Finding Us (Interracial Romance)

Breaking a Sweat

Cecilia

The air in the fitness center smells of rubber and metal, a combination of dumbbells, treadmills, and effort. My legs burn as I push myself through the last few reps of squats. Beside me, my Cousin Reagan matches my pace, sweat glistening on her forehead, but her expression focused, determined. Cousin Lizzy is on the floor, doing crunches but somehow managing to crack a joke between every other one, while Cousin Misty takes a water break, shaking her head at Lizzy's antics.

"You're not even trying to get abs!" Misty laughs, adjusting her workout gloves. Her honey blonde curls are pulled into a high bun, and she's the only one of us not looking like we just survived a hurricane.

Lizzy snorts, pausing mid-crunch to grin. "Who needs abs when you got jokes, mami? Jokes are the real six-pack."

Reagan and I exchange amused glances. Lizzy has always been the comedian, the one to keep everyone laughing even when things get tough. No matter how intense the workout, she's always got time for a punchline.

"Honestly," I say between breaths. "Sometimes I wonder how you haven't gotten kicked out of a comedy club yet."

Lizzy grins wider, wiping sweat from her brow. "Because I'm hilarious, cuz! And who's gonna tell me otherwise? Besides, this body—" she gestures dramatically to herself, "—is a temple. A temple of jokes."

Misty rolls her eyes playfully as Reagan chuckles beside me, dropping her weights with a thud. "Whatever, Lizzy. Just know if you pass out during cardio, I'm leaving you here."

"You say that every time," Lizzy says, getting back up and faking a stumble. "But you love me."

The rhythm of our banter fills the room, a mix of light-hearted teasing and shared sweat. 

As we cool off from our workout, Lizzy wipes her forehead dramatically and leans against the wall, pretending to faint. "I'm dead, y'all. Finished. Cece, Reagan, Misty, go on without me."

Reagan side-eyes her and smirks. "Girl, you can't die yet. We still gotta do our TikTok."

At the mention of TikTok, my energy spikes. I grin, pulling out my phone. "Oh, we definitely have time for that! We haven't done our Roller Rink dance in forever."

Reagan instantly lights up. "Yes! You already know I've been waiting for this. You got the song on your playlist?"

Misty chuckles, crossing her arms as she leans back against the lockers. "I can't believe we're still doing this. We made that dance up when we were like, what, five?"

"Eight, seven, six, and five!" I correct her, laughing. I was eight, Lizzy was seven, Misty was six, and Reagan was five when my brother, Lucas bought Kelis' Kaleidoscope album and came home in 2000. He always plays that album non-stop on repeat, especially"Caught Out There" despite the fact the song is a woman's song. But we were ahead of our time. TikTok wasn't even a thing back then, but we knew we had moves.

Lizzy hops up like she was never tired at all. "I'm in! I don't care how old the song is, 'Roller Rink' slaps. We're bringing it back."

I pull up the song, "Roller Rink" by Kelis, and hit play. The beat starts, funky and upbeat, instantly taking us all back to our childhood. Reagan's already in position, ready to lead, like the natural choreographer she is. Even as a five year old, she always was the one to come up with the moves back in the day, making sure we were all in sync. I can see the spark of excitement in her eyes now.

"Alright, let's do this," Reagan says, cracking her knuckles dramatically. "Five, six, seven, eight—"

And just like that, we're back in 2000, in Aunt Glenda and Uncle Rafael's Mediterranean house in Marina Del Rey, where we spent hours perfecting this dance. Reagan leads us through the familiar steps: the hip sways, the spins, the silly little footwork that had us feeling like the stars of our own dance troupe when we were kids.