Week 1: Monday
Julia was on the treadmill when she first saw him. She couldn't say what it was that made her look at him. He wasn't as young, fit or good looking as some of the other men at the gym. In fact, he looked very much like he could be a friend of her husband's, or a husband of one of her friends. He looked to be around 40 and he was exercising hard, presumably to do something about that burgeoning middle age spread that was starting to appear.
Julia kept running. She was did a 30-minute run on the treadmill every Monday. She looked at herself in the mirror. She was 36 years old and after 3 pregnancies her body wasn't as pert as it once was. She had hips now, and her c-cup breasts hung rather lower than they used to. But hard work kept her stomach almost flat and the few grey hairs she'd found were safely hidden by the magic performed by her hair dresser every month.
She looked up and saw that he was now on the treadmill next to her. She smiled and he smiled back. With a quick movement of his eyes he gave her body a once-over and he smiled appreciatively. As Julia went home she felt an unfamiliar tingle in the pit of her stomach. It was a tingle she hadn't felt for over 10 years.
Week 1: Wednesday
She was on the cross-trainer when he walked in. His eyes scanned the room and locked on hers. She didn't need the mirrors to know that her face was red and dripping with sweat. He casually walked over and started rowing on the rowing machine in front of her. When her 15 minutes on the cross-trainer were up she headed for the exercise bikes. There was only one available, next to his rowing machine. She sat down and started pedalling.
"Hi!" he greeted her.
"Hi."
"I'm Dan."
"Julia."
He was doing weights as she left the gym. He smiled and nodded as she walked past him and she smiled back. She picked up the kids from her sister who'd been babysitting. That night she dug out her vibrator, but for the first time in over a decade she wasn't seeing her husband Terry's face as she masturbated.
Week 1: Friday
He was already in the gym when she got there. She didn't know if he'd seen her as they were doing different things. It surprised her that she was disappointed. After her shower she decided to stop for a cup of coffee and a sandwich. Terry was taking the kids to the cinema and then they were stopping for pizza on the way home so she knew she didn't have to cook.
"Mind if I join you?" said a voice as she'd finished ordering. She looked up and there was Dan, his dark curls moist from his shower.
"Please," she smiled. "Be my guest."
"It's Julia, right?"
"Yes," she sighed with relief that he remembered her name. "And you're Dan."
Dan ordered a cup of coffee as well and they chatted for a while. It gave her a chance to look at him properly. He had a quarter inch beard and his hair was probably an inch to two inches long, in a hairdo that she most associated with French men for some reason. He smiled a lot, revealing almost impeccable white teeth, but for a chip that she assumed was probably sports related. He had dark blue eyes and a few wrinkles around them that told her that he probably laughed a lot. When he finished drinking his coffee, Dan grabbed his gym bag and got up.
"I better get going," he said. "We're having friends over for dinner tonight and my wife will kill me if I'm late."
He left and Julia wondered to herself why the news that he was married disappointed her so much. She was also married. She finished her sandwich and drove home. That night she and Terry made love for the first time in nearly a month.
Week 2: Monday
Julia went straight for the treadmill when she got to the gym. Soon afterwards Dan got onto the one next to her.
"Did you get home in time?" she asked him and he looked confused. "For the dinner, on Friday?"
"Oh yes," he chuckled as he remembered. "I had a full five minutes to spare!"
They finished exercising at the same time. As she was heading for the shower Julia heard Dan call her name.
"Fancy grabbing a cup of coffee?" he asked.
"I'm sorry," she declined. "My husband's away on business so my sister has the kids. I need to get them home and into bed."
"Maybe next time?"
"Yeah, that'd be nice. I'll be here on Wednesday."
"That's a date!"
Week 2: Wednesday
Julia felt the butterflies in her stomach as she pulled up outside the gym. She knew it was foolish, but she'd been out during lunch to buy a new pair of jeans and a blouse to go with them. The jeans were glued to her butt and the blouse showed off a daring amount of cleavage. She hoped she still looked casual. She'd hate it if it was obvious that she'd made such an effort. She was only going to the gym after all.
She saw him as soon as she came in from the changing rooms and he nodded in recognition. They kept looking over at each other while working out and he finished a little while before her. He walked past her on his way out.
"A latte?" he asked.
"Please."
She showered quickly and sat down next to him just as the coffees were served. He was relaxed and sat back with his arms on the back of the seat in the booth he'd secured for them. His hand just about touched her shoulder and it sent a fire bolt through Julia's body.
"So who's looking after the kids tonight?" he asked.
"Terry, my husband. Do you have kids?"