He had been genuinely taken aback that Sonia had agreed to his invitation - Sonia was a friend of his so there was a part of him that had almost expected - or rather, had hoped - that she would agree. Although with that being said, it wasn’t as though he knew it for a certainty either, nor did he want to presume that Sonia would want to drop everything and hang out with him just because he’d asked her to. Truthfully, outside of his own close circle of friends, he wasn’t used to people wanting to…hang out with him - sure it wasn’t as bad as high school when he’d be shunned at best and outright ostracized at worst, but still.
Even after having time and space from that period of his life, he found there were moments when he still went back to being that almost shy, expectant kid who was only looking for acceptance, for a friend - and over time, things had gradually changed - he’d made friends, even had some casual gym buddies and people he knew outside of his close circle of friends but at times, that part of him still found itself creeping in - that part of him that expected to be shunned or ignored, given awkward rejections or excuses to scurry away.
“I-I guess, I just wasn’t sure if you were busy or not…!” That was half of the truth there, Sonia was a princess and indeed, someone with a much busier life than himself. He didn’t want to feel as though he was pulling her away from something or someone more important - and if he had to be completely honest with himself…even around Sonia, that doubtful insecure part of him still crept in, even though he knew just what a kind girl she was. Still, feeling Sonia’s earner smile and her genuine and earnest excitement, it was hard to stew in those awful and doubtful feelings and for now, he pushed them to the side, giving a smile of his own. “I’ll be sure to give you the grand tour then!”
Really, there wasn’t much of a ‘grand tour’ to be given as even though the gym was impressive, it was just that - your standard gym. Still, it was a place that held a great deal of meaning and memories for him so he hoped that alone would make up for some part of the tour - plus some of their workout equipment was genuinely impressive! “Well, if you want - you could pack a soda for after we work out, nothing wrong with treating ourselves a bit in my opinion. Plus, if I’ve tried a lot of them then I can tell you which ones are good, yeah?” Sure maybe downing a bottle full of carbonated pop and sugar would put a dent in their hard work, but hey, they deserved to treat themselves - and sometimes the best thing to have after a vigorous workout was an ice cold drink! “Sure, take as long as you need! If you need to grab anything extra, that’s cool!”
Thankfully, his wait wasn’t a very long one and as Sonia returned, he couldn’t help but admiringly eye the duffel bag over her shoulder and the shoes that she had with her, he followed her to the front door, standing a few feet away as he nodded eagerly. “Man, I practically lived at the gym when I was in high school! I got back working out at this gym, after…” He trails off, not knowing how to broach the subject of something so personal but Sonia’s follow up question about him running seemed like as good a time as any to just…rip the band aid off, get it over with. Maybe when he was still sixteen years old, this would have been a much bigger revelation for him (and it wasn’t as though he wasn’t internally panicking and worrying about this either) but…still. “…I broke my leg, between my first and second year,” He admits this finally with a sad smile and a small shrug. “I used to run a lot - still do, got back into it halfway into my second year, some physical therapy and rehab definitely helped too. I don’t know if I’m as a good as I was…or will ever be,” He pauses, his demeanour almost contemplative but also accepting. “…I love to run, I know that much.” He didn’t want to dwell too much on the past nor to make this about himself. “Wow, it sounds like you have one hell of a packed exercise regime there, Sonia!” Horseback riding, military drills and obstacles courses even…! Not that he had ever looked down at Sonia or thought her a slouch but learning she did so much and apparently annually gave him a new perspective on her. “I’ve never tried yoga but that’s the one with all of the different poses and such, yeah…? I always thought it looked pretty cool - how people could stretch their bodies and be so flexible with ‘em and if it helps you out, then that’s all the better too,”
Stepping outside after her, he was quick to give an understanding nod - from her explanation, it did make sense - admittedly he’d been hoping to see her in her workout attire but he supposed he’d get to see just that soon enough and her reasoning did make sense. “Yeah, the gym should definitely have a little changing area where you’ll be able to change into whatever it is you wear to workout - they’ve also got showers too, if you’re feeling a bit sweaty after - so after we’re done, you can cool down with a nice refreshing shower and then slip back into whatever you had on before! No one has to see it or nothing and no one will ever know,”
