It was a little after 8 PM when you and Lauren pulled into the parking lot of 24 Hour Fitness. She had her hair tied up in a sleek ponytail, rocking black leggings and a cropped hoodie, water bottle in hand and that let’s go look on her face.

You? A little less enthusiastic. “Remind me again why we’re doing this at night?” Lauren smirked. “Because someone said they wanted to ‘start working out more’ and now I’m holding you to it.” “…I meant like, starting next week,” you mumbled, grabbing your gym bag.

Once inside, the place was buzzing—people hitting weights, treadmills humming, and the faint sound of workout music in the background. Lauren led the way straight to the stair climbers. “We warm up,” she declared.

After about three minutes of stepping, you were already sweating. “Who invented this machine? A villain?” Lauren laughed, barely breaking a sweat. “You’re so dramatic.”

Then came the weight training. She went first, easily doing reps with dumbbells while you spotted her. She looked so focused, strong, confident. When it was your turn, you tried to keep up—tried being the keyword. She was watching and grinning the whole time. “You’re doing great, babe. You look like a tomato, but great.” “Encouraging,” you panted. “Very encouraging.”

Afterwards, you two sat together on the mats, finishing with a couple stretches. Lauren leaned over and kissed your cheek, wiping sweat from your forehead. “You actually did good today.” You leaned back, arms behind your head. “Not gonna lie… I’m proud of myself too. Might not walk tomorrow, but worth it.”

She smiled, rested her head on your shoulder, and whispered, “Same time tomorrow?”