“Deal,” he says, sticking out his hand, and she grasps and shakes it with a smirk.
I feel the creeping tendrils of jealousy make their way down my neck, this woman touching Neil so casually. Until I see her face take on a little evil look when she tells him dramatically, “You’re going dooown. My wife teaches that class.”
“Ah, shit. Goddess, you didn’t tell me Destinee is the instructor,” he grumbles at me.
I stare at him blankly. “And how would I know who the hell Destinee is, Neil? You didn’t even tell me this was your gym.”
“Oooo, feisty. I like her. Welcome to Time of Your Life Athletics. I’m Johnna.” She holds out her hand to me, and I shake it with a smile.
“Were you the one I spoke to on the phone earlier?” I ask.
“Yes, it was. I’m the only one on desk duty on Saturdays,” she explains.
I smile. “I was actually telling Neil on the way here that you did a really good job on the phone making this place seem like it was super fun. So good job.”
She gives a wicked little cackle. “That’s just to get you in here. We’ll see how fun you think it is when Destinee is through with you.”
I keep the smile on my face, and I think I manage a super fake-sounding laugh, but I can’t ignore the fear that skitters down my spine. I know. I know she’s just being playful, talking about how my workout is going to be hard and rigorous. But this is my first time out of the house to do anything physical. This’ll be my first time around a large group of people I don’t know in… God, years, nearly a decade. Brandon had done a thorough job of isolating me from my family and friends since I was eighteen, and since my escape, the only large group of people I’ve been around is the Club Alias/Imperium Security crew, which my sister married into and brought me along with her as her permanent plus-one.
“Hey,” Johnna says, squeezing my hand to snap me out of it. She’s looking at me closely, closer than those “most people” I was thinking about earlier who don’t take the time to look past the façade, and I swallow. She sees me. Really sees me. And it’s both comforting and nerve-wracking. “You’re going to do great. Des isn’t an asshole to newcomers, just her regulars who like her to not go easy on them. Just do what you can, okay?” she encourages, and I instantly relax. There’s something about this girl, from the very first moment I spoke to her on the phone, that just… made me feel good.
Or maybe I’m just so starved for friendship that I’m trying desperately to grasp on to the first stranger I’ve talked to for more than two seconds. I let go of her hand, rolling my eyes at myself.
“Just do me a favor and kick this big guy’s ass,” she says, nudging her head toward Neil, who places his hand on my lower back.
“I’ll do my best,” I reply, waving as he leads me away.
We climb a gigantic staircase that has me huffing and puffing by the time we reach the top, and Neil looks down at me, shaking his head when I pull to a stop to catch my breath. “You’re going on my membership, STAT.”
I open my mouth to argue, but he cuts me off.
“You live in my household, so it’ll be less than half the cost than if you were to get your own. I was being understanding and giving you time, and I let you take this first step yourself, finding something you wanted to do outside the house, but now I’m putting my foot down. When you can’t climb one flight of stairs without looking like you’re going into cardiac arrest, it’s time for an intervention.” His tone leaves no room for argument.
He waits for a moment longer, and then I nod to let him know I’m okay and stand up straight, walking beside him toward the rooms marked Group Exercise.
“If you don’t like this class, there are plenty of others. An entire schedule full for you to try. And if none of those work, you can train with me. I do cardio and alternating muscle groups daily on both machines and free weights. But we have got to get you some exercise, goddess. And not just for your physical health. You’re doing nothing to release endorphins just staying at the house all day long. Endorphins trigger a positive feeling, reduces stress, wards off anxiety and depression, boosts your self-esteem, and helps you… sleep better.” He adds the last part low, clearly thinking about last night, and I feel my face flush—and not from the cardio I just got climbing those damn stairs.