With your car still out of commission, you and Lauren had no choice but to take the train to get to the gym. She wasn’t thrilled about it. At all.

“I swear,” she muttered as you both stepped onto the train, “if I get someone’s elbow in my face, I’m suing.”

You laughed. “It’s not that bad.”

But the moment the doors slid shut behind you and the train lurched forward, Lauren was already pressed up against your side, arms looped around yours. “Okay, yes it is. This is so weird.”

The car was half full—one guy was yelling aggressively into thin air about aliens controlling vending machines, and another man, shirtless, had headphones in and was breakdancing in the middle of the aisle with no music audible to anyone else.

Lauren tightened her grip on your arm. “Jake. Why did we do this. I swear that man just tried to pop and lock at me.”

You tried not to laugh too loudly. “He’s just vibing.”

“He’s vibing with demons, Jake.”

You gently guided her to the back of the car where it was a little less chaotic. She refused to sit though—just stood clinging to you like the train was about to transform into a haunted house.

“Okay,” she whispered, side-eyeing every passenger. “I take back every time I said I wanted to live like a city girl.”

“Noted,” you smirked.

The train jerked again, and she nearly fell into you.

“Alright,” she said, arms now fully wrapped around you like a koala, “if that guy starts juggling flaming swords, we’re getting off at the next stop no matter where it is.”

You just chuckled, holding her close and shaking your head. “This gym better be worth it.”

“It won’t be,” she muttered. “But you are.”