otherworlderotic
You take a deep breath as you push open the heavy doors leading into the campus recreation center. The smell of sanitizer hits you immediately, along with piped-in pop music and the sound of clanging weights. You’re meeting Laura here this morning for a workout before class. Just the thought makes your pulse quicken. Seeing her again so soon after coffee yesterday has you eager but nervous.
You scan the bustling gym for any sign of her. A guy at the front desk asks if you need help finding anything and you shake your head.
Finally, you spot Laura across the room in the stretching area. She’s wearing skintight yoga pants that hug every curve. As she reaches both arms over her head to stretch, the lean muscles of her torso flex under a snug black sports bra.
You’re frozen for a minute just watching her stretch. You know you should make your presence known but can’t stop admiring the way she arches her back, hair swishing… You snap out of it before she notices you staring. Taking a deep breath, you walk over to say hi, trying hard to keep your eyes on her face.
She notices you and there’s a brief moment when she takes you in before she recognizes you, and you catch her gaze, intelligent and appraising.
In a split second she recognizes you, and a smile breaks out on her face.
"Hey! There you are!" Laura greets you brightly, face lighting up as she lowers her arms from overhead with a content sigh. "Ready to get our workout on? I figured this is a nice happy medium - somewhere between skinny dipping and coffee on the intimacy scale, right?"
She gestures to her snug workout attire with a playful smile. "I even wore my most flattering yoga pants for the occasion."
Your mouth goes dry as you take in the way the stretchy fabric hugs her curves. You open your mouth to respond but no words come out. An awkward beat passes.
Laura's smile falters slightly. "Um, sorry, was that a weird thing to say? I was just joking around… I mean I don’t want to–"
"No, no, not at all!" you quickly reassure her, finding your voice. "I'm just, uh, really impressed by your...stretching abilities."
You internally wince at how lame that sounded. Real smooth. But Laura's face brightens again.
"Well, in that case, want to admire them a bit more?" She beckons you over with a coy curl of her finger. "I could use a stretching partner."
You walk over to join Laura in the open stretching area. She begins demonstrating different stretches and you do your best to follow along, trying hard not to ogle her toned physique too blatantly.
"Let's do some shoulder rolls to warm up," Laura suggests. She rotates her shoulders in smooth, fluid motions. "How's my form? Up to your strict standards?"
You grin at her playful ribbing. "Looks good to me!"
Laura smirks and rolls her shoulders again extra slowly, arching her back slightly. Your eyes drift over the lean muscles flexing across her shoulders and back. She catches you staring and winks.
"Good form then?"
Flustered, you clear your throat. "Um, yes, full marks, good job!" you stammer out.
Laura giggles and shakes her head. "Flattery won’t get you out of this workout so easily..."
She steps in closer and places her hands on your shoulders. "Your turn now. Relax those shoulders for me."
You tense up even more at her sudden touch. Laura kneads your tight muscles and tsks softly.
"Relax, you're so stiff! When's the last time you had a good stretch?"
"It has been a while," you say, starting to relax a little under her soothing touch.
Laura smiles and gently guides you into a couple of different shoulder and upper body stretches. You're very aware of her closeness the whole time, especially when her hands linger after each adjustment.
"Well, I think that's a decent start," she says as she steps back.
"Just decent?" You raise an eyebrow. "That’s about as relaxed as I get."
Laura rolls her eyes.
"In that case... follow me. Let’s put that tension to good use with the free weights."
You follow Laura over to the weights area, grabbing water bottles before surveying the options. Laura zeros in on the squat racks, and you follow.
“I don’t normally squat a ton,” you admit as Laura starts loading a bar with plates.
“Ah, more of a chest and biceps guy?” she teases.
You laugh, caught. “Yeah, you got me. I’m still, uh, developing my lower body strength.”
“No judgment!” Laura says. “We’ll turn those chicken legs into tree trunks in no time.”
You chuckle as Laura gets into position under the bar. “Can you spot me?” she asks.
You move behind her, hands hovering but not yet touching. As Laura begins squatting, you admire her perfect form and the way her sculpted legs flex with each rep.
On her last rep, you help stabilize the bar as she racks it.
“Nice job!” you say. “You make it look so easy.”
Laura laughs breathlessly. “Trust me, it didn’t use to be! I’ve worked hard for this booty.”
You glance discreetly at said booty as Laura takes a sip of water. You’re frozen for a moment, unsure how to respond.
“So what kind of movies do you like?” you ask, side-stepping the fraught topic of her gorgeous behind.
“Definitely cheesy romance movies,” Laura says. “Like The Notebook. I know it’s predictable but I can’t help loving it.”
You rub your neck awkwardly. “Oh yeah? I actually haven’t seen that one.”
Laura puts her hand to her chest in mock offense. “You haven’t seen The Notebook? It’s only the most romantic movie ever!”
You just shrug helplessly under her dramatic glare.
“Okay, that settles it,” Laura declares. “We’re clearly going to have to watch it together so I can educate you.”
Your pulse quickens at the thought of snuggling up with Laura. But then she backtracks quickly.
“I mean, not that we have to watch it together,” she says, blushing. “I know classes are starting and we’ll be busy...”
Laura's cheeks are still flushed pink as she moves back to the barbell, avoiding your eyes. In her flustered state, she starts loading more plates onto it with determination.
"Whoa, you sure about going so heavy?" you ask cautiously. But Laura seems driven to prove herself after the awkward moment, loading another 45-pound plate onto each side.
"I got this," she insists confidently. Taking a deep breath, she steps under the now heavily-laden bar. You hover closely as she begins squatting, worried about the ambitious weight.
On her third rep, Laura's legs start to shake. You move in closer, sensing she's about to fail. Sure enough, her knees buckle slightly on the way up.
Instinctively you grab her, pulling up to give her the last push she needs, your hands landing on her ribcage to support the weight. You feel her sharp intake of breath as your hands press firmly up, right below her breasts.
Heart rate pumping, you help Laura stabilize the bar before carefully helping her re-rack it. Your hands linger perhaps a second too long on her sweat-slicked skin before pulling away.
"Phew, guess I was overambitious there," Laura says, catching her breath. Her face is still flushed, whether from exertion or your touch, you can't tell.
“Guess we both better spend some more time building up this squat strength, huh?"
Laura just grins in response. As you move on, heart still pounding, the feeling of her smooth, toned torso under your palms lingers.
Laura glances at you, a playful gleam in her eyes. "You know, failing isn't so bad when you've got a cute spotter to catch you."
You laugh, pulse quickening again. "Well, feel free to fail anytime, I don’t mind helping you up so much…"
Laura meets your gaze, eyes smoldering. You feel a jolt of electricity as she looks at you up and down. Her eyes linger a moment before coming back up to lock with yours.
The gym fades away as you stare at each other, the air suddenly crackling with desire. You nearly forget to breathe under the heat of her gaze.
"Deadlifts next?" Laura asks softly, finally breaking the spell.
This is going to be a hard workout.
≋ ≋ ≋
After finishing a set of squats, you grab your water bottle, dripping sweat. Laura takes a long swig from hers as well.
"Whew, time for a quick break," she says, wiping her brow.
You nod, catching your breath. Your legs feel shaky after the intense workout so far.
“You’ve got to get your cardio up! You know, one of my biggest dreams is to go backpacking across Europe. Maybe you could come with, assuming you get those legs into shape.”
You’re trying too hard to catch your breath to protest that you kept up just fine on the hike. The best you can manage is “Oh yeah? Where?”
“Oh, there are so many places! I'd love to explore Athens… I just saw Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter on Instagram and it looks so cool…and the Northern Lights in Scandinavia is totally on my bucket list. I could just keep going on and on”
“You know…” you gasp for air, “those are like, all really far from each other.”
“I know I know! It's a dream! You just want to show off your geography knowledge. You nerd. You're a nerd. A cute nerd.”
Oh, this is going well. The exercise endorphins must be working their magic on her. This is serious flirting!
“Wait a second, back to the part where you want to go with me to Europe... planning a European getaway already, huh?”
“I know, I’m dreaming big!” Laura laughs. “But come on, don’t you want an epic European adventure?”
“Sounds like there’s more than just art history on your list while you’re there.”
“Oh so much! I’ll definitely need a good travel buddy for it. We’d make great travel buddies.” A determined look crosses her face. “Besides, I don’t want to share a sleeper train car with just anyone…”
You feel your pulse quicken. Is she implying...?
Laura seems to reconsider her boldness. “Uh, anyway, break time’s over! Back to lunges!”
You take a deep breath and get back into position, replaying her suggestive words in your mind.
≋ ≋ ≋
After what feels like an eternity of grueling deadlifts, rows, and lunges, you finally complete the workout from hell. Laura still seems infuriatingly energetic, while you feel ready to collapse.
"Wow, we really crushed that!" Laura says enthusiastically, wiping a light sheen of sweat from her brow. "You kept up so well for your first time with my routine."
You just grunt in response, too exhausted to form words. You bend over, hands on your knees, trying to catch your breath.
Laura giggles at your theatric display of exhaustion. "Aww, did I work you too hard? I forget not everyone shares my freakish love of intense exercise."
"Freakish is right," you wheeze out. "Are you even human? I think I blacked out for a minute there during those lunges."
"Well, I am pretty superhuman," Laura agrees with a grin. "But don't worry, you'll get there too if you keep working out with me!"
You look up at her in mock horror. "Is that a threat or a promise?"
Laura laughs and pats your sweaty back. "Definitely a promise. I'm not letting you off the hook now!"
You groan dramatically but can't help smiling. Laura's upbeat energy is infectious, even in your state of full-body fatigue.
"Alright, enough recovery time for you, mister," Laura declares. "Let's wind down with some gentle yoga stretches."
Too tired to argue, you follow her to the yoga room. You appreciate the tranquil atmosphere as you unroll mats next to each other. The lights are low and soft instrumental music plays.
"Ah, now this is more my speed," you say appreciatively as you settle onto your mat.
"Seriously, this is great," Laura says taking in the room. "This campus is awesome."
In moments you’ve unrolled a matt and are following her lead. As you link your breath to the movements, you feel your body start to loosen up and your mind quiet.
However, you quickly notice that Laura keeps repositioning frequently, changing her angle and orientation on the mat. At first you think she's just restless, but then you start to suspect she's moving for your benefit, purposely giving you an eyeful from all sides.
You admire the long lines of her body as she extends into a warrior pose, the cute peek of her toned midriff in upward dog, the enticing curve of her backside in downward dog...
Catching her watching you in the wall of mirrors, you realize she's completely aware of your admiring gazes - and enjoying every bit of your attention. She meets your eyes in the reflection and smiles impishly before flowing into the next pose extra slowly, arching her back.
You nearly lose your balance watching her.
After cycling through some standing poses, the two of you move to the floor. Laura seems to be thinking deeply, working up the nerve to speak.
"Hey, um, can I be honest with you about something?" she asks, fidgeting a bit.
"Of course," you reply, curious about what's on her mind.
Laura takes a deep breath, her cheeks flushing slightly. "I've been thinking about how comfortable I feel around you, and it's made me question some things about myself. Like, why do I feel this need to push boundaries when I'm with you? I got naked with you the first time I met you! I don't do that. But I did… it's like, I didn't even think about it, I just did it."
You put on an exaggerated dreamy face, miming getting lost in the memory. Laura laughs, rolling her eyes.
"But really," she continues more seriously, "with you, I just feel safe to take risks and explore. I don't have to hold back. How do you do that to me?"
You pause, thinking, and then respond honestly, “I don’t know… I guess, I just try to be cool? Sounds lame, but it’s all that I’m really doing.”
"Well whatever you’re doing, keep doing it, please. I like it. For the first time, I feel safe enough to explore my own limits. I've always been so cautious, you know? But with you, it's different. I feel like I can take risks and not be judged."
You smile at her. "That means a lot to me. I guess I just like seeing you be you. It’s fun. It’s like you have all this pent-up energy."
"Yes! That’s it! I don’t know, it’s not like I have a unique story or anything. Classic protective parents… it just feels good to be out from under their thumbs. I can do what I want, and I like how you’ve been a fun person to do it with.”
Laura grins, and you decide to see how far the exercise endorphins will really take her. "Well, since we're alone in the studio, why don't you prove it right now? What do you really want to do right now? Show me bold!"
She raises an eyebrow, amused by your teasing. "You really think I should?"
"Absolutely! Well, my motivations might not be completely pure." You give her a sheepish grin.
After a moment of consideration… "You know what? You're right. You want bold? Let's do this!"
She stands up and, with a little hesitation, peels off her yoga pants, revealing her underwear. "These are athletic underwear, by the way. Like a sports bra. But underwear... Just like I’m wearing a two-piece at the pool. So, it's not THAT big of a deal."
"Oh, come on. There's no such thing as 'athletic underwear.' You just made that up! I wasn’t going to call you out at the lake, but I can’t let it slide twice."
Laura playfully rolls her eyes. "Shut up and just watch me pose, alright? You're here to support me, remember? Want me to put the yoga pants back on?"
"Fair point. A wise man knows when to keep his mouth shut."
Laura turns around and starts to pose, slower, more deliberately, and a little bit closer to you. She’s loving this, but casting nervous glances toward the studio door in case someone else comes in.
Laura steps all the way to the back end of her mat, far closer to you than is necessary in this big empty studio, and turns her back to you. She looks over her shoulder and gives you a coy smile.
“Have you ever seen a full forward fold? Watch closely to make sure you get the technique right…”
“Holy shit…” you whisper.
She bursts out laughing and quickly pulls out of the position. She twists around gracefully and ends up on the floor, facing you.
“Ok, I think that’s enough for this venue… How about we go to the next? You really did do great. I think we’ve earned a little relaxation time. What do you say we hit the sauna?”
You need a moment to collect yourself. She smiles.
“...Ok, I’ll meet you there. I need to, uh, calm down first.”
Laura smiles and gives you a wave over her shoulder as she leaves the studio, headed toward the locker room.
You realize she's left her yoga pants on the floor. Either she's truly embracing this new bold attitude or she’s just as flustered as you are. You scoop them up as you head for the locker room, intending to return them to her after the sauna session.
As you leave the room, you think to yourself it’s definitely about time that you picked up a regular yoga habit…
