Intrigued

AU 3-shot

1st

He saw her every day at the gym. From 6:00am-7:00am every weekday, she was at the gym. She was never late, never early, and always left at 7:00am on the dot. It wasn't hard to notice her. Wasn't hard for him to notice her. The only other people who were up this at this hour were committed or were involved in some sort of training.

Most people came in later. Around 8:30am was when the gym was the busiest. Filled with mothers who were barely awake- wanting to burn some calories before they began their hectic day, executives needing to stay in shape for their appearance, and bachelorettes who wanted a wealthy husband. They were the ones who usually sported the short spandex and the unusually thin sports bras. But she didn't, and he noticed this. She was more conservative compared to most girls. A simple athletic tank top and some running shorts or athletic leggings, with her favorite tennis shoes. And he also noticed how well her clothes fit her. She was petite, but strong. He couldn't not notice her beautiful figure and the effect it left on him.

But she was there from 6:00am-7:00am and she had a routine.

From 6:00-6:10 she would stretch. From 6:10-6:25 she would work on weights machines, occasionally alternating. From 6:25-6:55 she would run on the treadmill. And she would take her last five minutes to cool down and drink her water.

And he noticed this. In fact, he almost remembered it. He almost had it down, until she didn't show up one day. And he noticed this.

That day turned into two, which turned into three, which turned into four, which then turned into a week. For a whole week she was not at the gym from 6:00am-7:00am. Maybe she was sick, or went on a vacation, he thought. Suddenly not being able to focus on anything else other than where this girl was. And he didn't even know her name.

He contemplated asking his best friend, the owner of the gym, if he knew where she might be or if she came in later. But he decided against it, he didn't even know her name. And he knew that he would never hear the end of it from his best friend, an interest in someone was not something he regularly had. And his best friend knew this.

The next Monday, he anxiously watched the clock as he ran, glancing at the door in between. And when she walked in at 6:00am he felt relieved, and the thought made him wonder. Wonder why he was so interested in this girl. Why he was so invested in this girl. He didn't even know her name.

She continued her normal routine- stretching, weights, then running.

And when the clock hit 7:00am, she left.

He had moved on to a weight machine, spacing out on his actions and just thinking about the girl. He had never thought of someone like he did right now. He was never so interested and intrigued by the quiet girl, who rarely said anything to anyone. With the occasional 'excuse me' or 'thank you'. The polite words drifting through his fumbling mind. He couldn't grasp it.

...

The next day he was so lost in thought of his day plan that he didn't even notice her when she stepped onto the treadmill beside him.

She glanced over at him for a brief moment. Running steadily on the treadmill with earbuds in. He was staring in front of him, deep in thought.

He was attractive. Tall and muscular but lean, not like some of the body builders that attended the same gym. He had a sharp jawline with tan skin. She'd seen him a couple times at the gym; he was always there when she was. He was quiet, she never saw him talk to anyone but the man who owned the gym. And if he did talk, it was only a few words. Intriguing, was the word that crossed her mind.

She tore her eyes away before he could glance over and see her staring and could feel a rosy tiny appear on her cheeks. She focused on the buttons in front of her, starting to walk, then continuing until she was running at a consistent pace.

She liked to get lost in her thoughts while she ran. Think of her day ahead and how to maximize her free time or mentally form her grocery list.

But today she couldn't determine if she was out of eggs or if she still had a couple in her refrigerator and if she had enough butter for a chocolate cake that she was going to bake later. And she also couldn't estimate her workload today and what time she'd be able to leave. No the only thing she could think about was the man running beside her. Even from the thundering sound of both his and her feet hitting the tracks as they ran against them, she could still hear the faint music that slipped from his earbuds. She recognized the music, recognized the band. It was an older song, something popular a couple years ago. But he was still listening to it and that's what intrigued her again because it was the same song she listened to the day before.

She knew if she were bolder, more confident, she'd slow down her speed and tap on his shoulder, say hello and comment on his choice of music. But she wasn't. So she continued running, even bumped up the speed to run faster.

As much as she wanted to turn her head to look and the man beside her she focused on the small screen in front of her that she rarely watched. But she had to get her mind off of him. This weird feeling that had started to consume her was getting harder to push down. She glanced at the clock, hoping it was 6:55, time to stop and drink her water. But it was only 6:44. She sighed and kept running.

A/N: Hello! This is the first part of my 3-shot. I will be updating soon, but I don't have an exact date on it. Please review and tell me how you think this is. It is my first piece of work in 3rd POV so comment on that as well. Thanks!

Disclaimer: I do not own Divergent and I haven't met Theo James.