-Bennett-

Eric. The cheerful stranger had introduced himself by that name after suddenly barging in halfway through my class, calling out my name like we were dear, longtime friends. I couldn't help but furrow my eyebrows in response, a bit taken aback by the sudden fervor with which he grinned before explaining that he was Mason's friend.

Mason, huh? I looked towards the door, half-expecting him to be here as well. But to no avail.

Eric appeared to be here on his own, which surprisingly made sense based solely on his pleasant demeanor; he was so eagerly overflowing with enthusiasm despite the lateness of the fading afternoon.

And then the name clicked in my head all of a sudden, falling into place like a missing puzzle piece; I'd definitely heard Mason bring up someone by that name at one point or another, despite how scarcely we'd interacted.

"Oh, you're Eric," I stated aloud, watching as the taller man sheepishly scratched the back of his head. My expression must've shifted with some form of faint recognition, for he immediately lit up.

Eric's brown eyes were surprisingly warm and inviting, which was not at all what I'd expected. Perhaps I'd been foolishly naive to expect all of Mason's friends to be as intimidatingly broody as him at first, so out of reach that I'd hesitate to ever approach them myself.

But no, Eric was decidedly easy to talk to, even if I felt like I was being rude by not matching his level of excitement.

However, there was no doubt that they knew each other; Eric was just as suffocatingly attractive in his own right, with his beautiful, deep brown skin and striking, sharp features. It made sense that anyone in Mason's cohort would also possess such an unbearably enticing appearance. Ugh, it was troublesome... really.

He wasn't quite as physically imposing as Mason, but Eric still towered over me so that I had to glance up at him to meet his dark, brown eyes.

And the more I looked at him, the harder it was to meet his gaze.

"Mason told you about me?" Eric asked excitedly, playfully reaching over to nudge me. "I think that technically means we're friends now!"

I chuckled awkwardly, unsure of how I even remembered his name in the first place. "Uhm, I think it was just in passing, really."

Eric didn't seem deterred by that, though, even if he sarcastically scoffed at the implication. Still, the corners of his eyes wrinkled with sincerity, and I could feel myself relaxing... if only a little. "You work here, right?"

I nodded my head, flashing a polite smile. "Yeah, I—I'm an instructor here," I explained while glancing back and signaling towards the children, who were all busily engaging in a range of exercise activities that I'd assigned for today. My foot wasn't hurting as much anymore, but I was still trying to take it easy and avoid any activities that required me to participate directly.

When I looked back at Eric, I noticed him curiously glancing around. And honestly, I couldn't help but wonder why he'd even approached me in the first place. Or how he knew to approach me at all. Unless... huh?

"Your face is all red," Eric pointed out, just as I asked, "Mason told you about me?"

Eric burst out laughing at that, nodding his head in agreement. "Oh, yeah. I guess this is a bit weird, huh?"

"Oh." I didn't know what to do with that information. Or how to reply.

"Are you going to be free later?" Eric suddenly asked, his eyes so bright and hopeful that I couldn't help the twinge of responsibility that sparked within me. I didn't want to be the one to dull that elation in his eyes."

I nervously scratched at the side of my nose, pensively glancing around to make sure none of the kids' parents were getting irritated. I was supposed to be paying attention to their kids, after all. "Ah, yeah. I... I guess?"

"Do you want to go swimming with us, then, when you get off work?" he asked, smirking when I looked away entirely. "Unless you're too busy to hang out, that is?"

I wasn't necessarily busy, even if part of me felt like sinking through the floor at the thought of hanging out with Mason and his friends.

"It'll just be the three of us," Eric added, flashing a reassuring smile. "But no pressure... only if you want to."

Could he see the fear in my eyes, then? Because in all honesty, I couldn't help but shudder at the thought of having to fit in amongst strangers. Was I even allowed?

"What... what does he think about that?"

I held my breath, unsure of what type of response I was actually expecting. All I knew was that there was no way I could say yes if it felt even remotely like Mason didn't want me there. There was coldness... and then there was disinterest. And the last thing I wanted was to experience that from him. If he acted like he didn't want me around, would my ego be able to withstand it? Or would I fall apart like the sensitive little piece of shit I was?

And after how I'd blown him off just the day prior, what were the odds that he even wanted me to interrupt him when he was hanging out with an actual friend?

"Huh? Mason was right; you do overthink things a lot, don't you?" Eric pointed out before placing a firm hand on my shoulder, leaning down to grin at me. "He'll be happy to see you there. I promise."

My eyes widened in awe.

"Ahh, I see. I—I should be able to hang out, I think," I caved so readily, even if I'd been hoping to borrow Jonah's laptop after my shift so I could continue working on other assignments. Yet, everything had gone out the window the moment those words left his mouth. Nothing else mattered after that, not even my own apprehensiveness.

If he thought Mason wouldn't mind, then... perhaps, it was alright.

"You have your swimming trunks?"

I nodded.

Eric beamed at that, and I couldn't help but feel a bit excited. It had to be okay, right?

"Mason, is that you?" Eric suddenly called out.

I grew still, my eyes shooting up towards Eric, who was staring up at the running track, eagerly waving. And Sure enough, Mason was up there, glaring down at Eric from behind the railing.

Since when?

"Eric! What are you doing here?" he replied, which... was weird.

I darted my eyes between them before nervously waving up at Mason, unsure of what to make of this situation. "Mason? Hey, I—I didn't see you up there." I said hesitantly, wondering how long he'd been up there. Had he seen the way I'd slammed into the door while trying to walk into class earlier, having forgotten to turn the doorknob before pushing on the door?

"Yeah, uh, hey there! I was just—uhm, you know—warming up. How are you?" Mason replied, seemingly out of breath from running. He was gripping onto the metal ledge with a harsh grip, his dark eyes zeroed in on Eric even as he conversed with me.

I peered up at him, unsure of what to say in response. He didn't seem too pleased with Eric, though. And for some reason, that made me a bit nervous. "Oh, I see. That's cool! I'm just busy with—"

And then one of my kids was calling out my name. I sighed, flashing Mason an apologetic smile before turning towards the voice. I heard Eric mention he'd see me later as well, but all I could do was distractedly nod my head in agreement.

So, now I had plans for later. Great.

"What's wrong?" I asked Kyle, who was struggling to do a push-up. Every time he'd try to lower his body, his arms would buckle, and he'd inevitably end up sprawled on the ground. I'd let the kids know that they could modify the exercises to make them easier, but he was one of my more ambitious kids.

"It's so hard!" Kyle complained while turning to lay on his back, trying to lift his upper body up before falling back down in defeat. Alright, so he also struggled with sit-ups... good to know. "Why is everything so hard?"

I stifled a chuckle while approaching him, walking around some of the other children who had already moved on to sit-ups. I crouched down beside Kyle and smiled as encouragingly as I could muster; I didn't need him thinking that he was a lost cause, not over something so trivial.

That feeling of helplessness was so vicious when allowed to exist... eating at every fiber of flesh and bones until there was nothing left. Even with something as small as push-ups, kids usually clung to "failure" more than one would expect. Sometimes it even crushed their green egos before they had the chance to develop thicker skin.

It wasn't fair. And yet.

"You're doing great, Kyle! Look, I know you wanted to try to do a proper push-up from the start, but why don't you try to do a modified push-up against the bench or the wall until you feel more comfortable?" I asked softly, supervising the kids beside him while they chaotically shifted through half-assed sit-ups. Oh boy.

"But I'm not weak!" Kyle exclaimed, still sprawled on the floor.

I chuckled softly despite myself. "Everyone starts somewhere, Kyle. You're not weak for working at your own pace."

"Are you sure?" Kyle challenged, narrowing his eyes in disbelief.

I nodded my head solemnly. "Did you know that I learned how to do push-ups by practicing them against the wall first? I couldn't do them on the floor... not right away, anyway."

Kyle's eyebrows furrowed with concern, the gears in his brain methodically processing my words before he shook his head in utter confusion. "Should you even be teaching us, then?"

Oh.

"Aw, come on! I can do it now, I swear!" I playfully defended my honor, trying to hold back a grin when he continued to look somewhat unconvinced.

Still, he finally sat up a few more moments of skepticism, sighing under his breath before turning towards some of his peers who were also attempting to do push-ups against one of the benches across from us. They were still struggling despite the added elevation; however, at least they were somewhat successful, which was honestly great to see.

The kids could be a bit chaotic at times, but I sincerely appreciated how much they tried. They actively listened to me, even though I still looked like some scrawny brat who often got confused for a High Schooler.

I winced internally, yet I flashed a bright smile when Kyle turned back to glare at me on their behalf.

"Fine, I guess I can try doing push-ups on the bench. The wall is too easy, obviously," he mumbled under his breath, even as he crossed his arms in frustration. "I prefer the days where we play dodgeball, though."

Fair enough.

I nodded my head encouragingly, opening my mouth to reply before catching sight of Eric once more. He was jogging around the upstairs running track, a pair of hands clasped tightly around his neck.

I furrowed my eyebrows as I watched the way Mason talked to him, pulling him closer despite the annoyance in his face. Eric lit up in response, so comfortable around Mason despite the irritation in his friend's face. Was that just how he was... or was there something wrong?

Mason is angry that Eric invited you.

The thought resided there where it was formed, in the back of my mind... even as I tried to ignore its existence. It sounded cruel even to my own thoughts, but why else would he be so bothered? Perhaps Mason had been meaning to spend some alone time with Eric and I was threatening to get in their way.

"Why did he even come talk to you?" Kyle asked, joining me in glancing up at Eric.

"Oh, he wanted us to work out together later," I replied, a bit unsure whether I wanted to tell him I'd be in the pool with strangers. I hadn't thought it through before accepting his offer, foolishly swayed by the man's words without considering the implications of my own actions. Damn it.

I tore my eyes away from them as Kyle gasped out in shock. "Oh, what's wrong?"

"You actually willingly spend time in this gym?" he asked, glaring up at me. He looked even more disappointed than before. "Do your parents force you to come here too?"

I opened my mouth to deny it, but the words wouldn't leave my mouth. Yeah, sometimes it did feel like that...

"Come on, it's not so bad," I replied instead, forcing a weak smile that didn't quite reach my eyes. "I—I like it here. Mostly."

"Are they paying you to say that?"

"Huh?"

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