I wasn't expecting this to happen...
I mean, I had heard of fetishes and thought of lonely people in a basement who were somehow damaged. It happened to a lonely person who couldn't connect with people.
Until it happened to me.
When you are an athlete, the gym is a second home. The atmosphere is unconscious. The hum of the treadmills, clanking of metal weights and tread of feel is way in the background. I went through high school and college with the routine cadence of sounds. Even after the days of getting ready for a race, the gym was just part of my routine. I remember finding my current gym after college and realizing how different it was with every age group and body type. It felt a bit more relaxed.
It had always seemed like a place to zone out with tests and reading on the brain. But now, it felt like a social place. I would see the same people every day at about the same time on a schedule. And that always meant seeing Maya.
She was a preschool teacher, my age (23) with a long black ponytail and pale soft skin speckled with freckles. I met her on my first day at the gym as I was sorting out how to login to my user account. She has that teacher level patience that makes it so easy to chat. When I saw her the next time, I made sure to run next to her and make excuses to talk. I was glad to see the next time, she came over to me.
She had gotten there earlier and was already covered in sweat. "oh my God, those kids must have run you ragged today!" I exclaimed.
She smiled, wiping her hand on across her brow, "no, it's called going through grad school and not working out for months."
She was shorter than me and closer to curvy than skinny but to be honest, my eyes always have her a long conspicuous look. I made a point to bite my lip in order to show I had more to say." I think you'll catch back up. Not too much weight to lose."it ended awkward on my end. But she still smiled. She took a drink from her "best teacher" mug and started on the elliptical.
Flirting wasn't necessarily my strong point, but as a retail manager I had to be comfortable talking and passing the time and trying to pick up on clues. With Maya we exchanged numbers in order for me to send her an invite to a new store opening. Any excuse to get her number and open up the possibilities.
I wonder if anthropologists or biologists would comment that working out together was bonding on a molecular level with endorphins and pheromones flying around so close. All I know is that the strangest, most unexpected thing happened on that next day.
Maya had gotten there early again and had apologized she was so sweaty and gross. We were on the treadmills and she dropped her earbud case and I went close to grab it for her between the machines. And I froze.
Her shirt was wet with sweat but it was something else that turned my entire attention. Just the hint, a waft you might say, of body odor. Not a heavy overpowering scent, but a tease if you will. I stopped in my steps and dropped the case again.
She had stopped and laughed at both of our clumsiness and bent over to get them when we bumped together. But something about my pause caused her to raise an eyebrow. "everything OK Zach?"
