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Chris passed us with a small "hey" and a smile to accompany it. I waved at him a little, but both Emma and I had our eyes glued to the girl walking beside him. As they walked past us, Emma leaned in and whispered, sounding genuinely surprised.
"Gosh, she's stunning!"
"She is," I admitted, feeling a pang of jealousy twist in my chest.
I tore my eyes away and focused back on my workout. I started pedaling the bicycle faster than before, not even caring if I'd end up regretting it later.
Emma noticed the shift in my mood. "You're no less gorgeous, Zoey. They might not even be dating. Could just be friends, for all we know."
I knew she was trying to cheer me up, but I didn't need it—not right now. Even if that girl wasn't his girlfriend, it didn't change the fact that he might already have someone else. Someone who definitely wasn't me.
Still pedaling hard, I didn't bother responding.
"You shouldn't be going that fast."
Emma and I turned our heads at the same time to find her approaching us. Even her voice sounded pretty.
"Sorry… I couldn't help but notice," she continued, giving a small, polite smile. "I'm sure you know the speed you're going at could really mess with your knees."
We didn't respond immediately. She glanced between us, and the silence was starting to feel awkward, so I forced a smile and said something.
"Yeah… I know," I replied. "I just thought it'd kill my thigh fat faster."
She chuckled softly. Friendly. Warm.
"I'm Vicky. What are your names? If you don't mind me asking."
Emma and I exchanged a look before she answered first.
"I'm Emma."
"I'm Zoey," I said, glancing toward where Chris was. He was already with a group of guys, working out.
When I looked back, Vicky was staring straight at me. Oh God. Did she catch me staring at him? Her boyfriend?
Wait. We're not even sure he's her boyfriend!
"So, you're both friends of JK?" Vicky asked casually. By now, another bicycle had freed up, and she hopped on it with ease.
"More like acquaintances," I replied quickly. Emma nodded beside me.
"Acquaintances? So you consider yourself just an acquaintance of JK?" she asked, and this time she was looking directly at me.
Gulp.
Why did it suddenly feel like I was being scolded for something? But I hadn't done anything wrong! We were acquaintances. Sure, we'd had a few chats, and maybe we shared some personal stuff sometimes… but acquaintances could do that too, right?
Was she mad? Did she think I had a thing for him? Well… she'd be right.
Then she suddenly groaned. "And here I thought I'd finally found someone to match with him."
Huh?
Emma and I looked at each other, both clearly confused.
"When I asked JK about you, he said you were his friend. It's so unfair that he thinks of you as his friend, but you only consider yourself an acquaintance!? That's just wrong!" she pouted, crossing her arms like a kid.
Wait… what!?
Did she just say… friend?
And—hold up.
Did she say—brother?
"JK is your brother?" Emma asked before I could even wrap my head around the shock. She sounded just as surprised as I felt.
"Yeah…? What did you think we were? A couple?" Vicky laughed, shaking her head like the very idea was ridiculous. But when she noticed we weren't laughing along, her mouth dropped open in realization.
The next second, she made a disgusted face, let out a dramatic "Ewww," and pretended to gag.
"You really thought I"—she pointed to herself, then pointed to Chris—"would date that? I love my brother and all, but eeewww!"
I burst into laughter—not because what she said was funny, but because I felt so relieved.
So… she wasn't his girlfriend, huh?
I mean, I still probably didn't have a shot, but that didn't stop the wave of pure relief that washed over me.
Our conversation drifted to other topics after that. We found out that Vicky actually had a boyfriend—one of Chris's friends. She even made a whole thing of how her boyfriend had no hair, unlike Chris, to prove she'd never be into him, even if he wasn't her brother.
Vicky turned out to be a whole vibe. She was funny, easy to talk to, and honestly just… so nice. The kind of girl you couldn't even hate because she was beautiful and sweet. We continued working out together after that.
At some point, I glanced back toward where Chris was and froze.
He was shirtless.
I mean—shirtless shirtless.
He had taken off his loose tank top, and there he was—sweaty, muscular, basically glistening under the gym lights.
Gulp.
Gulp again.
I suddenly felt very, very thirsty.
All around the gym, I saw other girls sneak glances at him. Couldn't blame them. The guy was built like a Greek god.
...
About three hours later, the gym had mostly emptied out. Only a few people remained—me, Emma, Vicky, her brother, and maybe three others.
Chris walked up to us, putting his tank top back on, still a little damp with sweat. He looked at Vicky and asked, "Hey, you done?"
Our eyes met for a brief second before he looked away again.
"I'm almost done. Let me just grab my things," Vicky said.
"I'll wait by the counter, then. Please hurry," he replied before heading downstairs. My eyes followed him until he turned one last time, gave a small wave, and smiled.
My heart did a backflip.
After she gathered her stuff, Vicky beamed at us. "It was so nice meeting you guys today."
"It was nice meeting you too," Emma and I said in unison—and we meant it.
Vicky had such a good vibe, it was hard not to like her.
"You know what? You guys should come to my birthday party next Saturday! Can you make it?" she asked with hopeful eyes.
Emma and I exchanged a look.
"Well… I don't have anything planned on Saturday, so of course I can come," Emma said.
"I'll come too," I added.
"Yay!" Vicky squealed like a kid. "Then let's exchange numbers so I can text you the location!"
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Author's Note:
Hey, lovelies!
Did your heart skip a beat too when you found out Vicky's just his sister? Whew—relief, right? Zoey might still be in denial, but I think we all know where her heart's at.
Also... Chris taking off his shirt?? Yeah, I was gulping right alongside her.
What did you think of Vicky though? She's a whole mood, isn't she?
Let me know your favorite part of this chapter! And don't forget—Zoey's headed to a party next Saturday. Hmm... do you think sparks will fly? Or maybe drama? I guess we'll see.
Thanks for reading, and don't forget to comment, vote, and share if you're enjoying the story!
Love you all lots!
—LilWritter
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