“I’ve just got two more sets. Hitting triceps and then that’s me I think, I’m pooped already. Going to hit the pool after for a quick dip.” The gym stirs at every corner with activity as the post-lockdown frustrations are vented. Conversation is buzzing and everyone is aggressively hitting the weights after weeks of calisthenics and boredom. I check my arms out in the mirror, trying to ignore some of the creepy looks from the meatheads nearby. The light shining off my dark bronzed skin and creating a nice angle for admiring my tired muscles. My friend Rachel is working out alongside me, her hair neatly done up in a bun and her face straining red as she tries to finish her dumbbell curls with a huge last effort. The weights come flying out of her hands onto the floor as she stands up and catches her breath. It had been a long session, almost an hour. Lots of reps.
She looks at her watch and furrows her brow.
“Damn, lost track of time, I need to get going. Travis is cooking something.”
I roll my eyes, boring boyfriend Travis striking again. I couldn’t see what she saw in him. It was like dating a damp old sponge.