Initially, Jacob was right, he did indeed get slaughtered at the game by Terry. But soon he began to acclimate to his huge hands and was able to make up lost ground.
However, as time passed, Jacob felt the heat in the room increase, and his shirt felt like it was clinging to his body too much. He exclaimed, “Man, is it hot in here, or is it just me?”
Terry replied, “Just you, bro,” never taking his eyes off the screen.
“Regardless, I’m boiling,” Jacob said, peeling off his now-sweaty shirt.
Terry glanced over out of the corner of his eye, then, taken aback, he paused the game and stared at Jacob. He exclaimed, “Holy shit, dude, when did you start working out?”
Jacob looked down at himself and his eyes went wide. He was totally ripped! Most notably, he had a washboard set of 6-pack abs; but in addition his arms were currently thicker and very toned, while his pecs were not only visible, but full and round, jutting out like a shelf over his abs.
Before Jacob could get a word out, Terry quickly said, “That was a dumb question. I know you’ve been working out and lifting weights for 3 or 4 years now. I guess what I meant was, it’s been so long since we did it together that I didn’t realize you’d gotten so much bigger.”
“No, Terry, that’s not it,” Jacob tried to explain, but Terry cut him off.
“It’s fine, I get it. I’d embarrass you because I’m skinny and don’t know my way around the gym like you do. I’m not exactly like your other friends, on the basketball team. Though,” here Terry tried to crack a grin, “with that body you could be a football star too.”
“Terry, the next time I go to the gym I’ll take you with me, I promise,” Jacob told him. “Honestly, sometimes I still feel like a stranger there myself,” he went on, partly for his own benefit.
“Besides, you’ll need an expert to help you get this big,” Jacob continued with a smile, flexing a bicep to emphasize his point. As both stood up, he realized that he was a head taller than Terry now.
Terry smiled, for real this time. “That sounds great. See you then!”
As Jacob walked home, he wondered, “What is happening to me? Why did I agree to that when I’ve never been in a gym in my life? I’m so screwed.”