"Of the cartoon?"
He gasps, clutching his chest like he's about to go into cardiac arrest. "You did not just say that."
I glance at the now-black screen and wonder what I said wrong to provoke such a strong reaction. "Uh…"
"Anime," he says, swinging an arm over the back of the sofa as he turns to face me, "is a cinematic art form filled with emotional trauma and deep musings on life, death, and everything in between.Cartoons…are for children."
"Right. I see. My apologies."
He smiles, which quickly rolls into a laugh. A light, airy sound, infectious enough to almost make me smile right along with him.Almost. I haven't cracked more than a grin in so long I've probably lost the required muscle memory.
"You want any more?" he asks, gesturing toward the food containers laid out on the coffee table.
"No, I'm good, thanks."
"Okay. So, what would you like to do now?"
I quirk a brow. Is 'a workout'too obvious an answer? "I guess we should…exercise?"
"Is that a question or a statement?"
"A statement," I reply, running my hand through my hair, suddenly unsure of myself. I glance over at Jarvis who's eyeing me up and down. "Can I help you?"
"You planning on exercising in jeans?"
I glance down at my outfit. Oh. "Guess I didn't really think it through."
"It's okay," he says, placing his hand on my knee, the warmth of his touch seeping into me, startling in how good it feels. "Let me guess, Robbie strong-armed you into doing this?"
"Well, not exactly, but…"
Jarvis grins. "Say no more. You don't have to worry. I'm not one of those army general trainers who yells at people. You've got nothing to be afraid of with me. Let's—let's get up."
He shoots to his feet, and before I'm fully on mine, he's marching toward the balcony. He opens the sliding door, heads for a patch of shade under the awning, then spins around to face me. My heart’s already beating way too fast, and we haven't even started doing whatever it is Jarvis has in mind. I'm feeling…bewildered. Yeah, that's it. Bewildered.
"You got any knee or ankle issues?" he asks, taking a few steps back.
I shake my head.
"Good. Can you do this?" He springs off the ground, legs and arms shooting wide like a star before snapping back together. "Now you."
"Jumping jacks?" The words fall out of my mouth before my brain has the chance to vet them.
"Hey, don't knock jumping jacks." Jarvis steps in closer, so close I can see the faint freckles scattered across his cheeks and the amused, ever so slight, twitch in his lower lip. "They're great cardio, and they engage your entire body. Plus, they count as a workout, so if we do, say, ten of them, I won't have to lie to Robbie when he asks whether we actually trained today. And if we hurry up and do them sometime this year, we'll be able to squeeze in another episode ofJoJo’s Bizarre Adventurebefore my ninety minutes are up."
Robbie, I'm not worried about, and I couldn't give two stuffs about the cartoo—anime show. The most enticing part of Jarvis's offer? Getting to spend another twenty-five minutes sitting next to this utterly unique and intriguing young man.
"Alright." I roll my neck and wave my arms. "Let's get this shit done."
4
Jarvis
"Oh, wow. You're wearing workout clothes this time," I observe with a cheeky grin, stepping into Anson's penthouse as he holds the door open for me for our second session.
"And you comenotbearing food this time?" he replies, his eyes traveling the length of my body. For some strange reason, I'm not hit with the burst of self-consciousness I normally get.
"That's because it's a nice day outside." I glance out at the incredible vista he's lucky enough to enjoy every day. "Thought we could go for a walk on the beach, which, just so you know, in personal trainer terms, is also known as exercise. Then I thought I could buy you a meal somewhere."