Since Rachel and Ethan were working with one another rather than against each other, they came together to cheer up Sophia. Even if she was sad, they would do what they could to make sure she wasn't locking herself away in her room all hours of the day. Otherwise, she slept late and starved herself.
The only way Ethan knew how to bring Sophia out was to force her to join him and Rachel in the gym in the morning. It would keep him from having to be with Rachel by themselves.
Ethan would never admit it, but she made him nervous ever since they had agreed that he could go to her if he ever needed to.
He felt like an idiotic teenager again because she was bringing thoughts out of him he hadn't experienced in a long time. He was normally confident around women but she knew him in a way that other women didn't. He felt like he couldn't put up his tough charade since she knew just how to make him submit to her.