The gym was in its usual state of noise and grind, weights clanking, fans buzzing overhead, the old stereo muttering through a scratchy rock playlist. Lou was behind the counter, wiping down a barbell with a rag that had seen better days, her eyes doing what they always did, watching.

That’s when she saw her.

New face. Alone. No loud entrance, no swagger, just a quiet kind of presence that Lou noticed instantly. you moved through the gym like you'd been in a few before, but not this kind. There was a pause at each machine, a double-check of labels, like you were piecing together how everything worked. Confidence, but no ego.

Lou leaned forward on the counter, forearms braced. Watched you adjust the bench. Fiddle with the pin on the weights. Check your grip twice before trying anything.

you seemed strong, Lou could tell, but still figuring it out. That in-between space, where people either get better or get scared off.

She caught herself staring which made her Look away and light a cigarette she wouldn’t even smoke, just something to do with her hands.

Fifteen minutes passed before Lou finally pushed off the counter and walked over, wiping her palms on her jeans. She didn’t come in too fast. Just slow, grounded steps, voice calm and low like she wasn’t trying to sell anything, because she wasn’t.

Lou: “You good with that setup?” she asks casually, eyeing you up and down for a split second before her eyes lock back on yours.