CH. 2 Part II Sneak Peek #2 (Patreon)

Sorry for the silence the past few days. I've had to take an emergency flight and couldn't get near my laptop AT ALL. As we wait for August's POV (coming soon!), here's a sneak peek of Part II with Orion at the gym. This may not be edited and it's obviously half-done (since I'm rewriting it) but Orion at the gym is always a treat (lol).

Please excuse me: I could not deny the allure of writing Orion in a compression shirt.

You head over to the gym, pushing open the glass door to step inside. The heat and smell of sweat envelopes you immediately, sticking to your skin in a thin film. You walk deeper into the expansive space, soaking in the people running on treadmills and working the punching bags until you see Orion at the weights, headphones on and dressed in a short-sleeve compression tee and shorts.

His large muscles flex when he lifts the weights, his jaw clenching as he brings it to his chest. You finally understand why his biceps are as big as your head.

(no orion romance): He sees you in the mirror, turning his head and sending you a neutral wave. You send a wave back, trying to ignore the weirdness that is seeing Orion on his down time.

(orion romance/no crush): He sees you in the mirror, turning his head and sending you a neutral wave. You wave back, trying to push away the weird turning in your stomach. Something has shifted between you two. And you don't know what it is.

(orion romance/crush): Your heart races at the sight of him, unsteady and so quick against your rib cage you swear anyone in a five-foot radius can hear it. You try to remain neutral as you walk closer to him, forcing yourself to plaster on a brave face.

Orion goes back to what he's doing, dismissing you completely. Guess you won't be chatting it up with your manager any time soon.

[i]Alright.[/i] You decide to leave him alone for now. It seems like he's in the zone, at least from where you're standing.

...

As you run, you move to watch Orion work out a few feet away. You catch his jaw clench when he grabs a heavier weight, lifting it up one by one. Sweat drips down his neck and arms, and his brows are furrowed as he excercises. You can only imagine how much he works out. He doesn't seem all that winded.

You're jogging for fifteen minutes before you see Orion move past you, his head down as he walks. You can't help but watch as he grabs a set of gloves and begins working the punching bag with expert skill.

You stop the treadmill and step down, sauntering over to your manager.

> "Running and the gym? You have a problem."

Orion doesn't acknowledge you for a moment, throwing in a few last blows before he steadies the punching bag. He turns to you, face flushed and sweaty, dropping his headphone and letting it hang around his neck. "It's relaxing." He gives you a look, soaking in your gym clothes. "I half expected you to sleep until four."

You shrug. "Wanted something to do and sleeping didn't seem to cut it."

>  "I forgot you...do this kind of stuff."

Orion stops, putting his hands on the punching bag to steady it. When he's done, he turns to you and takes off an earbud. "Do you think I stay home and sit on my couch until I'm summoned to manage you?"

You snort, turning to lean against the ring in the center of the gym. "I just tend to forget you do things for pleasure."

"I do a lot of things for pleasure," Orion says, voice curt.

> Begin airboxing. "I can totally kick your ass."

You karate chop his arm, and he looks down blankly. "Ow," he deadpans. A lie if you've ever seen one.

> You make an X with your fingers. "Gross. You're all sweaty."

"That's what happens when you actually put in work," he retorts, smug.

...

"Where's the rest of the band?" Orion says, sitting on a bench and grabbing his bottle of water to take a sip.

(romance): You catch a single droplet of sweat falling from his temple to his chin, and you track it a moment before you swallow your throat.

"Sleeping," you say, smiling softly. "Well, all of them but August. They're currently stuffing their face at the buffet."

Orion snorts, shaking his head. ''Your friends had the right idea. You have a busy few hours coming today. Spot me."