I LIVE THIS, I BREATHE THIS, YOU CRAVE IT

CHAPTER 9: The New Normal

Since the breakdown I went through a few days ago, me and Rhea had a long discussion about how to move forward. I talked and she listened, she made some good points and I agreed. We both agreed that the way she handled everything that night helped me in a way that I could barely understand, but it helped nonetheless. We both agreed that Rhea taking charge would be beneficial for me since making decisions and trying to figure out what to do on my own wasn't exactly working out. My psyche wasn't working in my favor and Rhea was nothing if not logical and stubborn. So I brought up the idea that her taking charge for a while might be beneficial to me.

We're still working out the details, trying to figure out our routine but so far it's going well. Not to mention, it's fucking hot. Seeing Rhea take charge in ways that she hasn't before was a near-constant aphrodisiac. We were having sex damn-near every day like goddamn bunnies. So clearly, it was the same for her as well. I still take care of her when she needs it, but our roles never wavered. Our relationship felt more profound lately. Like a huge weight was lifted off of my shoulders and every mistake that I make is forgiven with a punishment and a hug.

Not long after we ironed out the details of our new relationship, we had to fly out for RAW. Rhea and I decided that it would be fine for us to go to the local Planet Fitness because it was in a different city and Michael wouldn't have any way of knowing which one we would choose. Working out at home was fine but something about being in an actual gym felt different. Rhea and I had started discussing turning our whole garage into a fully functional gym but we had a lot to go before it would be finished, so we made do with adjustable free weights, resistance bands, and the single bench that we had in there currently, but it was refreshing to have unlimited access to all the machines for the first time in a while.

The only downside of working out in public gyms was the possibility of being recognized. Today was a good day, though, because it didn't seem like we would get a whole lot of interruptions so we were keeping to ourselves as we completed our workouts. Rhea had the idea to invite the boys along with us and I immediately agreed. Even though we were in a different city and the chance of Michael finding us here was slim to none, it felt nice to have some backup if needed. Plus, I had to make good on my word and dance circles around Dominik like I promised.

"Oh, come on, Devon. Are you even human?" Dominik whined as he flopped himself down on the mats. We had just finished seeing who could do the most sumo squats before quitting. I sat on a nearby bench giggling at his antics.

"If you want to back out, you're more than welcome. But you know what the loser has to do," I reminded playfully.

"Do I seriously have to?"

"Do you 'seriously' wanna see who can do the most weighted lunges next?" I questioned back with a light punch to his shoulder.

"God, no," he said with a huff. "Okay, fine."

"Go on," I gloated, crossing my legs dramatically and placing my hands delicately on top of my knee as Dominik sat up to kneel at my feet.

"Devon Valour is the queen of everything," he proclaimed loudly with one hand on his chest over his heart and the other sweeping in front of him theatrically. A couple of people turned in our direction at the sudden loud noise and I laughed.

I heard Rhea and the other two boys laughing along with me at Dominik's theatrics. Once Dominik and I were done poking fun at each other, Rhea came over to us and wrapped an arm around my shoulders steering me away from the boys, holding up her finger to them so they understood that we'd be back in a second. They nodded at us and continued with whatever conversation they were having.

"I think we should tell them," Rhea said as soon as we reached the locker room. Thankfully, there was no one else in here at the moment, but she kept her voice low just in case.