It would be the first time that he would be seeing them since their visit earlier in the summer, and he looked forward to being in their presence. He was excited, too, about hosting them for a few days and looked forward to enjoying some time out in the city as a tourist for once; his life had never been better.

With visions of the week to come swirling in his mind, he rolled out of bed and dropped to the floor, completing a set of a hundred pushups without breaking a sweat. He followed these with a hundred sit-ups before heading into the shower. He noted his toned physique as he disrobed and flexed before the mirror, satisfied with how healthy he looked and felt. It amazed him how restorative his rest had been since returning from overseas, and he credited it to the lack of stress. The gaunt, sick...

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