Page 15 of Head Over Wheels
First he explains that Kathy had an emergency to attend to this morning, so he’s subbing in. He runs the class in his usual style, and the energy in the room is explosive. It’s so much fun to be here with him, live. I wonder if the attraction I feel for him is making it even more electric. He keeps pushing us, and as usual, I work harder than I ever thought possible. When I glance down at my numbers near the end of class, I see that I’m on track for a personal record.
“Keep pushing, team! You’ve got this. You can rest in five minutes. One more hill.”
I take his instructions to heart. Sweat is dripping down my face, and I know I look a mess. I’m extra glad I decided to forgo makeup this morning. There isn’t even time to look around at everyone else, I’m completely focussed on my ride. As we ride into the final minute, I see that I did it.
“Yes!” I pump my fist in the air, excited about my PR.
The virtual high-fives come in on my screen as the people around me realize what happened. Jace brings the class to a close and leads us through a stretch.
“Don’t forget to take this energy and share it with someone else today.” He looks right at me as he says this, and I’m grateful that my face is already red from the work out.
We get off our bikes, and Jace tells us not to worry about wiping them down, as they will all be professionally cleaned before the next class. I take a long drink of water, and Lisa and Tara congratulate me on my PR.
A bunch of people crowd around Jace, so I quietly leave the class. I don’t want to battle with everyone else for his attention. When I walk out, I’m surprised to see Jeff standing there waiting for me.
“How was class?” He’s dressed in shorts and a tee, obviously just having come from his strength class.
“It was fun, great energy. And I got a PR!” I’m so proud of myself that I can’t stop it from slipping out.
He lifts his hand for a fist bump. “Congrats! That’s amazing. You good for that coffee now?”
Right, he had asked this morning if I wanted to get a coffee after class. That’s why he’s here. “Sure, I have an hour until my next one. I’m doing the strength at eleven.”
“Perfect, I’m doing the spin class then. Looks like we’re on opposite tracks for the day.” He gestures for me to go in front of him.
I run across the street, grateful that I brought a hoodie. Thankfully, there’s no elevator awkwardness to worry about since the coffee shop is on the main floor. We make a beeline to Krema in the corner.
There’s a person in front of us ordering, so I check the place out. It has a cute bar top along the window with stools, and lots of comfy couches and coffee tables. It’s only half full at the moment, but I’m sure that will change shortly as everyone leaves class. I’m sweaty and gross, but there’s no point in changing since I’m heading into another class. Jeff’s got a glow going as well, so I don’t feel self-conscious.
“I’ll have a large vanilla latte, please.”
Jeff shuffles in beside me and places his order for a regular coffee before leaning in to pay for both.
“Thanks, Jeff. You didn’t have to get mine.”
“It’s my pleasure. I asked you to coffee, didn’t I?” He turns to survey the open cafe, a pleased expression on his face, before ushering me toward a cute couch. It’s big enough that we can both fit and still have a suitable amount of space between us. When the barista calls our order, Jeff springs up to retrieve them.
I’m starting to wonder if this is more than just a friendly coffee. The way everything is unfolding here, I’m picking up definite date vibes. This thought makes me look a little closer at Jeff. He’s definitely cute, and he seems really nice. But I don’t feel the same chemistry with him that I do with Jace. Is that even real though? Or is it just that Jace is such a public figure, and it’s confusing how I feel about him? Before I can explore that any further, Jeff is back with my latte.
As soon as the cup is in my hands, I inhale the warm vanilla scent. If I could be a scent, this would be it. Vanilla makes me so happy. I take a small sip, gauging how hot it is before I fully commit. The coffee is good, strong, and not so hot that I can’t drink it.
Jeff laughs at my ritual. “You’re really loving that latte, aren’t you?”
“It’s so good. I ran out of time to grab one before class.”
He picks up on that thought right away. “Did you end up staying out late last night?”
“Not too late. But I slept a little longer this morning than I had planned.” I take another drink, trying to get through my latte in the limited amount of time before our next class.
“Maybe I’ll come with you again tonight, if that’s all right. I’d like to get to know you better.” He looks at me, gently biting his lip.
Hmmm, this line of conversation makes me think that my earlier thoughts were on the right track. He is interested in me. I take another mouthful, swallowing slowly as I figure out how I feel about his question. And if Jace weren’t in the picture, I would maybe be interested in learning more about him. With that in mind, I look up and catch him looking at me.
“Yes, that’s a good plan. Let’s do it.”
His answering smile tells me that I made the right decision.
CHAPTER 12