We start our workouts, occasionally chatting between sets. I learn that she used to do gymnastics in high school and has always been interested in fitness.
“You know, you could have fooled me,” I say, impressed by her form.
I have to bite down a groan as she twists and turns and bends and stretches. Fuck she looks good.
She laughs, “Well, it’s all about practice and discipline.”
As we finish up our workouts, I suggest we grab a smoothie from the hotel cafe.
“That sounds like a great idea,” she says, grabbing her gym bag. “I need to refuel after that gym sesh.”
We head to the cafe, still in our workout clothes, and sit down to enjoy our kale and avocado smoothies.
“This is nice,” I say, taking a sip of my smoothie. “I always feel better after a good workout.”
“Me too,” Amber agrees. “It’s like a reset for the mind and body.”
I watch her from the corner of my eye, licking my lips as I watch sweat trickle down the side of her neck, down into the cleavage of her top.
We continue to chat about fitness and our favorite workouts, bonding over our shared passion for staying active.
A lot has changed from the moment we first met on the plane.
“So, what are you up to this afternoon?” I ask her.
She takes another sip. “More editing.”
“I saw the pictures you put up from earlier,” I suddenly blurted out.
“You did?”
“Yeah.” I run a hand through my damp hair. This is so freaking embarrassing. Why am I acting like I have a crush?
Maybe I do.
Fuck!
“I had no idea you were into social media. You did not strike me as the type.”
“Liv got me into it,” I lied.
“Great. What’s your handle so I can follow you?”
I nervously give it to her, despite knowing fully that there are no photos posted on any of my feeds.
“You need to put up some of the pictures I took of you yesterday btw. They came out amazing,” she tells me.
“Maybe you can send them to me?”
“Sure. Give me your phone number so I can share the link with you.”
I parrot all the details for her.
“So, I noticed in your last post you didn’t post any photos of yourself. Everything okay?” I ask, trying to sound casual.
Amber hesitates for a moment before answering. “To be honest, my hair looked super frizzy after we went in the water, and some of my followers commented on it. It became a whole thing online, so I just took the photos down,” she explains, looking a little embarrassed.
I feel awful for her. What the fuck is wrong with people nowadays?