Chapter 24: Of Gods and Art - Pt .3 of 3

(Aisha in gym clothes)

Perry in his eagerness almost forgot he had a gym appointment after such a hectic day, meeting Aisha at the store entrance as Cane closed up. “Ready?” she said, as he noted a similar, functional duffel bag she had to the one he was carrying under his arm “Yeah, no offence but after today I’m kinda’ sick of art”, he said jokingly as he stared after her. She was still in her robes and hijab, guessing she would change at the gyms locker room, like he would.

“No offence taken, after today I think everyone could use a break”, she said a light chuckle filtering through her words as she slung her duffel bag over her shoulder and started leading him towards the gym. It was a small, one but had enough equipment to suit everyone’s needs, which suited Perry just fine. After paying a one-off fee for a locker, as Aisha brought him on as a guest on her membership like most gyms promoted, with the hope of course of bringing him on as a fulltime member.

In the locker room, Perry quickly changed into his gym attire, a simple pale blue sleeveless shirt with grey shorts and the worn sneakers he wore to work. Stuffing his duffel bag in locker and pocketing the key after locking it shut. Making his way to the main area he saw Aisha already waiting, in a pair of black yoga pants and a form-fitting sports bra of the same colour, exposing the defined abs of her midriff, the muscle looked good on her lending her a powerful physique without obscuring or daring to rob her if her obvious femininity.

She wore black, fingerless elbow-length gloves, her hair tied up in a loose ponytail, the beautiful blonde lengths ending in dark black roots. She looked at him with a knowing smile “You ready for this?” she asked, already aware of his usual daily routine at the store was hardly the same as the workout regimen she would put him through for his stamina training.

He looked at her with a faraway expression on his face for a long moment before he snapped out of it and said “sorry I don’t mean to stare it’s just I kinda’ get it now”, he said as he got closer.

“Get what?” she asked raising an eyebrow. “What every teacher in high-school tried to explain to me about art and how to define it. I knew the answer as sure as I knew you had inspired it when I saw you just now”, he said with a firm confidence ringing in his voice riddled with gratitude, as he stared at her for a long moment, the way his eyes looked at her softly almost begging her to ask the question “what is true art?”, Aisha asked him simply, caught off guard by his sudden introspection.

To this he gestured if he could take her hands in his, which she allowed with a gentle nod, “something irreplaceable”, he said simply with an easy grin and a loving look in his eye as he brought her hands to his lips and kissed her fingers softly.

Aisha felt a sudden warmth spread through her as Perry took her hands in his, his gentle kiss sending a jolt of electricity up her spine. She returned his smile, “You’re something special, you know that?” she whispered, her voice barely audible over the distant hum of the gym’s machinery.

“I have a great muse to inspire me. I just hope I haven’t startled you with this revelation about what you mean to me. I keep finding it easier to tell you these things more than anyone I ever really been with in a relationship before, is that scary?” he asked honestly.

Aisha felt a soft blush creep into her cheeks, “No, it’s not scary, it’s ... flattering,” she said, her eyes lingering on their joined hands. “But we should probably start our workout before we both melt into a puddle of mush,” she teased, gently pulling her hands away with a laugh. “My muse speaks, so I follow”, he said good naturedly “I just hope she doesn’t snap me in half so I can take her out to the movies tomorrow like we planned”, she said jokingly. Aisha’s only response was a knowing wink before she turned and lead the way to the treadmills, her hips swaying gracefully with each step, a dance-like rhythm to her movements that was alluring and mesmerizing.

“Scratch that, break me if you must, just so long as I can watch you walk a little longer”, he said unable to resist himself as she turned to look at him with a knowing smile, her eyes sparkling with mischief and the promise of a good workout ahead. She set the pace for the treadmills, a brisk jog that soon had him sweating and her barely breaking one. She was graceful in motion, silent poetry that seemed to defy the very need for words, her legs a metronome of rhythmic precision. He watched her in awe, forgetting his own workout as he felt his heart race for reasons that had nothing to do with cardio.

The rest of the hour long workout consisted of exercises meant to focus on raising his natural stamina, something Aisha had insisted on. They began with a series of warm-ups and stretches that were new to him but which she performed with an ease that made him feel clumsy by comparison. He couldn’t help but notice the way her muscles rippled under her skin as she moved, the way her eyes never left his as she corrected his form and encouraged him. Her patience was a balm to his bruised ego; her gentle touches a silent promise of more to come.

Despite himself he never once hated the long gruelling series of exercises that when finished left him breathless but with a new appreciation of what he could achieve, when he put his mind to it. “Okay “lover boy”, she lightly teased “tortures over, I’ll meet you out here in ten after a quick shower, the warm water will help you relax your muscles and the cold water will help with the swelling”, she said, her eyes sparkling with good humour as she patted his cheek before sauntering off to the locker room.

Perry did as he was told, grateful he’d packed a second set of casual clothes alongside his gym clothes, as he showered with equal parts warm and cold water and was thankful for the relief. He met Aisha at the main desk; she was garbed once again in modest robes that although they did hug her body whilst being discrete, left allot more to the imagination than her gym clothes. He himself wore some simple, denim jeans with a black leather belt, the same sneakers from before, with a white, short-sleeved t-shirt. His duffle bag felt slightly heavier than it had been when he first entered which he contributed to the workout as he handed in the locker key.

“You can still walk I see”, Aisha said smiling widely which he returned with one of his own as she giggled slightly at the noticeable change in his stiff gait. She grinned slightly as she leaned into his saying “well if you’re up for it, how about you walk me to my car? It’s in the same place as before and we could chat along the way, I promise I won’t make it strenuous...”, but she didn’t manage to finish her last word as he cupped her chin in the curled index finger of his right hand as he tilted it up just lightly enough so he could kiss her softly.

“That would be amazing”, he said simply with a warm, affectionate smile, offering her his hooked arm, as she looped her arm around it. They walked out into the evening air, the sun dipping below the horizon casting a warm, orange glow across the cityscape. Aisha looked up at him, her eyes filled with a gentle warmth that matched the setting sun, “I’m glad you enjoyed the workout, it’s only the beginning of what I planned to show you,” she said with a knowing smile.

“I expected nothing less from a true piece of art, so close to my heart”, he said as he looked into her eyes meaning every word as she blushed lightly. They stepped out into the parking lot, the air cooling as the sun disappeared behind the skyline, leaving the stars to start popping out like diamonds on velvet.

“I just have one question” he said as they both kept walking side by side flush against eachother. “Why wear the fingerless, elbow-length gloves for the gym?” he said curiously.

Aisha laughed lightly, “It’s a habit really, and something I picked up from my mom. She was a professional belly dancer before she had me, so I guess some of her flair for the dramatic rubbed off on me”, she said with a shrug. “But they also come in handy for when I’m practicing my routines and I need that extra grip, or when I’m out running and its cold, they keep my palms from getting sweaty but still allow my hands to breathe. It’s a small thing but it makes a huge difference to me”, she explained with a smile.

“Okay start from the beginning “professional belly dancer?” Does that mean you also...”, he said hinting the obvious with both raised eyebrows as Aisha laughed out loud, before shushing him “don’t you mind that, you’ll not get any dances from me, not now anyways I’m all sore”, she said with a sly smile she knew would only incite him further. “Oh well maybe someday when you choose to reveal all your darkest secrets to me, hopefully someday soon, I won’t be too sore myself to appreciate them”, he said with a smile of his own. “But honestly just from what you’ve told me it seems fascinating, I just hope I get to meet said belly dancer who helped deliver this work of art into the world, I bet much like her daughter she’s irreplaceable too”, he said softly, leaning in his face to hers until their foreheads were lightly touching, this time she kissed him, it was brief but filled with promise and a hint of passion, a whisper of what was to come.

When their lips finally parted and they continued walking down the street he asked “is your cat Rajah a momma’s boy of will he betray you in a second for your mom’s attention, I heard they do that”, he asked with a chuckle as she confirmed it by saying “every chance he gets, it’s like I don’t exist until I bribe him with his favourite food, the fur baby is a menace”, she said through a laughing smile. “My mom doesn’t visit that often though, it’s not that she doesn’t want to, it’s just she realizes it’s not as easy for us to be around eachother as it used to before, you know with my stepdad and how it ended”, she said with a sad note in her voice.

He took her hand in his, bringing her fingers to his lips as he kissed them lightly saying “if you’ll allow me, I’d like to meet her one day, so I may appreciate both her and the young girl she helped raise into the beautiful woman here in front of me. If it’s not too much too, I’d like to honour your father, I don’t remember you telling me though if you buried or cremated him in accordance to your faith”, he said with a genuine curiosity.

Aisha felt a pang in her heart, she had missed her father greatly, she nodded “Cremated, it was his wish, he was a very spiritual man, and he believed that his soul would find peace in the skies as ash scattered by the winds”. “That’s sweet”, he said. “I don’t know how I’d want to go, I was raised Catholic but never got into the whole organised religion thing, at the same time though I’ll never look down on someone or their spiritual beliefs just because they can appreciate it better than I ever could. Funnily enough I’m not really an atheist either, I just believe that God and religion don’t have to be exclusive, weird huh?” he said with a shrug.

“I’ve always thought”, she said “that belief should be as flexible as the person it inhabits”, her voice was soft and reflective, as she was considered her own words deeply as she said them. “Some people find solace in the structure of religion, others in the vastness of the cosmos, and some like you, in the freedom to choose, I think that’s beautiful,” she said as they made their way.

“And that’s partly the reason why I believe I’m falling in love with you”, he said with a smile. “I just hope it’s not too scary I used the L-word this soon in the relationship” he said with a pause expecting a reaction from Aisha. But instead she squeezed his hand and whispered “no, it’s not scary, it’s ... beautiful, like the art we saw today”.

He kissed her lightly on the head through her hijab “not as beautiful as the art I see every day now, I just had to be able to appreciate it, but thank God I did”, he said with an affectionate tone, obviously meaning her. Her response was to lean into him even closer, her eyes closed in peace. The walk to her car was a silent one filled with comfort and understanding, the kind that comes when two souls have found their rhythm with each other. When they arrived at her car, she unlocked the door and slid into the driver’s seat, looking up at him expectantly.

You know I’m more than half tempted to take you home and ravish you”, she said with a sultry smile “but I’d have to hear the words directly from your lips to give me permission to put you through the most arduous workout of your life”, she said “again”, with barely stifled laughter passing through her lips as he produced an old man’s breathless groan of comical pain as he leaned down over the driver’s side window, before suddenly recovering with a quick “Okay let’s go”, as he half opened up the door to the backseat behind her, stopping himself as naturally warm laughter escaped both their lips.

He shut the passenger door, leaning into the driver’s side as he said “just promise me you’ll let Rajah down easy when you let him know I won’t be his new focus of affection tonight”, he said jokingly “I know he was probably looking forward to it since you probably told him you’d be late tonight due to me and your very public attempt to tenderize me into submission at the gym, I’m sure he’ll understand he’ll get plenty of chances”, he said in a warm joking tone, obviously hinting that she’d be the one with plenty of opportunities to look forward to.

“Don’t worry”, she said with a playful smile “I’ll let him know”. Before he forgot he managed to ask “is there any special treats he likes that’ll get his attention, something I can bring for him which he’ll associate with me and essentially a good thing, which I could feed him?”, he asked earnestly.

Aisha’s eyes lit up “He loves salmon treats, the fancy ones, but don’t overdo it, he’s got a sensitive stomach”, she said with a laugh. “I’ll keep that in mind, I want him to like me for me, not just because I’m the bearer of salmon treats”, he said with a smirk.

“I’m sure he will, I know I do,” she replied, her voice warm and sincere. With a final lingering look, she leaned her head out of her car and the kiss that followed spoke of the evening’s finality and the feelings stirred within, as their tongues met for the first time in a dance of exploration and passion. It was slow and sweet, filled with the promise of more intimate moments to come. When they finally parted, the air was thick with unspoken desire and the hint of the future. “Remind me to ask you how you know how to do that so well”, she said wide grin on her lips.

“I do as my heart tells me, the rest is all you”, he confessed with his own eager grin, as she chuckled and started the engine, pulling out of the parking lot. The car’s headlights painted two cones of light into the darkening streets, guiding them homeward.

Upon reaching her apartment, she closed the door behind her, and the warmth of the evening was replaced with the comforting embrace of the familiar. It was quiet, with only the distant sound of Rajah’s meow echoing through the hallway. She felt a twinge of sadness that Perry couldn’t come in tonight, but she knew that their time would come. The anticipation was sweet.