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Josephine
“Don’t arch your back,” Caleb demands, his own breaths coming a little shaky. “Or do it and lose. That’s fine too.”
I bet he would want that.
I shake my head feverishly, refusing to be the first to cave. “Either I win, or I die. There’s no in-between.”
Did I want to do this? No. But he did that reverse psychology shit he does and tricked me into this position.
Literally, I am in a position that I would have never gotten into on my own accord.
He nods at my response, regret covering his face. He didn’t think I would last this long. Neither did I. But spite makes you do crazy things.
“It’s been five minutes, and you don’t even work out,” he complains.
“It’s been five minutes, and you’re complaining. The kicker is that you do work out. For a career at that,” I chuckle. “It’s a miracle you won a Super Bowl with that weak core.”
“When is the last time you’ve ever done a plank?”
I give his question some thought. “Probably high school.”
“I hate you,” he mutters.
“I would hate me too if my best friend, who doesn’t work out, could do a plank longer than me. What a cruel world.”
We are, for some crazy reason, at the gym. With the season beginning soon, he’s been working hard to ensure he is ready. That means when he is not training with the team, he is dragging me along with him to the gym despite my refusal.
His whole body begins to shake roughly. “I’m not buying you those limited-edition books. You already have five copies of that same set with different covers.”
“This set is different!” I rush out. “The covers have a texture to it and they’re gilded edges.”
“You say that every time.”
“And every time I’m right,” I sigh.
He doesn’t get it. The feeling of getting a new book. The immense joy of having different versions of your favorite book.
They’re my pride and joy.
“No, you aren’t.”
“They’ll look beautiful on my bookshelf.”
He groans in pain. “Please give up.”
My body begins to shake, but I try to hide it. “No one told you to doubt the will of a woman.”
“I didn’t doubt the will of a woman. I doubted the will of you.”
“I’m a woman, Caleb.”
He runs his eyes over me. “Oh, really? I didn’t notice.”
I open my mouth but snap it shut. He does this on purpose. Saying irritating things that make no sense in order to distract me.
With one final grunt, he collapses on the ground. Slowly, to show him that I could’ve gone on longer, I lower myself down and roll over to him, laying my chin on his arm.
