SYDNEY
I clapped my hands together as I stared back at twenty, sweat-covered and red-faced ladies. They had all done amazing during my thirty-minute HIIT session, and not once did someone complain. That was a new record.
I'd been back at work for a week now. It was nice, getting back into teaching. The environment at the studio always brought out a good side of me. Something about the adrenaline rush and post-workout high made me addicted to the job.
It also helped that member registrations had been up by ten per cent this month, and our profits were growing steadily.
Everything was truly going my way. Except I still couldn't shake the feeling that I was a little lost.
I guess my trip to Melbourne was...different and therefore, it was riveting. I enjoyed being around the team and dare I say it, pretending to date Henry. It was all new, and it was something I'd needed to do for a long time—the trying new things part, not necessarily agreeing to date one of the hottest guys in Formula One.
Now that I was back home, my usual routines were back. While there was nothing wrong with it, the contentment almost frightened me. That little taste of excitement that I'd felt across the Tasman Sea had really opened my eyes to what could have been.
"Ah," I sighed as Lucie handed me a warm towel. I wiped my face, feeling the soft fabric absorb all of my stress from earlier. "I don't think I can thank you enough for steadying the ship while I was away, Luce."
Lucie smiled. "You could by giving me a raise."
I scrunched my eyebrows. "If we hit those profit targets you know you're getting a good bonus."
Lucie nodded while she tucked a strand of red hair behind her ear. "I won't let you down." I was grateful that Lucie was such a hard worker. I initially figured hiring someone ten years older than me would make things difficult. I mean, she had more knowledge, skills, and flair than me. But Lucie never once doubted my abilities. She was the opposite of condescending. We'd only been in full operation for a year, but Lucie had ensured everything ran smoothly right from our grand opening to today. I'd even asked if she wanted to be my business partner, but she said she was happy being the manager of the studio for the time being.
"So are you going to tell me about Henry yet?" she asked as we sat behind the reception desk.
I vigorously typed in the computer password, keeping my vision forward.
"Oh come on, Syd. It's been a week, and you haven't said a word." Lucie stopped fiddling with the computer mouse. "You have to give me something." She lowered her voice. "Is he at least good?"
I choked on air. "Lucie!"
"I am so sorry. Ignore me." She began rearranging the staplers and sticky pads on our desk. "I'm just too nosey, and I need to mind my own business."
"No, it's not that. I just...I don't want it to seem like I've moved on from Jeremy too fast." I began rolling some large towels to put on the front desk.
Lucie shook her head. "Of course not. You're free to do what you want. Plus, you've won the heart of the hottest Formula One driver. I mean, everyone gushes over him because let's be real, he's the most beautiful man to walk this earth."
I blushed; I mean she wasn't wrong. He was definitely easy on the eyes.
"See, you're even blushing right now. Oh my God, my girl is in love," Lucie screamed.
"Shush," I laughed. "It most definitely is not that." It was as platonic as a handshake.
"So are you going to the next race?"
I checked the date on my watch. "Well, free practice begins today, but they're in Japan, so no."
Lucie dropped the computer mouse. "Cool. You'll be at the next one then. China."
I scooted my chair closer to hers. She had the full calendar on her screen. Of course, she did.
"I can't afford to leave the studio again," I sighed.
Lucie looked at me like I'd just told her I'd committed a double homicide. "Um, yes you can. You're the owner, you can do whatever the fuck you want."
I laughed.
"Plus, you have the coolest manager who can easily take care of anything. You could take the next six months off to follow your man around the world and the profits would still be up on last year's figures."
"You're so humble," I said sarcastically.
Lucie whacked me on the shoulder. "I'm trying to show you that you don't need to make excuses. Well, at least you can't use the studio as an excuse anymore. If you want to travel with him, just know this place will be in safe hands."
I bit my lip as I anticipated my next words. It sounded convincing, and I had been feeling off since I'd come back. Maybe a six-month sabbatical was exactly what I needed. I knew Theo would appreciate it too.
"I'll think about it," I said eventually.
She squeezed my shoulder. "Perfect."
***
I gently pushed open my front door and pulled the key out of its lock. I didn't know why, but something felt off. It was a struggle to unlock it at first...as if the door hadn't been locked in the first place.
The main lights were all off, which wasn't out of the blue. But my lamp in the lounge dimly shone through the hallway. I never left my lights on. If I was paying for electricity, there was no way I would carelessly do such an act. I picked up the cricket bat I kept for safety and walked towards the living room.
"Hello?" I called out.
A loud crash made me jolt, and I almost froze in fear. Someone, or something, was here. In my house. With me and only me. God, I should've opened a self-defence studio.
A tall shadow made its way towards me as I held the bat up high. Just swing and aim for the head. Then kick his balls.
"Go away," I yelled as I took aim at the intruder.
They caught it with ease, laughing as they pulled my weapon out of my hand. "Sydney, it's me. It's me." The familiar voice made my muscles relax slightly, and I stepped closer to the light.
Jeremy stood in front of my couch, ignoring the pot plant he'd knocked over.
"What the fuck are you doing here?" I yelled because I was most definitely still startled.
Jeremy laughed, his smile warming my heart. "I forgot the TV remote when I picked it up last week. I figured it would be on the table here." He held it in the air. "I was right."
I shook my head. "How'd you get in?"
"I still have a copy of your keys." He jingled his key set, before sliding mine off the ring. He held it out, and I snatched it from his hand.
"Don't ever do that again," I snapped as I walked around the couch and began picking up the pot plant.
"So, Henry Toussaint, huh?" Jeremy began as I carried the broken pieces to my kitchen.
I slid my bag off my shoulders. "Yep."
"That's exciting."
I nodded, still facing away from him. "It is."
I could feel Jeremy's curiosity through the thick air in the room.
"Do you love him?" he asked.
I rolled my eyes. Why was everyone asking me the same questions when it hadn't even been that long? Was I missing something? Were we meant to fall in love fast these days?
"Love's a bit of a stretch," I began. "It's all very new, and I wish people would understand that love takes time to develop."
"It didn't for us, though," he said.
I thought back to the first time I said I love you to Jeremy. We were in Paris, sitting on a small balcony while we had hot chocolates and pastries for breakfast. That was only a year ago, but so much had changed since then.
"It really didn't," I said after a moment. I looked over at my ex-boyfriend who was staring at me with the same eyes from that morning in Paris. Remnants of love could be found behind his gaze. Or so I thought.
"Right," he said as he slapped his legs. "I guess I better get going." He held up the small device. "Thanks for the remote. Sorry about the pot plant."
And with that, the small amount of hope dissolved into thin air.
I wasn't in the mood to eat once I walked Jeremy to his car. My appetite had long vanished, along with my energy. I decided to hop straight into bed. It was only seven, but a can of Coke, a lemongrass diffuser and a face mask were all I needed to relax my mind.
I slipped under the silk sheets and pressed the on button on my remote. I spent the next ten minutes scrolling through Netflix. I was seconds away from starting a new Spanish thriller when I felt my phone buzz under my arse.
"Shit," I muttered as I spilt some of the drink onto my bra. Yes, I was sitting in lingerie too, but it made me feel empowered, so what?
I placed my can on the bedside table, before checking to see who was calling me.
Henry.
I hadn't spoken to him since the airport. I figured he was too busy doing God knows what to engage in a conversation with me. In a panic, I reached for the sheets and pulled them up to my neck. I held my phone a few inches away from me and swiped to unlock it.
Henry appeared on the screen almost immediately, his hair ruffled and his face red. It wasn't until I saw my own hideous reflection, mixed with Henry's horrid reaction, that I realised my face mask was still on.
"What the fuck?" Henry laughed, while I simultaneously let out a scream so sinister it was made for a horror movie.
"I completely forgot I was wearing this," I said, extremely embarrassed.
Henry smiled. "It suits you."
I peeled it off before patting my face to absorb all of the moisture.
"Although, I do like seeing your pretty face more." He winked. I blushed, before reminding myself that this man flirted with anything that identified as a human. It was good for my ego either way.
"What's up?" I asked as I leaned back over for my drink. "Don't you have free practice?"
Henry's smile dropped. "The car fucked out before I could get a chance to. I'm not sure I'll get to drive at all today."
"I'm sorry to hear that." I took a sip of my Coke.
"I hadn't heard from you all week, so I wanted to check in...see how you are?" Henry said. God, I needed to stop making eye contact with him when he smiled and said things like that.
"Oh," I said. I expected him to be calling for another reason...such as Maurice questioning the validity of our relationship again. Or him wanting to call off the arrangement. "I'm good. I've been teaching all week, so it's gone by really fast. And I've started incorporating free community classes into the schedule...to try and encourage people to find the joy in fitness if they're just starting out."
Henry nodded. "That's awesome. What kind of classes?" This was odd. Did he care about me enough to want to know what was going on in my life?
"Uh, quite a lot of dance classes. But I taught HIIT today and the team did so well. I think I should organise a class to teach the Santoro team next time I'm around."
Henry laughed. "As long as it's not dance."
I folded my arms. "Oh, well now it's definitely going to be dance. I can't wait to see how uncoordinated you are."
Henry smirked. "If I agree to go to your dance class, you must come around the circuit with me."
"Deal. But I hope you're not afraid of vomit as I will definitely be sick afterwards."
Henry laughed again, before biting his lower lip and staring at me. I felt a weird, nervous sensation in my stomach.
"Do you think you'll be okay only having one practice session before qualifying?" I asked.
Henry sighed. "I hope so. But I'm not sure." Henry was sitting fifth in the tournament, while Theo was third. It must have been tough, seeing your teammate consistently perform well while you occasionally fell behind and out of the top ten. It wasn't his driving style or talent that was the issue, but more so his inability to gel with the team and get used to the car. Just like at Astro Racing.
I really hoped it got better for him, as something told me Henry wanted it to work with Santoro.
"Well, the race is on at a good time here, so I'll be able to watch it live," I said. "Thank God for no three a.m. stints."
I thought Henry wouldn't care if I watched it or not. I wasn't his family or a close friend. But his eyes filled with gratitude hearing my words.
"That would be great," he said softly.
"It'll make for the perfect opportunity to post an I miss you story too."
Henry grinned. "You'll need to come to another race soon." He paused. "To see Theo, of course."
Right. To see Theo. Why did a small part of me hope he wanted me to come to see him? Gosh, what a stupid thought.
"Yeah. I was thinking of flying over for the Chinese Grand Prix," I said. Well, Lucie, I guess that was my decision made then.
"Yeah?" Henry's tone had a hint of enthusiasm, making me feel like I'd made the right decision.
I nodded. "Yeah. I will."
He smiled. "Cool." His eyes shifted below my neck before his cheeks reddened and he looked at the roof.
"You're uh," he said as he pointed at my chest. "I'm not sure if you know."
I looked down, and in sheer horror, I noticed my sheet had completely slipped off. My red, lacey bra, which barely held my breasts, shone straight back at the man on the phone. It was one of my more revealing lingerie sets as well, which barely covered my nipples. In just ten minutes of talking to this man, I'd forgotten I'd put it on.
"Shit," I squealed. My sheets must have caught the bottom crease of my bed as they failed to move, no matter how hard I yanked the silky fabric. I tugged for a few more seconds, before surrendering and grabbing the closest pillow.
"Sorry about that," I said as I held the European pillow across my chest.
Henry chuckled. "Don't worry about it. Are you expecting someone tonight?"
I scoffed. "Oh, no. Definitely not. No way." I patted my reddened cheeks. "I just wear shit like this to feel confident."
Henry nodded, seemingly impressed. "I respect that. I think that's pretty cool."
"You're just saying that 'cause you got to see my boobs."
Henry laughed as he scrunched his eyes. I think we were both feeling equally embarrassed, which kind of cancelled out the effect.
Maurice could be heard in the background a few moments later, and I was thankful this whole spiel had happened when he wasn't in the room. Imagine the horror if he'd been in the background too.
"Ah, I'm sorry," Henry sighed. "I've been called to test the car again. Looks like they've fixed it in time."
I nodded. "No, of course. Go and smash those times." I said as I pumped my fist in the air. Oh my, I am awkward.
Henry smiled before saying goodbye. I hung up and placed my phone next to my empty cans. I lay on my side, staring out at the trees blowing in the breeze. That usually calmed and soothed my mind.
But for some reason, I couldn't sleep.