Physical

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Years had gone fleeting, but it had not been until this very moment that you realized just how much time had passed. Hues of violet, raspberry and tangerine paint the sky as afternoon falls into dusk, the just barely visible sun's rays spilling through the crack of your just barely lowered driver's side window in your Range Rover. Some pop song you can't recall the name of is playing softly on the radio as you cruise the streets of Jupiter, Florida. The gym you'd been going to forever had closed indefinitely due to bankruptcy, which had left you clambering for the past week to find a new one. You'd had the perfect routine down for your workouts and really didn't want to lose any vital time as you were trying to build muscle in time for the summer. Fitness was not everyone's hobby, but it was yours and you were proud of yourself. It wasn't that long ago that you'd been the girl in junior high that everyone poked fun at. Constant ridicule over the fact you'd dared to have belly rolls, no mind paid that you were a literal child. It hurt deeply, but you'd moved past it and started eating healthier for your own happiness. Bodies were bodies, and no matter how big or small, no size was superior to another. All were beautiful, and that was that. The Google search you'd gone on in your quest to find a new haven for exercise had brought up one called Power, and being that it was a mere half-hour away it was within distance and super convenient especially because it had double the amount of machinery to explore. Your yoga mat resting in the backseat along with your stainless steel water bottle and a towel, you were more than prepared for your hour and a half session. Traffic was light as well and it just kind of felt like the perfect end to the day. It would be a little odd to have a new trainer, but based on the countless Yelp reviews you'd combed through there was not a single shrivel of negativity about the place so you were confident that he'd be just as great as your old one. The only information at the moment you knew was that his name was Kai, you'd planned to check out his whole profile on their app you'd signed up on but fallen asleep while scrolling and been too busy for the past couple hours to do a deep dive into the stranger's life.

Tapping your nails on the wheel to the beat of the music as you make a left hand turn into the plaza, you're met with the site of a nearby boba shop, a Bed, Bath & Beyond, a salon and a bunch of other stores. It was almost too good to be true. The parking lot isn't too overfilled and you manage to secure a spot close enough to the front door, and as you walk through you're met with the sight of fellow gymgoers of all ages and identities. A woman at the front desk with a bob cut greets you, phone to her ear as she slips you the gym card you'll need for future visits. "I'll call Kai up to the front so you two can get started."

"Sure!" you excitedly respond, beaming with excitement as this feels like an adventure. It's much more lively in this open space than at your other, and you could most definitely get used to this. It feels like a wonderful fit already and as you wait patiently, you take note that everyone else seems upbeat and friendly.

It is seconds later you hear a pair of Nike sneakers tapping along the rubber mat and when you glance upwards from your phone's screen, your heart slows to the point it nearly stops because you're met with a very familiar face rather than a nobody. Kai is your old best friend you had lost touch with in junior high, one of the only people who'd not only defended you but stuck by your side all three years. The revelation you'd both be going to different high schools on opposite sides of town had shattered you, and you'd never been able to repair the broken pieces. The promise to always stay in touch had been broken as you'd lost his number and never found him on social media, and after a long while you'd
given up on ever finding out what had become of one of the most important people in your life. Except, the Kai you remembered was not like the one in your memories. Back then, he too had been on the chubbier side, had super thick glasses and been obsessed with collecting every Pokémon in existence. That boy was now a man. Gray is the tank top that clings to his built pecs, and just like his chest his biceps are just as muscular. A pair of black sweatpants completes his attire, leaving his hair the only thing that looks about the same. Cinnamon colored fringe that gives off a bit of a windswept vibe.

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