10 Ways to Accidentally Fall in Love

Chapter 1

Brad

If there’s one thing I love, it’s getting a good sweat going. The kind you feel trickling down your balls. The kind of slick heat you achieve after a rigorous drill sesh with another man.

Or gal. Or enby pal. Honestly, being a gym-bro has nothing to do with gender. It’s about dedication . Comradery.

It’s about doing it together.

“Fuck yeah,” I cheer, holding up my hand for a high five as Cas finishes his rep. His palm meets mine without hesitation. The dude is a stellar gym-bro.

“That our last set?” he asks.

“Unless you want to go again?” I say, dropping into a lunge so I can stretch out my hips. “I could probably bust out one more round.”

Cas checks the time on the wall. “Actually, I should get going. I have class in an hour.”

“Yeah, Cat-man. No worries.” I hold up my hand again. “Smash that physio class. And give Birdie a hug for me, will you?”

He huffs a laugh before slapping my palm. Such a good dude. I never would have met the guy if it weren’t for my best friend. The Birdie to my Bee. My kindergarten bestie turned lifelong brother. Birdie and Cas started dating not that long ago. And now? Now they’re a unit, and I’m… Well, feeling a bit like a third wheel, if I’m being honest.

Not that I’ll let that get me down. I’ll happily be the front end in a tricycle sitch with my best friend and his boyfriend any day. There are no two guys I trust better to have my rear.

I let out a sigh as Cas heads off toward the locker room. The next second, a soft voice asks, “Birdie?”

Spinning to my right, I find a total gym-dude standing nearby. Tall, beefed up but not in a downing-steroids-in-his-smoothies kind of way. Dark brown hair, brown eyes, super nice smile, and some scruff. Honestly, the guy kind of reminds me of a teddy bear, only leaner. And far less hairy.

“What’s one step under a bear?” I ask him.

His smile goes crooked on one end. “An otter?”

“No, man, you’re definitely bigger than that. Mountain lion, maybe?”

“I…don’t think I’m a cougar,” he says tentatively, that smile still on his face. He holds out his hand. “Joey.”

“ Dude ,” I say, clasping his palm. “Joey Kangaroo! That’s perfect .”

“Is it?” he asks, sounding unsure.

“Definitely. Kangaroos are strong, bro. I mean, seriously, look at these hammies.” I give the side of his leg a slap in demonstration, my palm stinging in the aftermath. “ Damn . Pretty sure you could crack my neck in half with those things.”

And shit. Now he’s blushing. I didn’t mean to embarrass the guy.

“Sorry. I’m Brad,” I say quickly, realizing I never gave him my name. “Nice to meet you, man.”

“You, too,” he says, finally letting my hand go. “You, uh, never answered my question.”

“Oh, right. Birdie. Yeah. That’s Jason. We’re super close. Used to live together, you know? But now he’s with Cas, the guy who was just here.”

“Ah,” he says sympathetically. “That must be hard for you.”

“It is ,” I say, glad he gets it. “I’m happy for him—don’t get me wrong. But I miss the dude. We still see each other all the time, but I’m on the outside now. It’s different.”

“You’re still friends?” he asks.

“Oh, totally. We’re Birdie and Bee.”

He gives me a curious look, and I realize, yeah , that probably makes no sense.

“Jason’s mom called him Jaybird, which became Birdie,” I explain. “And I’m Bee, the little flying dudes? Bee for the letter B for Brad. We’ve been friends a long time.”

“That’s…sweet,” he says, and he seems to mean it. “Sounds like you’ve been through a lot together.”

“Yeah,” I breathe out.

Sharing nearly your entire life with a person is bound to make you close. You see the good and the bad. You go through hard times and joyous ones. Jason’s my man, and he always will be. He’s been there for me without my ever having to ask. I never really had much of a family of my own, but Jason was that for me. Still is.

So, yeah. We’ve been through a short lifetime together. But it’s no surprise things are changing. Jason found love .

Maybe, someday, I can find that, too.

“Are you new here?” I ask Joey before I can get stuck too far inside my own head. “I’ve never seen you before.”

“Just moved to town.”

“No shit? You wanna work out sometime?”

That smile lights his face again. It’s a good smile. Kind. “Yeah, I’d like that a lot. Can I have your number?”

“Yeah, man. Ready?” He nods, phone out now, and I rattle off my digits. “Text me anytime. I work out most days. Need to, considering I sit for eight hours. I get a little antsy, you know?”

“Office job?” he asks, slipping his phone away.

“Kinda? Except I work from home. What do you do?”

“Construction.”

“No way! With the tool belts and everything?”

He huffs a laugh. “Yep.”

“ Dude . I dated this girl once who had this, like, costume for Halloween? The belt was hot as fuck. She wore it while we…”

Aaand there go his cheeks again.

“Too much?” I say, nodding to myself. “Too much.”

“You’re fine,” Joey tells me, but I’m pretty sure he’s just being polite. I know I have a tendency to come on strong. Here I am, meeting a brand-new gym-bro, and I’m being crass without meaning to.

“Tell you what. I’m gonna leave while we’re on a semi-high note,” I say, appreciating Joey’s responding chuckle. “And you go ahead and text me if you still want to meet up. I promise I won’t talk about my past exploits again.”

His smile is soft. Sweet, almost. “Deal. And Brad? I will text.”

“Cool, man.” I hold out my hand, and Joey clasps his palm with mine.

Fuck , there’s nothing like making a new friend.

Letting Joey go, I grab my water from the bench where I left it and head off toward the locker room. I’m still caked in sweat, so I make quick work of dropping trou and showering off, lingering only long enough to finish singing “Bohemian Rhapsody.”

Song’s the tits.

When I come out of the shower, I end up running into Joey. He must have been finishing up his own routine.

“Hey, man,” I greet because ignoring him would be plain rude. He’s at a locker a little ways down from my own, his eyes going wide when I drop my towel.

“Uh, hi,” he says.

I pull my briefs up, hopping a little when they stick to my damp legs. Joey coughs.

“All right?”

“Yep,” he says quickly.

“It’d suck if you’re getting a cold.”

“No, I’m good. Just a…thing. In my throat.”

I nod, getting my shirt over my head and grabbing my towel to do a quick dry of my hair. All set, I grab my bag and shut the locker.

Joey watches me as I head his way. I stop in front of him and hold up my fist, and he slowly bumps his own into mine.

“See more of you soon, Joey Kangaroo.”

I add a wink for my new gym-bro, and he makes a sound like something is still stuck in his throat.

“Yeah, uh… See ya, Brad,” he replies roughly.

Poor dude. He’s probably coming down with something.

Slapping his shoulder, I make my way out of the locker room and gym, humming once I set off along the Las Vegas sidewalks toward home. I have a few things to finish up this afternoon: a couple bugs to fix in the newest video game the company I work for is designing and some emails to reply to from the folks in admin. And then I’ll likely cap off my day by logging some game time in one of my favorite co-op shooters.

After that? Dinner. Alone. Maybe browsing a dating app? It has been a while since I’ve had a girlfriend, and, admittedly, I miss it. I miss spending time with someone. Learning everything there is to know about them. First kisses and warm cuddles on the couch.

I miss companionship.

Now that Jason has moved out, I’m truly on my own. I’m just Brad, twenty-five-year-old single dude, game designer, gym-goer, and coffee aficionado-slash-addict. Yeah, Jason and I will always be friends. We’ll always be Birdie and Bee.

But he has Cat-man now. And holy shit . The cat who caught the canary. I never noticed that before.

I chuckle to myself as I unlock my door. What else goes with Bee? A flower? That sounds…mildly creepy when I think about the implications.

No. I’m just Brad. For maybe the first time ever.

And I’m okay with that. I am.

But I think it’s time to figure out what I want my life to look like beyond my super-sweet job and my brolationship with Jason. I don’t want to be alone forever. I want to find my eventual Mrs . The flower I’ll stick my…yeah, nope. Still creepy.

The whole romance part might take time, but at least I accomplished something today. Something pretty damn big on this journey to self-discovery.

Step one in Brad’s Guide to Finding Himself and Falling in Love:

Make a new friend .

Nailed it.