For a second, neither of them moved.
Lena was still caught in his grip—his hands firm under her arms, holding her steady like she weighed nothing. Her body leaned back slightly, her balance somewhere between falling and being pulled upright again.
Too close. Way too close.
Her brain caught up a second later—and with it, embarrassment hit.
What the hell was that?
She trained her entire life. Balance, awareness, control—those were the basics. The foundation.
And she had just—
Tripped.
Into a guy.
In a gym.
Her jaw tightened.
Lena pushed herself up quickly, breaking contact as she straightened, brushing her hands down her shirt like she could smooth out what just happened.
"I—" she started, then stopped, resetting.
"Thanks."
Her tone was quick. She avoided his eyes for half a second. Then looked up.
He was staring at her.
Not in a weird way.
Not in a flirty way.
Just… watching.
His expression was calm, but there was a small twinkle that died out quite quickly.
It annoyed her instantly for some reason.
She shifted slightly under his gaze.
"Hello?" she added, slower this time.
Still nothing.
Lena's brows pulled together.
Oh my god.
She exhaled, then spoke again—but this time slower. Clearer. Like—
"Thank. You."
There was a slight pause between each word. Like he was a kid or something.
The second the words left her mouth, his expression changed.
Not offended.
Not confused.
Just—
Flat.
"I know English." His voice was calm. Fluent.
Lena blinked.
Once.
Then twice.
"Oh."
A beat.
"Then why didn't you answer?"
He tilted his head slightly, eyes still on her.
"Are you a foreigner?"
She frowned slightly. "What?"
"I haven't seen you here before in my gym."
Lena crossed her arms slightly, shifting her weight onto one leg.
"Your gym?" she repeated, a hint of sarcasm slipping into her voice. Her eyes flicked over him briefly—broad shoulders, defined arms, that sleeveless black shirt clinging to him like he knew exactly what he looked like.
Yeah, okay. One of those. Gym-obsessed. Thinks muscles fix everything. Probably spends hours staring at himself in mirrors.
Her eyes rolled before she could stop them.
"Yeah," he said simply. "My dad owns it."
That made her pause. "…What?"
"I run it most of the time."
Lena blinked again. Her entire assumption just—collapsed.
"Oh."
That was… not what she expected. At all.
For a second, she didn't know what to say.
Then he spoke again. "You still didn't answer my question."
Lena exhaled slightly through her nose. "Yeah," she said. "I'm a foreigner."
A small pause.
"I'm here for the World Championships. Judo."
Something flickered in his expression.
"Judo," he repeated.
Then—
"Your footwork needs work."
Lena froze. "What?"
"You're too tense," he continued, like he was stating something obvious. "And you don't have good spatial awareness."
Her eyes narrowed.
"That's why you bumped into me," he added. "And tripped."
A beat.
"Don't let that happen at Worlds."
Silence.
Then—a slow, sharp burn spread through her chest. Her jaw clenched.Her fingers curled slightly at her sides.
Did he just—
She stared at the calm expression on his face.
The confidence. Like he had any right—
"Sure," she said flatly. Her voice was tight, but her eyes—
Not at all.
She grabbed her bag off the floor, slinging it over her shoulder a little harder than necessary before turning away from him.
Who the fuck does he think he is?
Her steps were sharper now as she moved across the gym, heat rising under her skin again—from him.
She dropped her bag near the weight section and went straight to the machines.
No hesitation.
No warm-up.
She loaded the heavy weights.
Too heavy for most.
She didn't care.
Her muscles tensed as she gripped the handles and pushed—hard.
The machine creaked slightly under the force.
Again.
Again.
Each rep was sharp. Aggressive. Controlled anger.
"Your footwork needs work." She pushed harder.
"Too tense." Her jaw clenched.
"No spatial awareness."
"Oh, shut the fuuuck up," she muttered under her breath.
Her arms burned. Her legs shook.
Didn't matter.
She added more weight and kept going.
"Who even says that to someone?" she muttered again, breath uneven now. "Like, sorry I didn't train my entire life just for some random guy to tell me I suck at my own sport."
Another rep. Her muscles screamed.
Good.
"'Don't let that happen at Worlds'—yeah, no shit dickhead," she scoffed quietly. "Thanks for the life-changing advice, stupid moron."
She pushed until failure. Then pushed again.
By the time she finished, her body was shaking slightly, sweat clinging to her skin, her chest rising fast.
The anger hadn't fully left.
But it had burned down.
Enough.
—
The locker room was quieter.
Cooler.
Lena stepped under the shower, letting the water wash over her, rinsing away the sweat and tension from her body.
Her head tipped back slightly, eyes closing.
For a moment—
Stillness.
Then—
His voice echoed again.
Your footwork needs work.
Her eyes opened. Annoyance flickered again.
"UGH." She groaned and quickly turned off the water and stepping out.
—
Dressed in loose grey sweats and a black tank top, her damp hair tied back again, Lena slung her bag over her shoulder and stepped out into the reception area.
She didn't look around. Didn't slow down. Just headed straight for the door.
Then—
A hand tapped her shoulder.
Instinct took over. Fast.
Her body turned sharply, her hand shooting up to grab fabric—fist closing around the front of a shirt as she shifted her weight, ready to pull, turn, throw—
Then she stopped mid-motion. Her eyes snapped up.
This guy again?
Her grip loosened immediately, letting go as she stepped back.
"…Sorry," she muttered, though her tone didn't really carry it.
A small part of her—
Honestly—
Regretted not finishing the throw.
He looked at her, something new in his expression now.
Not just calm.
Interested.
"Judo," he said simply. Like that explained everything.
Lena didn't respond. She adjusted her bag slightly on her shoulder.
"I was going to say," he continued, "come again."
She paused for half a second.
Then turned.
He stepped forward slightly. "My name is—"
She didn't let him finish. Her headphones slid back on, music cutting him off completely as she walked out the door without looking back.
The evening air hit her again, warm and heavy. She didn't slow down. Didn't stop.
Behind her—
Inside the gym—
He stood there watching her through the glass. His eyes following her as she disappeared into the street.