Free Fat Chances by J.S. Wilsoncroft

expression, a cross between confusion and agitation. This made me even more nervous. Great, now he’s pissed. I knew that this was a stupid idea and that now I’m going to have my heart broken all over again. I’m just a glutton for punishment.  
    “Annie! What are you doing here?” Cory’s tone was somber. It wasn’t the tone that I was looking for. Part of me was hoping that he would come running and swoop me up in his arms and kiss me with his warm lips, but the scowl on his face told me it wasn’t going to happen.
    Swallowing another lump, I decided to just go for it an d pour my heart out to him. “I ... I ... came by t ... to talk to you,” I stammered, feeling my face growing hot. I want to die ... just die, I thought to myself.
    “Well, let’s go to my office. It’s too cold to be standing out here.” He ordered. Is it cold? I hadn’t realized. My mind had been too preoccupied by his lips, his hair, his tight muscles and the scowl on his face.
    We walked side by side across the parking lot and through the side door. I could feel the electricity charging between us and I wondered if he could feel it , too, or maybe it was just my imagination.
    I hadn’t realized how cold I was until we walked inside the warm building. My legs and hands were shaking as I fol lowed him through the gymnasium to his office that was stationed at the other end of the building. There was another exercise class going on. It must have been for senior citizens because the room was filled with short, grey-haired women and a few balding men. A middle age woman with red hair was standing in the front of the small group. She had her hands on her hips, slowly swaying back and forth. The music was much more laid back, not fast and upbeat like the first night I went to Cory’s Zumba class.
    “Have a seat,” h e said roughly, closing the door behind me. My heart stopped when he leaned over me, brushing his chest against my shoulder to close the window blinds behind me. I watched him carefully as he took his grey sweatshirt off and hung it over the back of his chair. The dark green t-shirt he was wearing beneath fit snug against his hard chest and arms. I inhaled a deep breath as he sat down in the chair behind his desk then turned to look at me.
    His dark hair was a tousled mess as he stared at me with h is dark mysterious eyes—mysterious because I couldn’t tell what he was thinking. Cory’s eyebrows were pulled together and his lips were curled into a small smile.
    “So Annie, ar e you going to tell me why you’re here?” Cory asked carefully.
    I bowed my head down to stare at my hands that were still shaking, then quickly clapped them together so that he couldn’t see how nervous I was.
    “Umm ... I wanted to stop by ... and tell you ... I mean apologize for my behavior ... (clearing throat) ... um ... before,” I stammered, nearly jumping out of my seat at the sound of his chair scraping across the hard wax floor.
    “You know, if you’re going to apologize to someone the least you could do is to look them in the eyes and show that you mean it,” he said, not making this easy for me. Furious, I snapped my head up and gasped when I saw that he was standing directly in front of me.
    “What ... what do you mean ‘ show you that I mean it?’ You want me to get on my knees and beg for your forgiveness?” I asked, glaring at him. “Well, I’m sorry, Buck-O, but that’s not going to happen.” I stood up from the chair and turned to walk out the door, but he quickly stood in front of me, blocking me with his huge, masculine body. 
    “Buck-O?” He chuckled. “Hmmm ... I think I like that,” Cory said, chuckling again. A small grin formed across my face, but I quickly erased it and forced myself to glare at him.
    “Will you please let me go?” I ordered through my teeth.
    “Hmmm ... no. Not yet. I don’t think that’s all you came to say,” he contrived.
    “GAH ! So ... what? You have ESP now? I came to