Page 1 of Unraveling with You

CHAPTER 1

I’VE NEVER HAD A PERSONALtrainer. Pinching my gifted gym membership card between shaking fingers, I tuck my tote bag tighter over my narrow shoulders. The jet-black gym building towers over me, even the front windows tinted a sleek black with an electric blue “FRONTRUNNER GYM” plastered at the top.

My co-worker, Gabby, must’ve paid way too much for this temporary gym membership. We’ve worked together at Salucci’s Ristorante for three-and-a-half years now, so I know how much she makes, and our paycheck is the main reason I’ve never made an effort to get a gym membership.

Okay, maybe there are two reasons. Gabby saw my second reason while we were changing in the back room. She didn’t comment on the rippling mark spanning the length of my lower back; I did - with my usual “it’s a birthmark” explanation. But she convinced me I look okay enough to visit a public gym. That’s not how she phrased it, but how I’m phrasing it, now that I’m covered by my loose, gray zip-up jacket and worn black leggings.

As a bulked-out man hustles past me to breeze through the glass doors, I’m tempted to take a step back. Or maybe three. But as the man checks himself in at the front desk and walks straight inside, entering the building doesn’t look as daunting as the long, arduous process I imagined.

With a shuddering breath, I take one step forward. Just one step is enough to keep me walking, even though I’m terrified of everyone analyzing my body.

The man at the front desk smiles wide enough to display a neat row of perfect, bright white teeth. An electric blue “LIAM” is embroidered on his gym staff shirt, the athletic, wicking fabric straining over broad pecs. “Welcome in. How may I help you?”

My shoulders raise as I come to a stop in front of him, readjusting my double-handed grip on my tote bag straps. “H-hi, um– I’m new here, and I have this.”

Liam takes my gifted gym membership from my trembling fingers. “Great, thank you. I’ll just need to input some information to get your membership started. Name, please?”

“Lilibeth Norris,” I mutter.

Dammit, why did I say my full first name? Almost no one hears it right on the first try. My parents named me after my mom, Lia, and my dad’s mom, Elizabeth. But of course, Lilibeth is also a shortened form of Elizabeth, and everyone mistakes it as such. No one can undermine Dad’s importance, not even the woman shoving me from her body.

“Could you please spell that for me?” Liam asks, of course.

When he glances at me, I give him a polite smile. “I-it’s fine, actually. Lily works instead. L-I-L-Y.”

Liam types “Lily” in with no further questions. “Thanks, Lily. Looks like you have 10 stamps to fill, and each one comes with a 30-minute session with a personal trainer. Do you have any requests for a particular trainer?”

“I– um–” I peek into the gym. Bodies of all sizes are hard at work, but I primarily see sweating, frowning men. My feet tuck together tighter. “I don’t know anyone.”

“Pardon?”

Projecting my voice a little further, I lean in. “I-I don’t know anyone here.”

The man stands, revealing the beefy legs he had tucked beneath his desk. I drop my stare, but that only brings my eyes to my soft legs. I don’t think soft is bad, but what do the Liams of the gym think when they look at me?

“That’s no problem at all! Follow me, and we’ll get you sorted with an available trainer,” Liam says.

With a nod, I follow Liam through automatic sliding doors. A fan blasts my hair into my face as we pass the gym’s threshold, leaving me to frantically swipe my thin, black bangs out of my eyes.

“Hey, Josh! You available?” Liam raises his hand, and a large man with a military shave looks up from his phone.

“Yeah, what’s up?”

Liam stops, so I come to an abrupt halt behind him.

Josh eyes me over Liam’s shoulder. “You got a new client for me?”

“Yep, this is Lily. Lily, Josh. He’s one of our best trainers, so you’re in luck today.”

“Oh, thank you,” I mutter. I don’t know what else to say, so I smile.

Josh holds out his hand. Secretly wiping my palm on my tote, I can only pray I’m not about to give Josh a sweaty, feeble hand to shake.

But when Josh grips me, he crushes my bones together with his force. I wince, and he jerks my whole arm. Josh frowns. “We need to work on that grip strength.”

I drop my hand the second he releases it, thankful to have some space between us again. My heart hurts, and I hate it. I feel so foolish for letting myself feel humiliated over something so small. Of course he thinks I need more grip strength; I didn’t know people worked on grip strength at the gym, let alone had time to work on it at home.

Josh takes off to our left, checking over his shoulder. “Well, come on.”

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