Plot: Dinah had no intention of joining the gym near her apartment complex, or ever working out there. Until she saw a curly haired goddess working out through the window one day.

Couples: Dori, Normally, Zenren

Dinah's POV

I hear a commotion in the living room of my three bedroom apartment, waking me up from my sleep. I look over at the clock and see it's around one in the afternoon and remind myself that I didn't have classes or work today so I could sleep in. I get up and unplug my phone from the charger but leave it on the nightstand and go see what my roommates are arguing about this time.

"Normani come on let's go already!!!"

"Will you wait I'm COMING!"

"Why are you two yelling while I'm SLEEPING?!"

"It's not our fault you sleep until the afternoon Dinah."

"Answer my question Z. What are you two yelling about?"

I walk away from her and head to the kitchen for something to eat and see my leftovers from last night, so I eat that instead of cooking something. As Zendaya talks I look over the list of things we need in the house because it's my turn to go shopping.

"We're yelling because I told Normani to be ready by time I got back so we could go work out. When I got here an hour ago she wasn't even out of the shower yet. I went and changed and everything and I'm waiting."

I scrunch my nose up at the idea of working out before responding to her.

"Why are you rushing her? The gym in the complex is weak."

"I know but the reason I'm rushing her is because there is this new gym like down the block, and I want to get in there before everyone finds out about it and it becomes crowded with everyone from the neighborhood. You should come with us!"

I look at her with the straightest face I can muster before the microwave goes off and I turn away to get my food.

"I'm gonna pretend you didn't just say that and eat my food."

"Dinaaaahhhh why don't you like working out?"

"It's not like I hate it. I just hate the idea of someone else telling me I have to work out to be some 'thing' that I'm not."

"What about for your health?"

"My doctor says that I'm perfectly healthy and that I should keep doing what I'm doing."

Normani walks out of her room dressed in workout clothes and hair tied in a ponytail.

"Hey look who's up! DJ you planning to come with us?"

"No I have to do the grocery shopping remember? I'll do it while you're gone. Don't forget to leave your money, okay?"

I put my now empty food container in the garbage and the spoon I used in the sink. They both take out 20 dollars and put it on the table before leaving. I take it into my room and put it with my other cash before getting ready to go to the store. I make my trip and when I get back Lauren and Ally are standing outside the door of the apartment.

"You know if I had some help I could open the door?"

They come over to me and grab some on the bags. Ally grabs the keys from my pocket and opens the door for us so we can bring everything in.

"You're always trying to do the one trip from the car thing and it never works. You either forget something or you overload yourself."

"You know I can kick you out right, Lauren? Like your girl ain't here, you have no reason to be here."

"Oh calm down Biggie she's just joking and you know it. Relax."

I take a deep breath and finish putting away the groceries before I address them again. I put the eggs away and close the fridge before turning back to my friends.

"Sorry I'm just stressed about work. So what are you guys doing here?"

"Mani texted me and said come over for dinner and since I don't have a license Lauren drove me."

"Why would she take you to dinner if I was going grocery shopping?"

"Maybe she just wants to spoil her girl D."

"Let me guess you and Zendaya have no plans but you're probably just gonna end up watching Netflix on the couch."

"What's wrong with you?"

"I hate being the single one that's what's wrong, or maybe I just need to get out more and meet someone."

"Well maybe if you didn't sleep all day you could have to time to do that."

"Plus on the days where actually have things to do you're completely focus on that thing and don't really notice your surroundings."

"Which is normally a good thing unless someone is trying to talk to you. I mean you're a cashier at Target how much focus do you need for that?"

"The door is right there Lauren. You will not keep dragging me in my own house. And besides the only reason I've been sleeping so much is because I got switched to the night shift at work so I come in at three a.m. most nights."

"Look on the bright side you're decently attractive. Wait until some preteen snaps a pic of you and boom you're the next #AlexFromTarget."

I almost spit out my water laughing but luckily I covered my mouth just in time. Ally hands me a napkin and I wipe my mouth before I start talking again.

"Lauren how dare you tell an actually funny joke while I'm drinking something. I should have spit all over you to teach you a lesson."

The door opens and in comes Normani and Zendaya laughing they're faces off at something as they walk in. I notice them first and wait for them to stop laughing so they can tell us an obviously funny story. They start to calm down and notice us staring at them in complete silence.

"Uhhh hey y'all. How long have you been here?"

"Oh not long just twenty minutes or so. What are you two laughing about because neither of you are that funny."

"Okay, so there was this guy trying to get with girl at the gym and she actually was giving him the time of day. But when he asked for her number she said she wasn't interested and when he asked why she said he didn't have the right parts for her and walked away."

"The funny part is that he saw us standing off to the side and asked us what she meant because he was confused. We told him that the parts she meant were his lack of boobs and his dick. The look on his face had us dying, we've been laughing about it for the entire walk back."

"Well I guess you'd have to be there in order to get the joke."

The girls shrug it off and go to their separate rooms to shower. Zendaya comes out first and comes up behind Lauren and wraps her arms around her and kissing her on the cheek. Because Ally told me that her and Normani are going to dinner I assume she's still getting ready in her room for her date. I hear Lauren giggling at whatever Zendaya is whispering in her ear on the side of me and I shake my head at how quickly I've been third wheeled. Ally is still standing here too but she's texting someone and not at all paying attention.

"Hey knock it off you're making making me nauseous with your cute."

"Aww is poor DJ feeling lonely about being the only single one?"

"Oh bite me Z! I swear you do the most all the time."

"It's not like you're gonna do anything about it DJ you're all talk."

"Man whatever I don't have to take this. I'll be in my room."

I go in my room and end up falling asleep. When I wake up it's about three hours later. I didn't even feel tired what happened? I get out of bed and head out towards the fridge to find something to eat. The living room is almost pitch black except for the light of the TV making the room glow. There doesn't seem to be anyone around though so I move to turn the TV off. I walk towards the couch and then I see Zendaya and Lauren making out on the couch. I forget my plans of cooking and go back to my room and get dressed. I don't want to interrupt them by making any noise by cooking anything because I'm not rude, so I just leave and go to the In&Out down the block. I decide to walk because it's not far and driving this short a distance is just lazy and a waste of gas money. As I'm walking I see the new gym Normani and Zendaya were talking about earlier, so I stop and take a look inside. From what I can see from the window it's a clean open space with partial carpeting and the other half hardwood flooring. There aren't a lot of people in the gym since it's a Friday night but I wouldn't say it's empty either. I start to walk away but I see something that makes me stop in my tracks. Towards the back wall there is this girl doing push-ups and I am mesmerized. I stand there watching her for so long that she finishes her push ups and starts to stand up. Her back is to me but I can still see her as she unzips her hoodie and takes it off. I realize how creepy this looks, just standing here, so I pull out my phone and pretend to have a conversation while still looking through the window. The girl turns around and all I see is a toned stomach and a neon lime green sports bra. I look up at her face and the girl is beautiful. She walks out of my line of sight and I walk away from the window with only one thought on my mind. Damn I gotta start working out here. I go and get my food and by the time I get back to the apartment Normani and Ally are back and they're all watching a movie on the couch.

"Hey you're back!"

"Back?! When did you leave? I would have heard the door when you left."

"It was probably because Lauren was on top of you. You probably couldn't see past her hair."

"Anyway where did you end up going?"

"I went to get some food from around the corner. As I was walking I saw that gym you guys were talking about while I was out and it looks nice."

"We're going again tomorrow if you want to go too?"

I think back to the girl I saw in the window and know I have to go back there to try to find her.

"Yeah sure let me know when."

*next day*

I just off the phone with my boss to get my schedule for the next week and I'm working the night shift again starting tomorrow night. I guess Target doesn't respect the Sabbath. I grab the rest of my work laundry and my head phones and head down to the laundry room so I can have clean work clothes for Sunday. I make sure to lock the door behind me because I was the only one home and you can't be too sure. Once my load is in the wash I open my Netflix app and click on continue watching Jessica Jones. I have three episodes left of this show and then I can finally cross if off my list and move on to the next show. I get half way though the episode before I have to pause it to put the clothes in the dryer, and by the time my clothes are done I finished the episode. I get back to the apartment and put my clothes and things away before I get a text from Zendaya.

Zennoying: be dressed and ready to go to the gym if you still want to go on our back now

I don't answer her because I would just be saying okay and that seems pointless to me. I grab the workout bag I use for dance and start getting ready. I grab some of my old dance shorts and a tank top then put them on my bed. I change into a sports bra and the clothes I just put out then I leave my room. I head to the kitchen for a quick snack and some water. I make a quick salad with some leftover chicken form the fridge and ranch dressing and eat while I wait for them to get back. Zendaya and Normani both are taking classes on Saturdays this semester so I'm at home alone during most of the day. Normally I would get called in for a shift but since they changed my schedule to nights I have nothing to do all day. I can't really complain about it but I can't really go out with friends and things like that and even if I do go I can't stay and actually have fun because I'm always watching the clock. I put my bowl and glass in the sink and wash them and letting them dry before getting lost my thoughts thinking about the girl from the gym. What would I even do if I saw her again? What if I never see her again? Or even worse she's straight? All of these thoughts and more are running through my head and I'm so distracted I don't hear the door open, Zendaya and Normani come in, or say my name until they both sit next to me on the couch.

"Dinah."

"DJ you okay?"

"Huh? Oh yeah I'm fine. I was just lost in my thoughts."

"What had you thinkin so hard D?"

"This girl...."

"A girl? You met a girl?"

"Not exactly. I saw a girl and she was working out at the new gym so I got this stupid idea that if I started going to the gym I could find her there."

"So what you were gonna do? Go back every day until you found her?"

"Yeah."

"That's really sweet actually when you think about it."

"Yeah it is. Look DJ if you really want to find this girl we'll help you. Starting today. Let us get dressed and we'll go okay?"

I smile at my best friends before I finish getting ready myself. Over the course of the week we went the the gym and stayed for two hours each day looking for her. I even went by myself at different times then we normally would go just in case. We've gone so much that the owner offered us a discount on a monthly membership. I never saw her once over the week no matter when I went, and I've gotten so desperate that I've entertained the idea of just camping outside the gym all day, waiting until she goes in, and then "accidentally" bumping into her as she's leaving. I'm going to go home after my shift and sleep until the end of time. I'm at work right now during the hours between Saturday night and Sunday morning and I'm bored out of my mind. All the other cashiers are gone to clean up the isles and put things people didn't buy back, so I'm up here by myself counting down the time left until my shift is over. No one ever comes in here at this time of night and if this wasn't a college town we wouldn't even be an open 24 hours store. The only people that come in at this time are stoner white kids looking for a place to sober up before the go home to crash after the parties. I'm not paying attention and next thing I know someone is in my line and emptying their cart. I turn the professional part of my brain back on and start doing my job and scan her items.

"I hope you found everything you were looking for with us ma'am."

"I always do when I come at this time of night."

I look up and realize that it's the girl from the gym. Her hair is different and she's wearing more clothes but it's her. I freeze up for a solid minute not saying anything or moving because of my sudden revelation. The girl, I still don't know her name, looks up at me and I snap out of my trance and finish bagging her items.

"Are you okay? You kinda spaced out there."

"Oh I'm fine just not used to being up this late. Will that be cash or credit miss?"

She hands me her credit card and I finally learn her name. Tori. I don't want her to leave yet so I start a conversation with her.

"So, Tori, what brings you here at this time of night?"

"I'm a singer in a bar and I just got off work. I didn't really want to go back to my lonely apartment just yet."

"So you decided to come here to stock up on shampoo, deodorant, U by Kotex and re-usable mason jars?"

"Well that last one was an impulse buy, but I actually needed the other stuff. Don't judge me."

We both laugh and I kinda fall in love with her giggle right then and there.

"So where is your next stop tonight?"

"Somewhere with food. I am starving."

"Well if you're up for it I get off in twenty minutes or so and I know a 24 hour Taco place near by. "

"Hmmm I do love tacos but then again so does every Cali girl. What's in it for you?"

"Me? Well I get to spend time with a pretty, no, a beautiful girl. Plus I'm kinda amazed by your hair. How does it do that?"

"It's a lot of work but if you're serious about getting tacos give me you number."

"Hold on my manager is right there. Alright miss can I see your ID?"

I watch my manager from my post as he watches me finish Tori's transaction. There are no other workers up here and Tori has been the only customer for the past hour, so I know he is watching me as I work. Tori is giggling beside me watching me work and it's distracting me because she sounds so cute. I keep my composure until my manager leaves then I turn back to her.

"You and your adorable giggle almost got me fired."

"Your shift needs to hurry up and end because I really want tacos."

"Okay miss I'm going to need your number for the store records."

"Manager back?"

"Nope nosy coworker this time. Just say a bunch of numbers I don't really need it."

She giggles again then lists off like 11 random numbers and I type them in the system but when I repeat them back to her I say my number to her and she saves it under Dinah from Target then she leaves. I watch her walk away with a smile on my face, and Tori puts me in a good mood for the rest of my shift. As I'm walking to my car I have my face in my phone because I'm trying to save Tori's number and figure out what I want to say to her in the first text message.

"You know you miss a lot of stuff when you don't look up from your phone."

I look up and see Tori leaning against a car that, I'm assuming is hers, with a smirk on her face.

"I thought you left."

"Now why would I do that? Your shift ended like right after I walked out here. Leaving would be a waste of gas money that I don't have."

"So you waited for me?"

"Yeah why wouldn't I?"

"Can I ask an awkward question?"

"Yes I am attracted to girls and yes I was flirting with you."

"Okay I just needed to ask. Tacos are waiting for us lets go, just follow me in your car. Cool?"

"Let's go."

I hop in my car and drive off and look through the rear view mirror and see Tori following me and I smile really big at the sight. I never thought I would find her and she ended up being the one to find me and lifted my mood 100 percent. If this is what happens to me when I go to the gym, I'll go everyday for the rest of my life.

AN: So I have a friend, carpedee_m actually, who has been begging for a Dori fic and I told her I would work on something for her. Then this happened so thank her for the inspiration. Vote Comment and Share this. I'll be around if you have an idea let me know.

Happy Reading

Peace,

Meags