She was my Gym Partner

This story takes me back to my second year of college, a time when I decided to start working out. With newfound motivation, I joined a nearby gym, eager but clueless. On my first day, the trainer instructed me to begin with stretching. The problem? I had no idea how to do that.

Just then, a girl walked into the gym and started stretching effortlessly. The trainer pointed at her and said, “Go and stretch with her.”

Now, let me share a little secret—I’m an extremely shy person. Conversations, especially with girls, were something I instinctively avoided. So, you can imagine my hesitation. But somehow, I gathered my courage and followed the trainer’s instructions.

That day, I made an unexpected friend. A female friend. It felt surreal, almost like a scene from a movie. Because of her, I found myself excited to go to the gym every day. We gradually became gym partners, working out together whenever possible.

Then came a moment that completely caught me off guard. One day, after finishing her workout, she walked up to me and casually asked, “Can I have your number?”

I froze. My brain shut down. No girl had ever asked me for my number before. Seeing my stunned expression, she chuckled and added, “What happened? Why are you just standing there? If you don’t want to give it, that’s okay…”

Before she could finish her sentence, I blurted, “Why not? Of course, I’ll give it! It’s 9…3…5…6…”—and then my mind went blank.

Panicking, I fumbled for my phone to look up my own number. Yes, I know, dumb move. But at that moment, I really didn’t know how to handle the situation. Somehow, I finally managed to give her my number, and she left with a smile.

Days passed, and then suddenly, she stopped coming to the gym. Concerned, I called her. When she answered, her voice was softer than usual.

“I had a bike accident,” she said. “My hand is broken.”

That marked the end of our gym meetings. We lost touch, and life moved on. Until one day, out of nowhere, my phone rang. It was her.

At that moment, I was in the college library, buried in books, preparing for my exams. I picked up the call, and she said, “Where are you? I’m at your department building. Can you come meet me?”

Without hesitation, I replied, “Why not! Wait there, I’m coming.”

When I met her, we fell into a long, deep conversation, catching up on everything we had missed. She mentioned she had some work with one of our faculty members, our math professor. We walked to meet her together, and after they finished their discussion, the professor looked at me and said, “Take care of her. Don’t leave her side.”

I knew she said that because of her injury, but a small part of me couldn’t help but overthink it. We all know how people tend to jump to conclusions when they see a guy and a girl together.

After our visit to the professor, we decided to go for ice cream. On our way there, her shoelace came undone. With one hand in a cast, she couldn’t tie it herself. Without thinking twice, I handed her my bag, knelt down, and tied her shoelace for her.

It felt straight out of a movie.

But not all movies have happy endings.

We ate our ice cream, shared a few more laughs, and then she left for home. I returned to the library, back to my books, back to my routine.

And from that day on, we never met again.