The Girl From Across the Gym

[tttrbn]

*This is a work of fiction and fantasy.*

Having a weird work schedule usually meant missing out on some big parts of life. I worked in tech for a company that had multiple overseas business partners, so that meant my hours could fluctuate wildly from day to day as different parts of the business needed things. As an overpaid member of an understaffed team, I was more than willing to do what needed to be done for my paycheck.

I was lucky enough to get this job right out of college, but even though it was fully remote they required me to move to the city where there headquarters was. Something about "in case an emergency comes up and we need you on premises". In the year I've been working here, not once have I been asked to come in.

It's just as well; working from home suits me fine, even with the threat of having to wear slacks constantly hanging over me. My sleep schedule was absolutely fucked, but it's not like it was in such great shape from my college days anyway. What this really amounted to was me only reliably being free during the wee hours of the morning or the late hours of the night. It's not a life filled with much joy, but it's the one I've chosen so I guess I need to make the best of it.

Like I said, with the time I have to myself being what it is, I don't have much of a chance for a social life. Sure, some bars and clubs would be open, but after working 12 or more hours crunching numbers and writing code the last thing I want is loud music and even louder people. A drink is nice, sure, but I can do that at home.

No, if I'm looking to get out of the house, the one place I can always count on is my local 24 hour gym. This may surprise you, but I'm not normally the gym-going type. Despite that, I found out early on in my job that if I wanted to stay sane I'd need some amount of exercise. It wasn't the nicest place in the world, but memberships were cheap and they had more than enough amenities for me. I tried to go everyday, but sometimes I just needed to take the time to rest.

What kept me going for a long stretch of this year, when my motivation was especially low, actually, wasn't even one of the services being offered. Now, I know how this sounds, but what kept me coming wasn't a thing, but a person. I don't even know what drew me to her at first, but now, almost a year later, I'm downright obsessed.

It was a month after I started my job that I first laid eyes on her. It was 5 in the morning and I was cooling down from an hour on the stationary bike. Nothing of note had happened, it was a night like any other. Until she walked in.

The first thing I noticed was how covered up she was. I'm not the type to gawk at anyone in the gym, but even in my weird hours I'd come to understand what women typically wore to workout. Even the more conservatively dressed ones rarely wore more than shorts and a t shirt during the summer months. But not her. No, she came into the gym that morning wearing an oversized pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt. Though her clothes were too big for her, I could tell from the way she wore them that she was carrying some extra weight. Not a big deal, all things considered. People should be allowed to dress how they want for any reason they want.

Her hair, though darker than any I had ever seen, was medium in length, and hung nicely down to her shoulders. Those were fairly broad as well, but I suppose that's to be expected for plus-sized women. Her eyes were a shining green, which popped against her lightly tanned skin. Pretty, to be sure, but not particularly remarkable.

That is, until she started to workout. As I was finishing my time on the bike, she found one in the same row as mine but at the opposite end. We were separated by eight or so bikes, but even at that distance I could see how her legs expanded as she began pushing down on those pedals. I honestly couldn't belive my eyes - from the very start she must have been going faster than me at my top speed. I know I'm not exactly the picture of physical health myself, but the comparison was immediate and downright humbling.

I didn't stay much later than that, mostly because I had caught myself staring and wanted to leave before I caused anyone any trouble. I found myself thinking of her the rest of that day, and even as the week stretched on she never really left my mind. The next time I would see her, though, wouldn't be until a week later.

It had been a particularly stressful day at work, and I was actually looking forward to blowing off some steam that night. I was actually able to make it in just after 8 PM, and as I was heading to my usual stationary bike, I saw her. She was sitting at the lat pulldown machine and was going at a pace similar to her stint at the bike. She pulled the bar down rep after rep, each time with such an intense ferocity that I was forced to stop in my tracks to look upon her. I found myself counting along with her reps, and she only stopped once she hit 24 by my count. She rested, though only briefly, before continuing on with her next set.

Once again, when my sense returned to me I forced myself to break my gaze and head to my station. Though the gym was far from packed, there were a lot more people here than I was used to, and I didn't want anyone to catch me looking like a creep.

From my bike I was able to steal quick glances as she worked and moved about the weight machines. This time I noticed three things about her.

The first was her hair. Though it had only been a week, her hair looked markedly longer. She kept it down, as she did last time, and her midnight black locks now reached down to the middle of her back. I couldn't tell how tall she was, but to grow from shoulder-length to that must have been six inches of growth, at least. And in just a week, that was faster than I'd ever heard before.

The second was her clothing. Though the clothes themselves were different, once again they were oversized and covered her completely. The only skin showing was her face (not that I was complaining, I wasn't trying to be creepy after all). Her clothes hung on her similarly to her previous outfit.

The third and final was also her clothing. Rather, it was what was on her clothing that being a copious amount of sweat. She looked positively soaked in the stuff, and every step she took she made a muffled noisefrom how much was in her clothes. I swear I even saw little puddles form under her when she stayed in one place for too long.

This was only my second time seeing her, I hadn't even met her yet, but it was enough. I had moved beyond fascinated, though I wasn't quite obsessed. Not yet. I don't know when exactly that happened, but the actual event didn't matter much to me. All I knew was that I wanted to be at the gym when she was as much as possible.

I had established from just my first two times seeing her that she didn't exercise at just one time of day. Perhaps she had a schedule similar to mine? For the next few months I would try to go to the gym as often as possible to generate as many data points as possible. From this, I was able to establish the following conclusion regarding her schedule: she worked out twice a day, once before 6 AM and once after 7 PM. I couldn't narrow the times down any better than that, but it was enough. As long as work cooperated, I could all but guarantee a 90% success rate for seeing her at least once a day. I couldn't guarantee our workouts would perfectly overlap, but this was enough for me.

Throughout this time, and in the months since, I continued to observe her. For one thing, her rigorous workout schedule was clearly paying off. Though she continued to wear her oversized sweats, it was obvious over time that they were becoming looser and looser, up until they started becoming tighter on her again. The obvious conclusion, of course, was that she was putting on muscle to replace the fat she used to have, but I had never heard of nor seen a change this fast before. I didn't have all the details, but my eyes weren't lying to me. Week by week, perhaps even day by day, she was building up her body into something that would surely be magnificent.

She kept up her tan year-round, which to me implied she was either naturally tan or purposely kept it up throughout the year. Whatever the answer was, it always looked so brilliant next to her eyes. Even when she was deep in a workout and red with exertion, her skin always had this radiant quality to it.

Her hair changed on a regular basis, nearly weekly. Each day it would be noticeably longer, save of course for the days she cut it or styled it in some way. With how quickly her hair grew she could easily go through three to five hairdos a month. Rarely did she let it grow longer than the middle of her back. The longest I'd ever seen it was just slightly past the small of her back, though she wore it in a tight braid that day, so it's anyone's guess as to how long it really was.

Calling her an obsession wasn't even fully true at this point. Though I was, clearly, obsessed with her, watching her evolve in real time turned her into an inspiration. I became motivated to work harder at the gym, and even try a few weights myself.

This, of course, brings us to the present day. Thanks to my work schedule, I got to the gym this morning a touch after 4:30 AM. I didn't see my muse anywhere, but I didn't get dissuaded by this. She was sometimes here before 5, but would reliably be here after it. I briefly warmed up on my usual bike before psyching myself up to hit the weights. I was still relatively new to them, so I kept them light as I did my single arm curls. 15 pounds proved to be more than enough to get a good sweat going (I know, not impressive, but we all start somewhere).

In a rare instance of focus outside of work, I actually become mostly unaware of things other than my exercises. I finish my sets and wipe down the free weights, feeling pumped and almost proud of myself. I go to return them, still a bit oblivious to my surroundings, when I hear a youthful, somewhat high-pitched voice speak to me.

"Sorry, I just need to get past you."

I turn my head, ready to reply with a jovial, "No problem, my bad," when I see where the voice came from. Who the voice came from, rather.

It was her.

I immediately became overcome with so many sensations at once that my body nearly shut down. My brain must have gone on autopilot, because the next thing I know I'm in the locker room, grasping for air. I hid out there for the next hour, trying to calm down and put together what had happened.

From the short bits of memory I have, I think I just nodded at her, moved out of the way, and hurried over to the locker room for some privacy. Not exactly the kind of first impression I would have wanted to make, but what's done is done.

As I racked my brain, trying to remember what I could, I was able to process a few details. The first was that any estimation I might have made in regards to her height were far too conservative. I initially placed her between 5'4" and 5'7", somewhere just under my height, but in truth she towered over me. Though she felt like an absolute giantess in my memory, I think she was closer to 5'11" or 6'. The second was just how wide she was. She was easily wider than me at the shoulder, probably by two or three inches on each side. Just trying to comprehend that this was her actual side (and I was still just estimating!) was enough to make me hyperventilate.

When I finally started to calm down again, it once more dawned on me how I had so absolutely blown my first real encounter with her. The shame I was feeling was so intense I was genuinely considering moving to a different city altogether.  No, I couldn't do that. I could, however, change my gym schedule or stop going entirely. It would be difficult to change my routine, but I was desperate for anything now.

I checked the clock as I made my decision, and noted that it was 6:12. I never determined just how long her workouts were, but given that over an hour had passed she was sure to have left. I made my way out of the locker room and headed towards the door, when, for the second time that morning I heard the voice that could have commanded me to do anything.

"Hey, wait up a sec!"

I turned, slightly more ready this time, and there she was, quickly walking towards me. She must have just finished her workout, because her skin was red with exhaustion and her clothes were positively dripping with sweat. I could feel my heartbeat both alternate between pounding and stopping as I was forced to take in the Amazon heading towards me, though it wasn't exactly an unpleasant feeling.

She stopped when she was just over a foot away from me, meaning she was close enough for me to take in her scent and her presence, both of which were very powerful. Her hair was cut short and choppy, giving her an almost punk-pixie kind of look. She looked down at me with those shining green eyes, and with nothing but sincerity in her voice she said, "Are you okay? I got a bit worried from how you reacted earlier, did I scare you?"

Scare me? She intimidated me, sure, but scare me was probably the only thing she didn't do.

It took me a few moments to stammer out a response, but eventually I said, "Oh, uh, no. I work a weird schedule and I think the lack of sleep finally caught up to me. But, yeah, I'm okay. Thanks for asking."

She sighed with visible relief at my answer, clearly satisfied that she hadn't caused me any harm. My answer didn't really explain my actions, but I guess it was good enough for her.

"Oh, good! I'm happy to hear that! Are you gonna be around tonight? No offense, but I saw your form when you were curling, and, well, you could use some help."

Her response caught me off guard, and it was all I could do to reply with, "Tonight? What do you mean tonight?"

For the first time today I was feeling genuine fear. Had she caught on to me and my machinations? Did she know the depths of my obsession?

"Yeah, I noticed for the last few weeks that we work out at pretty similar times. I don't really pay attention to the other people in the gym while I'm working out, but before and after I'm actually pretty observant! Sorry if that sounds creepy, I don't mean like I'm watching you or anything! I just mean, you know, it's kinda like we're gym buddies."

I'm just blown away by her yet again. The sincerity, the kindness, the forthrightness, it was a lot to take in. And yet, this is exactly what I've wanted for so long. There's no way in hell I'll give it up!

"Um, yeah, sure thing. I guess I wouldn't mind a few pointers. Plus it looks like you really know your way around this stuff. What time tonight?"

"Awesome! I should be here by 7, but depending on my schedule it might be 7:30 at the latest. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, I can definitely make that work."

My head is in the clouds, and I can tell that she's happy too. She's been smiling from ear to ear since I said yes, and, unsurprisingly, her smile was beautiful. We both assented to the plan and were about to turn to go our separate ways when she turned back and quickly said, "Oh, I almost forgot! My name's Lisa, what's yours?"

"I'm Brandon. It's nice to meet you, Lisa. I'll see you tonight."

I turned and left as fast as I could, before she could say or do anything else. My heart was jumping out of my chest, and if she did anything extra to excite me I just might die of a heart attack. Never before in my life had I been looking forward to the gym so much.

[tttrbn]

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[pramitsen2008]

Brilliant way to introduce the characters through the chapter. Excellent writing also. 

[tttrbn]

*This is a work of fiction and fantasy.*

Never in my life had coming home from the gym been such a mixed experience. On the one hand, my nerves were absolutely shot and some time to myself was welcome. Even though I had calmed down quite a bit since making first contact with Lisa, I was still a bit jumpy from the whole encounter. On the other hand, I was so excited for tonight I wasn't sure if I could calm down any further. This was a dream chance with a girl that defied even my wildest dreams. I don't know how I'll spend the time between now and then, but one thing was certain: I sure as hell won't be working.

For the first time since I started this job, I emailed my boss and cashed in one of my personal days. I got a phone call back with a brief spiel about how an important meeting is coming up and they need me to make sure the data would be ready for the various slide decks that would be presented, but I asserted that I needed the day to myself, and that anything I missed today I was more than happy to make up throughout the week. My boss didn't love that, but I reminder her that I was just asking for one day here, and if this really impacted my performance so terribly then we can talk about it at my year-end review (what I didn't say, though, was how if my job is so important that even taking one day off is so damaging, maybe I should really be your boss?).

The phone call ended with my personal day approved, and, before I even had a chance to put my phone down with a somewhat smug grin, I passed out. When I woke up, the first thing I did was check the time to make sure I hadn't missed my gym time with Lisa. I grabbed for my phone, which had landed a bit away from me and had a big crack on the screen, and saw that only 20 minutes had passed (and just as many emails had arrived in my inbox). I guess I must have been a lot more tired than I thought, because just that 20 minute nap was enough to make me feel like a new man. My head was clearer, despite the minor pain I was feeling from the fall, and I took a second to really take in my morning and digest it.

With that done, I made a small breakfast for myself, showered, cleaned up my place a bit, and went back to sleep. I had gone back to bed at around 7 AM, and I didn't wake up until 5 PM, which is easily the longest single amount of sleep I've had in years, possibly over a decade. If my 20 minute nap from earlier had made me feel refreshed, these 10 hours made me feel completely reconstructed. Taking stock of my body, I was amazed at how much better I was feeling. It's not like I felt so terrible all the time usually, but this really was the first time in a long time I genuinely felt good. Today was shaping up to be a really great day.

Noting the time, and that it only took me 10 minutes to walk from my apartment to the gym, I had plenty of time to get dressed, eat something, clean up some more, and actually relax. You know, I'm starting to see why most people don't actually work jobs like mine. This whole 'having time to yourself' thing is pretty nice.

Finally, the clock struck 6:30, and it was time for me to make my leave. I wanted to get to the gym early so that I could psych myself up before Lisa got there. Before stepping outside I gave myself a brief look in the mirror. I still had my shaggy, black hair that was in dire need of a trim, the dark circles around my eyes that looked a shade lighter from the rest, and a body that very much looked like it belonged to someone who stayed inside all the time. Actually, that last one isn't exactly true. I had been going to the gym consistently for the better part of a year now, and even though my motives weren't always pure, I stuck with it. Even when it was hard. Even when it was inconvenient. I still was a far, far distance away from what many would consider an "ideal" body, but it was the best it's been in a long time. And I did that. Hell, I'm actually feeling a bit proud of myself. And, if I'm really lucky, maybe Lisa will like what I'm working with half as much as I do.

I round the corner to the gym a few minutes earlier than I usually do - the extra confidence and rest must have put some extra pep in my step. I walk inside, taking a deep breath, and before I even swipe my membership card, I see her. She's over by the free weights where we first met this morning, way earlier than expected. I can feel my heartrate start to climb as I take her in at a distance, both because I'm awestruck just from the sight of her and because I'm rattled from my plan being off.

As per usual, she's dressed in her oversized, full-body sweats. The only things that weren't covered by them were her head, her hands, and her feet (which were, obviously, in sneakers). Lisa's hair was the same as it was this morning, still in that short-yet-choppy look that I found uncannily fascinating, but I could swear, even from this distance, that it was longer. I had gotten so used to her hair changing in length so rapidly over my months of observation that I got good at telling when her hair had grown, even if by an inch or so. Maybe I was creepy, after all?

Lisa didn't look particularly strained by what she was doing, which was one-handed curls with both arms at once. Based on how fast she was pumping her arms and moving the weights up and down, the weights in her hands must not have been too heavy for her. I couldn't tell how heavy they were at this distance, which, shockingly, is what snapped me back to reality. People had been shuffling out around me, as I was awkwardly standing in the middle of the entrance, but only a few seconds had passed, so I don't think anyone tried to trace my eyeline to see what I was staring at. And if anyone did, they certainly didn't approach me, so I guess it's not a problem either way.

Making my way inside, I keep my head down as I march towards the free weights where Lisa was. In truth, I was disappointed that she got here before me and had started working out without me. I understand that she's a distinct person with her own schedule, but from how she talked this morning I assumed that we would be a bit more in-sync tonight. The gym wasn't very big, so it took me less that a minute to get to the free weights, but I waited until Lisa put the weights away to approach her. I remembered from this morning how she said she typically didn't pay attention to what was around her while she was lifting. Taking a step towards her, I looked up and was surprised to see that she didn't have any headphones or earbuds in. This seemed highly atypical to me, as most people (myself included) tended to listen to something while they worked out, but I guess this was yet another example of how Lisa was just... built different.

After she put the weights down, I waited a second more to see if she was done with all her sets. When it looked like she was going to walk away, I made my move.

"Hi Lisa. I'm surprised to see you here to early, I thought you might not be able to come until 7:30?"

My voice was soft, but not small. I wanted Lisa to know I was here, but I wanted to destroy any thoughts that might be in her head of me being timid.

It looked like it took a bit more than a second for her to process that she had just been spoken to, and another second to process the content of my words. Once that time had passed, she turned her head, and then her body, towards me, and I got to see her face change from a visage of pure focus to the kind, sincere girl that I spoke with this morning. Her mouth broke into a smile, and her eyes turned warm. A second hadn't even passed since she turned to face me, and she hadn't said a word yet, much less make a noise, but right away I felt so safe and comfortable around her. As she looked down at me and I looked up at her, it was as though we were the only two people in the world.

"Oh my gosh, Brandon, hi! I know, I thought I wouldn't be able to get here until later, but my coach gave me a light day today so I was able to get here way earlier than usual! And since I knew I wanted to show you curls today, I figured I may as well get a few reps in myself to warm up."

It's agonizing to try to do, but I break my gaze from her just long enough to see which weights she had been lifting. Though she had taken a step to the side, I could still tell which weights on the rack had just been used. I had to physically stop my jaw from dropping when I saw that she had been using the 30-pound weights. This was double what I used for a challenging workout, and she used them just to warm up.

As this sunk in, I returned to looking at her, which actually helped me process that information. I began to reply, and, as I did, I noticed my mouth had also curled into a friendly smile similar to hers.

"That's great to hear, I'm really excited to learn from you tonight. You said your coach gave you a light day, though. What did you mean by coach? Are you an athlete?"

Right as I had asked that question, I began to regret it. I was desperate to know more about who Lisa really was, but I hadn't wanted to ask her personal questions yet. If she became uncomfortable, this could ruin my chances!

My luck didn't seem to be in short supply, though, as she chuckled at my question before responding.

"Oh, right, sorry, I forgot we don't really know each other very well yet. I say 'coach', but I really just mean my mom. She's been big on teaching me to lift and get strong my whole life, and I think it's cool, but she treats it like serious business. Like, she only let me start coming to a gym by myself a few years ago because I kept asking for a chance to work out without her watching over me. But enough about her, let's get down to business!"

I had, truly, so many follow-up questions I was dying to ask, but I couldn't deny the giantess who said it was time to life. True to her word, we went over the form for single-arm curls. To start, she put a 5-pound weight in my hand so that I could get used to the form. I must have made a face about it, since I had felt a bit embarrassed over being handed such a small weight by her, but Lisa reassured me that this was just until I had the form down, and it wasn't a comment on my strength. Whenever she learned a new exercise, for example, she always started with as little weight as possible to make sure she could do it safely. I didn't know what "as little weight as possible" meant for a girl like Lisa, but I did feel reassured by this.

After just a few reps, Lisa had to stop me because I still wasn't doing it right. According to her, I was engaging my shoulders and back too much, when I should really be trying to isolate my biceps.

"Sorry that I'm still not getting it. I'm trying to, but I guess I'm still not very good at listening to my body and controlling it."

"Hmm, don't worry, I think I have an idea. Give me another rep."

I go to lift the weight again, confused that she had asked me to lift it again without doing anything, but right as I started to lift the weight Lisa moved. She positioned herself behind me and put her hands on my shoulders and back, applying just enough pressure on both to keep me from moving them. Without being able to engage either of them, I was forced to just use my arm to lift the weight, and, to my surprise, it was a lot harder than I had expected. By the end of just this one rep, I felt as though I had done a rep with the 15-pound weight. Oh, lord, was I really this weak?

After I finished the rep, Lisa let go of me and moved around to face me.

"That was really good! I'm sorry I didn't ask beforehand, but I figured if I could just stop you from using your back or shoulder you would be able to do it right! And I was right, you had really good form for that rep! If it's okay with you, I can keep doing that until you get used to the movements enough to do the reps on your own. How does that sound?"

Have this impossibly strong Amazon hold me in place for an extended period of time? Sign me up.

"Uh, yeah. If it's not too much trouble for you, that was actually really helpful. Hopefully it doesn't take me too long to get it, but I definitely noticed a difference with just that one."

Once again Lisa smiled down at me. She resumed her position and kept me in place until I finished all three sets for both arms. I stayed with the 5-pound weight the whole time, and by the end of it I was shocked to see how tired I was. Had I really been working out wrong this whole time? After I was done, Lisa once again turned to face me, and said, "You did a really good job with those sets! Take a rest now while I do a set of something, and then when I'm done we can keep going with bicep curls for you until you feel comfortable. Okay?"

I smiled up at her and nodded my head in ascent, and with that perennial smile she turned to focus on herself for a few sets. I wanted to keep my eyes on her and watch her as she worked, but instead I decided to focus on myself and try to pinpoint the muscles that were tired. I was tired, yes, but I noticed that my biceps were more tired than anything else. My hands hurt a bit from gripping the weights so long, even though they weren't very heavy in my hands. My shoulders and back felt practically unused, as did the rest of my body. With an empty hand, I pump each arm as though I were doing a curl, trying to really hone in on the movement.

We kept this pattern up for the rest of the hour, alternating between me trying to curl while Lisa held me in place and her going off to do her own thing. By the end, she had gone through her whole circuit, each time she returned being just a bit redder and sweatier. Even as her large, sweaty hands gripped me in place, I was in extasy, but I tried to stay focused. And, finally, by the end of our time together, I had mastered the curl.

"You did it," Lisa cried with genuine excitement. "I'm so proud of you, Brandon! You got it down!"

I smiled up at her, proud of myself, happy about the whole situation, but I didn't want to get a big head. It was just one exercise, after all, and I wasn't necessarily any stronger or more fit from today. But I wouldn't have changed a single second.

"Are you gonna be around tomorrow morning? If so, I can teach you another exercise," Lisa continued.

"Are you sure? I feel a bit bad monopolizing your time like this."

"Oh, yeah, no worries! I come here to relax, so I'm happy to spend some time helping out my gym buddy."

I was stunned (I was losing track of how many times she had stunned me), but I was also slowly becoming more comfortable with how magnanimous and gregarious she was.

"In that case, I'm happy to accept your help, as much as you're willing to give. I'll be here at 5 AM tomorrow, like usual."

Lisa beamed down at me, saying, "Awesome! Oh, before I forget, let me give you my number so I can contact you in case anything happens tomorrow or in the future."

This was it, the thing that will catapult me from being a creepy stalker to being someone close to her. I handed her my phone, watched her create a contact for herself, and I called her so that she had my number as well. I saw her create a contact for me in her phone, and I took a second to notice the contact she had made for herself in mine. "Gym Lisa", she called herself.

We said our goodbyes and I smiled all the way home. I was voracious for information on her, but I felt secure in that I would have more than enough opportunities to satiate myself. It took months to turn this girl from "The Girl From Across the Gym" into "Lisa", and it took only a few hours to turn her from "Lisa" into "Gym Lisa". Who knows what the next step will be, and how soon we'll get there?

[Wookey]

K+++ love the slow build of the relationship

[phil123]

And from Gym Lisa she gets to friend Lisa than Love Lisa and then Muscle Lisa and than Super Muscle Lisa or Huge Lisa

[Wookey]

I hope that Lisa can work with him to build his body. Do not mind the differences but much prefer stories where they are both respectful and appreciative of each other