I left with more questions than answers.
What was that about?
I stood outside Calista's closed bedroom door for a long moment after, feeling uncertain as to whether I should knock again to ask more questions or just do as she said and leave her alone.
With no clear direction, and my internal gauge for social interaction nearly depleted, I left.
'It's about time I hit the gym anyway.'
Priya and Lena did say midday was quieter, as opposed to the morning and the post-work rush.
Was late night not considered a less crowded time? Or maybe it was simply more dangerous for men to walk about at night?
I headed back to my room to grab my gym bag before making my way back downstairs. As I rounded the corner towards the stairs, a slight movement from the couch startled me into a pause.
There was the clinking of ice on glass, then a gurgling of liquid as a bottle was lifted, poured into the crystal lowball and downed with a single swig. Then, a heavy sigh, followed by another.
Freya.
My aunt.
Was my mother, of sorts—in the way that she was acting as a parental figure for everyone here.
Maybe she could've provided decent intel on a certain enigmatic older sister as she always seemed to know more than anyone else, but I also feared that asking around my current family about my prior self would lead to awkward conversations or unwanted attention.
My steps caught her attention. She turned her head from the couch, taking one, slow sip as her gaze locked onto me and then not letting up until I reached the ground level.
"Ah, Damien. You're going to the gym?" Freya asked, swirling the brownish liquid in her glass. She had changed into a more comfortable-looking outfit now, a loose, silk robe that was tied loosely at the waist, revealing a generous amount of cleavage, and the barest hint of a nipple if your eye caught it at the right angle.
"Yeah, midday is quieter..." I repeated the information I'd been given. "Figured I'd get a good workout in before it gets too crowded."
Freya set her glass down, leaning forward on the couch, her chin propped up by her hand as she watched me. "You're enjoying this new hobby of yours, aren't you?"
Probably not her intention, but with her leaning forward, her cleavage spilled out even more unashamedly. Not that there would've been anything to be ashamed of, from her perspective.
"I am." I admitted. "It feels good to be active."
"That's good." She smiled. "It's good for you to get out of the house. Spread your wings, so to speak."
She took another sip of her drink.
"I also had a talk with your mother about that, and I managed to assure her to some degree. She's trying her best not to have a heart attack every five minutes when you're not in her sight, you know." Freya continued, eyes crinkling in crescent moons above the rim of her glass.
"I appreciate that..." I trailed off, not sure how to respond to that.
"Don't mention it, Daimy boy."
"Ugh..." I groaned. "Please don't call me that."
Freya let out a rich, throaty laugh.
"By the way, where is Mom? I figured she'd be here to walk me to the gym again." I changed the subject, my eyes scanning the living room.
"Don't worry, she's in her room." Freya drawled. "Probably making herself busy with some work or just having her own quiet moment after all this excitement. She told me to send you her best wishes and to be careful."
I blinked. "Oh, does that mean I'll be going alone?"
Freya's smile widened even further. "Not at all, I'll be happy to accompany you."
My brain screeched to a halt. "You?"
"Is there a problem?"
"No, not at all. It's just..." I tilted my head. "Aren't you busy? With... work?"
Freya took a final sip of her drink, setting the empty glass down with a soft click. "Never too busy for my favorite nephew."
"Well, I won't pass up the opportunity to spend some time with my favorite aunt."
I hadn't meant it as a compliment, more as a playful jab, but her smile softened slightly. "I'm your only aunt, Damien. But I appreciate the sentiment." She stood up, and I did not stare, because I had fucking manners and she was my aunt. "Let me get changed."
"Right..."
...
A sleeveless top. Short shorts. So short that I was ninety-nine percent sure I could see her underwear, and the other one percent was my mind trying to convince itself otherwise. A pair of sleek running shoes. And a tiny, fanny-pack-looking thing that she wore around her waist.
She had tied her hair in a high ponytail, showing off her long neck and the delicate lines of her collarbones. She looked like she was about to go on a jog on a runway in Milan.
Was there some sort of genome engineering thing for this household's women that gave them a license to look this good? With all this new technology to create 'designer babies', they must've been playing with the beauty genes too.
"So, shall we?" She said, twirling the ends of her ponytail with a smile.
Walking side by side, I noticed how much taller I was than her, and that was not because Freya was short; she was easily around 5'8" or so, a good height for a woman, but standing next to me made her look... smaller. A perfect figure, nothing overly inflated for the sole reason of sexual appeal, but a slender, feminine build that was just beautiful.
"So, you and Calista have been making quite the noise." Freya made a casual observation.
"Yeah, we've been trying something."
"I'm glad you and her are talking again." She sounded genuinely pleased. "It's been a while."
"It has, huh...?" I said, trying to fish for more information.
But my aunt wasn't that easy to read, because all I got was her taking a deep breath, her eyes crinkling a tad as the sides of her lips lifted upwards. "You've always been stubborn one. But, it's good that you're trying to reconcile. We should all try to get along, regardless of what happens..." She glanced at me. "We're all family, aren't we?"
That last sentence held a tone that was a bit too soft, and I wondered what she meant by that. Regardless of what happens? What could happen in the future that would test our bonds as a family? What exactly happened between me and Calista?
"True..." Still, what she said was something I agreed with. "We're all we have."
"Exactly." Freya's eyes crinkled again as she looked up at me. "By the way, you have a beautiful voice. I couldn't help but hear it."
"You could hear it all the way from the living room?"
"Calista's room has good soundproofing but not good enough. And you were singing quite loudly." She smirked. "And a little provocatively."
I coughed. "Yeah... well, it was just a song. Nothing special."
"Oh, I wouldn't say that. You've got a real talent." She said, her voice lowering. "You should sing more often. I'd love to hear more."
"I don't know if I'm cut out for it yet. It's just something I'm experimenting with."
"Experiment away." She winked. "I'm a supportive aunt. I'll cheer you on."
I chuckled. "Thanks, Aunt. That means a lot."
Between Willow and Freya, the latter was the more easygoing and laid-back one.
We reached FitForm shortly after, despite our walking speed being leisurely.
Freya didn't try to go in and stopped on the opposite sidewalk of the entrance. "You can go in all by yourself, can't you?"
"I'm at least capable of that, yes." I laughed. "Are you picking me up as well?"
"Yeah." She nodded. "But I can sit in the lounge and wait for you, if you'd like."
"No, it's fine." I shook my head. "I won't be long. I'll text you when I'm done."
"Alright. I'll be around." She flashed me another smile, which turned into a small frown. "Be safe."
I nodded, smiling back, before turning to cross the street.
"Daimy?"
I turned around, only to be caught off guard when I saw her spreading her arms open, beckoning me. "Willow told me you've become a little more... affectionate, so, I was wondering..."
"... oh."
My heart did a funny thing.
Nothing wrong with a hug; it was just the way she was looking at me, the poise, the way she was dressed, her smile, that low, almost seductive tone that put me off for a bit.
I wasn't one to refuse a hug, especially if it was an invitation from such an attractive woman.
But it definitely felt like I was stepping into a den of snakes when her body slithered gently against mine, her hands coiling across my shoulders before finding the back of my neck.
We both clicked.
With such close proximity, I noticed the subtle perfume and shampoo. The liquor she was indulging in—I inhaled it all from her breath.
I settled my hands on her lower back, a friendly touch, yet I could not deny the sinuous sensuality of her body, what lay below the thin material, the exposed skin, the perfect curvature a few inches away from my fingers.
We hugged for probably longer than what hugs were meant to be.
We parted, and for some reason it didn't feel normal.
Even as I waved my hand and crossed the street, my mind wasn't in the right state to overanalyze anything yet. I just needed some time to adjust, some time to let the blush die down.
"......"
I went inside, waved at Priya who was once again sitting behind the front desk.
She waved back with a weird look on her face.
I tapped my fob and entered the gym, heading straight to the locker room, where I quickly changed and headed to the weights section to begin my workout.
'Hmm, wasn't midday supposed to be quieter?'
So, why the fuck there were so many women? If anything, I'd say it was at least double or triple the amount from yesterday, from a quick glance.
I checked my phone just in case I'd missed some message about a special event or something, but no. I tucked myself away in a quiet corner. I placed the towel on the bench and sat down on top of it.
Shit, I didn't even have a proper schedule on how to organize a decent routine, much less how to make up a plan that maximizes results.
Either way, I just decided to throw all logic in the bin for today and do as many exercises that felt right at that specific moment.
The headphones clamped tightly against my ears.
Closing my eyes, women’s music echoed off.
Even so—
'Willow told me you've become a little more... affectionate, so, I was wondering...'
Aunt Freya's words popped back into my head, and it felt a little weird to think about them while my triceps were burning on a set of push-downs.
She was usually like this, my aunt. She'd tease, she'd joke around. And it was fun. But she was slowly pouring gasoline on me when I wouldn't notice.
'Willow told me you've become a little more... affectionate.'
'So, I was wondering...'
I exhaled, shaking my head.
'Alright, enough of that.' I told myself.
I got up and decided to move onto the next exercise.
I picked up a set of dumbbells for some bicep curls and found an empty space to do my reps. The floor was busy, yes, but not so much that I couldn't get my own little bubble of personal space.
I thought I'd run into Kendra today, but she was nowhere to be seen. Maybe she was on a break or working with another client. Or maybe she was avoiding me after what happened yesterday.
That was a shame. I kind of enjoyed having a personal trainer for free.
But it was okay.
I could handle it on my own. From push-downs, curls, lateral raises. I was going through my reps, trying to maintain good form and focus on the muscle contraction.
My brain was starting to get into the zone. That was when I started to feel the stares again.
Not just glances, not just curiosity, but actual, sustained staring.
I looked up.
Two women, maybe a few years older than me, were standing near a row of pull-up bars. They were looking in my direction, whispering to each other.
When they saw me looking, they quickly turned away, as if they'd been caught doing something they shouldn't have. But not before I caught one of them smiling at me.
“.......”
I wasn’t uncomfortable, but having so much attention on me made me super conscious of my own actions, even the simple act of lifting a weight.
The 1 hour mark passed without any woman approaching me.
Once I felt like I hit my limit for the day, I packed up and headed to the locker room, took a quick shower and changed into my clothes.
I was about to text Freya to let her know I was done, when I saw already waiting for me by the entrance.
Same clothes as before. Same smile.
"Ready to go, Daimy?"
She asked as she pushed herself off the wall.
"You didn't have to wait for me outside. You knew I would've texted you..."
"True. But..." She threw a coy look over her shoulder, making me feel like I was walking in quicksand. "... I thought I'd surprise you."
"Well, I'm very surprised." I walked with her. "But I don't feel comfortable knowing that you've been waiting outside this entire time."
"Isn't it normal for a woman to wait for a man? I've always wanted to experience that for myself." She smiled, then patted my cheek.
Normal for a woman, huh?
"Did you do anything fun while I was in the gym?"
Freya shot me a sideway glance.
"Actually, I made myself pretty."
I took a closer look at Freya, and noticed a subtle hint of make up. Not the 'I'm ready for a red-carpet walk' level, but there were some carefully applied shades and lines that really enhanced her look.
"You don't need any makeup to make yourself prettier, Aunt."
The slight widening of her eyes was the only indication that she might've been caught off-guard by that, but Freya always bounced back with a ready quip, so,
"If you keep talking like this, Daimy, a girl's gonna get suspicious."
"Suspicious of what? Compliments?"
"Of the fact that you might not be a man at all."
"Hey, that's rude." I laughed. "I'm very much a man, I've got the dick to prove it."
"Well, I haven't seen it, so the jury's still out." She shrugged playfully.
"You know what, I don't even know why I'm trying to convince you." I shook my head. "Maybe I should just let you think what you want. If it helps you sleep at night."
"Oh, it does." She nodded. "I sleep like a baby, knowing my dear nephew is actually a pretty girl in disguise."
"......"
I looked at her, and she looked back at me, and there was something so absurdly wrong with this conversation that I couldn't help but break into laughter.
She followed suit, laughing along.
"Don't tell Mom you said that. She'll be devastated."
"I would never, sweetie." Freya said, and the way she said 'sweetie' had such an adorable and warm undertone to it that, for a second, I thought that maybe I could melt a little inside and not feel guilty for it. "Your secret is safe with me."
"Good. I'd hate to have to prove my masculinity to my own mother."
Which meant I had to prove my femininity, because this world was in reverse, so maybe there was some truth to Freya's words. I could very well be a pretty girl in disguise.
I wiped at the corner of my eyes as I noticed Freya took a different turn.
"Aren't we going home?"
"Soon, but it's been a while since I've had ice cream." She said, and her tone was so excited that I couldn't help but imagine an actual child dragging their parents to the nearest candy store. "And you're coming with me."