Reckless (Enemies to Lovers 2)

I’ll make it on my own. Hell, I’ve been doing an okay job of taking care of myself back in North Carolina for the past three years, but since I moved to New York, things haven’t been going all that great. The first week I got here I quickly realized there aren’t many jobs available for someone like me.

I’ve managed to get a job as a receiver that pays hourly. The store only employs on a monthly basis and I think it’s so they don’t have to offer any benefits. It’s also easier to let go of the slackers. Besides, it’s not a place I see myself working

at for long. It’s just a stepping stone until I can find something better or figure out what I actually want to do with my life.

At least Josie is coming in two weeks. I miss her like crazy. She stayed behind to finish her degree, and now that she’s graduated, she’ll come to New York and we’ll be able to find a place together. I can’t wait for her to get here already. With her by my side things won’t look as grim.

Josie wanted to go to LA but I was unwavering in my decision to move to New York. Actually, I encouraged her to move to LA. It’s not like we’d stop being friends. At least, I hope us moving to different states wouldn’t affect our friendship. In the end, Josie refused and said she’d join me in New York. I won’t lie, it warmed my heart, knowing she cared enough about me to move out here.

The sad part is that I’ve been in New York four months already and none of the guys even know. It’s been a year since I tried to see them. I only moved here because it’s where Rhett is. My brother might not want me, but it’s comforting knowing he’s close.

Even if Rhett’s not talking to me I still want to be close to him. I don’t know what I did wrong that made the guys not want to keep contact with me, but it doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten them. Sometimes the shock and sadness is overwhelming and I try to figure out what I could’ve possibly done wrong, or why it was so easy for them to forget about me after we were so close growing up. But most of the time, I’m okay with what happened. It is what it is and it sure doesn’t help to cry about it.

~

A door to my left opens and I unconsciously glance inside the room. A woman twisting around a pole catches my eye and I slow my pace until I come to a full stop, staring at her as she masterfully curves around the pole. Her legs are toned and strong, keeping her fit body from plunging to the ground.

Damn, she makes it look so easy.

“There’s a class starting in five minutes, if you want to stick around,” a woman says from the open door.

My eyes dart to her and I smile nervously, letting out a self-conscious chuckle. “Yeah, I think I’m going to give it a pass. I’m not exactly built for it.”

The woman pulls a face and waves my words away.

“That’s the whole point. It’s great exercise and fun.” She closes the distance between us and tilts her head. “Honey, we all start out looking like a bunch of wales trying to mate with a toothpick. Give me a few weeks and I’ll have you looking like that.” She points back to the beauty that’s now hanging upside down from the pole. I drink in the sight of her tight abs, knowing it will take more than a few weeks to get my flabby stomach looking like that. Hell, it will take a few miracles for me to look like that, never mind hanging from a pole while trying not to break my neck.

I can’t keep the cynical laugh from bubbling up my throat.

“I’ll make you a deal. Give me four weeks, but you need to come at least every second day. Follow all my instructions, and if by the end of four weeks you’re not happy with the results, I’ll refund your gym membership fee for two months.”

Hell, I could do with free membership. Things haven’t been going so great since I moved to New York. I’ve managed to find a cheap room in Washington Heights. It sucks that I have to share the apartment with two other people, a guy and a girl that seem to be around the same age as me. John keeps to himself, hardly ever leaving his room. I don’t know what he does in there all day long, and I really don’t care. I get a weird vibe from Ellen. She always smells like fish and hardly ever says a word. Just to be safe, I’ve added an extra lock to my bedroom door. It’s definitely not my dream home, but it is what it is. I’m just thankful it’s only temporary. As soon as Josie gets here I’ll be out of there.

“Okay,” I agree, figuring I’ll either get that hot body or free membership.

A smile splits over the woman’s face and she reaches a hand out to me.

“I’m Beth.”

I shake her hand, smiling back at her. “Mia.”

“Let’s get to class, Mia. It’s over here,” she says, pointing to the room behind me.

I follow her in and I’m relieved to see four other women already waiting. There’s a blonde that’s around the same size as me, and a red head that’s a bit bigger. It makes me feel comfortable knowing I’m not the only woman in here that’s not built like a super model.

I’ve been working hard to try and tone my body. Well, hard in my books is most probably a walk in the park for some of the women that are daily at this gym.

I’ve come far over the past four years, going from a size fourteen to a size ten. It’s been a lot of sweat and tears. The stubborn fat clung like shit to a wool blanket.

After Beth greets the class with a welcoming smile, she takes a deep breath.

“Breathe, ladies. It’s going to be fun. We believe in small, intimate classes. Usually we don’t have more than six students per class. This means that you will get loads of attention from me. Please feel free to ask me anything. We’re going to start with a short warm-up to get your neck, shoulders, arms and legs nice and loose. Then we’ll do a few fun spins and basic moves to get you used to the pole. The following is likely to happen: You will probably do a koala impression and hug the pole. This is normal so please don’t be embarrassed. Your hands will get sweaty and you’ll slip around a bit, and you’ll feel like you have no idea what the hell you’re doing. Again, this is normal. When our hour is up we’ll wrap up with a few minutes of stretching to cool down.”

I let out a breath and wipe my already sweaty hands on my towel.

“Place your towels and water to the side, giving yourself enough space to move,” Beth instructs and we all move at the same time.

An energetic beat starts up from the front of the class and Beth begins to walk on the spot.