Toned but not swole.

"You don't usually do cardio as a warm-up, do you?"
I shake my head, the sweet drips from my forehead onto the moving treadmill below me, the sound of my steps slamming down filling my ears as I reach for my water bottle.
Vi giggles as she stops her own treadmill and steps off it. I've never been happier to copy her.
"You know I like a man with good stamina." She bumps her hip into mine playfully.

She does, that's true. Does she not think I have stamina anymore? Is she getting tired out by someone else with superior stamina? Someone like Brandon? Is she expanding her stamina with Max? Preparing herself for Brandon? Content to have me as nothing more than a sleeping buddy.

"Erik!"
I look at Vi, she's pouting at me with her arms crossed, "Can you not ignore me, rudey."
I smile, "Sorry. Cardio killed me."
She shakes her head and puts her hands on her hips, "I would hardly call that cardio, babe. But come on, let's move on now."

I find myself doing a strange set. Chest into legs into arms into abs, back into legs. Usually, my sessions are split into muscle groups, but I guess Vi prefers this.
"Spot me, please." She lies down on the bench, raising her arms above her head, ready to do a chest press.
"Vi! What have I said about your back?"

Vi looks across, as do I. A familiar, tall African guy walks past other benches and gym goers, Veins running down his arms, his hard chest wrapped by the athletic tank top. His short buzz keeps his hair short, and his hairline is straight and crisp.
Vi swings her legs off the bench and stands up to hug Brandon. Her chest presses into him as she reaches over his shoulders. His hands rest on the small of her back, and I feel my stomach tighten as they step away from each other.

He looks over at me and smiles, "Hey mate, nice to finally meet you, Vi talks about you all the time."
I shake his hand, and a surprising sense of relief fills me; it makes me glad knowing that Vi has talked about me, especially to him. So, I grin.
"You, too, man. You really leave her exhausted, don't you?"
He laughs and turns to Vi, "Well, of course, I'm more than happy to help people become their best selves."
He turns to me and grins, "And I'm always accepting new clients. If you're interested."

Brandon loads up his weights on the barbell, Vi asked him what his one rep max is, and he just keeps adding weight. I'm genuinely astounded when he gets under the bar and lifts it; he doesn't need a spot. I stand there just in case, but he easily grunts through the effort. The bar moves slowly up, but he manages to rerack it.
"Fucken hell dude." He sits up and looks over at me and nodding his thanks at my compliment.
"Coach, when will I be able to lift that much?" Vi giggles as she counts the plates.
"Keep coming to me and I'll get you there, you have my word."
He puts a hand on her shoulder.
The movements and touching are so... Casual. So practiced, so familiar. They're painfully professional. There's clearly no other intention. Right? Vi turns around and looks up at him, taller than us both. Vi has to crane her neck upwards, her hands hang at her side, and they talk so casually...

I get under the bar.
"Yo dude, Careful." Brandon steps over and Vi watches silently.
"I'm just gonna give it a go, see how much work I have cut out for me before I get to your level."
Brandon grimaces, unsure. "It's a safety thing man, I don't want you to hurt yourself, I'm still liable as an employee here."
I shake my head, "Just spot me, I won't press charges or anything."
"Alright then, but if I think you're struggling, I'm not waiting for your approval to lift the bar."

Holy fuck. My arms shake and I breathe out, already struggling as I bring the bar down slowly to my chest, I sit for a moment before scrunching my eyes shut tight, I inhale deeply and push as hard as I can. The bar shakes, inching upwards, I hear Brandon's encouragement, Vi joining in. My oxygen runs out, I breathe in again, and push upwards. The bar moves barely an inch, I feel my arms going numb, and a squeezing pain in my chest. I feel my hands shaking, and my brain goes blank. The bar starts to move down again. I take another deep breath in, but I don't get another chance. The bar moves quickly upwards, and I didn't get a chance to apply any ****. Brandon reracks the bar and helps me up.

"Honestly, good effort mate, just keep grinding, like I said, I'd be more than happy to help you reach your goals." I feel so emasculated. Out strengthened me and is still giving me the sales pitch. I look down at my feet as attention quickly shifts away from me.
"Maybe I can lift it?"
"Definitely not little miss," Brandon states quite frankly.
"No one's dying under my watch."
I stare at the floor as I hear Vi giggle and chat right in front of me. Their feet are so close together. So casual. So fucking familiar.

"You wanna get some frozen yoghurt?" Vi asks me as she scrolls her phone in the passenger seat.
"Yeah, sounds good. The one near campus or the one near the dorm."
"The dorm one is fine. What did you think of Brandon? He's good, right? Super strong."
My grip tightens around the wheel, the easy and casual compliment tears through me.
"He's massive." I chuckle.
"Right!? Training with you was fun, babe! You should join me more often."
I don't take my eyes off the road.