Easy Gainer: Chapter 1
By: Qwerty1  Qwertyone234@gmail.com 
Alex and Anna investigate a new gym and someone has fast results.


Alex set his headset down loudly and and reclined lazily in his swivel chair.
Working in a call center wasn't his aspiration, but after college he struggled
to find work. To put it mildly, this job was beginning to make Alex question
his quality of life, that's how much he hated it. He slowly turned his chair
around to see his cubemate, Anna, still eagerly working the phone.

"Anna. Quittin' time." He announced as he tapped her lightly on the shoulder.
She politely raised a hand without turning around and finished her
conversation.

"Wow, time flew by today." She said without a hint of self-loathing in her
voice. "I almost worked through lunch earlier."

Alex let go of a little chuckle. Anna was an eager person, and a bit naive,
but she definitely meant well and was kind beyond compare.

"So, what have you got going on the rest of today that has you jumping to get
out of here?" She asked him.

"Well, the jumping to get out has more to do with here than where I'm going.
Actually, I'm planning to try out new gym near my apartment. Like I said, more
about leaving here." Alex wasn't in terrible shape, but had let himself go
during college after playing high school football. Every year at school he
swore he'd get back in the gym, but could never find the time.

"Oh, Heavyweights?" Anna asked. "I drive past that every day to and from work.
I've been thinking about joining a gym, and have wondered about that place."

"Really? The place is supposed to be pretty intense. Supposedly it's intended
for serious lifters."

"What? I don't look like a future bodybuilder to you?" Anna joked as she
quickly brought up her arms into a sloppy bicep flex. There was only a little
movement on her chubby arms, causing them both to laugh. Anna wasn't obese,
but she certainly wasn't fit, either. She showed a little bit of a paunch
around her belly and a some fat around her chin and arms.

Alex's relationship with Anna was purely platonic. Sure, he had a thing for
Asian girls, and Anna was cute in her own way, but he saw her as a sister ever
since he began to work here.

After a short moment of silence, Anna piped up. "So, how about I meet you
there and we try it out together?"

Alex was surprised, but not against the idea. "Sure, why not? Exercise is
always better with a partner, right?"

"Awesome! See ya there. I have to go get a change of clothes first, then I'll
meet you at Heavyweights. Okay?"

"Alright, then." Alex said as she skipped away. He smiled and shook his head a
little.

As Alex pulls into a parking spot, he sees Anna walking through the gym's
doors. "Eager Anna," as people had begun to call her, had certainly hoofed it
to get over here. Seeing as how she's inside, Alex hurries out of his car and
makes his way into Heavyweights. As he entered the gym, he was just a bit
overwhelmed with the place. It had an almost industrial feel to it, wasting no
resources on luxury and focusing solely on their exercise equipment. Alex
could see his coworker standing at the front desk talking to the attendant.

"Well, we offer first time guest passes for only $5, if you're interested."
The incredibly large man at the desk said to the diminutive Asian girl. "We
recommend it, so you can get a feel for the gym and decide if it's too intense
for you." He was obviously demeaning her, but it went right over her head.

"That sounds good to us." Alex said as he walked up behind his friend, who was
now wearing an old t-shirt and a baggy pair of sweatpants.

"Hey Alex! I'm excited to get started!" Anna chirped.

"Well, let's get going. I'll show you the ropes." He said as they both paid
their $5.

"Ropes? This place looks like more of a weight room than a place to jump
rope." Anna said a little confused. Alex shook his head and chuckled leading
his friend into the gym.

As it was Anna's first time ever setting foot in a fitness facility, Alex
walked her through every step. She attacked the exercises with the same
dedication she possessed at her workplace and even used more weight on some
lifts than he would have expected. Having a history in sports and being
significantly larger, Alex was still moving much more weight than his friend
and it felt good to get himself moving after so many years of inactivity.
After about an hour of weightlifting, the two newcomers mounted neighboring
treadmills and discussed their workout.

"I've never felt this good in my life!" Anna exclaimed. "I mean, I'm
incredibly sore and I want to go home and collapse, but I love the feeling."

Alex didn't push himself quite that hard, but was experiencing a similar
feeling. "That'll happen when you start exercising. Some people say it's as
addictive as drugs." He wasn't sure he believed it, but had heard it said
before. "So, do you think you want to get a membership here or shop around
some?"

"I don't see why we should look anywhere else." She replied. "This is close to
both of our homes and it's more than sufficient."

Alex agreed and after about 30 minutes walking on the treadmills, they got off
and made their way to the desk to sign up. The attendant rolled his eyes at
the two non-athletes, but wasn't going to pass up selling a couple of
memberships. They hugged each other in the parking lot, got in their cars and
went their separate ways.

Alex rushed into his work Monday morning, clocking in just two minutes before
being late. He made his way to his cube and mumbled a greeting to Anna before
settling into his chair for a long day of staring at a monitor, getting
screamed at by idiots, and more than a fair amount of boredom. As the clock
ticked to noon he swiveled around and got Anna's attention and waited for her
to finish her current call.

"I brought something for lunch, but I have to get out of this place. Wanna go
grab some food?" He asked.

"Sure. Have any idea where?" Anna asked as she stood up from her desk. Alex
couldn't help but notice her blouse fit her weird. He'd seen her wear it
before, but it seemed way baggier than he remembered. "Hello?"

"Oh, sorry." He apologized as he realized he was staring. "Anywhere's fine
with me."

They walked out, got in his car and made their way to a nearby burger joint.
They placed their orders at the counter and sat at a booth nearby.

"So. I didn't see you at Heavyweights this weekend. What times have you been
going?" Anna asked him catching him off guard.

"You went this weekend?"

"Of course. Aren't you supposed to go every day?" She inquired, seemingly
surprised at his question.

"Oh, I was just going to go on the weekdays after work. I spent pretty much
the whole weekend watching football and basketball." He was starting to feel a
little embarrassed. She had taken to this enthusiastically and he was looking
kind of lazy. "I don't think there's any harm going every day, though. As long
as you're careful not to hurt yourself."

"I was careful. I still wasn't sure about what I was doing, so I got a session
with a personal trainer. He showed me around and even showed me some exercises
we didn't do on Friday! I just love the feeling I get when I leave there. I
think this is going to become quite the hobby of mine."

Alex looked at her again and realized why her shirt looked different earlier.
Some of the fat from around her neck and face had begun to disappear and
tighten up. He didn't think anyone could make progress that fast, but he was
seeing evidence right before his eyes.

"What are you looking at?" She asked him as a smile cracked her lips.

"Oh, I just noticed that you seem to have lost a few pounds." Alex stammered,
mentally smacking himself for mentioning weight to a girl. "It looks good."

She blushed and looked away for a second. "You think so?" Her smile returned
and she looked back to him. "I've lost almost 10 pounds since Friday. I don't
know if that's good or not."

At that moment their food showed up and the topic changed. Alex couldn't help
but check out his friend every now and then. She really did look good, he was
almost reticent to admit to himself. He had never had feelings for Anna before
now, but thought he could imagine his mind changing on the subject.

"So, do you want to go to Heavyweights together after work today?" Alex asked
after he finished his meal.

This is my first foray into writing. Let me know what you think at
Qwertyone234@gmail.com