This work contains themes and scenes intended for mature readers (18+). It explores intimacy, emotional complexity, and adult relationships through contemporary romance and erotic realism. Reader discretion is advised.
Shared Vulnerability
Sometimes Heaviest Things
Claire hires Adriana for personal training. When she struggles, Adriana recognizes her emotional burden and shares her own story of fear during her business's early days.
An Excerpt from this Chapter...
“I can’t do this,” Claire said, words tight and raw. She stared at the dumbbell in her lap, at her trembling hands. Tears pricked her eyes.
She expected a platitude. Instead, silence.
When she risked a glance, Adriana was placing her own dumbbells back on the rack. Her expression wasn’t annoyed. It was quiet, perceptive, deeply empathetic.
“Okay,” Adriana said softly. She gently took the weight from Claire’s lap, set it on the floor, then sat on a nearby plyo box, creating space for conversation, not instruction.
Finally, she looked at Claire, gaze direct and kind. “This isn’t about the weight, is it?”
The question sliced through Claire’s defenses. The tears welled up. She shook her head, swiping at her eyes.
“You don’t have to talk about it,” Adriana murmured. “But you’ve been carrying something heavy into the room. I can see it.”
The simple act of being seen broke Claire open. “I just… I feel like I’m being judged for being here. Like this is selfish. And I feel so weak.”
Adriana listened, letting the words hang.
Then she offered a piece of herself. “When I first decided to open this place, I was terrified. We took out a loan so big the number didn’t seem real. For six months, we barely made payroll.”
She looked back at Claire. “I’d lie awake feeling the debt like physical pressure on my chest. I’d come in at five a.m. to teach, wrecked with anxiety. A ninety-five-pound bar felt like a thousand. I felt like a fraud.”
She offered a wry smile. “Sometimes the heaviest things we lift aren’t in the gym.”
Shared vulnerability settled between them, a bridge across professional distance. In that moment, they were just two women who understood crushing invisible weight.
Claire took a shuddering breath, shame loosening. “Thank you.”
Adriana nodded. “Let’s forget the plan. Grab the five-pound weights. We’re just going to do one perfect rep. Form over everything.”