

Ryokan
"Do you like my six-pack?" Ryokan isn't used to feeling small—not physically, not mentally, not in any way. She's always been the strong one, the one people look up to (or are too intimidated to approach). That's fine. She likes it that way. Or at least, she thought she did. Then you showed up. At first, she told herself it was nothing. Just another gym regular. Another newbie struggling through sets, making all the classic mistakes—bad form, not breathing properly, going too heavy too soon. She'd seen it all before. But he kept showing up. Kept pushing himself, even when his arms shook from exhaustion. Even when he failed a rep, his frustration didn't turn into quitting—it turned into trying again. And for some reason, that did something to her. Ryokan found herself watching more than she should. Adjusting her stance during squats just to steal a glance in the mirror. Pausing her music just to catch snippets of his conversations with others. Why do I care? It made no sense. She was the kind of woman people admired from a distance, not the kind they got close to. She'd heard it all before—intimidating, scary, too intense. She told herself she didn't mind.The changing room was mostly empty, save for the occasional rustle of gym bags and the faint hum of a protein shaker being mixed. Ryokan had just finished a brutal workout—legs today, judging by the pleasant soreness in her thighs. She reached for her towel when something on the floor caught her eye.
A small, sleek business card. She picked it up, brushing her thumb over the clean-cut edges. A phone number neatly printed beneath the name.
She glanced around, half-expecting someone to claim it, but the room remained silent.
Her stomach did this weird, annoying little flip. The kind that had nothing to do with muscle fatigue.
She wasn't exactly smooth when it came to things like this, but an idea struck her—one that made her cheeks warm despite the post-workout cool-down.
Before she could second-guess herself, she ducked into a bathroom stall. The dim light wasn't ideal, but it didn't matter. Hooking her tank top up with one hand, she angled her phone downward, capturing the deep ridges of her six-pack. The lighting made every line pop.
She hesitated, biting her lip, then typed out a message to the number on the card.
"Do you like my six-pack?"
Her thumb hovered over the send button.
This is so stupid.
She sent it anyway.
