“Well, maybe it would be good for me to experience something real, instead of playing make believe all the time,” she replied, softly. “I’ve been playing make believe since I was nine years old, I can’t keep running for real life forever.”
“And if he dies?” David asked, and she looked away.
“He won’t,” she said with determination. “Because I love him. We just found each other again, David, so how can he leave now? And I need you to help me, I need you to be supportive of this, because I know it’s not going to be easy. You’re my best friend, so please.”
David sighed looking for Finn and then back to Gwen. More than anything he wanted to protect this beautiful young girl from the horrors of the real world. But it seemed it was too late.
“Of course, babe,” he replied at last. “Of course.”
The Gym Instructor
by Evelyn Hunt
Grace smiled nervously as she glanced around. The gym looked more like a torture chamber to her than anything else and she sensed her nerves taking hold.
“First time exercising in a gym?” the young woman showing her around asked.
Grace shook her head. “Not the first time ever,” she replied. “But certainly the first time in a long, long while.” When she signed her divorce papers the previous week it brought home that her marriage really was over for good and the forty four year old woman decided the time was right for a new start.
She sat down with a blank piece of paper to write down the things she was going to do and joining a gym to get in shape and lose some weight was number one on the list. Grace looked around the equipment again and shook her head a little. “I’m not even sure I would know how to use half this stuff,” she confessed.
“That’s no problem,” the young woman said with a smile. “The cost of the membership includes for a personal trainer for your first two visits. They will show you around the various machines and get you started so that you are familiar with the equipment.”
“Oh OK,” Grace said. She wasn’t exactly sure whether a trainer putting her through her paces was a good or bad idea, but at least she wouldn’t be left on her own to work things out.
The tour of the exercise room came to an end and the young woman showed Grace the locker rooms and sauna area then took her back to the office. “So what do you think?” she asked as they sat at a desk.
“Well I promised myself I would do it,” Grace answered, “so no backing out now.”
The woman got some forms out of a drawer and marked an X where they needed to be signed. Grace took the pen and sat filling in the application. When she was finished she inked her signature on the paper and then got her purse out. Counting out the membership fee she handed it across and the deal was done. The woman used a paper clip to attach the money and forms together and then stood. Grace followed suit and was led to the door.
“Just ask at the front desk for your membership card when you come in for your first visit,” the young woman said. “The trainer assigned to you will give you a call to set up a meeting and you can take it from there.”
Grace thanked her as she left. She took a final look around as she walked to the exit and then put the gym out of her mind as she walked back to work. It was a few days before it came back to her attention fully again. She’d got around to buying a couple of outfits and a pair of trainers, but made no effort to visit the gym. When her mobile phone rang one morning at work she looked at the number, but didn’t recognize it.
“Hello,” she said as she answered the call.
“Hi,” a male voice replied. “Is this Mrs. Reed?”
“Yes,” she answered. “Well…, I use Miss Reed now that I’m single again.”
“Oh OK,” the voice went on. “My name is Rob. I’m calling from the gym. I’ve been assigned as your personal trainer and just wanted to know when you were planning to come in for your first visit.”
“Oh…,” Grace said as the question caught her off guard. “I hadn’t thought about it to be honest.”
“How about coming in tonight?” Rob went on.
Grace hesitated, but knew the phone call was the incentive she needed to get started. “Sure,” she finally agreed. “I can be there around seven if that suits you.”
“That’s fine,” he said. “Just ask for me at the front desk and I’ll come and meet you.”
“OK, I’ll do that,” she went on. She heard the click of the call being disconnected and put her mobile phone back in her bag. The rest of the working day seemed to pass quickly and suddenly she was on the bus home. Grace decided to wait until after she finished the training session before eating and simply grabbed her training gear and left the house again. It was just after six when she got back into town and she went to have a coffee.
She suddenly wondered why she hadn’t been assigned a female trainer and sat considering what Rob would be like. There was no way of knowing simply from his voice on the phone though and her mind drifted away from the subject as she looked out the café window at the world passing by. She finally left when it was approaching seven and made her way to the gym.
Stepping up to the front desk in the reception area, Grace gave her name and asked if her membership card was there. The young woman checked and smiled as she picked it up to hand it over. “I have to meet a fitness instructor named Rob also,” Grace went on. “How do I do that?” she asked.
“Hold on,” the woman said and picked up the phone in front of her. The call was quickly over and she replaced the handset. “Just take a seat,” she went on. “Rob is on his way.”
Grace looked to where the woman behind the desk was pointing and went to take a seat. A couple of minutes later she saw a young man making his way towards her and was surprised at the flash of attraction that took hold. Since her husband left her she’d been off men, but was suddenly reappraising that idea as she watched her personal trainer approaching. His muscular physique showed through the top and shorts he was wearing, although it was the short, dark hair and smiling face that caught Grace’s attention. Keep it calm, he must be twenty years younger than you she chided herself, but the flash of interest remained in her mind.
“Hi,” the man said as he approached. “You’re Miss Reed?”
She smiled at him. “Nice to meet you Rob,” she replied. “Call me Grace.” She got up to shake the outstretched hand and they stood silently for a few seconds. It was her that finally broke the silence. “So what now?” she asked.
“Well you need to get your training gear on,” Rob said with a laugh. “Come on I’ll show you where you can get changed.” Grace knew where to go already, but followed behind as the young man moved off. Her eyes dropped to the taut ass and remained on it as they walked along. She was quick to lift her gaze as they reached a door though. “Just come in to the exercise room when you are changed,” Rob went on.
“Sure,” she agreed and stepped inside the locker room. She chose a locker close to the door and stripped off her clothes to put on a t-shirt, shorts and trainers. Looking at herself in the mirror she could see the tight fit of the clothes put her curves on display and she thought she looked nice. The anticipation of being close to the muscular instructor suddenly took hold and her pulse raced a little. She tried to calm herself as she closed her locker and made her way to the exercise room. Rob was waiting just inside the door and she walked up to him. “So where do we start?” she asked.
“Let me have a look first,” he said and walked around her. The nervousness took hold a little under the critical appraisal and she wondered what was going through the young man’s mind as he circled her. “Do you exercise much already?” Rob finally asked.
Grace shook her head. “Not really,” she answered.
“OK, well I better be gentle with you this first time,” he said. You can be as rough as you want Grace suddenly thought and suppressed a grin. She followed as Rob stepped over to a treadmill. “OK hop up and we will get you sweating a little.”
Another dirty thought ran through the older woman’s mind about how the muscular young man could get
