."
Olivia clicks her tongue. "Aw, man." My lips form a tight line, lifting my eyes to hers. "I..I mean, that's cool, Coach. Let's do this!"
"That's better. Now, it's only to get a jumpstart for the first three weeks, if Miss Lozano wants to join you for that extra day she can," I tell her, and notice they still have their coats on. "Go put your jackets away, I don't need you two overheating on your first day. We're starting with chest day." They turn away from me, walking towards a section with cubbies to stuff their jackets in.
"Sheesh! Who pissed in his cereal?" Olivia murmurs under her breath, not quite low enough for me to not hear.
"And you said I was being dramatic about his grumpy ass." Joanna chuckles. "Anyway, you were saying the cold is hurting your chi chi's but I'm pretty sure they're going to hurt more after this."
My attention however, is pulled by everyone around them watching them walk by instead of what they were talking about and then I look back at the girls stuffing their jackets into the cubbies and I see why.
I march towards them, like a raging bull, I can feel my nostrils flaring and veins bulging.
"Miss Lozano, do you purposely look for ways to draw attention to yourself?" I grit out through my clenched jaw.
Joanna's eyes flare back at me. "What the hell are you talking about?"
She gasps when I reach around her, my fingers accidentally brush against her round ass, and her eyes widen when I pull my hand back. The pink color on her face gives her a glow under the lights and she inhales sharply.
A pair of pale pink panties dangle from my finger. The last thing I expect for her to do is to burst out laughing and she snatches them out of my hand.
"You think I purposely stuck a pair of underwear on my pants?" She holds them up higher, the look of disbelief on her face.
"You tell me."
She surprises me by taking a menacing step forward, and it looks like the fire in her eyes is making her glasses fog up. "Listen, you arro—"
Olivia interrupts, placing herself in between us. "It's my fault, Coach. JoJo is always lecturing me about forgetting the fabric softener when I do laundry, let alone forgetting not to throw her bras and underwear in the dryer. She pulled the pants out of the dryer this morning in the dark, not wanting to turn the lights on because she didn't want to wake me up."
I glance at Joanna who's watching her cousin with annoyance as Olivia continues. "You see my room is right across the laundry room—I sleep with the door open, unless I have company over because you know, no one needs to see—"
Joanna clamps a hand over Olivia's mouth. "Oli, we don't owe him or anyone any explanations." She turns on her heel, flipping her hair, which I'm sure she intended to smack me in the face with, but hits Olivia instead, who back pedals.
Mesmerized by her fierceness, I watch her storm back to the cubbies, waving her underwear in the air at the people still staring. "Oooo, it's like no one has ever seen a pair of underwear before!!!" She shouts before shoving them into her jacket.
On her way back Joanna marches past both Olivia and me, hitting my shoulder, purposefully. Olivia gives me a sheepish smile then follows her angry cousin.
Taking another deep breath, I trail behind them, impressed Joanna found the chest machines. It's hard not to notice the effort she makes to appear disinterested while I demonstrate how to use the first machine.
I have her go first and move the pin up to a lesser weight and instruct them to alternate doing three sets of twelve reps each.
"How's that feel?" I ask Joanna to test the weight out. She doesn't respond, but noticing how easily she closes the bars with her first rep, I lower the pin down another notch.
Walking around, she tenses when I rest my hands lightly on her shoulders, pulling them back. "Straighten your posture, you're curving your back."
She nods, continuing with the set and I move back around the front, kneeling next to her. Her chest moves with her improper breathing so I rest my hand on her stomach. Her eyes shift down to my hand and I look over my shoulder.
"Oli, pay attention."
"Huh? Oh, right. Yes, Coach," she says, turning back from watching one of the monitors with a cooking show on. Her eyes widen comically when she sees my hand on Joanna's stomach. I turn back to Joanna and notice she's trying to hide her reaction to seeing Olivia's face too.
"Beginners sometimes make the mistake of holding their breath when they start lifting, but it's dangerous not having proper breathing technique because it can lead to injury, and I've seen a few people black out."
"No shit?" Oli questions with wide eyes.
I nod. "Learning to do it right will help you lift more as we progress each week. So I want you both to make a conscious effort to pay attention to your breathing pattern. When you pull the bars in, exhale. Now Inhale." Lifting my eyes slowly to hers, Joanna takes a breath in, controlling the bars back and then exhales, bringing them closer to each other in the front again.
"You're doing great." Praising her, as she continues. "Your breathing should expand your stomach, not your chest. Move my hand when you inhale." She does exactly as I instruct.
"Good girl." I can't help noticing a rosy hue growing on her face. Remembering, my hand is still on her, I lift it away before she finishes her set. Noticing my own breathing and heart rate have somewhat quickened.
"Oli, your turn."
"Yes! I'm ready! Put me in, Coach!" She says, energetically and I find myself fighting off a smile.
***
A/N: Now that we have a little insight, what do we think of Sage??
And who doesn't love a kid like Obie, looking out for his dad's love life! Haha