Okay, so the park that morning? It was seriously primo. Like, the air had that perfect early morning chill – crisp enough to wake you up but not cold enough to make you wanna crawl back under the covers. It smelled exactly like damp earth, maybe from sprinklers overnight, mixed with the sweetness of whatever flowers were popping off nearby.

  James took a big, easy stretch, feeling that familiar, satisfying pull deep in his shoulders and back. Ahhh, routine. He gnced over towards the main gate, mostly out of habit, then flicked his wrist to check his watch. 6:00 AM sharp.

  Perfect.

  Right on cue, Dipa appeared through the entrance archway. And yeah, seeing her in running tights and a brightly colored athletic top instead of her usual crisp white Judo gi? It was definitely a visual double-take moment. Like seeing a penguin in the desert – just didn't quite compute immediately.

  She looked… well, kinda awkward, clutching her water bottle like it was a lifeline, her knuckles showing white. You could practically feel the nervous energy buzzing off her from ten feet away.

  "Morning!" James called out, keeping his tone light and breezy. He needed to puncture that tension bubble before it got weird. "Gd you made it! Ready to conquer the park?"

  Dipa managed a small, tight smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Morning," she echoed, her voice a little breathless already, which was kinda funny since they hadn't even started moving. "Uh, yeah. Ready as I'll ever be, I guess? Hope I can keep up." Nerves, confirmed.

  Big time.

  "Awesome!" James cpped his hands together once, maybe a little too loudly for 6 AM, trying to inject some hype. "Alright, let's kick off Operation: Impress the Crush, Phase One!" He grinned, hoping the cheesy name would break the ice. "Don't worry, it sounds way more intense than it actually is. More like... Operation: Don't Colpse Immediately."

  Dipa snorted softly, a flicker of amusement crossing her face. Okay, good sign. "Operation: Impress the Crush? Seriously, James? That's what we're calling this?"

  "Hey, gotta have a catchy code name, right?" James winked. "Keeps morale high! Anyway, the mission, should you choose to accept it," he lowered his voice dramatically, "is super chill to start. We're just doing a slightly modified version of my usual daily warm-up, dialed way, way back. First up: a light jog around the park perimeter."

  " Just one single kilometer. Barely anything, just to get the blood flowing."

  Dipa took another deep breath, squared her shoulders, and nodded, trying to project an air of 'Pfft, 1km? Easy peasy.' But her breathing was already a bit shallow, betraying the facade. They set off at what felt like a snail's pace to James – a gentle shuffle, really. He could probably do this backward while juggling.

  But beside him, Dipa looked like she was genuinely working. Her initial form looked okay, maybe a bit stiff, but within maybe two hundred meters – seriously, not even around the first big curve of the path – her breathing turned ragged. Audible puffs: Hhh... hhh... hhh... Her steps lost their spring, nding heavier, more like thuds on the pavement.