THE ASTROMATES... Chapter 2... Part 3.

A continuation of my book.

"Hello." I said, sneaking up on her so that she jumped.
"Glad you could make it, Richard. I didn’t think you would come." she said, getting over her surprise and reaching up to give me a birds’ peck on the cheek, her eyes promising plenty more.
Glancing down at the holdall, I began to tingle at my thoughts. Did my little Aries have her naughty nightie tucked up in there somewhere, along with a saucy selection of sex toys?
I smiled into her eyes.
"Of course I’d turn up. I wouldn’t let you down, would I now?"
She giggled.
"You’re a Saggy.", she said. "Saggys’ are prone to making promises they can’t keep."
I almost felt like telling her the truth, that I was a Libran but, resisting the urge and kept my mouth shut.
"What are we up to, Lilly? Your place or mine? Is that your overnight bag?"
Lilly laughed at my questions, guessing I was only teasing. Her eyes gleamed behind the glasses as she kept me waiting in anticipation. Finally, picking up the bag and grasping my hand, she led me on.
"Well." she said as we walked. "I know you Saggys’ are fond of your sports, good sports, through and through. So I thought it might be good fun for you to join me in my aerobics class. That’s surprised you hasn’t it?"
"What!"
The sound came out of me like passing wind. Was I hearing right? Firstly, I wasn’t a sporty-arsed Sagittarian (I was a ‘Lazy’ Libran!)… And, secondly, I have never enjoyed sports in my life, either participating or watching. The only sport I ever enjoyed in my life was ‘Plonker-Pulling’!
"Great." I said, the enthusiasm stretching my lips apart. "But if only you’d have told me last night, I would have brought my gear with me."
The sentence came out of me like the wind sighing; I had escaped with the breeze.
"Oh, it doesn’t matter." said Lilly, squeezing my hand tighter as we walked. She looked up at me.
"I know I should have told you, Richard, but I was afraid you might not show up."
The warmth of her little hand and the earnest look in her blue eyes behind the spectacles weakened my resolve to give it all up as a bad job.
"Why don’t you just come and watch me do my class." she suggested. "Then you can take me home."
How could I refuse? The warmth of her hand, the look in her eyes, the beat of my heart as it thumped against the packets of condoms inside my jacket. Such thoughts and feelings propelled my legs as we came to the front entrance and I was led up the stairs towards loud music and a louder voice.
"One and two, step and side, up and back…"
There, in front of rows of assorted gyrating women, dressed in assorted gym-wear, stood a large buxom wench who shouted out instructions at the top of her voice in time with the music. God, she frightened me! The last time I had seen anything resembling her was in a Hammer Horror film, which had given me nightmares for weeks after.
Lilly had left me and now returned in purple leotard and matching woollen socks, to peck at me before disappearing into the throng. The monstrosity in front continued to bawl her head off, ordering the group to keep in step. I lounged idly by the inside of the door, my eyes glued to the rhythmic wobbling of rows of buttocks before me. I never realised how many different shapes and sizes there were. This was the life!
"Hoi! You there! You at the back!"
The music was suddenly turned off. All eyes were turned in my direction, the hairs on the back of my neck pointing stiffly upwards.
"Did you hear me?"
The voice boomed before I could slide, cat-like, out of the door.
"Me?"
I mouthed the word, pointing an accusing finger at myself. Weak-kneed, I used the doorjamb to bolster myself upright.
"Yes, you man!" her voice belted out. "It’s no good standing there, watching us sweating. From here it looks like you could do with some exercise. Don’t you want to get fit?"
I looked round with frantic eyes, trying to find Lilly but she was lost in a sea of faces. Why I nodded in affirmation to the watching eyes of Herr Leader and her gang, I will never know, sheer panic, I guess. Then the truth of an excuse hit me.
"I would join in but I haven’t any gym-wear." I shouted weakly.
The buxom leader cupped a hand to her ear and the message was passed down through the ranks. Lilly was by my side now, skipping across. Bless you girl, I needed rescuing.
"It’s alright, Lesley!" shouted my saviour, before saying… "There’s some shorts in the changing-room. I’ll show him!"
"Hurry up then." growled the leader, reaching down to turn on the sterio, resuming with both, the music and the shouted orders.
Trancelike, I let Lilly lead me. Unresisting, I undressed and redressed in the allotted kit before plodding back to the noise. In socks, tight blue shorts and white singlet, I was not the idea of every woman’s dream, well not from the looks of distaste and pity I got from those assembled as I re-entered the hall.
"Okay everybody. We’ll hit it from the top!", exclaimed the leader.
All eyes turned front-wards as the music got the women jumping in time.
Lilly, determined as ever to be up the front, led me unresisting to the fore where we joined the heaving mass of flesh. The horror-monster seemed to have her bulbous eyes glued to my body at all times as she bellowed out increasingly faster instructions. For the next hour my body went through the twilight zone of pain. My legs jangled like those of a puppet whose strings were being worked by some insane child. My arms were alarmed in shock, hands wringing in wracked agony. I was all in, sweating blood, crying real tears. Lilly, meanwhile, ever at my side, bright-eyed with energy, hyperactive, kept up the pace, urging me on to even greater achievements.
It was over, a final whistle blast. Leaning against the doorpost, I took in great gulps of life-giving air as the horde of health-conscious giggling mass passed me by on the way to the changing room. The class was finished and so was I. Lilly skipped up to me, still singing the words to the last song, fresh as a daisy.
"See." she trilled. "I knew you would enjoy it as soon as you got into the swing of things."
The buxom leader of the gang gave me a thumping good slap on the back as she passed. I nearly passed out.
"Well done, Chappie." she bawled in my ear, then, beaming at Lilly, she said… "You can bring him again if you like. A few more sessions will do him the world of good."
"You’d like that, wouldn’t you, Richard?" asked Lilly, making my mind up for me. I didn’t have the energy to argue. I leaned there, a broken man, wracked in agony, the slightest sound now becoming a clap of thunder in my ears.
"D’you know what we ought to do now, Richard?"
Lilly’s’ voice became a shriek from hell, a banshees’ scream. I made out the white blur of her face and felt my mouth stiffen as the word "What?" questioned itself out.
"I reckon we ought to put our clothes into my holdall and you can jog with me to my house."
She held onto my arm, beginning to run on the spot.
"Richard." she continued, shaking me. "It’s only about a mile away. We’ll be there in no time. We can have a nice cup of coffee, share a relaxing bath together, then snuggle up for the night."
I breathed in deeply, drawing on last reserves. Bathed in perspiration, bloodied in spirit, all I wanted was my bed… I just wanted to be alone with my pain.
"You run along ahead." I implored.
I was still a lifeless and pathetic body when Lilly came back from the changing room. Handing me a piece of paper with her address and phone number on it, she said… "I must dash off now, Richard. You can catch up with me later."
A peck on the cheek and she was gone. I listened to her footsteps as she flitted down the stairs then dragged my tortured body off to get changed, each motion drawing a gasp of pain. Later, thinking about Lilly, I knew there was no way I could ever keep up with the thoughts and actions of an Aries Maiden!