The following days passed much in that way. I would work until noon in the reception, having more information drilled into my brain. Then Blake would find me for lunch, and after eating together we would spend our time either reading or studying or swimming. I continued my circuits around the garage, hoping to see Jason, but usually he was busy. When he talked to me it was mostly about seeing me at the gym later.

And at the gym, the pursuit of fitness continued. The exercises had lost most of their touch of newness now, and I felt the familiar drab of falling into routine. What kept me going was having Blake at my side. Working out became a sort of competition between us, on who could reach results first. Jason, of course, milled around the gym sometimes, giving us some pointers on which muscle groups to focus on. After that he would either follow up with a private lesson or we’d join one of the group classes.

I texted Jas sometimes in the afternoons, asking if she wanted to hang out, but she was busy dating Andrew now. It didn’t matter much. As we spent more and more time together, Blake and I began to grow closer. He would sometimes become guarded or shy around me, almost as if he thought I would mistake his friendship for something else, and in those moments I would simply ignore him until his moods blew over. I had no idea sometimes what was going on inside his head. I enjoyed his company the most when he felt at ease around me, and was confident enough to talk about some of his interests. We would usually start small debates, arguing on some hypothetical point or piece of philosophy, and though we usually always agreed with each other, it was fun to discuss just for argument’s sake. I kept expecting him to express an interest in finally meeting Jas, but he seemed to be holding off on it, maybe waiting until he had filled out a bit with muscle.

On Thursday, I had just started to become a bit more accustomed to getting up so early in the morning, which was just as well, because my half days were over. I was going to have my first full shift at work. Olga would be there the whole day, which was comforting, but I still had to do all the work myself. She just stood on the side and watched, helping only when I asked for it.

But it went well! I handled all the guests without major problems, took calls, made bookings, cancelled bookings, and every now and then someone would come with a complaint about too much noise from the children around the pool, or that the beds were too stiff, or that the sun was too hot. Nothing I could usually do anything about, but I would try my best to divert their attention to something more positive, and it usually worked.

Olga took her lunch break one hour earlier than me that day, so that I could have my break after, and that’s when it happened.

Jason came in.

He was striding toward the reception desk, his eyes finding me like he had expected me to be there. The welcoming smile I always switched on when a guest approached froze on my face. I felt my stomach drawing in.

‘Hey, Mithra! How’s it going?’

‘Hi,’ I said, swallowing. ‘Going good so far. How can I help you?’

He set his forearms on the desk and leaned over it, so my vision filled with his chiselled face.

‘I was told you’re having your first proper workday today.’

‘Told?’ I asked, frowning. ‘By whom?’

‘By Blake.’

‘You’ve talked to Blake?’

‘Yeah, saw him head for breakfast this morning. He looked a little cranky.’

‘He usually does.’

He chuckled at that. ‘So when do you get off?’

‘Um, at four.’

‘I thought we could go to the gym together.’

I stared, trying to make sense of his words. ‘Together…?’

‘Yes.’ On the desk there was a pen chained to a stand, and he started playing with it while he regarded me through his lashes. ‘I thought I could offer you a ride.’

I was going to mention Blake, but clamped my lips shut. ‘That’s nice of you,’ I said instead, trying to sound composed. ‘But I need a way to get back to the hotel afterward.’

‘I’ll drop you off. The hotel’s on the way to my place.’

‘Oh.’ He was still watching me, so of course, my brain wasn’t functioning properly.

Without thinking it over too much, I simply said, ‘Yes. I guess I’ll wait for you here, at four?’

He patted the desk and rose to his full height. ‘Yep. You should eat a small snack before we go, so I’ll be here like quarter past. Sound good?’

I nodded. Jason awarded me one of his lopsided smiles, and then turned for the exit. ‘See you later,’ he called over his shoulder.

The rest of the workday moved by in a dream. Four o’clock couldn’t come fast enough.