Jacob's Tutor | Jacob Day

Chapter 17

Lily had never been at the gym so early in her life. The sky was that eerie blue-gray that she'd only ever seen on early mornings driving to the airport. Even though it was Spring in California, she quickly discovered the chill in the air as they stepped out of the car. She wrapped her fingers in the extra length in Jacob's sweatshirt sleeves, wishing her own sweatshirts fit like this. You're just wearing this because it's cold, she told herself. Lily almost had to run to keep up with Jacob, who was already halfway across the parking lot by the time she'd finished taking in the early morning atmosphere. He wasn't in a hurry, necessarily, just long-legged. Watching him float across the parking lot so fast with that damned duffle bag made her blood boil. Yes, if it wasn't obvious yet, she was competitive. With a swift burst of energy, Lily reached him, tossing her glossy hair behind her in satisfaction. He shot a glance down at her. "You there, Grandma?" "How dare you." Despite his teasing, he still held the door for her when they entered. Lily walked under the bridge of his arm, taking in the scene at Plyo Fitness at 5:00 in the morning. Hmm, not that surprising. What was more surprising was their reaction as her and Jacob walked into the room. Grown men froze mid-rep to stare. A couple older womens' mouths momentarily fell open. And the girls... openly glared at Lily. Her eyes flashed to Jacob, curious what his reaction was. But Jacob didn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary; he was already walking ahead to beep in his gym card. She tried to shake the feeling, but the awareness of all eyes on them was distracting as hell. "Good morning," his deep voice vibrated through the air. The girl at the front desk was blushing her ass off. "G—g'morning," she managed. Lily beeped her card a few seconds later as she reached the counter. Oh, no good morning for me? Why don't you just put a towel down so you can drool onto the table? Lily lingered an extra second to glare at the girl and found herself once again fighting to catch up with Jacob. She didn't realize until now that he had been walking slower for her the entire time they knew each other. But today, he was acting differently. More... distracted. Lily guessed pre-workout Jacob wasn't as patient as his usual self. "I'm gonna do some floorwork and then I'll be on the track, K? Just text if you feel funny," Lily called over her shoulder, wanting a break from all the eyes that were on her. She didn't even wait for Jacob's reply— she was pulling his hoodie over her head before she even walked into the locker room, excited to be productive so early. She would start with some toning: floorwork and lifting some weights. And then she would finish with a good run. Hopefully, she would hit two miles before the 15 minute mark– that would beat last week's record of 16:35. And she knew she could.

"Hey, girl, you need some help with that?" Lily grimaced before she even saw who was talking to her. Let me guess: old and greasy. Yep, her predictions were correct. It hadn't even been thirty minutes since she'd gotten there before dealing with her first weirdo. Why couldn't these people ever leave her alone? "No, I'm fine, sir." Okay, so she didn't know how to lift weights. It wasn't an invitation for random people to give their input. The man cocked his balding head in amusement, flashing her a yellowed smile. "Lemme just give you a little tip." Before Lily could stop him, he had put his unwelcome hand onto her knee in an attempt to change her position. It made her stomach coil. "Yo—thanks, bro. We're good over here." The voice of someone familiar and distinct rang through the air— Jacob. Surprisingly, his words were polite, and his tone was cordial as he approached. Lily remembered that time he told her that nothing bad would happen to her when she was there. It was a promise he had certainly kept. The man looked up— and up some more— until he made eye contact with Jacob. Instantaneously, the man's hand fell off of Lily. He didn't even say anything. Jacob just stood there, looking down at him, waiting passively. By some grace of God, the man managed to close his gaping mouth and give an abrupt nod. He scuttled away as quickly as he had appeared. The reactions that fully grown men had to Jacob was both mesmerizing and hilarious to Lily. The power of Jacob, Lily realized, was that he could get people to do what he wanted without even changing his tone. Jacob strode up to the bench Lily was laying on. "What'd you send him away for?" "What, you wanted that old creep feeling you up?" "...I thought he was hot." Lily stared back up at Jacob resolutely. "You wha—?" "Got you." "Ahhhh," he exhaled, flexing in a lazy upward stretch. Lily began trying to do the bar press again, but she couldn't get the power to bring the weight upwards. It just felt... wrong. She could feel that Jacob was watching. "Hold up." He lifted the bar up from her. "What are you doing?!" "You're gonna blow your back out doing it like that." He knelt down next to her horizontal position and slid a hand between the bench and her sacrum. "I shouldn't be able to fit my hand here." His voice was low and serious, but his hand was warm and inviting. He slid it out. "Try again." Lily tried to concentrate on the specific muscles that would tilt that part of her lower back. "I can't freaking do it," she said finally, pissed at herself. Lily hated not being able to do something, especially around others. Jacob chuckled quietly. "Here." Gently, he took hold of either side of her hips and tilted them downwards so that her sacrum was finally flat on the bench. Lily got a momentary twinge somewhere she didn't want to admit because he was touching her in such a sensitive place. "It was that easy?" "That easy." "I'm trying it now." Surprisingly, Lily lifted the weight much easier this time, even continuing to do a few solid reps. "Look!" She said excitedly, impressed with herself. "Good girl." Her eyelashes flushed up to his, and she tried not to blush. So often she felt like her body would not do what she wanted it to around Jacob. Don't give in. That in itself was a workout. But she wasn't giving up yet.

1.3 miles down, 0.7 to go...push harder. Lily stared down at the blur of her black sneakers and pink laces as they whizzed around the track, willing them to take her even faster. This was all that was left to do, and she wasn't going to go easy on herself. Taking in steady breaths, she fumbled for the upper button on her phone, holding down until her music was at the max. Chase Atlantic could get her through anything. 1.4 miles. 1.5... Her legs, feet, and mind were so numb that it took her a while to realize that there was someone approaching her left side. Who would be so rude as to run right alongside her when there was so much open space? She turned over her left shoulder, simultaneously removing one of her earbuds, preparing a snarky comment. It didn't take her more than a glance to realize the strapping figure was Jacob. He was flushed, sweaty, and his hair was all tousled— clearly post workout. Nonetheless, he had found some special reserve of energy to mess with her run. The nerve of this man. "What are you doing?" She gasped, fighting to catch her breath without losing any speed. "Beating you," he said near her ear with a grin, their paces aligning. There was a clear change in his attitude— he was more relaxed now. Obviously, the endorphins had done their job. "What, you haven't had enough?" Lily glanced down at her timer as she said it, refusing to forget her goal. 1.7 miles, 12 minutes. 3 minutes to beat the record. "Thought you could use some motivation," he quipped casually. "Oh, really? I'm motivated enough," she said breathlessly, using the surge of anger that welled in her to speed ahead of him. She heard him scoff in amusement. Lily had barely blinked before she felt the rush of air meet her left side again, along with the familiar sandalwood scent that always messed with her sanity. "Stop it," she urged, trying to nudge him in the shoulder but only managing to damper her own stride. "Make me." Lily's big hazel eyes flashed up to his in disbelief. He started breaking out in that dangerous smile. How was she still running? 2 minutes. Ignore him or you won't make it. Lily pushed ahead, fully aware that she was working much harder than he was to go this fast. But Jacob wouldn't quit catching up with her, and Lily quickly realized that she would just have to endure him next to her until she hit two miles. "You ass." "How many miles do you need? "0.1." "And how much time do you have?" "30 seconds." "Let's fucking go," he said gruffly, sprinting ahead once more with virile intensity. Something in Lily changed as she watched him. Her lungs were screaming, and her heart was banging against the walls of her chest. But she was not about to be caught lacking in the presence of others— especially not someone who was playing in her own game. She felt herself catch up with him, somehow. They were running in sync now. Everything was meshing into the other— color, scent, breath, walls, floor. 10 seconds. Lily had stopped wondering how much longer, stopped being spiteful that he was pushing her harder. Endorphins and will to succeed had taken over anything. 2 miles. Her phone glowed with a little celebration buzz. 14:51 seconds. A new record. Lily quickly slowed her pace, aware of how desperately her body needed a break. Her hands met her knees, and she felt Jacob slow in the vicinity as well. Their chests were rising and falling greedily, hers more obviously than his. Their eyes met, and they looked into each other's flushed faces. The endorphins between them were mixing, and soon the both of them were laughing in both delirium and relief. She saw him reach for a bottle of water on the side of the track, reminding her to get hers. God, she was thirsty. At the first sip of her canteen, she knew it was the best water she had ever tasted. Cold, icy, and endlessly crisp. It was running down her chin, but she didn't care. In fact, she almost invited it. For the next few minutes there was nothing to do but catch their breaths and drain the water from their bottles. So they stood there, hearts racing, not sure if for oxygen or for each other.

A/N: Thank you guys so much for your patience with this next chapter. I just finished finals so it's been a crazy week. I lovedd this little gym outing with these two. I hope you did too, and please remember to vote!!