It was early afternoon and Tara had finally finished her English essay after settling down two hours ago, with a mug ,which was once filled of piping hot tea, had began accompanied by the clattering away of her key board. Tara swallowed the last sip of now cold tea and closed her laptop triumphantly, grimacing slightly at the bitter taste of the stronger reminiscence of tea leaf. She still needed to tweak it a bit but she was pretty happy with it. She figured she deserved an hour or so's break from the screen until she had to edit and turn it in.
She fell back lazily onto her bed, her right hand groping around her cushion for the coolness of the screen of her phone. She brielfy read over her notifications, the guys had been texting in the group chat, something about Benji's seeing his middle aged neighbours fucking through their window. She chuckled slightly at the affair, her ice skating competition group chat. was talking about the up coming one in ... then there was a message from Liam from when they were texting earlier.
Liam: "still wanna go to the gym?"
Liam: "I can pick you up at 2"
"Shit" she muttered. It was half past three. Poor guy, she had left on delivered mid conversation.
Tara: "ah sorry didn't see this till now, have you gone yet?"
She let out a sigh as she opened instagram, killing some time by looking at her friends and celebrities latest posts, but 5 minutes in she got a reply.
Liam: "dw and no"
Tara: "still wanna? ;)"
Liam: "k pick you up in 10?"
Tara: "how about 20?"
She typed conscious of how she was still in her PJs with unbrushed hair and no deodorant.
Liam: "sounds good"
With that she quickly got up, opening her closet to find her athletic clothes. She pulled on a pair of black leggings and matching top and zip up jacket. Kind basic but it was cute. She untangled her sleep knotted thick hair and brushed it up into a ponytail, pulling out the shorter pieces of hair at the front to frame her face. She filled a water bottle up as she told her parents about how she'd be back in an hour or so and before she knew it Liam was outside on the drive in his moms mini. Not very manly Benji had called it but Liam didn't seem to mind the old thing, it's does it's job had been his reply.
"Hey" she greeted cheerfully, climbing into the car and quickly doing up her seatbelt, she was met with the sweet sent of the air freshener, obviously placed by the boys mother, romantic vanilla blossom she read.
"Hey," he smiled softly, "how's the wrist?"
"It's good but don't know if I'm gonna be at my a game, might have to take it easy on the lifting."
"Good thing it's leg day." He said, the car being to move.
She let out a short breathy laugh and then noticed the Lana del ray playing softly in the back ground.
"Oh shut up, you do not listen to Lana, what is this?"
"I dabble."
"How did I not know this?... I think you're lying." She accused a brow lifted.
"I'm not, James recommended it to me. What, am I not allowed to like it?"
"No, you are. it's just unexpected. in a good way," she added.
"She just has good music, stop judging me." He joked, exiting her street.
"I'm not, I'm not, I just didn't realise, I thought you only liked rap and r&b."
"I do, but I also like other things,"
"Mhm well no wonder James put you on, he actually has taste."
"Speaking of, did yous talk? He was texting me abt it this morning."
"Yeah, we're all good, he apologised and so did I."
"Good, I feel like yous two have never argued before."
"Yeah, I think you're right, we're both quite chill."
Liam hummed in reply, as he turned off the roundabout.
"You know how I've also never really argued with?" She asked grinning.
"Who?"
"You."
"Where just too good."
"Mhm, honestly, it's only Leo and Benji that bring in the drama,"
"Only cause they're both impossibly stubborn."
Tara laughed. "Yeah and oh my god, do you remember when they got in a fight at Katie Love's 7th birthday party over a plastic trumpet?" She laughed, reminiscing on the boys childish disputes, let's just say the two were never invited to Katie loves house again.
Liam laughed, "oh yeah, I swear one of them then pushed the other down the stairs and broke both their leg and the trumpet."
"Ahaha yeah it was Benji, don't you remember Leo's cast ? I remember putting on a unicorn sticker and Benji made fun of his for the whole 6 weeks. Leo was so sweet,"
"Yeah, I think he thought you were gonna cry if he took it off," Liam admitted.
She chuckled half heartedly, "I probably would have, I guess I've always been overly emotional."
"I just think you're sensitive," he replied honestly.
Tara went a little quiet, feeling slightly embarrassed.
"It's not a bad trait," Liam reassured, noticing her shift, "actually it's probably your best quality, it's what makes you such a kind person."
"Aw, do you mean that?" She asked her demeanour switching to a much more cheerful one, shocked at his sudden genuineness, "That is actually so sweet, like one the nicest things you've ever said to me."
Liam didn't turn, he kept his eyes on the road ahead, but Tara could see the slight upturn of his lips.
"I'm sure I've said more"
The two continued small talk for the remaining 2 minutes until they arrived, parking close to the gym exit.
"Wait do I need to get like a membership?" The thought suddenly crossing her mind.
"Do you think you'll come often?"
"Ugh I'm not sure"
"You will." Liam insisted.
Tara looked up at him unsure, "I'll just do one session today then if I like it get a membership. You know cause I might go back to solely skating."
"Sure. Just take it a period at a time. Get a months one if it's better for you."
The two stood at the strangely absent front desk, the entrance seemingly too quiet. Tara peered over the dest and into the office behind. She saw some movement then the two heard the slamming of papers and shuffling of boxes. Tara and Liam looked at each other in collective confusion.
"Should I ring the bell?" Tara asked.
"Nah, give him a moment," he stated leaving Tara slight more unsure, had he know the person I the offic? but she decided on waiting like he'd told her to.
There was some more rusting and moving of items until a man face peeped out the gap of the door, a friendly smile growing of his face. The two waited a moment more as he appeared to be placing something down then a middle aged man in the gyms uniform came out. He was a hansome man, his dark hair was peppered with aged grey strands.
"Hello Liam, how's it going?" He asked cheerfully.
"I'm fine thanks, what about you?"
"I'm okay," he smiled, lifting the glasses perched on his face that where riding down his noses, "and am I right in assuming you'd too came together," he asked pointing a finger between the two
"Yeah" Liam answered.
"Hi I'm Tara," she smiled, feeling the need to introduce herself after witnessing the man's friendliness with Liam and him addressing her presence.
"Hi I'm Anthony," he mirrored her smile then frantically turned his attention to the computer situated in the space infrount of him. "the boss has got me organising the paper filing in the back," he explained as he typed something into the keyboard, "everything's digital now so there not much need for it anymore. Anyways I've signed you in Liam." His gaze now turned to Tara his smile never leaving his face, "so Tara what can I do for you?"
"Hey so I was wondering if I could get a month membership?"
"Yeah of course. I just need you to fill in some information and I can get that set up for you"
Tara nodded and he passed over an iPad screen with a list of basic questions like her age and contact details. She filled it in and handed it back to the older man.
"Ok, thank you," he said surveying her answers, then placed the iPad down, "perfect. And that will be £25"
She paid using her card and the pair said they thanks and goodbyes to the smiley man.
"He's a happy man." Tara stated the obvious as they walked round the corner into the wide space filled of expensive looking equipment, half of which she wasn't sure of what it even did.
"Mhm" Liam agreed, "and talkative, we have had half an hours conversation where I've said about 3 lines" he chucked
"Ah but he's cute, I love people like him." Tara laughed.
"He's nice. Ok so let's start with a warm up on the treadmill."
He said after putting his bag in his locker. They headed straight over to the row of treadmills, there were a couple in use but the pair took the end two, placing their water bottles on the ground beside them. They began a light jog for the first 10 minutes, which Tara found relatively easy, she'd built up a good stamina from Ice skating. Then finished there warm up by stretching their legs to get there joint mobility and ready for the first exercise.
"I'm gonna start off with a dead lift, you think you can do that with your wrist?" Liam asked her after taking a sip of water.
"Is that just lifting a the bar?"
"Yeah but it's quite heavy. You know what let's do hip thrusts the bench is free."
Tara laughed a little at his straightforwardness but followed him over to the station.
"You want me to show you?"
"Okay."
The two made their way around different machinery, doing different exercises at each station, she felt weirdly comfortable even though she had no idea what she was doing but liams critiques of her form or the and Tara could feel her lose baby hairs sticking to her forehead.
"Oh my god," she grunted as she finished the last rep of her last set of the session, "thank god that's over."
Liam chuckled and passing her water bottle as she got off of the restricting looking machine.
"Did you not enjoy it?"
"No it was shit, well I mean it was a good work out but I'm exhausted man." she panted. Liam chuckled as she gulped down her water.
"Ok so stretching again," he explained looking at her with a
smirk, his loose curls clung to his sticky forehead, his brown eyes trained hers. She nodded and followed him to were they had stretched earlier.
"Ow," she groaned as she got down into a lunge.
"Just wait till tomorrow." Liam retorted as he leaned further into his lunge. It wasn't long till they have stretched fully and Liam had left Tara to shower. She kicked herself when she realised you could shower there so instead she was sitting on a bench, her face flushed slightly still warm and sweaty from the exercise. She scrolled through instagram to pass the time occasionally glancing up to check is Liam was making his way out of the changing rooms.
As she checked for the she thoughtlessly made eye contact with a guy who appeared to be her age but quickly turned her attention back to her phone. However it happed a second time, the boy seemed to be waiting for someone by the entrance of the changing room, his back leant against the wall, facing her direction. She assumed it had been accidental again because she was in his eye line and she was frequently looking up for Liam's return. But as she continued to scroll she could feel eyes on her, she shifted leaning back into the chair in hopes of getting out of his line of sight but as she did so she heard him approaching her. She looked up from the bench at him slightly confused, she wasn't sure if this guy needed some help or was gonna tell her something like if her jacket was inside out or that she had toilet paper stuck to her shoe. She glanced up at him as he removed his headphones, a smile plastered on his face which she felt she had to mirror in politeness.
"Hey, I've not seen you before, are you new?" Tara felt a small weight lifted off her shoulders, thankful he wasn't talking to her about her doing something embarrassing or asking for advice or direction because she'd be no use at all although he did look like he worked out a lot so she doubted it.
"Yeah, I'm just testing it out, do you come here often?" She asked carrying of the flow of what she thought to be friendly conversation. She didn't mind talking to this guy to pass the time, for some reason Liam was taken longer than she thought.
"Yea I try to go at least 4 times a week, so why've you decided to start at the gym, you look pretty in shape, do you do something else?" He asked still standing infrount of her his gym bag slung over his shoulder.
"Well I do figure skating but recently I hurt my wrist and the doctor said it was too much of a risk to get back on the ice just yet so I decided on joking the gym for now although I might continue even after I'm healed cause it's a good habit." She explained with a smile.
"Nah Ice skatings sick man, I used to do ice hockey back in high school but not anymore since I've started college."
"You're in collage? how old are you."
"I'm 18."
"I'm 18," she grinned as she told him, "but I stuck with my high schools sixth form. What's collage like?"
"I prefer it definitely, like I don't have my first classes till 9 at the earliest and the teachers don't treat you like kids anymore plus I don't have to wear a uniform." He laughed and look a seat beside her.
"Well at mine you can wear what ever you want." She explained, "to be honest if I had to wear a uniform I don't know if I would have stayed, our uniform were horrendous." She laughed, at that moment Liam walked out, his hair towel dried leaving it slightly damn, he had changed into sweats and a hoodie.
"You ready to go Tara?" He asked standing infrount of her.
"Oh yeah," she said turning to him then back to the guy, "um it was nice talking to you, see you around?" She nodded as she stood up to walk beside Liam with a smile. She always enjoyed small talk, she just liked talking to people and being friendly, it always left her feeling warm and hopeful.
"Bye" the boy said which a slight flabbergasted expression which Tara didn't pick up on as she exited the main gym back to the entrance.
"Wait," the guy said jogging slightly to catch up to the pair, "um is it okay if I were to get your instagram?" He asked his cheeks tinted with a light blush as he looked anywhere that was not Tara. She turned to look at him unsure how to respond, she hadn't found the guy that attractive but she felt bad in rejecting him, especially infrount of people and it wasn't like he wasn't cute.
"Umm sure." She agreed her voice quieter than usual. She typed it into his phone and hit the follow button for him passing it back with a small smile. "I'll follow you back,"
"Okay," he replied his smile growing as he looked down at his phone, "I guess I'll see you around,"
"Mhm bye," she waved as her and Liam left.
"Do you know that guy?" She later asked him in the car ride back.
"Nah but I have seen him around, doesn't seem like the hitting on type so I was surprised when he did that." He answered honestly.
"Well he seems sweet. God I didn't even get his name." She muttered as she opens her phone to see the instagram notification.
@Jason.Heath69 started following you
She requested to follow him back then turned off her phone.
"So do you think he's cute?" He asked glancing at her briefly.
"Um I guess, I mean he's not bad but not the type of guy that would have caught my eye but he seems nice enough,"
"Is that kinda leading him on if you're not actually interested?"
She took a moment to reply, "I mean not really, I just don't want to be rude, doesn't mean I'll talk to him loads,"
Liam hummed in response as he continued to drive her back home.
"Is that wrong?"
"It's not what I would do but it's not wrong." He answered truthfully as he turned into her street.
"See ya tomorrow, thanks for the lift and for today" she grinned as she undid her belt.
"No problem," he smiled softly back and watched as she walked up to her front door, driving off once she had waved him off after her dad had answered the door the two waving at him with matching grins.