Chapter 55: A Little Too Easy to Tease

"Not yet."

Jason shook his head, wearing an almost embarrassingly innocent expression.

"Sabrina, could you show me one more time?"

Sabrina stared at him.

"One more time?"

Jason nodded earnestly.

"I’m terrible at this stuff. Some people can watch something once and get it immediately. Me? I probably need to see it a hundred times."

There was just enough helplessness in his voice to make the excuse almost convincing.

Almost.

The truth was that Jason knew exactly what he was doing.

He had no intention of wasting an opportunity like this.

Sabrina was an excellent trainer. She knew how to explain movements, how to correct posture, and how to make even basic exercises look effortless.

And, if Jason was being honest with himself, she was also incredibly attractive.

There was something striking about watching her move.

Every motion was controlled, balanced, and deliberate. She didn’t simply perform an exercise—she made it look natural.

Sabrina sighed.

"Fine. One more time."

She stepped back onto the mat.

"Watch carefully this time, okay?"

She slowly moved into position and demonstrated the stretch again.

Her breathing had become slightly heavier after repeating the movement several times. A faint sheen of sweat covered her forehead, and a few strands of hair had escaped from their original position, resting against her cheek.

She brushed them aside with the back of her hand.

"Did you feel it that time?"

Jason considered it for a moment.

"Hmm..."

He deliberately looked uncertain.

"Not quite."

Sabrina’s eyebrows lifted.

"Seriously?"

Jason nodded.

"I’m trying."

She stared at him for another second before letting out a quiet breath.

How can someone be this slow?

She had trained plenty of beginners over the years. Everyone learned at a different pace, of course, but Jason was unusually difficult.

He was smart. That much was obvious.

He was observant, confident, and quick with his words.

So why was something this simple giving him so much trouble?

For a moment, frustration flickered across Sabrina’s face.

If this had been one of her regular clients, she probably would have moved on already.

But Jason was different.

For reasons she didn’t entirely want to examine, she had more patience with him than she normally would.

Maybe he’s genuinely trying.

She reminded herself that learning a movement correctly mattered more than learning it quickly.

Plenty of people rushed through exercises without understanding proper form. They lifted heavier weights, pushed themselves harder, and wondered why they never saw the results they wanted.

Technique came first.

Patience came second.

She could give him that.

Besides...

She didn’t exactly mind spending a little more time with him.

"Okay," she said at last. "Let me demonstrate it again."

Jason’s lips twitched.

"Thanks."

Sabrina moved into position once more.

This time, she went through the movement slowly, explaining each part as she did it.

"Keep your back stable. Don’t force the range of motion. You should feel tension, but it shouldn’t hurt."

Jason nodded along.

Sabrina finished the movement and looked at him expectantly.

"Well?"

Jason tilted his head.

"Still not sure."

Her eyes widened.

"You’re kidding."

Jason tried not to smile.

"Maybe I’m just a slow learner."

Sabrina planted her hands on her hips.

"You’re testing my patience, aren’t you?"

"Would I do that?"

"Yes."

Her answer came so quickly that Jason laughed.

Sabrina tried to keep a straight face, but the corner of her mouth betrayed her.

"Fine. Here’s what we’re going to do."

She pointed toward the mat.

"I’ll demonstrate it five times in a row. You watch every movement. Then you copy me."

She gave him a challenging look.

"If you still don’t understand it after that, I’m officially blaming you."

Jason nodded solemnly.

"Fair enough."

Sabrina began again.

One repetition.

Then another.

She maintained perfect form each time, explaining small adjustments as she went.

By the third repetition, her breathing had noticeably deepened.

By the fifth, she paused with her hands resting on her thighs, taking a moment to catch her breath.

A few more beads of sweat had appeared along her forehead.

She looked back at Jason.

"Surely you got it now."

Jason scratched his head.

"I think I’m getting there."

Sabrina stared at him.

"You think?"

"It’s complicated."

"It’s a warm-up stretch."

"Exactly. That’s why it’s so complicated."

She looked at him as if she couldn’t decide whether to laugh or throw a towel at him.

Jason’s expression remained completely innocent.

Sabrina finally sighed.

"Okay. One last time."

She stepped back onto the mat.

Jason’s smile widened.

He was having far too much fun with this.

Sabrina demonstrated the movement again.

When she finished, Jason shook his head.

"No..."

Her shoulders dropped.

"You’re unbelievable."

"I’m sorry."

"No, you’re not."

"I might be."

"You’re definitely not."

Jason laughed.

Sabrina shook her head, but there was a smile hiding behind her exasperation.

She was beginning to realize what was happening.

Jason wasn’t nearly as helpless as he pretended to be.

She couldn’t prove it.

But something about the way he watched her made her suspicious.

He wasn’t simply watching the exercise.

He was watching her.

And somehow, that realization didn’t irritate her as much as it should have.

"Again," Jason said.

Sabrina’s eyes narrowed.

"Jason."

"One more."

"That’s what you said five times ago."

"Then this one is definitely the last."

She stared at him.

Then, despite herself, she laughed.

"You’re such a pain."

Jason grinned.

"I’m trying my best."

Another moment passed.

Then—

Ding!

A familiar electronic chime sounded inside Jason’s mind.

[Sabrina Cole’s Affection toward the Host has increased by 1.]

[Current Affection: 71]

Jason’s eyes flickered.

Seventy-one.

Interesting.

His little game was actually working.

But he wasn’t going to push his luck too far.

Sabrina had already given him far more patience than most trainers would have.

"That’s enough," she finally said.

She straightened and put her hands on her hips.

"If you don’t get it after this, I’m moving on to something else."

Jason raised both hands in surrender.

"Okay, okay. I feel it now."

Sabrina gave him a suspicious look.

"You feel it now?"

"Yep."

"And you couldn’t feel it ten minutes ago?"

Jason smiled.

"Maybe I needed a really good teacher."

For a brief second, Sabrina didn’t respond.

Then her expression softened.

"You’re good at talking your way out of trouble."

"It’s a talent."

"I noticed."

She shook her head and motioned toward the mat.

"Now show me."

Jason obediently lowered himself onto the mat.

Sabrina crossed her arms.

She was determined to see whether he’d actually learned anything.

"Go ahead."

Jason took a breath.

Then he moved.

His body settled into the stretch with smooth, controlled precision.

His back remained properly aligned.

His weight was distributed evenly.

His movements were steady and deliberate.

There was no hesitation.

No awkward adjustment.

No struggle.

Sabrina’s expression slowly changed.

Her eyes widened.

For several seconds, she simply stared.

Jason finished the movement and looked up.

"How was that?"

Sabrina didn’t answer immediately.

Her cheeks were already beginning to warm.

She knew that form.

She knew exactly how difficult it was for a true beginner to execute the movement that cleanly.

And Jason had just done it perfectly.

"You..."

She pointed at him.

"You knew how to do it."

Jason blinked.

"Did I?"

"Don’t play dumb."

Sabrina’s face turned red.

"You’ve been messing with me this entire time."

Jason gave her his most innocent smile.

"I told you I was clumsy."

"You are not clumsy."

She stepped closer.

"You deliberately made every mistake you could think of just so I’d demonstrate it again."

Jason scratched the back of his neck.

"Maybe I’m a fast learner."

Sabrina stared at him.

Then she covered her face with one hand.

"Oh my God..."

She couldn’t believe she’d fallen for it.

She had demonstrated the same movement over and over while Jason stood there watching with that perfectly innocent expression.

He had known.

He had known the entire time.

And somehow, the realization didn’t make her angry.

If anything, it made her heart beat a little faster.

She lowered her hand.

"You’re trouble."

Jason smiled.

"I’ve been told."

"By who?"

"Myself."

That earned a reluctant laugh.

Sabrina looked away for a moment, trying to hide her smile.

She couldn’t.

There was something about Jason that made it difficult to stay annoyed with him.

Maybe it was his confidence.

Maybe it was the way he looked at her.

Or maybe it was simply the fact that, beneath all his teasing, he seemed genuinely comfortable around her.

She wasn’t used to that.

Most men who approached her at the gym were obvious about their intentions. They tried too hard, showed off, or used some ridiculous excuse to start a conversation.

Jason was different.

He teased her.

He challenged her.

And somehow, he made her laugh.

That was dangerous.

Because she was beginning to enjoy it.

Sabrina took a slow breath.

What am I doing?

She was thirty-one.

Jason was only nineteen.

There was a twelve-year gap between them.

She knew better than to let her imagination run away with her.

Whatever this was, she shouldn’t encourage it.

She repeated that thought to herself.

Then she looked at Jason again.

And her resolve weakened almost immediately.

He’s really good at getting under my skin.

She turned away before he could notice the conflicted expression on her face.

"Alright," she said, forcing her professional tone back into place. "Enough messing around."

Jason stood.

"Yes, Coach."

"And don’t think I’m letting you off easy just because you finally learned the movement."

Jason smiled.

"I wouldn’t expect you to."

"Good."

Sabrina grabbed another mat and moved toward the next section of the gym.

"Next up: side lunges."

She demonstrated the movement.

This time, her posture was relaxed, her movements smooth and controlled.

She shifted her weight from one side to the other, keeping her balance effortlessly.

Jason watched carefully.

Not because he was pretending to be a beginner this time.

He genuinely wanted to see how she trained.

Sabrina’s technique was excellent.

She had clearly spent years developing her strength, flexibility, and balance.

There was an almost effortless grace to the way she moved.

Jason couldn’t help admiring it.

"You really are good," he said.

Sabrina glanced over her shoulder.

"Finally admitting it?"

"I never said you weren’t."

"You made me demonstrate the same stretch about ten times."

"That was research."

"Research?"

Jason nodded seriously.

"Very important research."

Sabrina laughed.

"You’re hopeless."

Jason smiled.

But as he watched her continue the demonstration, he realized something.

The teasing had started as a way to increase her Affection.

Yet somewhere along the way, it had become something more natural.

He genuinely enjoyed talking to her.

He liked seeing her smile.

And judging by the way she kept glancing back at him, Sabrina wasn’t entirely indifferent either.

Neither of them said anything about it.

They didn’t need to.

For now, the quiet tension between them was enough.

And Jason had a feeling that the next few points of Affection might be much harder to earn than the first seventy.