Forever Friend Zoned - C. Morgan

Dedication

To my awesome readers! I was watching Ryan Reynolds’s ‘Just Friends’ movie and got inspired to write something like it to make us swoon and smile. Hopefully, this does the trick! Love you guys. Appreciate you reading my work.

Chloe

Chapter 1

Jeff

I loved the heat, but it had been a long time since I’d been back to Arizona. When people asked, I said I was from Phoenix, but really, I was born and raised in Buckeye, a Phoenix suburb. I didn’t consider the place my home anymore. Dallas was home now.

Buckeye had changed a lot since I was fourteen. The walk down memory lane had been fun, but my hometown was not for me.

“What do you think?” the pretty redhead I was following asked. Fran was the manager of the gym. She was one of those go-getter types. I had a feeling she would step on small children if that was what it took for her to get ahead.

I looked around the massive gym that was a ridiculous three stories high. “It’s nice.”

She smiled, flashing a set of perfectly white teeth. “Nice? Is that really the appropriate word?”

I shrugged and looked around at the state-of-the-art equipment in the huge open gym. “I’m still trying to get my head around the idea there is a gym sitting in the middle of the place I played baseball with my friends when I was younger.”

“Uh oh, are you one of those sentimental types?” she teased.

“Not at all.”

“Why don’t we go up to the mats?” she offered.

“Do I look like the gymnastic type?” I asked.

She winked, her eyes raking over me. “It’s never a bad time to work on your flexibility.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“What do you think?” she asked. The way she said it made me wonder if she was talking about the gym or her.

“I think this is a massive gym.”

“It’s the biggest in town.” She grinned. “Best equipment. Best juice bar. Best of everything. We’re still new and working on increasing our membership, but we are going to be the biggest gym in the state once we get going.”

“It’s a great gym, but I live in Dallas. I’m not looking to leave.”

“Oh, come on now, Jefferson. Look at this place.”

“Please, call me Jeff,” I corrected her for at least the fifth time. When she called me Jefferson, I was certain my mother was about to rip me a new one for doing something wrong.

“Jeff, with your skills and your reputation in the fitness world, you could pick up new clients here. I’m talking professional athletes. People that will pay you big money to whip their asses into shape.”

“I appreciate that, but I have a solid client list at home.”

“You could be a personal trainer to the top celebrities and football players in the country. Phoenix, Buckeye especially, is growing by leaps and bounds. The secret about this place is out and everyone wants to live here.”

I offered her a smile. “It’s a great place, but I don’t think it’s the place for me.”

“Why did you agree to come out here if you weren’t interested?” she asked, her green eyes flashing. She was growing irritated.

“I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. I figured it couldn’t hurt to visit my old stomping grounds and see what changed. It turns out, a lot has changed.”

“Change is a good thing. Isn’t that how we stay in business? We tell anyone that walks through the door that we can change their life for the better. We promise their bodies will change and their health will improve. I love change.”

“I have to say, the changes I’m seeing in my hometown are a lot. I’ve changed since I’ve been away. I don’t think I fit in here anymore. I’ve built a life and a career in Dallas. I really love Texas. I have a long, loyal client list at the gym I work at now.”

“Ah, but The Zone is going to be the biggest thing since Gold’s Gym. We are building an elite team of trainers that will attract even more members. We are going to be nationwide, but that has to start here.”

“I appreciate your enthusiasm, and I am flattered you want me on board, but I’ve made a home for myself in Texas.”

“I reached out to you because I figured a guy like you would like to return to your roots.”

I raised an eyebrow. “A guy like me?”

Her eyes flashed with mischief. “Yes, I did my research.”

“I’m afraid to ask,” I muttered.

“You were the chubby kid.”