Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 84195 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84195 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
I was just thinking about his other stipulation—coming to his club—when there was a knock on the door.
“Expecting company?” Skylar waggled his eyebrows.
I snickered as I pulled open the door, then sobered. “Holy crap, I totally forgot!”
Gretchen was standing there in stretchy leggings and a thin shirt that hung off one of her shoulders, revealing the strap of her tank top. “What? You forgot Zumba? You must’ve had a busy couple of weeks while I’ve been gone.”
That was an understatement.
“I definitely did.” I stepped back to let her inside the apartment. “How was your trip?”
“Very relaxing.”
She told me a bit about her vacation with Hope in Wine Country, California, but I was still dumbfounded that I’d been so preoccupied with Skylar moving in, I’d forgotten about one of the only things I looked forward to every week. Less so without Gretchen, because it was cool to do the class with a friend, but still, it was the one thing I did for me. Even if it was a bit corny.
“Did somebody mention Zumba?” Skylar asked in an amused tone, coming up behind me, and I felt my neck get all hot as I wondered what in the hell he’d think. Especially when he did actual dancing at a real club, not with an instructor in front of a foggy mirror.
“Yeah, we take a class together,” I said, then quickly remembered no introductions had been made yet. “Oh, um…Gretchen, this is my friend Skylar.”
“Nice to meet you,” Gretchen said, lifting her hand in a wave.
I glanced at Skylar. “And this is my neighbor, Gretchen. She’s been gone the past couple of weeks on a trip with her girlfriend.”
“I didn’t realize you had company,” Gretchen said, stealing a quick glance at the time on her phone. “I can head to class by myself.”
“You should totally go,” Skylar told me, looking entertained by it all. I couldn’t tell if he was poking fun at the class, or at the idea that I would take it in the first place. I may not have wanted to do gymnastics with him the day of the fire, but that was different than moving my body for exercise.
“Skylar’s staying with me while his apartment is being repaired. Long story,” I explained in a rush. “So, um, yeah…I’ll be back in a flash.”
I hurried down the hall to my room and changed out of my clothes lightning quick, not even bothering to pick up after myself so we wouldn’t be late—Skylar would be proud.
I came out carrying my sneakers and stepped into them as Skylar eyed me up and down. “Outside of your pajamas, this is only the second time I’ve seen you in casual clothes.”
“Right?” Gretchen said, and the way they grinned at each other, I could tell they were already bonding. That was Skylar for you. Gretchen too, come to think of it. Possibly why I liked her so much. They both had the kind of charm you could bottle.
“See you later, Sky,” I said, and followed Gretchen into the hallway.
“Probably in the morning.” He smiled as he shut the door behind me, and darn, I’d forgotten he had to work tonight. Not that I needed to spend every spare minute with my new roommate.
I was lost in my own thoughts as we took the elevator, then went out onto the street.
Gretchen grabbed my arm, and we power-walked to the gym. “What was all that, and why are you so flushed right now?”
“Am I? Well, we are practically jogging to make it on time.”
“True,” she said with a laugh. “So, Skylar said his building caught on fire?”
“Yeah, it was the strangest thing—shitty too—the day we decided to reconnect after not seeing each other for twelve years.”
“That’s a long time,” she said as we waited at the crosswalk. “Was he a school friend?”
“No, gymnastics.”
“Wait a minute…” She slowed down once we reached the curb. “You were in gymnastics and didn’t tell me? Is that why you’re obsessed with Simone Biles?”
“I’m not obsessed with her,” I scoffed. Except I definitely was, and I guessed nobody knew about my short stint in gymnastics besides Skylar and my parents. “And yeah, gymnastics. Only for a couple of years. Skylar was amazing at it, and now he works at the Playground.”
“The gay club? Awesome!” She pulled open the door. “What does he do—bartend?”
“No, he’s a dancer. Which makes total sense if you saw some of his moves.”
The Zumba music had already begun playing, so we left our bags against the wall and scrambled to the back row to join the class. “I’ll tell you more later.”
The Zumba class ended up being exactly what I needed. It drained me of all the pent-up tension I’d obviously been lugging around the past two weeks. My mom always said I carried it in my shoulders, and I never knew what the heck she was talking about until I started noticing a difference after a good workout.