Page 11 of Most Likely to Deny Love (Yearbook #2)

JACK

I increased the weight on the barbell and positioned myself under it, the cold metal pressing against my palms. The heavy bass thumping through my earbuds drowned out everything else, creating a bubble where nothing existed but the next rep, the next breath, the next moment of controlled strain.

One. Two. Three.

Ten. Eleven. Twelve.

I racked the weights and sat up, sweat beading on my forehead as I rolled my shoulders and reached for my water bottle, scanning the moderately busy gym as I took a long drink.

The steady rhythm of treadmills, the metallic clang of weights, the hum of the ventilation system.

Predictable. Controllable. Even during the midday rush.

A quick glance at my watch let me know I had twenty-seven minutes before I needed to shower and head back to the office. Just enough time for a few sets with the hand weights.

I positioned myself in front of the mirror, focusing on the weight, the resistance, the pure physical challenge that demanded all my attention.

This was the only time my mind truly quieted, when there was no room for anything but the present moment.

I closed my eyes briefly, centered myself, opened my eyes, and began.

The gym door swung open, and a flash of movement in the mirror caught my attention. I nearly lost my grip on the weights.

Mia Harris walked in, her cousin Emily right beside her. Both women wore leggings and loose tops, but my eyes fixed on Mia and the way the black fabric hugged her curves as she moved. She was too gorgeous for words, with her dark hair in a high ponytail.

I forced myself to look away, focusing back on my set.

Five. Six. Seven. My arms strained with the effort of the lift, but my eyes betrayed me, sliding back to the mirror.

The cousins had settled at two treadmills across the room.

Emily punched buttons on both machines with determined jabs while Mia stood with her arms crossed over her chest.

Eight. Nine. Ten. I dropped the weights on the floor, grabbing my towel to wipe my face. It gave me the perfect excuse to glance their way again.

Emily was talking intently, her hands moving in sharp gestures while Mia shook her head, her expression tight. Something was wrong. The conversation looked heated, nothing like their usual easy banter around the office.

Mia’s eyes suddenly flicked up and caught mine in the reflection. Her cheeks immediately flushed pink, and she frowned, looking away quickly.

Fuck. Caught staring like some creep.

I picked up my water bottle and took a long drink, pretending to be absorbed in adjusting my workout gloves. But the intensity of their conversation had me worried. Emily’s voice had risen enough that snippets were cutting through the gym’s ambient noise, even with my music playing.

I tapped my earbuds to pause the soundtrack, maintaining the illusion I couldn’t hear while I carefully positioned myself for another set.

“No, Mia Harris,” Emily’s voice carried across the gym, sharp with frustration. “Because you are perfect just as you are. You shouldn’t shrink yourself for anyone. Least of all that prissy, preening, fucked up sister of yours.”

“You don’t understand,” Mia replied, her voice softer but still audible.

“Yes I do! I’ve known you our whole lives.

” Emily stepped off her treadmill, facing Mia directly.

“Your mom’s an asshole. Your sister’s an asshole.

Your dad that left is an asshole. Your step dad is an asshole.

You’re the only good person in your whole family.

And it breaks my fucking heart that you’re doing this for a bunch of shit stains that don’t deserve you. ”

I froze mid-rep, the weights suddenly feeling much heavier in my hands. What the fuck was going on? Emily looked genuinely upset, her hands planted on her hips as Mia stared at the treadmill controls like they held the secrets of the universe.

Something twisted in my gut at the way Mia responded, her shoulders curving in like she was trying to protect herself.

Emily said something more, that I couldn’t hear.

I did hear the sigh that Mia let out though, as she reached over and switched the treadmill off.

The belt slowed to a halt as she turned to face Emily, grabbing her by the shoulders.

Her expression shifted from defeated to determined in an instant.

She leaned in close, speaking in a voice too low for me to catch, but whatever she said made Emily’s angry expression crack.

A reluctant smile spread across her face, followed by laughter.

The tension between them dissolved as quickly as it had built. Emily threw her arms around Mia in a fierce hug that Mia returned. When they separated, Mia wiped quickly at her eyes while Emily climbed back onto her treadmill, dialing it up high enough that she could jog.

As Mia turned her own treadmill back on, she flicked a hesitant glance at me.

Barely managing to avoid being caught staring, again I quickly looked away, resuming my set with more concentration than necessary.