I didn’t do anything.

Mark let himself go. Lost some muscle mass — but didn’t get fat. He was still eating salads and feta. He just didn’t have it in him to join another gym, when he just lost his own. Livewell was over. Mark lost.

Nadia leaving had demonstrated to his staff his unreliability. Him caught sleeping on the staff couch with a college coed looked bad.

“I was mentoring her and things just… I don’t know why I do this…”

A psychology major in university. He often used his mind-talk to impress girls. It worked on Nadia.

Mark had longer hair — stubble — still hot — but in a homeless beach bum sorta way.

At the strip club…

Nadia met eyes with him for a second. He sat in a corner seat. Heart pounding. His feral look. Wild green eyes.

Greg had stalked her, but she loved Greg. But seeing Mark felt strange. She was tired…

They locked eyes for a moment. Mark wanted to go and talk to her. Apologise.

Nadia disappeared quickly around the corner. The next thing Mark knew was that he was being tossed out of the joint. He resisted.

”What did I do?! I didn’t do anything?!” He said. Mesmerised by Nadia for a week now — hidden behind a newspaper — he didn’t want it to end.

“Get lost creep,” the bouncer shoved him into the pavement. His cheek and hand scratched and left a bruise.

I didn’t do anything…