Chapter 4
Madison looked at the sign above the building once again, thinking she must have gotten the address wrong.
Chicken Factory didn’t seem like the kind of name a gym would have. There was even a beheaded chicken. To be fair, the beheaded part seemed to be because the sign was broken, not by design. Still. It didn’t look extremely welcoming or even professional at all.
Once again, she cursed Ben. It was the fifth time today. The first time had been when her alarm clock had woken her up, at 6:30. On a Saturday morning.
The second time was when her second alarm clock had forced her out of bed.
The third time was when she had realized she had run out of coffee.
The fourth time was when a naked dude had sat down next to her in the subway.
Because, yes, Ben had managed to convince her to go to the gym. She wasn’t sure how it had happened. Was it because she felt a little lonely? Everleigh was now in La La Land and dealing with her pregnancy. which limited her time - something Madison completely understood and supported, obviously. Still, she didn’t have many friends outside of their little group and after months abroad and so many changes, it was a little hard for her to really fit back in. Harper was drowning in work apparently, and Violet was about to leave for a nice vacation. Maybe it was time to broaden her horizons a little.
So, what if she was mostly used to female friendships? Ben was a nice guy. A little over the top, sure, but fun. Sometimes, it was good to step outside of your comfort zone.
“Why, hello there, girlfriend of mine. For the sake of our fake relationship, I’m going to very naturally and smoothly circle your shoulders with my strong, muscle-y arm. Feel free to touch the goods.”
She tilted her head up to stare him down when his arm rested on her shoulders. He gave her an innocent smile, squeezing her against him in what she could only assume was a “good morning, Madison” gesture.
“I didn’t agree to the stupid and completely irrational fake dating stuff,” she reminded him sharply, slipping from underneath his arm.
“Not a morning person, huh? Not that I didn’t know that already, but this definitely confirms it.”
Hands on her hips, she turned to face him with a scowl.
“Unless it’s that time of the month?” he offered with a small wince.
Oh no. He didn’t.
“If they teach us a technique involving balls, I’m coming for yours,” she warned.
The corner of his lips lifted, and she groaned, turning around. “Shut up!”
“I didn’t say anything!” he exclaimed, rushing after her. “Now, come on, let’s not have our very first lover’s spat. It’s a beautiful day, the sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and you’re gonna see my biceps in all their glory.”
“I feel so lucky,” she said, sarcasm dripping out of her words.
“You should. I’m a very good boyfriend. See? I hold doors.” With a wink, he pulled the door open, and she was surprised to see the inside was actually much more welcoming than the outside.
There was a large desk on their left, and a black woman with grey hair and a beaming smile welcomed them. “The gym doesn’t open to the public until 9:30 today.”
“We know. We’re on the list for the self-defense classes. Ackerman and Goldstein. But you can call us Ackerstein or Goldman. It’s our ship name. Usually, people use first names but Badison sounds like we have a perpetual cold, and Madisen is not recognizable enough.”
It took everything in Madison not to face-palm. The woman didn’t even seem to notice his silly rant, though.
“Oh, you’re one of the new volunteers, right?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Ben replied with a grin, leaning his elbow against the counter.
“I’m Martha. My grandson runs the gym, and I like to help out a little. Don’t hesitate to ask if you need anything. It’s always a pleasure to see new faces.”
“I definitely won’t hesitate,” Ben promised with a small wink before turning to face Madison. “Now, come on, darling, let’s go.”
Rolling her eyes, she followed him. “Darling? Really? You’re British now? And did you really have to charm her that way? She could be your own grandmother!”
“I need to have a pet name for my girlfriend. And it’s not my fault if I ooze charm. It literally pours out of me.”
“I am not your girlfriend.”
“OK. My fake girlfriend needs to have a pet name. You can call me sweetbutt, if you want.”
Seeing the door with the ladies sign on it, she walked past him, not stopping when he called her.
“Come on, Muffin, don’t be mad! You need to learn to communicate more for the sake of our relation-”
She slammed the door behind her, cutting him off. She could hear a few voices down the small hallway where she currently was, and she followed the sound.
Half a dozen women were all in various stages of undress, and she was thankful she didn’t have to. She was already in her workout clothes even though she didn’t expect to do a lot of exercising.
“Hey. You’re alone, too?” A woman, who seemed to be in her early thirties asked, as she joined her on the bench where Madison was putting her shoes on.
“Yes. I mean, no, I’m with one of the new volunteers. I’m Madison.”
There was no way in hell she would ever play this ridiculous game of pretending to be Ben’s girlfriend.
First of all, no one in their right mind would ever believe it. He was classically handsome, sophisticated. She was the poster child of the girl-next-door who had an unhealthy love for Converse shoes.
Second of all, it was just another of his stupid ideas, and he desperately needed someone to put limits to his craziness.
“My name is Annie. It’s a little nerve-wracking, right?”
Madison frowned. “The whole changing clothes in front of strangers, you mean? Yeah, I don’t like that either.”
“No. I mean, yeah, that too,” Annie laughed. “But I was talking about the whole self-defense thing. I was mugged a few weeks ago, and I realized that it could have been much worse, and I had no clue how to defend myself. I tried to get my sister to come with me, but she said she didn’t have the time.”
“Oh.” Her heart suddenly beating faster, she realized Annie was expecting an explanation as well.
Yes. Most women didn’t randomly do self-defense classes. And to be fair, the reason why she had considered taking this kind of class wasn’t random either. But she didn’t really feel like sharing that.
Annie was looking at her curiously, and it sent a rush of anxiety from the pit of her stomach right up to her throat. She didn’t do well with anxiety. At all. It made her say stupid things. Like…
“My boyfriend asked me to come with him.”
“I thought it was an all-women class,” Annie said hesitantly, and Madison forgot all about her discomfort seeing the hesitation on the woman’s face.
“It is! He’s just one of the male punching bags,” she said with a reassuring laugh.
“Oh, yes! We do need those!”
“Yeah… we do,” Madison agreed, trying to ignore the fact that once she walked out of the room, she officially had a boyfriend.