Page 17 of The Weight Of It All

My mouth fell open. Then I sniffed and pretended to open an imaginary envelope. “And the personal trainer of the year award goes to….”

Reed laughed. “You’re welcome.”

I thumped the elevator door button. “I’m not sure.”

“It’ll be a few weeks away, Henry. You’ll have plenty of time to be ready,” he added. “I wouldn’t suggest it if I didn’t think you were capable.” The elevator doors opened and we stepped inside. “I’ll do it with you.”

I chewed the inside of my lip, still not convinced. “I don’t know…”

“It’ll be fun!”

“I think you need a dictionary because that’s not what fun means. Running seven kilometres is torture. Of the cardiovascular kind.”

The elevator doors opened, and we headed toward my car. “I can get you into a cardio-aerobic class if you like?”

Okay, he’d officially lost his mind. “Like the Olivia Newton John 80s music video?”

He laughed, and the sound echoed throughout the underground car park. “You don’t have to wear leg-warmers if you don’t want.”

I lifted my chin. “Maybe I want to wear them. ”

“So you’ll do it?”

“What? The Bay Run, or ‘Let’s Get Physical’ dance moves?”

“Both.”

I cringed. “Why do I feel like I’ll end up doing both whether I want to or not?”

Reed grinned victoriously. “Excellent.”

I pressed the unlock button on my car and threw my new purchases into the back. “Hey!”

“Hey what?”

“You never bought me a coffee! That was part of our deal!”

He looked genuinely sorry. “I forgot! We can go back up if you want?”

“No, it’s fine. I can always email that eBay buyer and ask if he still wants the lemon tart.”

Reed rolled his eyes, but he was smiling. “Wow. You play mean.”

I got into the driver’s seat and waited for Reed to contort his huge body into the passenger side before I started the car. “Yes, I do. It’s part of my charm.”

“That’s okay, though, because I got you doing a gym cardio class and the Bay Run.”

And as we made our way back up to street level and out into the easy Sunday traffic, my phone rang. Of course Bluetooth picked it up and the call came through the speakers of the car. It was Anika, and without really thinking, I hit Answer. “Hi.”

“Oh hey,” she replied. “Are you driving?”

“Yes. And you’re on speaker, and Reed’s in the car.”

There was a beat of silence, and that was when I truly regretted taking her call. “Oh.” I could tell she was smiling. “Hello, Reed.”

He looked at me and half-frowned, half-smiled. “Uh, hi. ”

“Where have you guys been?” she asked slowly. She was still smiling, I could tell.

“In the city,” I answered, commandeering the conversation. “And I ran into Colin and James.”

“Oh man.”

“And my mother and Eadie.”

Anika laughed. Really loudly. “Did you break a mirror or walk under a ladder this morning or something?”

“You’d think so.”

“How was it?” she asked.

“Awful. Horrifically embarrassing.”

“It wasn’t that bad,” Reed added. “James and Colin might be under the impression that Henry and I are dating.”

More silence. Then a bubble of laughter burst through the speakers. “What?”

“It’s a long story,” I said quickly. “I’ll tell you about it later.”

“Henry Ashford Beckett,” Anika full-named me. “You tell me about it now.”

Reed snorted. “Ashford? Is that your middle name?”

“Yes.”

“Ouch.”

Anika laughed, and I sighed. “It was my mother’s maiden name. Both Eadie and I have the same middle name.” It was something I’d explained numerous times in my life. “I didn’t actually pick it. You can blame my mother.”

Reed seemed to be enjoying this. “And Henry’s mother might possibly think we’re an item. She wants us married by dinner time, is that right, Henry?”

“Oh shut up,” I cried. Anika was still laughing. “You’re obviously feeling better. Not hung-over anymore?”

“Much better thanks,” she said. “So tell me? You guys spent another day together. Colin and James and your mother all think something’s going on― ”

“Nothing’s going on,” I blurted out. I could feel my face heat with embarrassment. “I’m ending this call now, Anika.”

Her response was shrill and fast. “Are you two fucking?”

I stabbed the End Call button on the dash screen, hard and repeatedly. I was too scared to look at Reed, but I could feel him staring at me, and when I finally dared to meet his gaze, his smile got wider and he burst out laughing. “I like Anika,” he said.

“I don’t. And just so you know, I’m now in the market for a new best friend because she just got fired. I’m so sorry about that. She has no filter, which is ultimately why we get on so well, but―”

“Henry?”

“Yes?”

“It’s fine.”

“Ugh. Today’s been horrible for you. First Colin and James, then my mother and sister, then Anika. All I can do is apologise.”

“I actually had fun today. It certainly wasn’t horrible. Awkward, maybe, but not horrible.”

“Oh God, awkward is worse than horrible.”

Reed chuckled. “It wasn’t bad! I’ve had a great day!”

I took a right into Darling Street at Balmain and drove past the gym and went straight to my place. When I stopped the car, Reed looked a little surprised and started to collect his shopping bags. “What are you doing?” I asked.

“I can walk from here. It’s fine.”

“You’re not walking home from here,” I said. “Just let me grab the citrus tart for you, and I’ll drive you home.”

“Oh.” He smiled. “Okay.”

From the way he bit his lip and blushed a little, I couldn’t work out whether he was embarrassed or relieved or nervous. I ducked inside, quickly grabbing the tart, and when I got back into my car, I handed it straight to him. “Your bribery, paid in full.”

He grinned at it. “Well, I think it was supposed to be two, but I’ll settle for one.”

“Oh please.” I scoffed. “You owe me coffee and that lamb and sweet potato salad. Don’t think I’ve forgotten.”

“Yeah, right,” Reed said softly. And he was quiet after that. Only when I pulled the car into his allocated parking spot, he swallowed hard. “Did you want to come inside?” He licked his lips nervously. “I can make you that coffee, and we can share this.”

I wasn’t sure what he was asking. Inviting someone in for coffee was an old cliché for sex―well, it used to be, the last time I played the whole dating game, but surely Reed was just being polite.

I did mention that he owed me a coffee, so maybe I made him feel guilty.

“Um,” I started, unsure of what he really meant, therefore unsure of how to answer.

“You don’t have to, of course. I just…” He bit his lip and shrugged.

The thing was, I would otherwise go home to an empty house. And I’d had a great day with him. I truly enjoyed his company, and for some absurd reason, he seemed to enjoy mine. Did I want to spend more time with him? “Sure,” I finally answered. “I’d love to.”