Chapter 0480

Enzo

The air in the gym was thick with the stench of sweat. The fluorescent lights beamed down from the ceiling, casting a whitish hue over the various machines and free weights that occupied the room. The soundtrack for that day was the usual mix of grunts and sparse conversations, the clatter of iron against iron, and whatever was currently blasting through the sound system-at that moment it was a hit rap song, but I wasn't listening.

I was in the midst of my third set of bench presses, my fingers wrapped tightly around the barbell. The cold steel felt reassuring, grounding even, as I inhaled deeply and lifted it off the rack. My muscles strained under the weight, each rep a battle of will as much as it was of strength. I was going hard, much harder than usual.

"Damn, man, are you trying to lift the whole gym or what?" Matt's voice broke through the haze of my concentration.

I lowered the barbell back onto the rack with a grunt, sitting up to look at him. Matt was leaning against the wall, water bottle in hand, his expression a mix of admiration and concern.

it," forcing a wry chuckle as I wiped

his eyes. "You've been hitting it pretty

apprentice of sorts when it came to hockey. He knew when I was holding back.

a lot on

on what's been bugging you, or are

hair. "Nina thought she might be pregnant. Turns out

Is that...is that

of the gym where a couple was working out together. Nina and

it's a relief. She just got into medical school; I'm just getting my career to where I want it to be. The timing would've been difficult. On the other

easing into a more contemplative expression. "That's a whole lot to handle,

the part where I was actually, you know, a tiny bit excited about the idea of being a dad. It's strange, Matt. I never really

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