Exercise to Energize

We quickly finished washing the dishes and with the help of one of the cooks we put everything back in its original place. Now we were finally free to do whatever we wanted!

“What do you want to do now?” I asked Joey excitedly. The possibilities were overwhelming and I knew I would not be able to make a choice.

He stretched a bit and yawned. “Well, I try to exercise every day and I haven’t done that yet, so I think I’ll switch outfits and go for a jog. What about you?”

I hesitated to tell him. “I don’t know yet, but- I feel like dancing? I might just go and find a big empty room to do that." I shrugged. Then I had a genius idea that would kill two birds with one stone. “Do you still wish to see me dance?”

Joey looked pleasantly surprised that I remembered his promise. “Yes. Absolutely.”

I weighed the pros and cons of what I was about to propose. With the notable exception of my family, hardly anyone I knew had seen me dance before. For some reason being critically looked at by only one or two people was more terrifying to me than being watched by a gigantic audience. However, Joey would not judge me if I made a mistake or became too afraid to continue my routine. It was just not in his character to do so.

Besides, Derek had been right. Showing Joey this side of me would help him get to know me better and if he did not accept this part of me then... Well, I have to admit, that would be a good reason for me to move on. If I ever wanted to make more friends -or God forbid, get a boyfriend- I would need to learn to open up. Dancing for Joey would be good practice.

“I could join you for your jog. After that, we'll find a big, empty room and you can watch me dance if you want to. Taking a run around the hotel will be a good warm-up for me,” I suggested, hoping I would not regret this decision later on.

Joey treated me to a soft smile which made my heart flutter. I instantly felt more confident about my offer. “Sounds like a great idea! But don’t complain if you can’t keep up with me,” he teased.

I returned his smile. “Okay then, let’s get changed first!”

We changed into our gym clothes and went outside after asking Mr Khan for permission. Fortunately, it was not as cold outside as it had been yesterday and some shy rays of bleak sunshine poked out from beneath the cloudy morning sky. It had not snowed or rained yesterday and the hotel’s staff had been so kind to shovel the wet snow from the muddy sidewalk that ran all around the frozen lake. I figured that running a lap would be sufficient for a warm-up.

Joey was pacing around all excitedly like a dog ready for a walk and I was sure he would have been wagging his tail if he had one. He was anxious to start. It made me appreciate his patience while waiting for me to get ready. After I had put on a training jacket, I gave the start sign. “Let’s go!" I smiled softly.

Joey dashed away at an incredible speed without further delay, leaving me stunned for a moment. When I finally started moving my feet, he already had a head start. “Hey, wait for me!” I gasped in surprise while trying to catch up to him.

When he noticed that I was running behind, he gradually slowed his pace. “Sorry, I guess I got a bit too excited.” He laughed.

“No worries!” I smiled reassuringly and steadied my pace. “I’ll let you know if you’re going too fast for me. I’m just glad to see you're enjoying yourself.”

Joey shrugged while jogging alongside me. “Exercising helps me get energized for the day. It feels like I've already done something productive before the day has begun. It’s also a great way for me to wind down; it gets rid of all my pent-up stress and anger.”

I nodded in recognition. “It's the same for me but with ballet. When I focus on my steps and technique, the rest of the world disappears for a moment. Now, whenever I start on a routine that I know by hard, it automatically clears my head and I'm able to forget about everything that's bothering me."

The wind was harsh and chilly but after a few minutes of jogging my body was warming up. In a similar manner, I think Joey was starting to warm up to me too. In an effort to learn more about him, I asked: “Are there any sports you don’t like?”

“Let's see..." He appeared to be lost in thought for a while. “I’m not particularly good at anything graceful, so dancing is a no-go.” He unconsciously slowed his pace as he listed off other sports. “I’ve also never tried riding a horse before; those beasts are terrifying, so I don’t think I ever will.” He added, slightly embarrassed: “I’ve also never ice skated before.”

“No way! You’ve never ice skated before?” I exclaimed in amazement.

“I’ve never had the chance to." He smirks shyly, keeping his eyes on the ground.

“It’s winter, the lake is frozen, and we have a full day to do whatever we want; now is the perfect opportunity to try it out!” Joey looked unsure of my suggestion so I kicked my persuasion up a notch. “I’m sure you’ll love it! Of course, there are elegant forms of ice skating but elegance is not a must. I mean, I wouldn’t call ice hockey an elegant sport…”

“Okay sure, let’s do it then!” He conceded. His step quickened; it looked like my enthusiasm was rubbing of on him. “Will you teach me?”

I passionately answered: “Of course! I love ice skating! Maybe we can try it out after lunch? I would like to dance first and it's better to learn new skills on a full stomach. I hope Max won’t mind if I borrow his skates. I think he might have a shoe size similar to yours.”

Joey nodded with excitement. “If not I’ll see if my buddy Jacob has his skates with him. We’ve got the exact same shoe size, isn't that funny?”

“Sounds like a plan!” I held out my hand to bump his fist. "Let's do it!"

He gave me one of his signature heartwarming smiles in return. “Thank you, Simon, I appreciate this immensely.” I could not tell if Joey was blushing because of the cold, the exercise or, most disconcerting, me.