Valentine's Recipe for Love

The Truth Beneath the Surface

♡ Shane ♡

The clang of weights hitting the floor echoed through Ironworks Gym, but my mind wasn’t on the workout. It hadn’t been for days. I was going through the motions, correcting clients’ forms, and counting reps, but my head was somewhere else entirely. It was with Megan. After dinner at her place, I couldn’t stop thinking about her. The way she laughed, the way she fussed over Luna, the way she had looked at me across the table with warmth in her eyes. It all felt so easy with her, so right. But that was the problem. It shouldn’t feel this way. Not when I was still with Casey. Guilt gnawed at me every time I thought about it. I hadn’t done anything wrong, technically. Megan and I hadn’t crossed any lines. But that didn’t change the fact that I hadn’t told Casey about her and that secrecy made me feel like I was walking a very thin line between right and wrong. I wiped down a bench press and glanced toward the front desk. Caleb was watching me closely as he leaned against the counter. He had that look that screamed out that we needed to talk. I had a feeling I knew what was coming, and I wasn’t looking forward to it. After a minute or so, Caleb pushed away from the counter and walked over to me.

“Shane, do you have a minute?” he asked. Caleb knew my schedule just like I knew his. He knew I didn’t have a client booked for the next hour or so.

“Sure…” I replied reluctantly. I didn’t want to have this conversation. Caleb crossed his arms over his chest and shot me a hard look that told me he meant business and that this was serious.

“Let’s talk in the office,” he said before he walked out. I rolled my eyes, but I was grateful that we would be having this conversation in private. The office wasn’t an actual office. It was a small room with a table and a few chairs. It was where we held our weekly meeting. I eventually followed him to the back of the gym and into the room. I shut the door behind me and looked over at Caleb, who had taken a seat at the table. He gestured to the chair across from him and I sighed as I pulled out the chair and sat down.

“What’s up?” I asked as I tried to keep my tone as casual as possible.

“What the hell are you doing?” he questioned rather bluntly. I blinked at him in surprise. While I had been expecting this, I was still taken aback by his question.

“What are you talking about?”

“Megan,” he stated simply. “You have been spending time with her, haven’t you?” I sighed as I ran my fingers through my hair.

“I mean, we have had lunch and dinner together…but that’s it, and it isn’t what you think,” I said softly. The last thing I wanted to do was argue with him, but I had a feeling he wasn’t just going to let it go.

“Not what I think? Shane, are you even listening to yourself? You hunted her down, you got her number…you had lunch with her, and then she invited you over for dinner. At. Her. Apartment,” he said, and I let out another sigh. “And the only reason I know any of this is because I’m a nosy motherfucker, and you told me about her…otherwise, I have a feeling Megan would be a secret to me as well,”

“You are making it sound bad. It isn’t like that. Megan is becoming a friend,” I argued defensively.

“A friend?” Caleb snorted in response. “Come on, dude. You and I both know that is utter bullshit. Friends don’t sneak around and hide things from their girlfriend,”

“I’m not sneaking around!” I snapped, irritated. “I haven’t done anything wrong,” I added, but Caleb shook his head.

“Really? Then tell me, Shane…does Casey know about her? Does Casey know that you had lunch with her? That you went to her apartment for dinner? Does Casey know that you text her? Call her? Think about her? Have feelings for her?” each question felt like a punch to my stomach. I opened my mouth to respond, but nothing came out. He was right. I knew he was right. I hadn’t told Casey about Megan. And it wasn’t because I thought she would be upset about me having a new friend. No, it was because I knew deep down that my feelings for Megan weren’t just friendly. “Look,” Caleb then said, his tone now soft. “I’m not trying to be a jerk. But you need to be honest with yourself. This isn’t about friendship. You have feelings for Megan,”

“No,” I said as I shook my head. I denied it even as my chest tightened. Caleb shot me a disbelieving look and I sighed as I once again shook my head.

“You can lie to yourself all you want, but you can’t lie to me. I have known you for years, dude. I know you have feelings for her, so don’t even try to deny it,” he said firmly, and I sank further into the chair. My mind was a storm of conflicting emotions. I cared about Casey. I loved Casey. Or at least, I thought I did. But every moment with Megan felt more real, more genuine. It was a terrifying realization.

“I don’t know what to do,” I finally admitted quietly.

“You need to figure out what you want,” Caleb said firmly. “Because leading Casey on isn’t fair to her. And dragging things out with Megan while pretending it’s nothing isn’t fair to either of you,” the truth of his words settled heavily on my shoulders. I knew I couldn’t keep going on like this. I couldn’t keep pretending that everything was fine when it clearly wasn’t.

“I care about Casey,” I said quietly. “We have been together for three years,”

“I know, Shane, but…are you still in love with her?” Caleb asked. I didn’t answer. The silence said it all. Caleb sighed, as he shook his head. “Look, I’m not saying you need to make a decision right this second. But you can’t keep ignoring this. If you have feelings for Megan, you need to be honest about it. With yourself. With Casey. And with Megan,” I nodded slowly. He was right. But just because he was right, didn’t make it easy to deal with. Or even to acknowledge. And as I sat there, guilt gnawed at me. I thought about Casey and how she had been by my side for years. But I also thought about Megan’s laugh, the way her eyes sparkled when she talked about her bakery, and the way my heart raced every time I saw her.

“Thanks, man,” I said as I stood up. “I appreciate it,” Caleb stood up as well and clapped me on the back.

“That’s what I’m here for. Just don’t screw this up, okay?”

“I’ll try not to,” I said. I left the room and headed back to the front. I may not have a client booked, but I could get ready for my next client later this afternoon. And as I got everything ready, I couldn’t help but replay Caleb’s words in my mind.