SIX MONTHS LATER

Juliana Renfield lengthened her stride as she started the second mile on the treadmill. The Sauconies on her feet cushioned each thud as she pounded her way through another mile. Sometimes she ran on the track at the local high school, so as the treadmill’s digital readout counted her distance, she imagined her feet crunching on the dirt track as she rounded another lap. With her eyes closed, she could almost hear the sound.

“Hey Jules.”

She pressed her lips together at the interruption, snapping her eyes open and punching the controls on the treadmill to slow her pace. “What?”

“It’s Curves.” Her friend Tasha nodded toward the glass doors at the front of the gym.

Juliana swiveled her head at once and saw her walking in. Curves. It was the nickname she had given to the mildly overweight blonde that had started to frequent her gym a few weeks ago. Not that she was in the habit of nicknaming gym goers, but there was something about this girl. She couldn’t quite put a finger on it. The girl was cute, but certainly not stunning.

Or graceful.

She watched as Curves tripped on a mat and stumbled a few steps before self-consciously pushing back her hair and continuing on towards the locker room. No, it wasn’t anything obvious. It was subtle things, like the determined way she carried herself. Her obliviousness to everyone else as she toiled on the elliptical machine. Curves didn’t check out guys like most of the other women did. She didn’t check out girls either, so it was hard to tell which way the girl might swing.

Most noticeable of all was a certain sadness. Juliana couldn’t explain it, but she just wanted to give the girl a hug. Something was going on in her life, but the fact that Curves was here trying to better herself instead of curling up into a ball of misery at home spoke to her.

“Aren’t you going to follow her into the locker room?” Tasha asked.

“Shut up. I’m not a stalker. Are you always watching the front door?”

“Of course. How else am I supposed to find my next hot date?”

“Tash, the gym is not a singles bar.”

“Speak for yourself.” Tasha openly gave a once-over to a tawny-skinned Latina in a cropped Nike t-shirt, which showed off her toned stomach nicely. “Ooh if the back of her shirt says ‘Just do it’ I swear I’ll jump her bones right here and now.”

Juliana rolled her eyes. She wasn’t quite sure they’d be friends if they weren’t coworkers.

Tasha smoothed her honey-blond hair. “That is one hot tamale.”

Juliana slowed the treadmill to a walk and faced her lecherous friend. “And I’m sure she’ll appreciate your talent for clichéd compliments.” She cast a quick glance at the woman in question. “Though it is true.”

“See? Hot, right?”

Just then the hot Latina glanced their way and smiled, perfect white teeth gleaming.

“Oh my god,” Tasha moaned. “She could be a toothpaste commercial.”

“Toothpaste? She could be a Soloflex commercial.”

“You’re telling me. What a package. I’m going in.”

“Tash, she’s in better shape than you are. I doubt she needs your help.”

As trainers who worked at the gym, she and Tasha both had easy excuses to talk to the gym patrons. Tasha, of course, never failed to exercise this perk whenever she found someone “worthy”. Which was often. Employee handbook be damned.

Tasha wasn’t listening. She straightened her gym-issued t-shirt and sauntered casually to the mat where Hot Tamale was stretching out. A conversation started easily as Tasha demonstrated alternative ways to stretch.

Juliana’s attention was immediately diverted as Curves walked out of the locker room. The baggy t-shirt and sweatpants weren’t especially flattering, but her round face showed that same determination. Her eyes, blue as the sky, were never blank or bored.

Juliana found it odd that she never made eye contact with anyone else at the gym. Not that she wanted to be caught staring, but just once it would be nice to see those baby blues looking back at her. What would it feel like to hold her gaze, just for a moment? Would there be a connection?

She cleared her head with a shake. Sappy musings were not her style. They were for romance novels and Christmas movies. Juliana Renfield was, after all, a professional.

She continued to walk on her treadmill, cooling down from her run. The fact that Curves never looked at people made it easy to watch her. No one else seemed to pay attention to her. She just ambled quietly around anyone in her way and got on the elliptical, MP3 player clipped to her arm and headphones firmly in place. Juliana wondered what she listened to.

As usual, after half an hour of vigorous pumping on the elliptical machine, she would tire out and get off, face red from the exertion. She wasn’t in the best shape, but then again, that was probably why she was here.

Juliana finally hit the button to stop the treadmill just as Tasha made her way back to her. “You should walk over there and give her some pointers on how to improve her endurance,” she said.

“I’m not on duty,” Juliana replied.

“Pshh,” Tasha scoffed. “Never stopped me.”

“That’s because you’re a dog.”

Tasha feigned insult, “What? I’m every bit as hot as Hot Tamale, whose name is Madalena by the way. Don’t I deserve to be with my own kind?”

“Your own kind? You mean she’s a dog too?”

“Shut up!” Tasha said with a giggle. “Stalker.”

Juliana’s brow furrowed. “You shut up. I am not.”

“Both of you shut up.” Natalie, their supervisor, whipped them both with a well-aimed swing of her workout towel. “You’re disturbing the guests.” She sauntered away as quickly as she had arrived.

“Yes sir, supervisor sir!” Tasha mock saluted. “I’ll get right back to swabbing the deck.” She turned back to Juliana. “Is it me or is Nat having a power trip?”

Juliana poked her petulant friend’s arm, “She’s just doing her job of keeping you in line.”

“That’s because she enjoys persecuting us. She’d use a whip if it was legal.”

“Don’t exaggerate. You know she’s a teddy bear. Besides, you’d probably enjoy getting whipped.”

Tasha tilted her head in thought. “Hmm, maybe.”