Chapter 29 - The Public Confession
Ginny almost didn't go in.
She stood outside Jayna's gym, staring at her reflection in the glass doors like she was about to walk into a battlefield.
Inside, music thumped softly. Weights clanked. Laughter rose and fell.
Jayna was near the center of the room, demonstrating proper squat form to a small group. Focused. Calm. In control.
Ginny's heart pounded so hard she felt it in her throat.
Apple and TK stood behind her like chaotic emotional bodyguards.
"You've done bigger events than this," Apple whispered.
"Yeah," TK added, adjusting Ginny's collar. "But this one actually matters."
Ginny shot them a look. "That doesn't help."
"Good," Apple said. "Go."
Before she could think herself out of it, Ginny pushed the doors open.
The cool air-conditioning hit her skin.
A few people turned.
Jayna didn't notice at first.
Ginny walked further in, heels echoing slightly against the rubber flooring—immediately regretting wearing heels to a gym.
Someone nudged Jayna.
She looked up.
And froze.
The room seemed to quiet all at once.
Jayna straightened slowly, towel slung over her shoulder, eyes unreadable.
"Ginny?" she said, cautious.
Ginny swallowed.
Every instinct told her to make a joke.
To deflect.
To soften the intensity.
She didn't.
"Can I have a minute?" Ginny asked, voice slightly shaking.
Jayna glanced around at her clients.
"It's okay," one of them said with a grin. "We love drama."
A few light chuckles broke the tension.
Jayna hesitated.
Then nodded.
She stepped closer.
"Is everything okay?" she asked quietly.
Ginny's heart clenched at the concern still in her voice.
She turned to face the room instead.
If she was going to do this—
She was going to do it right.
"I need to say something," Ginny announced, her voice louder than she expected.
Apple gave her a thumbs-up from near the entrance.
TK mouthed, You got this.
Ginny inhaled deeply.
"I lied."
A ripple moved through the small audience.
Jayna's expression shifted slightly.
Ginny forced herself to continue.
"I wasn't engaged."
A few gasps. A confused murmur.
She turned to look directly at Jayna now.
"I said it was just a lie. That what we had was pretend."
Jayna's jaw tightened subtly.
Ginny stepped closer.
"It wasn't."
The gym felt unbearably quiet.
Her hands trembled, but she didn't hide them.
"I panicked," she admitted. "I thought if I ended it first, I wouldn't have to risk losing you."
Jayna's eyes softened just a fraction.
"I told you it was just a lie," Ginny continued, her voice cracking slightly. "But the truth is... I wasn't pretending."
A beat.
"I miss your touches."
The vulnerability in the room shifted everything.
"I miss your laugh. The quiet one. The one you try not to let out but it happens anyway."
A few soft chuckles from the sidelines.
Jayna's dimples almost appeared—
almost.
"I miss your presence," Ginny said more quietly now. "The way you make rooms feel steady. The way you make me feel steady."
Her throat burned.
"I lied," she repeated. "I wasn't engaged."
She stepped right in front of Jayna now.
Close enough to see every flicker of emotion in her eyes.
"But I want to be."
The words landed between them.
"For real."
The entire gym seemed to hold its breath.
Jayna didn't speak immediately.
Her face was unreadable.
Ginny's pulse roared in her ears.
Too much.
It was too much.
She'd ruined it.
Then—
Jayna exhaled softly.
And smiled.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
Dimples.
The sight nearly made Ginny's knees give out.
"You're unbelievable," Jayna murmured.
"Is that a no?" Ginny asked weakly.
Jayna stepped even closer.
"You ended our fake engagement in my office," she said quietly. "So I suppose it's only fair you propose for real in my gym."
A ripple of laughter moved through the room.
Ginny blinked. "Wait—so—"
Jayna didn't let her finish.
She cupped Ginny's face gently.
This time, there was no hesitation.
No confusion.
No impulse driven by jealousy or panic.
Just choice.
"I don't need a spectacle," Jayna said softly, just for her. "I needed the truth."
Tears pooled in Ginny's eyes.
"You have it," she whispered.
Jayna studied her for one long second more.
Then she leaned in.
The kiss wasn't rushed.
It wasn't frantic.
It was slow.
Intentional.
Mutual.
Ginny melted into it immediately, hands gripping Jayna's waist like she'd finally come home.
Jayna kissed her back with quiet certainty, fingers threading into Ginny's hair.
The gym erupted in cheers.
Someone wolf-whistled.
Apple screamed. TK clapped dramatically.
But none of it mattered.
Because this time—
Jayna wasn't kissing her out of confusion.
And Ginny wasn't kissing her out of fear.
They were choosing each other.
When they finally pulled apart, foreheads resting together, Ginny let out a shaky laugh.
"So... are we engaged?" she whispered.
Jayna smiled again, dimples deep and certain.
"We're trying," she said.
And for the first time—
Ginny wasn't afraid of that word.