LostSole
Registered User
- Joined
- Aug 27, 2024
- Messages
- 10
- Points
- 3
Jake lay on the workout bench, pinned beneath the barbell like a bug trapped under a glass. His arms trembled, his chest burned and sweat dripped down his temples. The realization hit him like a ton of bricks—or in this case, a barbell—that he'd seriously miscalculated his abilities today. He was usually smarter than this, or so he'd like to believe.
"Yep, this was a great idea, Jake," he muttered to himself, gritting his teeth. "Real genius move." His voice was heavy with sarcasm, masking the panic slowly creeping up his spine.
There were really only two options now: admit defeat and call for help or wait it out and hope that gravity developed a sudden sense of humor, preferably the kind that didn’t involve him becoming part of an embarrassing viral video. He’d already survived one college fail video; he wasn’t about to star in another.
From the hallway came the unmistakable sound of footsteps—light and purposeful. Of course. His luck just kept getting better.
"Please be a burglar," Jake whispered, though he knew better. A burglar would be kinder than the alternative; a certain someone who loved to see him squirm.
Emma appeared in the doorway, her eyebrows raised, arms crossed, and lips twitching as though fighting back a smirk. The kind of smirk that said 'I told you so' without needing the words.
"Do you even lift, bro?" she asked, leaning casually against the doorframe. "Because it looks to me like someone got themselves into a weighty situation."
Jake groaned internally—this was exactly the response he’d been dreading. Of course, she wouldn’t just help him without a verbal victory lap first. It was practically written in the rulebook of their relationship.
"Very funny. A little help here?" he asked, trying not to sound like he was begging.
"Oh, I don’t know," Emma mused, tapping her chin with exaggerated thoughtfulness. "Looks like you’ve got it under control. I mean, you always tell me how strong you are. Shouldn’t this be a breeze?" She flashed him a sweet, almost innocent smile, though the devilish amusement in her eyes gave her away.
"Okay, fine," Jake admitted through gritted teeth, his pride taking the hit. "I may have slightly overestimated my... capabilities."
Emma clicked her tongue, strolling toward him with all the urgency of someone meandering through a museum. "Slightly? Jake, you’re about three seconds away from starring in a fitness fail video."
Jake groaned again, louder this time, the humor slowly draining from his patience. "Haha," he deadpanned, not even bothering to hide his sarcasm. "Can you just lift the bar off me?"
She bent down, her face mock serious as she rested her hands near his ribs, pretending to inspect the situation like a doctor diagnosing a patient. “Hmm,” she murmured, tapping her chin thoughtfully. “Seems like a tight spot. What happens if I poke here?” Before Jake could react, she jabbed his side without warning, causing him to snort in surprise.
"Emma! Don’t," Jake warned, though the half-laugh in his voice undermined any sense of seriousness.
"Don't what?" she asked innocently, her lips curling into a smirk as her fingers hovered just above his ribs. She poked again, this time with deliberate slowness. "Don't do this?"
"EMMAHAHAHA!" Jake’s laughter exploded as she poked his side repeatedly, each jab forcing him into more helpless giggles.
She paused and gave a mock sigh, standing up as if completely unimpressed with the chaos she had just caused. "You know," she mused, "you’re in the perfect position to give a TED Talk on overconfidence. And maybe idiocy." She tapped her chin, pretending to think deeply. "The title could be: How I Failed to Lift Weights and Gained Humility Instead."
Jake groaned, shifting awkwardly under the barbell that still had him pinned, trying to escape her teasing fingers. "I’ll give a TED Talk on why my girlfriend won’t stop making fun of me if you don’t help me in the next ten seconds."
Emma’s smirk grew into a grin. "Making fun of you? Jake, I’m trying to educate you." She crouched down again, her fingers hovering dangerously near his ribs, tracing light circles across his side. Jake’s body twitched involuntarily, already anticipating the ticklish attack.
"Emma, I swear—" Jake’s words were cut off as his body jerked under the gentle, deliberate strokes of her fingers.
"This is an important life lesson: don’t let your ego write checks your muscles can’t cash," she said, her tone dripping with faux wisdom, completely ignoring his protests as her fingers brushed up and down his ribs once more.
"HAHA! STAHAP!" Jake’s body shook as laughter bubbled up uncontrollably, but the barbell rendered him completely helpless. He tried wriggling away from her relentless fingers, but all it did was make her grin even wider.
Emma flashed him a mischievous grin, her eyes sparkling with delight. "Oh, you’re ticklish?" she asked, raising an eyebrow with feigned surprise. "I didn’t realize."
Jake shot her an accusatory glare through fits of laughter. "YEHEHES, YOU DIHIHID!"
She paused her attack and stood back up, clearly in no rush to rescue him, arms crossed with a smug satisfaction. "You know," she began, her tone light but teasing, "this could’ve been avoided if you’d just stuck to what you’re good at—being adorable and opening pickle jars for me. I mean, you probably wouldn’t end up in a pickle so much if you did."
Jake groaned. "Emma."
"Oh, and grabbing stuff from the high store shelves. That’s definitely in your wheelhouse," she added, with a mischievous sparkle in her eyes.
"The store shelves aren’t that high, Emma," Jake shot back, a smirk tugging at his lips. "You’re just... short.”
"I am not short, I'm just more down to earth than others," Emma said, raising her chin in mock pride. With that, she leaned down again, her hands finding his ribs and sides, and without warning, she began kneading them.
Jake’s body betrayed him immediately. He tried to hold back his laughter, but within seconds, it burst out of him uncontrollably. "EMMAHAHA! STAHAHAP!"
She paused her tickling, tilting her head with faux innocence. "What’s the problem? What are you in a hurry for? It’s not like you've been waiting around a while... or have you? You can wait a minute, surely." Her grin stretched even wider, clearly proud of her wordplay.
Jake groaned dramatically, rolling his eyes. "Your puns are unbearable."
But Emma was far from done. She continued, shaking her head in exaggerated disappointment. "I mean, you’ve really outdone yourself here. I didn’t think anything could top the time you thought using chili oil as massage oil was a good idea, but here we are."
"Okay, that was one time," Jake protested, though it was difficult to sound intimidating when he was pinned under a 200-pound barbell. "And I learned my lesson."
Emma raised her eyebrows, hands on her hips. "One time too many. I still can’t eat anything spicy without having flashbacks, you know." She punctuated her words with a playful poke to his side, causing Jake to flinch, his laughter bubbling up before he could stop it.
"STOHOHOP!" he gasped, his body writhing under the barbell as her fingers danced across his belly, hitting all the sensitive spots she knew too well.
Emma continued conversationally, as though Jake wasn’t struggling to breathe between bouts of laughter. "Seriously, just the thought of it brings me back. I’m still recovering." Her fingers traced his sides, the tickling relentless.
Jake squirmed, his laughter spilling out uncontrollably until, mercifully, Emma paused her tickling, allowing him to catch his breath. "I’m sure this is all very entertaining for you," he gasped, his voice still tinged with residual giggles. "But can you please just—"
She cut him off with a devilish grin, her fingers hovering dangerously close to his ribs again. "Tell you what," she began, her voice dripping with mischief, "I’ll help you, but you’ve got to admit I’m funnier."
Jake blinked at her, his brow furrowing as though she’d just suggested they adopt a shark as a house pet. "What?"
"You heard me," she said, inching closer, her fingers wiggling playfully near his ribs again, the threat of more tickling hanging in the air. "Say, 'Emma is funnier than me,' and I’ll lift the bar."
Jake narrowed his eyes, shifting his weight as best he could to relieve the pressure on his chest and, more importantly, to avoid her tickling onslaught.
"Yeah, that’s not happening," he said, his defiance clear, even if his position was far from strong.
Emma shrugged, her grin widening as though she’d already won. "Suit yourself," she said, her voice light with mock sympathy. Then, with excruciating slowness, she reached out and brushed her fingers lightly against his ribs. "I’m patient. I don’t mind waiting around for you to say it." She raised her eyebrows as if challenging him to see how long he could hold out.
"Emma, no—" But it was already too late. Her fingers found their target again, this time lingering longer, moving with deliberate precision. Jake’s body bucked under the bar, helpless as his laughter was drawn out of him like water from a well.
"HAHAHA! NOHOHO!" he shouted, his voice breaking as laughter overwhelmed him.
"Oh, wow," Emma said, feigning surprise as she continued her tickling assault. "Are you finally coming to terms with my hilarity? I knew you'd come around eventually."
"HAHAHA! STOHOHOP! EMMA!" Jake pleaded, his body twisting as much as it could beneath the barbell’s weight.
Emma’s expression turned mockingly serious; her voice filled with false concern. "Stop? Stop what? Being funnier than you?"
"HAHAHAHA! PLEAHEHEHESE!" Jake’s voice was hoarse, the exertion from both the weight and the relentless tickling taking its toll.
"I’m helping you, silly," she teased, her fingers moving lightly across his belly, making him squirm even more. "I’m helping you get your ab workout in. Maybe if you spent more time working on those abs and less time pretending to be funny, you’d stand a chance."
"AHAHAHA! YOU’RE NAHAHAT FUNNY—EHEHEHE!" Jake managed to shout through his helpless laughter, his face flushed with exertion and embarrassment.
Emma gave him a mockingly sympathetic look, shaking her head like a disappointed parent. "You poor, deluded soul," she said with a sigh. "I was going to go easy on you, but if you keep up this denial..." She leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a teasing whisper as her fingers expertly teased his ribs again, eliciting even more frantic laughter from Jake. "I’ll just sit right here until you’re ready to say it. The weight room can become the waiting room."
"HAHAHA! OKAY! OKAY!" Jake gasped, his laughter peaking as he finally caved. "YOU’RE FUNNY!"
Emma paused, her grin spreading like the cat that got the cream. "Funny how? Like funny ha-ha, or funny ‘I should be a stand-up comedian’?"
"HAHAHA! YOU’RE—HAHAHA—A STAND-UP! NOW PLEAHEHEHESE!"
She sat back, crossing her arms triumphantly, clearly enjoying every second. "Good. Now that wasn’t so hard, was it?"
Jake panted for breath, glaring at her between lingering giggles. "You’re evil. Pure evil."
Emma flashed him her brightest smile, unbothered and clearly basking in her victory. "Evil? I'm not Evil, silly, I'm Emma," she said, winking playfully.
She finally bent down, hands gripping the barbell. "See? All better. The wait is over now." With a cheeky grin, she lifted the bar off him, the relief immediate for Jake. He sat up slowly, rubbing his ribs and muttering under his breath.
"Oh, I'm so getting payback later," he grumbled, still catching his breath.
"Oh, yeah?" Emma raised an eyebrow, unfazed. "Will you be lying in wait to do so? Because I sure hope it doesn't end up a repeat of today." She threw in another pun for good measure.
Jake rolled his eyes dramatically. "OK, enough with the puns."
"Sorry, once I get going I'm punstoppable, you should know that by now," Emma teased with a grin.
Jake groaned again, standing up slowly, rolling his shoulders as if preparing for battle. He glared at her playfully. "You know, I’m filing this under 'reasons to get revenge.' And I have a long memory."
Emma crossed her arms, returning his playful stare. "Revenge? You’ve already been defeated, my love. Stick to what you're good at—like accidentally trapping yourself under weights."
Jake shook his head, still catching his breath. "I’ll get you back. And when I do, it’ll be poetic. You’ll be laughing so hard you’ll beg for mercy."
Emma raised an eyebrow, her smirk deepening. "Beg for mercy? From you? Please, the only thing I'll beg for is more popcorn when your revenge falls flat."
Jake chuckled, rubbing his sore ribs. "You’re just lucky I couldn’t move. But next time? Different story."
Emma reached out, patting his cheek affectionately, her smirk still intact. "Sweetie, you can barely lift a barbell. Revenge might be a bit... heavy for you to handle." She winked.
Jake stared at her for a second, then slowly pointed toward the door. "Out. Before I change my mind about waiting on revenge and make it immediate."
Emma laughed, walking backwards toward the door. "You really think you can catch me? I’ve seen you run. It’s more of a waddle. You’d better wait for the right moment." She gave him a wink before turning to leave.
Jake couldn’t help but grin despite himself. "Emma, I swear, the next time you say ‘weight’—"
"Wait, what did you say? Not sure I heard you clearly," she playfully yelled out, now standing at the doorway, her head poking back in with a mischievous smile.
"Get out!" Jake laughed, grabbing the nearest towel and launching it in her direction.
She dodged it effortlessly with a little twirl, sticking her tongue out over her shoulder as she disappeared down the hallway, her light footsteps echoing away.
From the hallway, her voice rang out once more, cheekier than ever: "Just remember, good things come to those who wait!"
Jake flopped back onto the bench with a grin, staring up at the ceiling, chest still heaving slightly from both exertion and laughter. "I’m gonna need a heavier barbell."
THE END
"Yep, this was a great idea, Jake," he muttered to himself, gritting his teeth. "Real genius move." His voice was heavy with sarcasm, masking the panic slowly creeping up his spine.
There were really only two options now: admit defeat and call for help or wait it out and hope that gravity developed a sudden sense of humor, preferably the kind that didn’t involve him becoming part of an embarrassing viral video. He’d already survived one college fail video; he wasn’t about to star in another.
From the hallway came the unmistakable sound of footsteps—light and purposeful. Of course. His luck just kept getting better.
"Please be a burglar," Jake whispered, though he knew better. A burglar would be kinder than the alternative; a certain someone who loved to see him squirm.
Emma appeared in the doorway, her eyebrows raised, arms crossed, and lips twitching as though fighting back a smirk. The kind of smirk that said 'I told you so' without needing the words.
"Do you even lift, bro?" she asked, leaning casually against the doorframe. "Because it looks to me like someone got themselves into a weighty situation."
Jake groaned internally—this was exactly the response he’d been dreading. Of course, she wouldn’t just help him without a verbal victory lap first. It was practically written in the rulebook of their relationship.
"Very funny. A little help here?" he asked, trying not to sound like he was begging.
"Oh, I don’t know," Emma mused, tapping her chin with exaggerated thoughtfulness. "Looks like you’ve got it under control. I mean, you always tell me how strong you are. Shouldn’t this be a breeze?" She flashed him a sweet, almost innocent smile, though the devilish amusement in her eyes gave her away.
"Okay, fine," Jake admitted through gritted teeth, his pride taking the hit. "I may have slightly overestimated my... capabilities."
Emma clicked her tongue, strolling toward him with all the urgency of someone meandering through a museum. "Slightly? Jake, you’re about three seconds away from starring in a fitness fail video."
Jake groaned again, louder this time, the humor slowly draining from his patience. "Haha," he deadpanned, not even bothering to hide his sarcasm. "Can you just lift the bar off me?"
She bent down, her face mock serious as she rested her hands near his ribs, pretending to inspect the situation like a doctor diagnosing a patient. “Hmm,” she murmured, tapping her chin thoughtfully. “Seems like a tight spot. What happens if I poke here?” Before Jake could react, she jabbed his side without warning, causing him to snort in surprise.
"Emma! Don’t," Jake warned, though the half-laugh in his voice undermined any sense of seriousness.
"Don't what?" she asked innocently, her lips curling into a smirk as her fingers hovered just above his ribs. She poked again, this time with deliberate slowness. "Don't do this?"
"EMMAHAHAHA!" Jake’s laughter exploded as she poked his side repeatedly, each jab forcing him into more helpless giggles.
She paused and gave a mock sigh, standing up as if completely unimpressed with the chaos she had just caused. "You know," she mused, "you’re in the perfect position to give a TED Talk on overconfidence. And maybe idiocy." She tapped her chin, pretending to think deeply. "The title could be: How I Failed to Lift Weights and Gained Humility Instead."
Jake groaned, shifting awkwardly under the barbell that still had him pinned, trying to escape her teasing fingers. "I’ll give a TED Talk on why my girlfriend won’t stop making fun of me if you don’t help me in the next ten seconds."
Emma’s smirk grew into a grin. "Making fun of you? Jake, I’m trying to educate you." She crouched down again, her fingers hovering dangerously near his ribs, tracing light circles across his side. Jake’s body twitched involuntarily, already anticipating the ticklish attack.
"Emma, I swear—" Jake’s words were cut off as his body jerked under the gentle, deliberate strokes of her fingers.
"This is an important life lesson: don’t let your ego write checks your muscles can’t cash," she said, her tone dripping with faux wisdom, completely ignoring his protests as her fingers brushed up and down his ribs once more.
"HAHA! STAHAP!" Jake’s body shook as laughter bubbled up uncontrollably, but the barbell rendered him completely helpless. He tried wriggling away from her relentless fingers, but all it did was make her grin even wider.
Emma flashed him a mischievous grin, her eyes sparkling with delight. "Oh, you’re ticklish?" she asked, raising an eyebrow with feigned surprise. "I didn’t realize."
Jake shot her an accusatory glare through fits of laughter. "YEHEHES, YOU DIHIHID!"
She paused her attack and stood back up, clearly in no rush to rescue him, arms crossed with a smug satisfaction. "You know," she began, her tone light but teasing, "this could’ve been avoided if you’d just stuck to what you’re good at—being adorable and opening pickle jars for me. I mean, you probably wouldn’t end up in a pickle so much if you did."
Jake groaned. "Emma."
"Oh, and grabbing stuff from the high store shelves. That’s definitely in your wheelhouse," she added, with a mischievous sparkle in her eyes.
"The store shelves aren’t that high, Emma," Jake shot back, a smirk tugging at his lips. "You’re just... short.”
"I am not short, I'm just more down to earth than others," Emma said, raising her chin in mock pride. With that, she leaned down again, her hands finding his ribs and sides, and without warning, she began kneading them.
Jake’s body betrayed him immediately. He tried to hold back his laughter, but within seconds, it burst out of him uncontrollably. "EMMAHAHA! STAHAHAP!"
She paused her tickling, tilting her head with faux innocence. "What’s the problem? What are you in a hurry for? It’s not like you've been waiting around a while... or have you? You can wait a minute, surely." Her grin stretched even wider, clearly proud of her wordplay.
Jake groaned dramatically, rolling his eyes. "Your puns are unbearable."
But Emma was far from done. She continued, shaking her head in exaggerated disappointment. "I mean, you’ve really outdone yourself here. I didn’t think anything could top the time you thought using chili oil as massage oil was a good idea, but here we are."
"Okay, that was one time," Jake protested, though it was difficult to sound intimidating when he was pinned under a 200-pound barbell. "And I learned my lesson."
Emma raised her eyebrows, hands on her hips. "One time too many. I still can’t eat anything spicy without having flashbacks, you know." She punctuated her words with a playful poke to his side, causing Jake to flinch, his laughter bubbling up before he could stop it.
"STOHOHOP!" he gasped, his body writhing under the barbell as her fingers danced across his belly, hitting all the sensitive spots she knew too well.
Emma continued conversationally, as though Jake wasn’t struggling to breathe between bouts of laughter. "Seriously, just the thought of it brings me back. I’m still recovering." Her fingers traced his sides, the tickling relentless.
Jake squirmed, his laughter spilling out uncontrollably until, mercifully, Emma paused her tickling, allowing him to catch his breath. "I’m sure this is all very entertaining for you," he gasped, his voice still tinged with residual giggles. "But can you please just—"
She cut him off with a devilish grin, her fingers hovering dangerously close to his ribs again. "Tell you what," she began, her voice dripping with mischief, "I’ll help you, but you’ve got to admit I’m funnier."
Jake blinked at her, his brow furrowing as though she’d just suggested they adopt a shark as a house pet. "What?"
"You heard me," she said, inching closer, her fingers wiggling playfully near his ribs again, the threat of more tickling hanging in the air. "Say, 'Emma is funnier than me,' and I’ll lift the bar."
Jake narrowed his eyes, shifting his weight as best he could to relieve the pressure on his chest and, more importantly, to avoid her tickling onslaught.
"Yeah, that’s not happening," he said, his defiance clear, even if his position was far from strong.
Emma shrugged, her grin widening as though she’d already won. "Suit yourself," she said, her voice light with mock sympathy. Then, with excruciating slowness, she reached out and brushed her fingers lightly against his ribs. "I’m patient. I don’t mind waiting around for you to say it." She raised her eyebrows as if challenging him to see how long he could hold out.
"Emma, no—" But it was already too late. Her fingers found their target again, this time lingering longer, moving with deliberate precision. Jake’s body bucked under the bar, helpless as his laughter was drawn out of him like water from a well.
"HAHAHA! NOHOHO!" he shouted, his voice breaking as laughter overwhelmed him.
"Oh, wow," Emma said, feigning surprise as she continued her tickling assault. "Are you finally coming to terms with my hilarity? I knew you'd come around eventually."
"HAHAHA! STOHOHOP! EMMA!" Jake pleaded, his body twisting as much as it could beneath the barbell’s weight.
Emma’s expression turned mockingly serious; her voice filled with false concern. "Stop? Stop what? Being funnier than you?"
"HAHAHAHA! PLEAHEHEHESE!" Jake’s voice was hoarse, the exertion from both the weight and the relentless tickling taking its toll.
"I’m helping you, silly," she teased, her fingers moving lightly across his belly, making him squirm even more. "I’m helping you get your ab workout in. Maybe if you spent more time working on those abs and less time pretending to be funny, you’d stand a chance."
"AHAHAHA! YOU’RE NAHAHAT FUNNY—EHEHEHE!" Jake managed to shout through his helpless laughter, his face flushed with exertion and embarrassment.
Emma gave him a mockingly sympathetic look, shaking her head like a disappointed parent. "You poor, deluded soul," she said with a sigh. "I was going to go easy on you, but if you keep up this denial..." She leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a teasing whisper as her fingers expertly teased his ribs again, eliciting even more frantic laughter from Jake. "I’ll just sit right here until you’re ready to say it. The weight room can become the waiting room."
"HAHAHA! OKAY! OKAY!" Jake gasped, his laughter peaking as he finally caved. "YOU’RE FUNNY!"
Emma paused, her grin spreading like the cat that got the cream. "Funny how? Like funny ha-ha, or funny ‘I should be a stand-up comedian’?"
"HAHAHA! YOU’RE—HAHAHA—A STAND-UP! NOW PLEAHEHEHESE!"
She sat back, crossing her arms triumphantly, clearly enjoying every second. "Good. Now that wasn’t so hard, was it?"
Jake panted for breath, glaring at her between lingering giggles. "You’re evil. Pure evil."
Emma flashed him her brightest smile, unbothered and clearly basking in her victory. "Evil? I'm not Evil, silly, I'm Emma," she said, winking playfully.
She finally bent down, hands gripping the barbell. "See? All better. The wait is over now." With a cheeky grin, she lifted the bar off him, the relief immediate for Jake. He sat up slowly, rubbing his ribs and muttering under his breath.
"Oh, I'm so getting payback later," he grumbled, still catching his breath.
"Oh, yeah?" Emma raised an eyebrow, unfazed. "Will you be lying in wait to do so? Because I sure hope it doesn't end up a repeat of today." She threw in another pun for good measure.
Jake rolled his eyes dramatically. "OK, enough with the puns."
"Sorry, once I get going I'm punstoppable, you should know that by now," Emma teased with a grin.
Jake groaned again, standing up slowly, rolling his shoulders as if preparing for battle. He glared at her playfully. "You know, I’m filing this under 'reasons to get revenge.' And I have a long memory."
Emma crossed her arms, returning his playful stare. "Revenge? You’ve already been defeated, my love. Stick to what you're good at—like accidentally trapping yourself under weights."
Jake shook his head, still catching his breath. "I’ll get you back. And when I do, it’ll be poetic. You’ll be laughing so hard you’ll beg for mercy."
Emma raised an eyebrow, her smirk deepening. "Beg for mercy? From you? Please, the only thing I'll beg for is more popcorn when your revenge falls flat."
Jake chuckled, rubbing his sore ribs. "You’re just lucky I couldn’t move. But next time? Different story."
Emma reached out, patting his cheek affectionately, her smirk still intact. "Sweetie, you can barely lift a barbell. Revenge might be a bit... heavy for you to handle." She winked.
Jake stared at her for a second, then slowly pointed toward the door. "Out. Before I change my mind about waiting on revenge and make it immediate."
Emma laughed, walking backwards toward the door. "You really think you can catch me? I’ve seen you run. It’s more of a waddle. You’d better wait for the right moment." She gave him a wink before turning to leave.
Jake couldn’t help but grin despite himself. "Emma, I swear, the next time you say ‘weight’—"
"Wait, what did you say? Not sure I heard you clearly," she playfully yelled out, now standing at the doorway, her head poking back in with a mischievous smile.
"Get out!" Jake laughed, grabbing the nearest towel and launching it in her direction.
She dodged it effortlessly with a little twirl, sticking her tongue out over her shoulder as she disappeared down the hallway, her light footsteps echoing away.
From the hallway, her voice rang out once more, cheekier than ever: "Just remember, good things come to those who wait!"
Jake flopped back onto the bench with a grin, staring up at the ceiling, chest still heaving slightly from both exertion and laughter. "I’m gonna need a heavier barbell."
THE END
