Her family had no right to give Jennie the side-eye. Chloe’s family would probably have the same opinion of her as Paula did. They’d judge her for her lifestyle, too. Jennie did good things. She did more than sell drugs. But maybe she deserved the negative opinion.
All she could do now was try to win Chloe over. Nobody else mattered, after all. Chloe had enough of a backbone to stand up to people who wanted to judge Jennie. She had already shown that much.
When Chloe came back out, she didn’t appear disturbed by anything her family had said or done. “Bjorn says hi,” she said, slinging a messenger bag over her shoulder.
“My best regards to your cat. So, you’re ready? Your family hasn’t forbidden you from going to the gym with me?” Jennie meant to sound light-hearted, but her words came out in a serious tone.
Chloe gave her a funny look. “Of course not. Why would they?”
“I don’t know. I just saw your mom through the window, and she seemed to disapprove.”
“She hasn’t even met you. What would she have to disapprove of?”
Shrugging, Jennie put her hands on the handlebars. “Anything. My looks, my bike…”
Chloe shook her head. “How could you even tell from this distance?”
“The way she looked at me.”
“I think you’re being paranoid. She would love you if she met you. No one in my life would have a problem with you.”
Except Paula. “You don’t have to say that. Let’s go to the gym, already.”
“You couldn’t keep me away,” Chloe said with a grin. “I’ve never been to a real gym. I’m so curious about what it’s going to be like.” She climbed on behind Jennie.
“Never?” Jennie would have thought that anyone interested in fitness would have gone to one at some point.
“No. I tend to avoid things where I have to interact with strangers unless it’s strictly necessary.”
Jennie started the engine. “Everyone is a stranger at some point.”
“I know it doesn’t make sense, but that’s how I am.”
As Jennie directed the motorcycle onto the road, she pondered the path her life had taken. Even with all her setbacks, she’d never had to deal with what Chloe had. Things had been all right for her when she was a kid. People always said she was smart and cute. Then she’d gotten older. She turned sixteen, and things had all gone wrong.
Comparing herself to Chloe was unproductive. But still, she had to wonder whether Paula was right about Chloe being a “good girl” – and her not being one. She had fucked a lot of things up in her life. Sometimes she fucked them up just by existing.
They reached the gym a few minutes later. “You know, you should wear a helmet,” Chloe told her as they got off the bike.
“You think it’s that necessary?”
“Well, yeah. You take so much care with your body, working out and eating right. All that will go to shit if you ever have an accident. You’d be dead in a heartbeat.”
“I could still break a leg or my back if I had a helmet on,” Jennie pointed out.
“It’s not the same,” Chloe said. “Legs and backs can heal. If you die because you don’t have a helmet on, there’s no coming back.”
Although Jennie shrugged it off, she made a mental note to look into getting a helmet. Maybe two, if Chloe was going to keep riding with her this often. If she only got one, she knew she’d just make Chloe wear it.
Inside, she swiped her fob at the door and spoke to the attendant at the desk. Chloe didn’t have a membership, so she had to write her name down on the paper.
“What’s your name?” the attendant asked.
Chloe had shrunk back inside herself again. Jennie put her hand on her back, hoping to draw her out. In this situation, she was too far gone. Wanting to punch every snot-nosed little shit who’d ever made her feel bad about herself, Jennie answered for her. “Her name is Chloe.”
That was good enough. They went past the desk, and Chloe lit up like a kid in a candy store. Instead of looking at the environment, Jennie watched Chloe’s face. This was a typical gym, but Chloe looked like she was in heaven.
“You like it, huh?”
“It’s amazing,” Chloe said. “I’ve only seen half these machines online before.”
Jennie led her in, fighting the urge to take her hand. She didn’t care what any of the other people scattered around the room might think about it. She just didn’t want to push Chloe out of her comfort zone.
“We can drop our stuff in the locker room, and then I’ll show you around a little. I do want to get in a proper workout, though. Not just a tour.”
“Oh, I’m working out.”
That sounded good to Jennie. She could think of few things more enticing than Chloe glistening with perspiration. The girl had chosen plain blue shorts and a loose white T-shirt that gave her an appearance of effortless perfection. Jennie could see the outline of a darker sports bra underneath. She could hardly wait until sweat started making the shirt stick to Chloe’s skin.
They went to the free weights first, where Chloe marveled out loud at the size of the biggest dumbbells. “I didn’t know they came this big.”
It was easy to hear her this time. Her excitement had her talking loud and clear. The other people in the free weight area had probably heard her. Hell, even the girl jogging on the treadmill halfway across the room had probably heard her.
Jennie liked the sound of Chloe’s voice. Then again, she liked pretty much everything about the girl. She swallowed as she started to get horny again. Even thinking about how much she liked Chloe was enough to get her going.
After they had warmed up for a minute, Jennie stacked weights on the bar. Chloe shook her head at the wide selection of plates. “We only have a few at home,” she said. “It would be much easier to start weight training if I was working out here.”
“Well, I would love to see you back here,” Jennie said. Even though they were surrounded by gym bros, she gave Chloe a lingering pat on the back. Chloe looked to be in her element, and she gave no signs of being self-conscious about public affection.
Chloe smiled up at her, and the warmth in her expression caught Jennie off-guard. Despite what other people might think about Jennie, Chloe liked her. She could feel confident in that.
“Do you know how to bench press?” Jennie asked.
Chloe lay down on a bench and Jennie stood at her side. Chloe had an idea of what to do, but Jennie showed her how to push the bar up and into the air with perfect form.
“This is kind of fun when you’re helping me,” Chloe said.
“Everything is better when I’m around,” Jennie said with a wink.
The repetitions quickly became more challenging for Chloe. With each one, she let out a soft sound of exertion. When Jennie inhaled, she could smell Chloe’s sweat.
If Chloe could work out here, she could get seriously fit and strong. Jennie would love to see how Chloe could develop with a proper gym at her disposal.
Chloe climbed off the bench, and Jennie took her place. Usually she felt competitive when she came to the gym. Even looking at people she’d never met, Jennie tended to want to out-lift them.
Right now, she wasn’t even thinking about how much weight was on the bar. She was only thinking about the heat of Chloe’s body a few inches away.
“Looking good,” Chloe said as Jennie positioned the bar above her chest. “Ready? Let’s go.”
Jennie pushed the bar into the air. It actually felt heavier than usual. Maybe her muscles were shy at having Chloe watch them work. Droplets of sweat beaded on her forehead somewhere around the third repetition. On the fourth, her arms shook.
It was nice having Chloe spot her for her lifts. The girl was a comforting presence at her side. Jennie felt slightly safer than she normally did – she didn’t like asking others for help, and so she normally did this without a spotter. There wasn’t much risk, but there was some.
Not to mention, in this position she had a nice v
iew of Chloe’s blue shorts. She’d had a taste of what was inside there, but there was a lot more of Chloe’s body that she wanted to explore.
“Come on, you can do it,” Chloe said.
Gritting her teeth, Jennie forced the bar into the air one more time. With Chloe here, she felt like she could be a better person.
ELEVEN
Chloe stood at Jennie’s side, watching her tattooed triceps flex as she pumped the iron. Jennie was starting to perspire, which meant Chloe was getting a little turned on. Yeah, she had a thing for sexy girls huffing and sweating. Who could blame her?
Everyone in the gym could probably see her eyeing Jennie. She was practically drooling with every second that she spent looking at her. What’s more, she caught Jennie looking back at her. That made it worth whatever anyone else might think. She didn’t care what anyone said, as long as she could look at Jennie.
All her life, she’d wanted to come to a real gym. Her fear of strangers had always kept her from it. She’d been scared of talking to the receptionist and the other gym-goers. She never would’ve been able to ask someone to use a piece of equipment. Even finding her way around the first day would be terrifying.
Being here with Jennie was still difficult, but having a friend with her made it so much easier. Jennie knew what to do, and she showed Chloe without her even having to ask. Jennie helped her without even knowing that she was helping. Chloe cherished that.
Paula had known her for years and still seemed perplexed by how she operated. In contrast, it felt like Jennie could read her mind and already knew how she wanted to be treated. With her, Chloe felt safe.
Jennie pressed her arms into the air one last time, then heaved herself off the bench with a final puff. Those sounds were the sexiest thing Chloe had ever heard. They made her think about what Jennie would sound like in bed. She could picture Jennie spread open for her, breathing heavily as Chloe caressed her with her tongue.
Chloe craved more from Jennie. She was sure she would eventually be comfortable being intimate with her. It might take a little while, some more fumbling attempts with hands and mouths. But she would get there for Jennie. Even fumbling attempts sounded pretty good.
They moved on to squats. Chloe had done them before, but not with any weights. Jennie insisted that she should use a dumbbell. “This is the best exercise to put muscle on your butt.”
“You think my butt needs to be bigger?”
“Everyone’s butt could be bigger,” Jennie grinned.
Chloe normally would have been self-conscious about squatting in public, but today she didn’t care if anyone else was watching. It was only a little harder with the dumbbell Jennie had given her.
Jennie cheered her on. “You can do it, push yourself!”
On Jennie’s turn, Chloe tried to be equally encouraging. Her voice wouldn’t go as loud as Jennie’s, not in front of so many other. She whispered into her ear instead, and ogled Jennie as she squatted.
The other people in the gym glanced at them from time to time. It was probably obvious that they were into each other. When a girl came to speak to them, Chloe braced herself for the worst. Gay-bashing or homophobia were possible – not that those were any worse than what she’d been through. As it turned out, the girl just wanted to give them a compliment.
“You two have great form. Keep up the good work!”
Jennie thanked her.
“I’ve seen you here before, but your friend is new, isn’t she?” She turned to Chloe. “I hope to see you around here again. Most girls stick with cardio. I’d love to see more of us in the weights section.”
Chloe gave her a shy smile.
When they finished squatting, Jennie started to lead Chloe to the change room. “Let’s go!”
Chloe never finished a work-out without stretching, and more importantly, she wasn’t ready to say goodbye to Jennie. “You’re not going to stretch?”
“No, seems pretty dumb. I never do it, and I’m fine.”
“Stretching is so important,” Chloe said. “I don’t know how you haven’t pulled a muscle yet. Come on, I’ll show you how to do it.”
“I think I know how,” Jennie grumbled.
“Not the way I do it,” Chloe whispered, starting to formulate a plan.
In the open area, they laid down a few mats. “Stand right here,” Chloe said, positioning Jennie in front of the mirror.
Jennie did as she asked, although she gave her a doubtful look. It meant a lot that sarcastic, sardonic Jennie was going along with this.
“Now, we’re going to stretch your hamstrings, so I want you to lean over and touch your toes.”
Jennie bent over and Chloe stood behind her. Jennie’s capris were skintight, meaning Chloe could see every detail of her ass. She was going to get turned on if she stared at it for one moment longer.
“Stick your butt out further.”
Jennie did as she instructed. “Oh, yeah, I feel that stretch.” She wiggled her butt in the air. “Okay, my hamstrings were tight.”
Grinning to herself, Chloe enjoyed the view. This pose and those capris left nothing to the imagination.
“Ow… I’m getting tired. Is this long enough yet?”
Chloe tried to ignore the pulsing in her clit. Still, her voice was throaty as she spoke. “That’s perfect.”
“Wait, you weren’t doing it too?” Jennie straightened up. “What were you… were you just staring at my butt?”
Jennie’s indignant response made Chloe grin. She was starting to feel comfortable with playing around and teasing her.
“Well, fair is fair,” Jennie said. “You better let me see you do that same thing.”
Chloe flushed, but fair was fair. She bent over and displayed her ass to Jennie. Holding onto her ankles, she looked at Jennie from between her legs. The look on her face was one of genuine appreciation.
How strange to think that someone like Jennie could want her. She dropped her eyes down to Jennie’s breasts. Was it her imagination, or were Jennie’s nipples hard? Considering the amount of fabric keeping them from view, Chloe could have been mistaken. Somehow she doubted that she could be wrong.
“Now, the glutes,” Chloe said as she stood up.
She got on the mat next to Jennie and showed her how to place her legs. They both stretched at the same time. She wanted to lean over and peck Jennie on the lips, but restrained herself because they were in public. If they were in her parents’ home gym, she could have done it. Then again, if they were in a private space, they wouldn’t have been working out for long.
At last the work-out was over, and they headed to the change room. Only a few girls were in there now, and they ignored Chloe and Jennie as they walked in.
Chloe glanced at the shiny floor-to-ceiling mirrors that covered one wall. “Wow, I guess people are pretty vain here.”
“Well, we work hard. It’s good to be able to see the results.”
“So what, you stand here and start flexing? Sounds pretty vain to me.”
Catching Chloe’s eye in the mirror, Jennie flexed her biceps with an exaggerated grunt. “That’s exactly what we do.”
Despite the silliness, a twinge of arousal went through Chloe. Jennie was freaking hot, whether or not she was joking around.
She took a step away, laughing. “You have no idea how ridiculous you look right now.”
“Actually, I do.” Jennie looked at the mirror again. “Come on, do it with me!”
“I’m not going to do that.”
Jennie gestured to her, and Chloe glanced around nervously. No one was paying attention. “Fine.” She jumped forward and flexed every muscle she could. “Hoo-ah!”
After they managed to change properly, they went out to Jennie’s motorcycle. Chloe walked slowly, not wanting to leave. She still couldn’t wipe the smile from her face. Usually being with people exhausted her. She couldn’t spend more than a couple of hours with anybody, even her own family. Jennie was different. She wanted to spend more time with Jennie
.
Jennie seemed unruffled, but when they got to the bike, she stopped and looked at Chloe. “Am I dropping you off, or do you want to get food somewhere?”
Chloe blinked. A smile burst over her face at the realization that Jennie wanted to spend more time with her. “I’m kind of hungry.”
“It’s getting late, actually. We’ll have to get to work soon. Do you want to eat at work?”
“No, I got sick of the food there about a week after I started working there.”
Jennie laughed. Jubblies wasn’t known for its food. “Let’s grab some burritos.”
Burritos were another thing that Chloe avoided. She could handle pizza, where she only had to speak once, but burritos were trickier. So many toppings, and so many things to say. She almost said no out of reflex, but then remembered that Jennie would be at her side.
The motorcycle ride was becoming normal to her, although she doubted she would ever lose the thrill of holding onto Jennie. They got off a few minutes later. The burrito place was busy, but they found a seat in the back. Standing next to Jennie, ordering was relatively painless for Chloe.
Back at their table, she bit into her burrito. “How is it?” Jennie asked.
Chloe nodded, savoring the different flavors. She hadn’t had one of these in a very long time. “It’s great.”
Jennie took a bite of hers, chewing with gusto. “You realize we’ve been together for more than twelve hours?” she asked.
“Is it really that long? That’s crazy. I’m not even sick of you.”
Chloe was joking, or at least trying to play it off as a joke. Jennie seemed to realize the kernel of truth in it. Covering her hand, she said, “I’m not sick of you either.”
Chloe had to smile. Things were looking great for them. She hadn’t thought she would have a girlfriend anytime soon, but maybe this was going in that direction. To get her mind off these mushy feelings, she spoke again. “This must be the longest first date ever.”
Jennie squeezed her hand. “And it’s not even over.”
“What do you mean?” Chloe thrilled at the idea that Jennie might have more plans for them.
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