Page 31 of The Weight Of It All

Thirteen

I walked into the office on Monday morning with a coffee for me and one for Melinda.

I put it on her desk as I breezed in, and she took one look at me, blinked, and stood up.

She grabbed her coffee and ushered me into my office, shutting the door behind us.

“Oh my God, Henry. Tell me everything.” Then she paused and seemed to consider something in mid-air.

“Okay, not every thing. Spare me the dirty details, but you and Reed. What happened?”

“How do you know something happened?”

She raised one eyebrow at me. “One, you brought me coffee. Two, that ridiculous smile says you got lucky. And three…” She tilted her head. “What are you doing?”

“Trying not to smile.”

“Well, stop it. Details, Henry. I want them. Don’t make me call Anika.”

I laughed and quite possibly did a little dance before taking a self-composing breath. “Yes, Reed and I… cleared the air.”

She squealed and jumped, then had to mop spilled coffee off my desk. “Keep talking. ”

So I told her everything, minus the dirty details.

“So, you’re together?”

“Well, yes. I think so.”

“As in boyfriends.”

“I think so?” I really hadn’t asked that question. “He didn’t stay the whole night, because he has really early starts and all his work stuff was at his place, obviously.”

“What do you mean think so ?”

“Well, we didn’t discuss labels. But he is definitely a one-man guy. His ex cheated on him, so he’s very pro exclusive. Oh, Melinda, he’s just the sweetest guy. And he’s gorgeous, and he’s utterly perfect.”

“No one’s perfect,” she stated, clearly trying to rain on my parade. “Tell me one of his flaws.”

“He has none.”

“He has to. Name some.”

I tried really hard to think of something I might consider a flaw… “Well, he starts work really early. He’s a health-freak, but in a good way. He eats a lot of food, but it’s like 98 per cent healthy.”

“I don’t think any of that qualifies as a flaw, Henry.”

“He doesn’t own any Bee Gee albums.”

She gasped and put her hand to her heart. “Do you think that’s something you can get past?”

I rolled my eyes. “He just hasn’t appreciated the goodness that is Barry Gibb. Yet.”

“You will teach him the ways of the falsetto and tight white pants.”

“I detect a tone of sarcasm.”

“You detect correctly. What else is wrong with him?”

“Who? Reed or Barry Gibb?”

“Reed. I know what’s wrong with Barry Gibb.”

I sighed, but then I remembered something. “Oh! I know! He’s making me do the Bay Run this weekend. ”

Melinda blinked. “ The Bay Run.”

“Yep. Crazy, huh?”

“A little, yeah.”

“I’ve been practicing, and he says I don’t have to jog the whole way. I can run three kilometres without stopping or dying. So I should be okay.”

“Three kilometres? Holy shit, Henry. No wonder you’re looking so good.”

I instinctively went to rebuff her compliment, but after the last weekend of acknowledging my accomplishments with diet and exercise and acknowledging I still had a long way to go, I gave her a smile instead. “Thanks.”

Just then my phone rang and Anika’s name flashed on the screen. “Oh boy.”

“You haven’t told her yet?”

“I was kinda busy,” I whispered.

Melinda laughed, took her coffee, and went for the door. “I’ll hold all calls.”

I fell into my chair with a grin and answered my phone. “You want the dirty details? Or the sanitised version I just gave Melinda?”

Anika’s response was to squeal and laugh. “Do you even have to ask?”

I walked into the gym ten minutes early on Tuesday morning. I never thought I’d ever be excited to exercise, given just five weeks ago I had to drag myself through the doors. Now I walked in with a smile. I couldn’t believe how much had changed.

“Hi, Henry,” some guy said. I think his name was Dave.

“Good, thanks. ”

Okay, well, not that much has changed. “I mean, hi. Sorry, not caffeinated yet.”

He just laughed and went on his way, and Emily greeted me with a bright and cheery, “Morning.” Her smile was a little too knowing.

I tried not to blush. “Morning.”

“You’re early.”

“Yeah, I um, I…”

She nodded. “I know. He won’t be long.”

I cleared my throat. “Well, yes. Who would’ve thought I’d be this keen to exercise?”

“Yep. Someone had a little bounce in his step this morning too,” she said, looking fondly over at Reed, who was helping a client on the cable and pulley machine. Like he knew we were talking about him, he looked up and smiled when he saw me.

I’m pretty sure I turned a stroke-inducing shade of red. “Oh.”

“That’s a good thing, Henry,” she offered softly. Then, thankfully, she changed subjects. “So, you ready for the Bay Run this weekend?”

“Do you mean, have I prepared my last will and testament?”

Emily laughed at that. “It won’t be that bad. And Reed wouldn’t have suggested it if he didn’t think you could do it.”

“We’ll see. I should ask though if the ambulance service will drive behind me, you know like they do at the horse races?”

“There’s a café about half way.”

“Ooh,” I brightened. “Coffee. Defibrillation. Same thing really.”

“You’re not having coffee half way,” Reed said, walking over to us. His smile was mesmerising, and I’m pretty sure this was the smile Emily had talked about: the one he saved just for me. It made my heart miss a beat, speaking of defibrillation.

I looked up at him and sighed. “Hey.”

He fisted his singlet top at his sides, like it was all he could do not to touch me. “Hey.”

“Oh God, you two are just too cute,” Emily said. Then she inhaled deeply, like she could smell something bad, and fanned her face. “Oh sweet Jesus, the testosterone. I’m drowning in it. Can you two please resolve the unresolved issue you have going on. You’re killing me.”

Reed chuckled at her. “You’re welcome.” Then he nodded pointedly at the treadmills. “You ready to run three Ks?”

“I liked Emily’s suggestion better. Just so you know.” Unresolved sexual tension was my new favourite thing. Actually, scrap that. Reed’s singlet top was my new favourite thing.

Reed pulled on the hem and looked down at it. “You like it?”

“Did I say that out loud?”

“Um, yeah.”

“Just the part about the singlet or the part with the sexual tension as well?”

He grinned. “Just the singlet.”

“Oh, good. I’d hate for it to be embarrassing or anything.”

Reed just grinned, but Emily laughed for a solid five minutes. I think I’d passed the one kilometre mark on the treadmill and she was still chuckling.

Reed stood at my side, looking all relaxed and gorgeous while I puffed and panted and sweated my way through the run. “Looking good, Henry,” he said encouragingly. “You’re doing it easy.”

I waved him off because I couldn’t run and talk at the same time. But when the treadmill finally beeped and slowed, I gladly got off and wiped my face down with my towel. My legs were a bit wobbly but nowhere near as bad as they were when I first started this whole exercise fiasco.

“Come sit down,” Reed said, leading me toward the weight benches.

“Do I look that bad? Because I know I joke about it, but I don’t think I’m actually going to fall over and die.”

He smiled and shook his head. “Not at all. I just want you to rest for five minutes before we start with the strength part.” He waited for me to sit, then sat beside me. “So, your dinner last night was good?”

We’d texted most of the evening, talking about our day at work.

I’d told him of the pumpkin and cranberry bread Dee had brought in for Monday morning tea bring-along and how I’d chatted with her, then Valerie and Fariq, two people at work I’d never spoken to before.

I made a stir-fry for dinner and sent him a photo of it.

“Yeah it was.” His responding picture was of him, legs extended to the coffee table, a bowl of pasta and veggies on his lap.

“Though I preferred the look of yours. Your dinner looked good too.”

He chuckled, then went quiet for a minute. “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“Are you still happy for me to be your personal trainer?”

I stared at him. “What?”

He looked at his hands in his lap. “I have to ask you, Henry. Now things between us are… personal, if you’re comfortable with me still being your trainer?”

Oh. I hadn’t thought of how this could complicate his job. “Is it a gym policy that you can’t date clients?”

“No, our contract says we should be professional with members at all times.”

“You’ve been very professional with me.”

He gave me a kind smile and whispered, “I’ve also been very personal.”

“Does it bother you? ”

“Not at all. But if you’d prefer, I can find someone else to be your trainer.”

I shook my head. “I don’t prefer.”

“Because I want to keep seeing you outside of work, Henry, if you know what I mean. But you already missed your session on Sunday because of me. So if you’d prefer―”

“I prefer you. As my trainer and as my… whatever you are. I don’t know what we are, technically.

But I like it. I like you as both, and I don’t want to choose.

I didn’t miss out on anything on Sunday.

Actually, Sunday was kinda great, if I recall.

And anyway, I wouldn’t have made it this far with this whole fitness debacle if it weren’t for you, and I wouldn’t have realised that it’s okay to be me, just the way I am, if you weren’t my…

whatever you are. I’m not good with labels. But I want you for both.”

He looked right at me, his gaze melting into me.

“I want you for both too.” He studied his hands again, though this time a smile formed at the corners of his lips.

“And just so you know, Sunday was great for me too. And if it’s alright with you, I could come around to your place for dinner tonight?

I don’t have to work tomorrow, and we could work on what label to give whatever this is. ”

I grinned at him. “I’d like that.”

He took a deep breath, like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. “Excellent. Now, let’s get started with some lateral holds, tricep curls, and shoulder presses.”

“Ugh. Can I renege on my invitation for dinner?”