See and Be Seen

The word "hardbody" was not in his vocabulary. He didn't go to the gym to become muscle-bound and ridiculous looking. Nor did he go to the gym to try to pick up the "gorgeous" women there. No, he went for two reasons: First, to make at least an attempt at ridding himself of the spare tire around his middle, and second, so he could walk up a flight of stairs without sounding like he'd run a marathon.

There were three main areas to this gym. The first he avoided like the plague. This was the area with all the free weights and related machines. Guys with shoulders twice his size and waists half his spent their time there, grunting and strutting. He guessed their IQ's were more like their waists than their shoulders. Some women worked out their, too. The scary ones, with fingerless gloves and black leotards that showed off their bulging muscles. He was too intimidated by their type to even want to work out there.

The second section was more to his liking. Various machines were there, each concentrating on a different muscle group. Delts, quads, biceps, lats, and the like. He knew their names only by reading the label on the machines. And he did these strictly out of wanting to tone a bit. He had no intention of developing a "v-shaped back," as the blackboard workout routine on the other side suggested. People here were a bit less intimidating. Some people looked like he did. Others were older and trying to regain some semblance of shape. Still others were younger, sent their by their coaches for off-season conditioning. But the thing he liked the best about that section was that it was usually nearly empty. He could work out on the machines he wanted in the rotation he'd arbitrarily set for himself, a set or two for each muscle group, nothing fancy or impressive or too strenuous.

The third section was the real reason he was there. It was upstairs, and contained all the needed aerobic equipment. Bikes, recumbent bikes, rowing machines, stair steppers, cross-trainers, and treadmills, all arranged in groupings of three to six machines. Three television sets, often with closed captioning, silent displayed different images; day time talk shows, soap operas, baseball games, news, fishing programs, it was all there. And there were usually a fair number of people there, too. Some were women who put MAKE UP on to go to the gym, for chrissake...you can guess how hard they were working! Others were sleek runners, putting in mile after mile indoors because the weather wasn't cooperating out. A third type were those there for survival, walking a strictly monitored regimen, grimly trudging out a few miles to recover from their most recent heart attack or scare. He liked it best when it was, quiet, though. He could choose the treadmill nearest to one of the fans, put on his headphones, and shut out the rest of the world for 45 minutes or so.

In the midst of all this of course, was the front counter. It met you at the door as you walked in, and curved around toward the locker rooms. On the backside were stools, and behind the counter was what he imagined an old fashioned drug store soda fountain would look like . Here, various sizes and shapes would sit and order protein shakes, and talk (more like brag!) with the employees. He had avoided that part of the counter since he started working out there, because too many of the employees looked like hardbody types themselves.

He opened the front doors and took out his membership card, a little plastic number attached to his keys. He swiped it under the bar code reader and put it back into his pocket. "Thanks, Lon, have a great workout" came an unfamiliar voice from behind the counter.

"Huh?" Real smooth and sophisticated...he sure knew how to make a good first impression. He looked and saw a girl he hadn't noticed before behind the counter.

She smiled at him and said, "Have a good workout." Noticing the puzzlement on his face, she explained, "your name comes up on the computer screen when you swipe your card."

"Oh, okay...thanks. You too," and he walked onward. You too? Another stupid thing to say. He felt like hitting his forehead with the heel of his hand a few times, but figured that would only seal the first impression he'd already made.

He had noticed when she had smiled at him that her front teeth were just a bit crooked. In this day and age of orthodontia, you didn't see that very often. He thought about her face; her plain, shoulder length light brown hair, with the little flip at the ends, just enough to make it look kind of nice without making her look ditzy. And he thought of her blue eyes, not intense or sparkling, just plain looking. And maybe that's what made him think of her. In a place with all these people intent on seeing and being seen, she was plain, nice looking, and not intimidating at all.

He set his headphones and player in one of the shelves and went to the machines, the leg curls first. As he worked his muscles, he thought of his life. He had given up hope a long time ago for a happy relationship. It seemed that his circumstances had always brought him together with the wrong person. He thought that his sense of judgement about women would surely improve with practice, but it seemed to fall short, or even to worsen. His relationships had been brief and painful. His aunt...his own aunt, the liberal one...even asked him once if he was gay! "It's all right if you ARE," she said condescendingly, "we'd still think the world of you." He had patiently explained to her that he just hadn't met the right woman yet, and that he really wasn't in that big of a hurry. "Well, if there's ever anything you want to tell me, you know where I am." Sheesh...she hadn't heard a thing he'd said.

He finished his weight routine, having only spent about 20 minutes doing a circuit of machines. His point wasn't to sculpt himself, just to work up a sweat before he went up stairs. He picked up his headphones and player and made his way up the stairs, passing one of the hardbodies on her way back down. Avoiding eye contact, he reached the top of the stairs and went to his favorite treadmill. It was positioned near one of the big fans, he could see two of the three television sets from there, and he could see most of the rest of the gym. From a distance, he was a people watcher. It was up close that they made him nervous.

He put on the headphones, some non-descript light jazz that was easy to walk and run to. He set the treadmill on the pre-programmed setting for a weight loss workout, and began to walk. Both his eyes and his mind wandered. He surveyed the weight room, and noticed that the girl from the counter was busy at work. While the other employees stood and talked to the hardbodies, or yakked on the phone, she was busy, picking up discarded water bottles, wiping down equipment, going about her business. She wore the same attire at the other employees: long sleeved gray shirt with the gym name on the front and STAFF in bold letters on the back; black nylon workout pants with four white stripes down the leg, and gym shoes. She didn't stand out...didn't even appear to have much of a shape. He wondered how she got hired at a place like this. He didn't figure her to be much of a jock...she'd probably played in high school, showed up to every practice, worked hard, and got in the last three minutes of a game if they were way ahead or way behind.

He finished his routine, and felt like he'd actually accomplished something. As he was gathering his things and thinking about the rest of the day, he realized that he didn't have anything in the fridge at home for dinner. He walked down the stairs, and noticed the sign behind the counter. "Protein Shakes...$3.00" He thought this might be a good time to try one of those, and it might even save him a trip to the store until tomorrow.

Scooting onto one of the bar stools, he looked at the list. So many choices. The plain girl was back at the counter, and smiled warmly at him and said, "Can I get you anything, Lon?"

"Yes, but I'm not sure what to order...and I'm surprised that you can remember my name."

"Oh, I try to remember names if I can. And I can tell you what a lot of people order and seem to like. How about banana and strawberry? You can have it with a juice, or with chocolate."

"Chocolate it is, then. And if you know my name, it would be fair for me to know yours."

"Julie,", she said, and reddened a little. "Okay, with chocolate, I'll use milk, not juice."

She started mixing the shake, and he started staring. She seemed so nice, and so WHOLESOME.

"Here, try this and see what you think."

"Okay, but if I don't like it, you're not going to start over are you?"

"Oh, no, I wouldn't have to do that. I could just add something to it. I hate to recommend something and have people not like it."

"You're so nice...thank you! And it's fine....really good, in fact."

She smiled, said, "Your welcome. You're nice to talk to. Better than those guys," and pointed her thumb in the direction of the free weight guys. "Have you ever noticed that some of those guys can hardly walk?" she whispered.

He grinned. "Yeah. And they look like their brains are all in their toes."

"That's about it." It was nice, having a conversation with someone so sweet. He was still sweating from his workout, but figured in a place like that, it wasn't going to make her recoil. A droplet of sweat dripped down one lens of his glasses.

"Do you have a napkin?" he asked. She handed him one, and he wiped off his glasses with it.

"Why don't you work out without them?" Julie asked.

"Because I can't see a thing without them. I'd have to feel my way from machine to machine. For example," he said, taking them off again, "you see that sign behind you? I can't read a word of it without them." He put them back on again. The letters were a good 12 inches high.

"Wow, pretty bad, then." And she looked as if she was filing the information away for later use.

They talked for a while longer, and then he told Julie goodbye and left.

His trips to the gym grew later in the day, and he started to see a pattern. Activity really picked up from about 5 until about 8, but then it dropped off rapidly. He finally decided that 9 p.m. worked great for him. Almost no one there, and he could workout in peace.

He finished his workout one evening at about 10:30, and sat at the counter. Julie was working again, which it seemed to him she did about four nights a week, always the late shift. He asked if it were too late to order a shake, or did she have things washed and put away already? She smiled, said, "no, that's not a problem. Just a couple of things to wash anyway. The usual?"

"Sure." He was so comfortable with her. She mixed, he drank, they talked, she washed. Nothing important...just stuff.

The last hardbody left, and he looked at the clock. It was 10:55. "Oh, damn...you close in five minutes. I'm sorry I'm sticking around so late. I'll wait and shower at home."

She replied, "No, that's okay. You can still shower. I have things to do before I close anyway. Just find me when you're done and I'll unlock the door and let you out."

He thanked her and proceeded to the locker room. The place was silent...they must have been the only two people left. He opened the combination on the padlock, and took his clothes off. The last thing he put in the locker were his glasses, and he grabbed his towel and shampoo and headed for the shower. Hanging his towel on a hook, he went to a shower in the middle of the shower room and turned on the water.

He had just worked up a lather and had his head under the water, when he heard a small noise. It sounded like plastic scraping against tile. he kept rinsing, and could SWEAR he heard a little cough. Keeping his head under the water, but squinting toward the sound, he could faintly make out what looked like a white rosin chair facing the shower, and someone sitting in it! He didn't let on that he noticed, but he was sure it HAD to be Julie. There was no one else around! The girl was watching me shower. his pulse raced as fast as it had gone while he was on the treadmill, and he could feel his cock growing hard. He couldn't let her know that he knew she was there...what would he possibly say? He kept washing himself, careful not to look in her direction. It was EXCITING to think that she wanted to see me naked...and soon his erection was as hard as it could possibly be. he heard a little voice whisper, "ooh, very nice." he didn't think she realized that his ears were more sensitive than most. he finished the shower, taking plenty of time, and when he turned off the water, the chair, and it's occupant were gone.

He dried himself off, fumbled with the lock he could hardly see, opened the locker, and dressed. As he left the dressing room, he could see Julie behind the counter, wiping it down. She saw me, smiled, and walked to the door to open it.

"Thanks, Julie, have a great evening."

"I already have. Thanks, Lon."

He wasn't sure his feet even touched the ground in the parking lot on his way to the car!

He made sure that his workouts from that point on were always late, and his schedule was very regular. Night after night, he would be the last one there, take a late shower, and wait for his nearly silent admirer. He became quite good about taking a leisurely shower, soaping himself up and rinsing himself off in the way that he had hoped would give her the most enjoyment. It was a ritual both she and he seemed to enjoy.

One night, after about two weeks of this, the ritual changed. he waited to hear the sound of the chair being set down in the most advantageous spot, but it never came. he looked several times and nothing. he guessed that perhaps there was someone else still there that he was unaware of, or perhaps she had a phone call. Or maybe she'd just gotten tired of looking. he finished, dressed, and left the dressing room. Julie was no where to be seen. And the door was locked...how was he supposed to get out? He remembered what she had said the first night..."Just find me when you're done..." He stopped to listen, and could hear the shower running. He knew he had turned it off, and then realized it was running in the WOMEN'S dressing room.

His heart pounding, he walked quietly into the women's locker room. There, in the middle of the locker room, sat the white rosin chair. And there, in the shower, was Julie. He sat quietly in the chair, and watched. Plain as he'd thought she was, she had a lovely body. Her breasts were the perfect size...not too big, not too small. He swallowed hard as he watched the water dripping off them. He cleared his throat, just loud enough to let her know he was there. She never faced him, but he could see a smile cross her wet lips. And he sat and watched. He watched the water running from her wet hair, watched her lather her round little ass and rinse, watched her shampoo her pubic hair. She turned the water temperature down, and her nipples stood at attention..he was sure she had done that just for him! She finally reached to turn off the water, and he realized that was his cue. He picked up the chair, and quietly left the dressing room to return to sit on the stool at the counter.

She emerged in a few minutes, hair wet, but otherwise dressed. Without saying a word, she smiled, picked up her keys, and unlocked the door. "Have a wonderful evening, Lon."

"I already have," and he smiled at her and left.

This pattern alternated for another couple of weeks. One night, she watched him shower, and the next, he watched her. He never considered taking it further. Okay, he DID consider it, but was having so much fun and excitement this way that he didn't want to risk it coming to an end.

One night, however, his heart dropped as he entered the gym. Behind the counter with Julie was another girl, a bit prettier, but not his Julie. "Hi, Lon,", Julie chirped. "This is Tammy. She's new. I'm training her."

He hoped he was containing his disappointment. "Glad to meet you, Tammy," and reached out his hand.

She shook it and said, "Nice to meet you, Lon. Julie's told me a lot about you." He glanced at Julie, and she just winked and turned away. He looked back at Tammy. Her hair was a bit darker than Julie's, but with a little more body and frosted tips. Her eyes were warm and brown. She didn't appear to be a hard body type, either.

He turned to walk to the weight machines, and they both chimed in unison, "have a great workout," and began to giggle. His mind was very preoccupied as he worked out!

The moment of truth came. He finished the last of his shake, looked at the clock, and said to Julie, "Do I have time to shower before you close?" She said he did, but didn't seem to indicate just what that would entail. No reaction from Tammy whatsoever. He made his way to the locker room, wondering.

He had just started his shower when he heard a sound. It was the chair being placed on the tile. "Okay," he thought to himself, and then the sound of a second chair! "Oh, my god," he thought. He continued his ritual, and tried to give him the best show he possibly could. He could hear whispers between them, but couldn't make out what they were saying. They DID sound excited, though.

Finishing his shower, his two watchers both vanished, and he smiled. He dried and dressed, and left the locker room. Tammy took the keys and fumbled with the door lock. She finally got it unlocked, and said, "good night, Lon."

"Good night," he replied. "Have a great night."

"I think we all already did," came Julie's voice from the counter. He left with a huge smile on his face!

The next night Lon returned to the gym, going through his regular routine, his mind still buzzing. There was still a question in his mind what would happen tonight. After all, if the familiar pattern continued, it was HIS turn to watch.

He finished his shake, took a hasty shower, dressed, and exited the dressing room. As usual, no one was to be seen, and the familiar sound of water from the women's dressing room was heard. Lon assumed that Tammy must have left, and walked quietly into the women's room. He was NOT prepared for what he saw! There were TWO beautiful bodies in the shower. Julie's lovely and familiar body was under one nozzle, and Tammy's pretty shape under the other. Tammy was slightly taller, her breasts a little bigger, her bottom less rounded, and her legs were very shapely. Lon settled into the chair and watched. His eyes would dart from one shape to the other, watching Julie wash her breasts, watching Tammy wash her legs. And then...they took turns washing each other's hair! He found this VERY erotic, although he wasn't sure why. And to top it off, they washed each other's backs. There was no sexual touching, just a gently and loving washing where they couldn't reach. He swallowed hard and kept staring. As they reached for the faucet to turn off the water, he nearly forgot his cue...but finally came to his sense and left the dressing room, taking the chair with him.

"Will you be here tomorrow, Lon?" Julie asked, unlocking the door for him.

"Yes, I plan to," he replied.

"Well, I have to tell you something," Julie said, her eyes saddening. "Tammy and I are both being moved to the early shift next week. This is our last night closing." She brightened up, looked him straight in the eye, and said, "but I think we can make tomorrow night something a little extra special." "Well, I'll be here. And thanks for the warning!"

Tomorrow night came, and he worked out, although quite distractedly. He finished his shake and headed for the locker room, and the girls seemed not to pay any attention to him. As he reached the entrance to the locker room, he stopped. There was a different sound, one he wasn't used to. He walked in, and saw that the steam room was turned on and quite full of steam. And two chairs sat facing the steam room. That doesn't make sense, he thought, but proceeded to undress anyway. As he reached the steam room door, he noticed a sign had been taped there. Squinting, he held it up a few inches from his face to read it. "Leave your glasses on," it said. Now that REALLY didn't make sense, but he obeyed, retrieving his glasses from the locker. He went and set down and waited.