The Holiday Slide

Chapter 1

Victoria sat on the giant mat stretching. Adam wasn't typically late but she figured it was the first time they were meeting after the new year. She had taken a small break just before Christmas. And she managed to not gain much during the time. She was eager to get back and was a bit flustered to be waiting, especially when she was paying, even if they had a good time in their sessions. She leaned into a stretch and scrolled on her insta feed.

**

Adam couldn't believe he was late. First day back - no, first SESSION back? Not the best start. Especially after how much he drilled into Victoria to never miss a session; she had been making some amazing progress before Christmas so he was looking forward to picking up where they left off. As he entered the gym, he saw her already warming up. Good. Wait, he noticed a small ketchup stain on his top from the last minute drive through breakfast he had had to grab on the way, since he needed the coffee. The sausage and egg McMuffin and hash brown were just part of the deal. That was just a one time thing... he had indulged a bit too much over the winter but... damn. She was looking up already before he could change his shirt. Great.
Breathing deep, Adam waved over warmly and strode across to meet her. "Hey Victoria, great to see you! Happy new year! Good to see the form already to go! How are you?"

**

"Hey! What the heck? Did Santa Clause not bring you an alarm clock?" She clocked the stain on his shirt and smirked. "No detergent either." She gave him a once over and couldn't really make out what about him looked so awkward. Were his pants and shirt clinging to him funny due to some static situation. Maybe it was her angle. She was ready to get going though so she stood with her hands on her hips waiting. "Hey, coffee addict. Don't you wanna train me?”

**

"Yeah, sorry about that, Victoria - crazy start this morning, but we're all about improvement this year. Bigger and better things for 2026 - let's go!" Adam laughed, clapping his hands and gesturing towards the equipment. Mentally he made a note to change into his spare shirt once he got Victoria started on the bike.

Whilst they were walking across the floor, the place was packed with the usual New Year's resolution crowd and there was only one bike left at the end of the row so it looked like he would need to get his own workout later in the day. Hmm - no worries. "So, how was your break? Hope you didn't indulge too much?" He tried to speak the last part loudly as he suddenly felt his own stomach growl. Hopefully though she didn't hear it. It was way too loud in here... right?

**

Victoria stared even harder at his t-shirt now. "I didn't even bake cookies. Although I was baking. I had some very deep fasting meditation moments of clarity." Maybe he was smuggling a caprisun pouch under there. "Something makes me doubt clarity was the theme of your break." She started her go at the bike and noticed him slip away right as she started to really focus on her breathing. Was it just her or was he schlubing it today? And did he smell like hashbrowns? She hadn't eaten at all and was starting to think about what she was going to get when she got out. She thought maybe she'd ask Adam about what macros were. She had seen some fitness bloggers talk about them. But when she thought of his recent look, maybe he wouldn't know.

**

"Clarity?" Adam replied, half listening before ducking into the side room. "Oh yeah, meditation's great..." Where was that shirt? It wasn't here. Dammit. He always tried to leave a spare in his bag... that only left whatever was in the office. Medium? Hmm. Could be tight but at least that would show off his arms... what the hell. He headed back over to where Victoria was thankfully still on the machine, getting into the rhythm. She was looking great this morning. Damn. "So what kind of clarity did you achieve?" He said, trying to make it seem as if he was never gone. "Anything I can help with?"

**

She reflected on the immense epiphany she had about her own desires. She liked fat guys for sure, but she was into the journey and process too. She looked over at Adam and was unsure if he had changed. Maybe the stain was just water and dried. His arms looked pretty bursting in it if she was honest. She almost rolled her eyes but saw a tiny ripple at his arm pit. Was the shirt bunching? Or was he? "Did you eat clean over break?" She felt herself giving a judgmental look without thinking. Her feet slowly stopping their momentum and looking at him, arms folded pushing her chest up in her sports bra

**

"To be honest... I did indulge a little." Adam replied slowly, feeling her eyes on him. Was she judging him? With one hand, he quickly adjusted the bottom of his shirt subconsciously under her eye. "I mean, it's Christmas, you know? I can definitely be a bit of a foodie around that time of year. I mean, if I wasn't in this job? I'd totally be a chef." he laughed. "Another life, right?"
Memories of those dishes... the sweet treats... the savoury, they all came back to him at that moment. Damn. It had felt good to just let go. But, like he said... in another life maybe.

**