Page 14 of The Last Pirouette
Harper watched him, her expression unreadable. "Keep going, Captain. You've got a long way to go."
Liam gritted his teeth and pushed harder, his muscles screaming in protest. He could feel the tightness in his hamstrings, his groin, his lower back. This was way harder than it looked. He could feel Harper’s gaze boring into him. He couldn’t give up. Not now.
Slowly, painstakingly, he inched his palms closer to the floor. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and his jaw was clenched tight with effort.
"Come on, Liam," Harper said, her voice surprisingly encouraging. "You can do it. Just breathe."
He followed her instructions, inhaling deeply and exhaling slowly. The breath helped to release some of the tension, allowing him to sink a little deeper into the stretch.
Finally, with a groan of effort, he managed to flatten his palms on the floor. He was shaking, his muscles burning, but he held the pose.
"Alright, Hayes," Harper said, pulling out her phone. "You're on the clock."
The next minute was an eternity. Liam fought against the burning in his muscles, the urge to give up, the sheer discomfort of the stretch. He focused on Harper's voice, counting down the seconds, providing small adjustments.
"Thirty seconds, Liam. You're halfway there."
He could feel his body trembling, his muscles threatening to cramp. But he held on, fueled by sheer willpower and a stubborn refusal to be defeated.
"Ten seconds... five... four... three... two... one! You did it!"
Liam collapsed onto the floor, gasping for air. His muscles throbbed, his body was slick with sweat, but he couldn't suppress the grin that spread across his face.
Harper looked genuinely impressed, a rare sight indeed. "Alright, Hayes," she said. "I'll give you that one. Not bad."
"Not bad?" Liam wheezed, struggling to sit up. "That was brutal. You try doing that with hockey thighs."
"Fair enough," Harper conceded. "But a deal's a deal. What's my penance?"
Liam grinned, his eyes gleaming with mischief. "Oh, I've got just the thing in mind."
He led her over to a weight bench, grabbing a pair of light dumbbells. "Seated dumbbell presses," he said, handing her the weights. "Three sets of ten. Don't worry, Princess, I'll spot you."
Harper looked at the weights with a mixture of apprehension and determination. Upper body strength was not her forte. Ballet was all about core and legs. But she had given her word.
She sat down on the bench, took a deep breath, and positioned the dumbbells in her hands. Liam stood behind her, his hands hovering close, ready to assist if needed.
"Alright, Harper," he said, his tone shifting from cocky to genuinely instructive. "Keep your back straight, engage your core, and push the weights straight up. Slow and controlled."
She followed his instructions, slowly pressing the weights upwards. Her arms trembled with the effort, and her shoulders burned. It was a different kind of pain than she was used to, a raw, unfamiliar ache.
"Come on, Harper," Liam encouraged. "You got this. Just a few more."
She struggled through the last few reps, her face contorted with effort. Finally, she lowered the weights, collapsing back against the bench.
"Not bad, Princess," Liam said, his voice laced with a hint of admiration. "You're stronger than you look."
Harper glared at him, but there was a small smile playing on her lips. "Shut up, Hayes."
They completed the remaining sets, each pushing the other to their limit. The shared effort, the mutual coaching, forged a new, competitive respect between them. It wasn't friendship, not yet, but it was something more than the animosity that had defined their initial interactions.
After their workout, they sat on adjacent benches, both icing their respective injuries. The silence was comfortable, no longer strained or hostile.
"So," Liam said, breaking the silence. "That stretch... is that a basic move for you?"
Harper shrugged. "Pretty much. It targets the psoas muscle, which is crucial for turnout and extensions. It's all about opening up the hips."
Liam nodded, absorbing the information. "Huh. I never really thought about the specific muscles involved in ballet. It just always seemed like... magic."
