“What’s wrong?” Izaak asks me as I sigh heavily, stopping after my last set of weighted pull-ups to drink from my water bottle. 

I’m off today but at the gym anyway like I usually am when I’m not boxing or painting, which I’d probably spend more time on if I wasn’t so focused on achieving my goals in boxing. I’d like to win a championship at some point. I’ve been doing well recently, working my way to the top slowly and picking up sponsors on the way.

“Remember that girl I told you about?” I ask, dejected, as I glance towards the entrance of the gym, “Lanie?”

“Oh yeah, you’ve mentioned her a few times. The cute girl that left you hanging on that one sort-of date you went on,” Izaak says all of this nonchalantly. “Why? Thought you’d be over her by now. She clearly isn’t interested.”

I give Izaak an unimpressed look. “You don’t know that. She might just be super shy,” I mumble, growing grumpy. “I just can’t stop thinking about her.” I stretch my arms out as I talk, preparing for my next rep of weighted pull-ups.

Izaak looks at me like I’m crazy.

“Is that weird?” I ask sheepishly.

“Yeah dude, you knew her for like three hours total,” Izaak laughs dryly. 

I roll my eyes. “Well, whatever. I hope she’s okay. It would be cool to see her again.”

“Whatever,” Izaak rolls his eyes right back at me and finishes wiping down a bench. “I gotta get back to the reception desk. Have fun daydreaming. Both you and Scooter are hopeless romantics.”

His twin brother Scooter pops out from behind the door to the boxing gym their uncle owns that’s part of Muscle Factory, glistening with sweat. “Whassat?” He asks, interest piqued, “Just finished my workout. Y’all talking ‘bout me?”

“Izaak is calling us hopeless romantics,” I say with a grin, excited that the more tolerable, less serious of the twins has emerged. 

“Pshh, me? Nah,” Scooter scoffs, shoving his twin. “You still goin’ on about that girl?”

I don’t feel like rehashing the conversation so I just nod sadly, my grin melting off my face.

“Well, if she’s the one for you she’ll walk in any second and confess her love or… something like that,” Scooter says, starting with his romantic babble but losing steam halfway through due to being exhausted from his boxing practice. 

The bell to the front door rings as someone walks in and it feels like all three of us hold our breath, seeing if Scooter is right. Which he isn’t, because a man walks in, instead. 

I recognize him actually as the guy Lola brought with her to my fight a few weeks ago. I think he said his name was Lane. I used to see him in the gym all the time but haven’t seen him recently. I wave to him casually from my spot by the weight lifting bench as Izaak goes back to his post at the reception desk.

Lane

Mell waves to me as I enter the gym and my heart nearly stops in my chest. I freeze, then look away quickly as I dig my membership card out of my wallet for the man at the reception desk to scan. I’m unsure if he realizes I’m the person he asked out a week ago and I’m so anxious just being in the same room as him after leaving him hanging like that. 

“Um, I take it Mell isn’t working today, then?” I ask the man at the desk quietly. His nametag has the name “Izaak” on it. I recognize him since he’s almost always here, but I’ve never bothered to look at his nametag before. I don’t usually focus on other people. Too anxious.

“He’s just working out today, not working,” Izaak says casually, “My brother or I can assist you if you need anything.” He peers down at me and gestures to an identical man near Mell. I’m tall-ish, but the twins and Mell are all taller than me. It always feels weird being looked down at physically when I’m taller than most people in my ballet class.

“Oh, that’s… that’s okay. I just want to talk to him.” I wring my hands nervously. 

Mell looks like he’s trying to eavesdrop on our conversation. He’s probably wondering why I’m taking so long at the counter when most people just scan their cards and go about their business. 

“Well don’t let me stop you,” Izaak says, his tone unreadable. I nod and take a few deep breaths before approaching Mell and the twin.

“Lane, right?” Mell asks casually, smiling a crooked smile at me. My heart practically leaps into my throat. He leans against the pull-up machine he was just using.

“Yeah, um, no, yes, um,” I’m immediately a mess of words. He looks at me, confused. I shake my head to clear it. “Sorry, is there somewhere where we can talk just the two of us?”

The other twin looks between us, goes “ohhh”, and then points to a door behind him. “Take the idiot into the back with you,” He says to me, “Boxing just let out so the room is empty, if not a bit gross and musty and smellin’ like sweat.”

Mell looks at him. “Huh?” He asks, “Why you calling me an idiot, Scooter?” He looks confused.

Scooter just smiles and shoves us into the back room.

Mell

` “What the hell?” I mumble as Scooter closes the door behind us, but focus my attention back on Lane who looks nervous as all hell. “What’s wrong?” I’m extremely confused.

“I wanted to apologize for the other day,” Lane blurts out, words coming out so fast I barely catch what he’s saying. 

Now I’m even more confused. “For what?”

Lane sighs and pulls a blue wig out from his gym bag. He holds it up to me.

“Ohh…” I breathe, connecting the dots. “Lanie?”

Lane blushes and nods. “Yeah,” He, they, she? I don’t know right now, says weakly. “I’m really sorry. I, um,” They take another breath and fiddle with their wig. “I wanted to come back but I had a really bad panic attack in the bathroom and ended up going home and crying.” They look like they regret saying that as soon as they do. 

“Hey, um, it’s okay,” I say, chuckling lightly. I go over to the wall where folded chairs are stacked and pull out two, one for each of us, so we aren’t just standing around. I unfold Lane’s first and let them take a seat before unfolding my own and sit down backwards on it. “I thought I’d never see you again.”

“Did you want to?” Lane asks, sounding surprised, “Even after pulling that move?”

“I haven’t stopped thinking about you all week,” I admit, my face growing hot. Lane blushes. It doesn’t matter to me that they look different without the wig and the makeup, Lane is still super attractive like this as well and seems incredibly nice. “Would you like to try again sometime?” I ask with a smile.