"You... think...?" Francis asked, his breathing beginning to stabilize.
"Do I think?" Lucas chuckled softly. "Heh, maybe it's still too early for you to beat me in a run, but your progress is clear, bro. You could barely cross the minimum threshold at first."
Francis's eyes widened slightly as a flash of understanding passed through them.
I've improved...?
The idea seemed a little absurd to Francis, especially when he started to think about it. However, the more he delved into the thought, the more it made sense.
Endurance was not strength, and therefore, running was not like lifting weights.
When Francis and Lucas work out together, there is practically no competitiveness between them, as the difference between them is clear and measurable. After all, each dumbbell has its own weight, each plate has its own weight, each bar has its own weight, and each person has their own strength, which in this case is clearly superior in Lucas, preventing proper competition in strength. There is no way for Francis to exert physical strength that he has not yet developed just to match that of his friend in order to compete with him.
But running was not something measurable. Unless you time your run and record your results as an athlete normally does—something Francis and Lucas did not do—it becomes difficult to gauge how much you are improving, because improvement is a very gradual process, and the perception of improving one step at a time becomes obscured.
That's why many people who are on weight loss journeys have a hard time seeing their own results, because they are always looking at and evaluating themselves in the mirror, and only realize that there has indeed been progress when they compare a photo from before with a photo from now.
This is even more intense for Francis because when he runs with Lucas, his mind is clouded by competitiveness, and when he loses, it is clouded by frustration, blinding him too much to realize that with each defeat he suffered, he had managed to take one more step than the day before, and now he was much better than he was at the beginning.
But Lucas was able to see that.
And at that moment, Francis finally decided to stop for a moment to recall memories from the beginning of his exercise journey and saw that he had, in fact, evolved.
"Heh." He chuckled softly. "I think you're right."
Although he wouldn't admit it, it had made him feel better.
"Of course I'm right," Lucas said proudly.
"But I'm still going to beat you one day," Francis said with a determined smile.
"You may even tie with me someday, but I'll never let you beat me." Lucas returned the determined smile.
"If you let me, it wouldn't be any fun, would it?" Francis adjusted his posture, his breathing now stabilized. "Well, it's time to go back."
"Yeah." Lucas nodded, handing Francis a bottle of water. "Drink up."
"Thanks." Francis took the bottle and began to drink, feeling the coolness wash over him.
But Lucas? Lucas felt an uncontrollable urge growing inside him as he tried to hold back with all his strength.
But unfortunately, the urge was stronger than him, and so he said, "Good boy..."
Then Francis spat out the water in his mouth and cursed, "Fuck you!"
And so they continued on their way as Lucas' loud laughter and Francis' grumbling could be heard in the environment.
...
Shortly after finishing their exercises for the day, Francis and Lucas were now at the door of Francis' apartment.
Lucas rented an apartment upstairs, so he always ended up dropping Francis off at his apartment before going up to his own, and at that moment, they were about to say goodbye, but something happened that made them both stop immediately.
The sound of a notification on Lucas's cell phone, a text message notification.
Francis's eyes widened slightly as he glanced at Lucas, who wasted no time and grabbed his phone from his pocket.
The reason for their reaction was clear: Rose.
Although they had managed to exercise as usual that morning, neither of them could say that they had forgotten their concern for their sister and girlfriend, with the idea that she might be in trouble, and because of that, a certain anxiety and expectation lingered in the back of both their minds, waiting for the moment when Rose decided to send a new message updating them on what she might be dealing with.
And it seems that moment may have arrived.
"Is it Rose?" Francis asked expectantly.
"Yep." Lucas nodded as he began to read the message. "Just a second."
In the next few moments, Lucas's eyes scanned Rose's message as they gradually became more surprised and confused.
"What did she say?" Francis asked intrigued, as Lucas's expression indicated that it was surprising, to say the least.
"I don't... well, look, I'll read it to you, it'll be easier for you to understand."
Francis, somewhat confused, nodded.
"She said the following..." said Lucas, who then began: "I'll stop by Francis's apartment later to drop something off. You two will be in class when I arrive, so we won't be able to see each other. Also, honey, I won't be able to stay long to see you and Francis, because I have something to do afterwards, but in any case, remember that you have my location."
"What the hell...?" Francis muttered. "W-Wait a minute, she's leaving something at my apartment, like... for me?"
"Well, she didn't specify that, but it's likely. I mean, did you leave something with her recently that she hasn't returned yet?"
"Not that I can remember." Francis shook his head.
"So maybe it's a... gift for you?"
"A gift? But it's not even my birthday."
"And since when does she need an excuse like that to give you a gift? You've done it yourself a few times."
"Well, I... yeah, forget it, you're right," Francis admitted. "But look at the message she sent. Do you really think that's what it is?"
"Well... yeah, that wouldn't make sense." He agreed. "If it were a gift for you, she would have specified that to me, plus she would have asked me not to tell you so she could surprise you. She's too thoughtful to ruin a surprise like that by sending a poorly explained message."
"Exactly." Francis nodded.
"But still, it could be something for Aunt Alice, right?"
"No... I mean, it could be, but if it were something for our mother, she would have specifically told me, especially if it were something she couldn't deliver to Mom at the hospital herself."
"Yes, that makes sense." Lucas nodded. "So we're back to the idea that it's something for you?"
"Well, she could still be bringing something to store here in my apartment."
"In that case, it would have to be something she couldn't store in her dorm room."
"Yes, that would probably be the case."
"But what kind of thing would that be that she couldn't just keep in her dorm room...?" Lucas raised an eyebrow, thoughtful.
"Well, logically, it would be something valuable or..."
At that moment, the same thought crossed the minds of the pair as their eyes widened. Then they looked at each other before saying in unison: "Something she stole..."
But then came the denial.
"No, no, wait a minute, let's not jump to conclusions," said Lucas, waving his hands.
"Yeah, I'm on your side too, Rose would never do something like that. Well... not that I know of..." But then he shook his head frantically and slapped his own face with both hands. "No, Francis, don't distrust your sister like that, you're better than that."
But Lucas, after thinking about it a little more, seemed more relaxed about that possibility. He then shook his head calmly and said, "No, bro, relax, she would never do that, not without a good reason, because trust me, she has a strong sense of justice."
"You think so?"
"I'm sure of it."
Lucas was convinced, in a way that Francis wasn't used to from him, but that made him feel quite relieved.
"That's good..." Francis said with a sigh, feeling more at ease. "In that case, it must be something valuable, or something for me, right?"
"Well, it could still be something of your father's." Lucas snapped his fingers. "Something he asked her to leave in your apartment."
"My father?" Francis thought for a moment. "Yeah, maybe. But I still think it's unlikely, because it would raise the same question as with my mother, since either Rose or our father would have specifically told me if that were the case."
"So once again we come back to the idea that it's something for you, but that it's not a gift, or something valuable, that she can't keep in her dorm room."
"Yes, that's all we can gather from this until we get more information."
"Speaking of more information..." Lucas began, remembering more details related to the last message Rose had sent. "...she also said she won't be able to stay here for long because she has something to do later."
"Yes." Francis agreed. "Do you know anything about that?"
Lucas thought for a moment, then looked at Francis and replied, "No..."
"Wait, are you serious?"
Lucas nodded.
"Oh... shit."