It had been two weeks since the orgy at Liz's place, and Jim was only just getting all the feeling back into his legs. After the other girls had left, Jim and Liz had fucked each other senseless almost the entire three days, stopping only to eat, use the bathroom, and sleep. Liz had been letting him rest and hadn't tried to get him to have sex again just yet. He had worried about Liz getting pregnant after their multiple romps, but she had apparently started taking birth control well in advance of the orgy.
He was heading to the gym like he always did on his Fridays, and as he rounded the corner and could see the front desk, he saw Liz talking to someone. He could tell it was a spliced, but he wasn't sure with what. They were talking normal from what he could tell, but then he saw Liz grab a piece of paper and write something down before handing it to him. By now Jim had reached the door and was walking in, and the man was waving farewell and heading out.
Once he had turned, Jim got a shock. The man was a shark spliced, with no hair and light leathery looking skin. His face tapered into a point for a nose, much like how an actual shark looked, and Jim could see a few slits for gills just around his shirt collar. He was incredibly muscular, and Jim was sure that if he flexed hard enough, his shirt would likely explode into bits of cloth. He was physically intimidating, but he seemed perfectly calm despite all that, and gave off a vibe of going with the motion of the ocean.
As they passed each other, Jim turned his attention to Liz, who was waving to the shark spliced and then was all smiles when she saw Jim coming in.
"Hey sweet lips. Ready for a good workout today?" she said with her usual playfulness.
"I suppose" Jim said quietly.
Liz's nose twitched at his response, and she started to look at him worriedly.
"What's wrong?" she asked?
"Who was that guy? I've never seen him before."
"Oh, Carter? He's new in town and was asking about stuff in the local area. Why?"
"I saw you give him something."
Liz cocked her head for a second, and then a wily grin crossed her face as she looked at Jim.
"Why Jim, I do believe you sound a bit jealous. You worried that I gave him my number so we can hook up later?"
Jim blushes, but it's not just embarrassment causing his face to get red.
"Is that why you haven't wanted to have sex since the...party...you had? You're hooking up with other guys at the gym again?"
Liz suddenly went from coy to worried, realizing that Jim was genuinely upset.
"Jim, you know as well as I do that I love you. I didn't just say it in the heat of the moment, and I'm not about to hook up with some random guy I only just met today. The thing I gave him was Sam's name and number because he asked if I knew a masseuse that was okay with working on shark spliced since they have such rough skin."
"...really?" Jim asks, feeling slightly annoyed.
"Yes, you dolt, and the reason I've been holding off on sex is because while I'm always ready to go, you aren't. I was being considerate."
Liz hadn't realized that her voice had been getting slightly louder as she went on, but by the time she did, the damage had been done. Jim looked both hurt and angry, and walked off without saying another word, leaving Liz at the desk on the verge of tears.
While it hadn't been anything really major, it was still their first official fight, and it upset them both. Liz was afraid that Jim might be upset enough that he'd stop talking to her, or even come by the gym after this, and Jim was upset because he felt conflicted about whether Liz was telling him the truth or not. He figured a strenuous workout would be just what he needed to clear his head and let him think, and it certainly helped him gather his thoughts.
He had indeed felt a bit jealous seeing Liz talk to someone else, but it was entirely unwarranted. It probably was as she had told him, and he had gotten heated over nothing. As he finished up, he looked around and saw that there wasn't anyone else left inside, and he could see Liz at the front desk, her arms wrapped around her knees as she squatted on her chair. She looked upset, and he sincerely wished she hadn't been crying because of what happened.
He walked over to her, but didn't hear any sniffling or sobbing, and he was relieved. He very carefully put a hand on her back, and she flinched slightly at the touch.
"I'm sorry Liz. I got upset over nothing and hurt you. That's not what I wanted, and I'm sorry. Ok?"
Liz didn't say anything, but she nodded her head. Jim felt a little better, but he knew it would take a lot to make up for this. He rubbed her back gently, and then headed off to the locker room to shower. He stripped and made his way to a random shower stall, then turned it on and began adjusting the temperature to something comfortable. He got it to a pleasantly warm, and let it run down his back as he put his head against the wall. He stood there for what felt like hours before he finally decided to actually wash. As he turned to grab his things, Jim felt a hand push him back against the wall. He panicked for a moment until he heard Liz speak.
"Let me wash you."