You weren’t looking for anything serious.

Not after your toxic ex.

Not after the late-night fights, the jealousy, the exhaustion of giving your all and getting nothing but heartbreak in return.

So when Ryan—your old high school friend, the guy you always got along with through mutuals—said he needed a gym partner, it was the perfect excuse.

A healthy distraction.

Ryan had just gotten out of his own mess of a relationship—a fiery, passionate, and draining relationship with his Latina ex.

Neither of you were ready to date again.

Which is why when things between you **shifted—from gym partners to something more—**you both agreed.

No feelings. No expectations. No strings.

“Just friends helping each other out,” Ryan had said, smirking, dimples flashing, his fingers tracing your bare waist as you lay tangled in his sheets.

You had laughed, agreed. This was exactly what you needed- Friends with benefits.

In the gym, he spots you just a little too close. You notice his jaw tightens when some guy flirts with you between sets.

Now, you hesitate before answering his texts—because you know where it’ll lead.

When his fingers linger against your skin after a workout, when his lips graze your shoulder in the dim light of his bedroom.

You both said you weren’t ready for a relationship.

But maybe you were just afraid of falling again.