Amuse bouche... Gym days

Aoife opened the plastic box of chocolates on the counter in the work break-out area. There were about 10 left, only two varieties, one a fruit cream and the other also creamy, but of an indefinite flavour, maybe coffee.

As it happened, Aoife was fond of both varieties, considered the dregs, it was obvious, by her workmates. Also, she was hungry.

Specifically, she was hungry for sugar. She wasn’t sure that the combination of early morning exercise classes and 16 hours of fasting was working for her. It seemed to be making her sugar hangry, which was not a good way to be at work.

As Aoife was shoving crinkly wrappers into her pocket and eating her third sweet at triple speed, and thinking how much she hated herself for hiding, in came Declan.

Declan sat on the other side of the desk divide from Aoife.

“Just in from Zumba?” Declan asked, and Aoife knew he’d spotted the wrapper, and the swallowing of the sweet that nearly choked her.

Aoife reckoned that Declan was the only person in the world who liked January. He was obsessed with diet and exercise all year round, but all year round, no one else was really interested in it.

In January, however, people kept coming to his desk to ask his advice on their Veganuary or their new gym membership. And Declan had all the answers for them.

Now, Aoife hadn’t actually asked Declan’s advice on her January health kick, but he’d noticed all the same and was what he’d call happy to help.

This included involving Aoife in the chat, when people were leaning on the desk divide, asking his advice. Or, she thought, using her as an example of how hilarious it was when people went on new-year health kicks. He knew her complete weekly workout routine and when she was sugar hangry, sometimes even before she knew herself.

The nut-and-fruit mash-up bars he offered at these moments were fairly disgusting, but they did the trick. Better than the four strawberry creams Aoife had just eaten, which were just making her sick. “I made soup,” said Declan. “That’s nice,” said Aoife, certain now he’d seen her sweet shame and was keen to guilt her out of doing it again.

“I brought double,” said Declan. “For when you break your fast.”

“Thanks,” said Aoife, feeling confused as he quickly disappeared back to his desk.

“Now that’s love,” said the cleaner, who had come in to get some tea while Declan was putting the soup in the fridge.

“No way,” said Aoife, with an unexpected warm feeling pushing aside all that hangry.