Chapter 17
ONE… TWO… THREE…
Riley did all he could to focus on counting out each kettlebell swing so he wouldn’t think about his near-heartbreaking conversation with Josh the previous day.
He’d never been so thankful for Sophie interrupting a conversation and wrapping them up in her dramatics to keep him from having to answer Josh’s question.
Josh’s words kept repeating in his head.
It wasn’t a big deal.
Sure, like realizing he had feelings for his best friend wasn’t a big deal. Or like realizing his best friend didn’t feel the same wasn’t a big deal.
It wasn’t a big deal.
And I’m a fucking astronaut.
When Josh had asked him if he wanted to kiss him again, Riley’s whole world crashed down. He had never been able to lie to Josh in all their years as friends. That man could read him like a book. Actually, better, since reading wasn’t one of Josh’s greatest skills.
If it wasn’t for Sophie interrupting them, he might have done something incredibly stupid, like ruined his friendship over some silly feelings.
She’d saved him yesterday, but he couldn’t avoid the conversation forever.
It had to happen, but he couldn’t predict how it would go. He knew how he’d like it to go.
Josh, it turns out that kiss and those orgasms we shared rewrote my entire being and I’d love nothing more than to date you and see if we can turn our friendship into something more, something incredible.
Then Josh would say, That sounds amazing. Let’s date forever and ever and ever.
No. That wouldn’t happen because Josh had already made it clear that it wasn’t a big deal.
On his next swing of the kettlebell, his elbow gave out and he almost dropped the fifty-plus-pound weight on his head. He was doing a terrible job of focusing on his workout and distracting himself from the nerves eating him alive.
He made the mistake of taking a peek at Josh working out next to him, and couldn’t help staring.
His form was perfect—like everything else about him—swinging the kettlebell over his head and dropping it between his legs in a seamless arc.
For a moment, as the kettlebell hung between his legs, Riley couldn’t help thinking of what else was hanging between those muscular thighs of his.
Riley was so fucked.
He shook himself and returned his focus to the workout, moving on to a set of thirty pull-ups, an eight-hundred-meter run around the complex, and back to the kettlebell swings.
The Crossfit-style workouts Tobias liked to infuse into their programming always left them exhausted, but it was addicting. It was why they kept coming back for more torment.
Now that Gym Rat Fitness was also incorporating yoga into their workouts, their fitness was even more broadened. Riley could already feel an increase in his flexibility and his balance, unless he was looking at Josh and his balance regressed.
Once he finished his next set of thirty pull-ups, he made his way out the gym’s back door so he could complete the two circuits around the complex, enough to hit eight hundred meters thanks to the buildings on either side of the gym.
Both of the buildings were used as warehouses, but at this time of the morning no one else was around. It was unseasonably warm for January, so Tobias figured a run would be a good addition. The fresh air was crisp and heavenly on Riley's overheated skin.
The complex was on a suburban road off the main street of Cherrywood, surrounded by trees and other commercial buildings. It was peaceful, and Riley took a deep breath to let the chill cool him from within.
Josh had left for his run over a minute ago, but Cole was right beside Riley as they fell into a steady jog.
“Hey, you doing alright?” Cole asked between focused breaths. “I saw you almost eat that kettlebell.”
“Ugh, yeah, that would have hurt a bit. I’m thinking of things, that’s all.”
“Things like Josh?”
Riley’s gaze snapped toward Cole, causing Riley to miss the curb and have to catch himself before he faceplanted into the grass.
Cole had shot his arm out to help Riley stay on his feet. Once they were both running again, he continued his prying.
“So, that was a yes.”
All Riley could do was grunt, trying to focus on his running so he didn’t hurt himself, despite his body’s attempts to do so.
“Look, Ri, I know I’m a jackass sometimes—”
He snorted. Cole was a jackass most of the time.
“—but I’m still here for you if you need it,” he finished, smacking Riley’s shoulder playfully.
Cole was right. He was one of Riley's closest friends, and if he couldn’t talk to Josh about this yet…
“Fine,” he said, his voice strained from running. “I think I have feelings for Josh, and I don’t think he feels the same way, so I can’t bring it up because it would ruin our friendship.”
He followed the word vomit with a gasp, since he forgot to keep breathing as he ran and spoke at the same time. His body was not the well-oiled machine it usually was.
“What makes you think he doesn’t feel the same way?”
“He said yesterday that the kisses weren’t a big deal, that we didn’t need to kiss again.
I thought,” Riley paused, wondering if it was okay to share, until he realized Josh already told Cole about their first time together.
“New Year’s wasn’t the last time something happened, so I thought it was a big deal. ”
“Yes!” he shouted, causing Riley to flinch and nearly trip again. “Elena owes me twenty bucks. She thought the forced proximity of New Year’s was the only reason anything happened. Not like you guys are together almost all the time anyway.”
“Forced proximity?”
Cole stumbled a bit but was able to correct himself before he fell.
“Yeah, like in all those romance books Elena reads. Not important. Anyway, you gotta talk to him. Josh adores you, and I have a feeling this is all a huge deal to him, but he doesn’t understand it.
You need to help him understand. We both know he’s the kind of horse you gotta not just lead to water, but dunk his head in it before he’ll take a drink. ”
“Yeah, yeah,” Riley said as they rounded the final turn, the end of their run in sight. “Thanks for listening.”
“Anytime, man,” he said. “Side note, you should start carrying lube with you all the time. I have some extra in my bag if you want it.”
Jackass.
————————
An hour later, the gym rat pack was seated around a table at the Cherry Meadow Diner, one of the more popular diners in Cherrywood. If there was something New Jersey did right, it was diners.
This one featured a long counter that extended down most of the narrow building, with booths across the aisle that used frosted dividers to offer the patrons some privacy. Chrome and neon accents gave the place a futuristic vibe, while the mixed aromas of coffee and bacon filled Riley with comfort.
It was early on a Saturday morning, but they managed to beat the rush, thanks to their early-as-fuck workouts.
They ordered a mix of meals that shouted messages of either my body is a temple and I shall treat it as such or my metabolism is insane and I’m going to take advantage of it while I can.
Tobias opted for a protein omelet while Hunter ordered something called the “Ultimate Hungryman” that looked like it could feed four normal-sized people.
Riley was excited to dig into his eggs and ham, only slightly disappointed they weren’t green because he was still pretty much a child, while Josh wiggled in the seat next to him with enthusiasm as he surveyed his waffle topped with a mountain of whipped cream and fruit.
“When are you guys starting those kids' classes?” Hunter asked between bites.
Tobias finished chewing his omelet and said, “I’m shooting for next month.
We’re going to start with yoga before we try anything else, since that’s been the biggest request. We can’t actually give real barbells to six-year-olds, so if yoga does well then I’m going to order some incredibly light mini barbells and dumbbells so the kids have something to lift like their parents.
But bodyweight stuff will be easiest and least problematic for now. ”
“What do you mean problematic?” Carson asked.
“There are a lot of restrictions on what kids can do since their bodies are still developing. Plus, I want to avoid injuries as much as possible. They don’t quite understand how much they can hurt themselves by lifting something with improper form.”
“Yoga is a good place to start since it’s a slower pace and we can really focus on their safety,” Chase added.
“People are gonna love that,” Garrett chimed in. “They’ll save so much on daycare, it’s like a no-brainer.”
“Think of all the hot single parents that are gonna fill this place too,” Cole added as he turned to Chase. “Maybe you can find a hot DILF to take home. You always loved that ‘daddy’ vibe.”
Tobias interrupted the meal by choking on his eggs, Chase slapping his back from the spot next to him. Once he got a handle on his breathing, he took a drink to be safe, Chase smirking at his reaction.
“Jesus Christ, Cole,” Tobias breathed. “Do you have any kind of filter?”
“Nah, doctors had to remove it, otherwise I would be too perfect and make everyone else feel inferior. It’s for the best for the rest of humanity.”
“You are a piece of work, Cole,” Riley said, suddenly reminded of another problem he was dealing with. “Shit, I almost forgot. Speaking of pains in the ass, Garrett, we might need your help.”
Garrett nodded and continued eating his French toast, but his attention was on Riley.
“I think Josh and I are being stalked by one of our clients,” he explained, the rest of the table quieting. “This author we’ve worked with for years started sending us creepy messages, making it sound like he knows us more than he should.”
“And he sent pictures of us,” Josh added. “He sent us a picture of us leaving the gym the other morning, and we said we were going to contact the police, but he pointed out he was on public property so it wasn’t illegal.”
“He even pointed out how we could ask our friend Garrett about it to be sure, but how does he even know about you?”
Garrett, a Cherrywood detective, finished chewing slowly, his gaze jumping between Josh and Riley. He took a sip of his coffee, like he was unaware the entire table was waiting for him to respond.
“I wouldn’t worry about it,” he said, far calmer than Riley expected him to be.
“You wouldn’t worry about it? He knows your name. He knows things about Josh and me that he shouldn’t. How can we not worry?” Riley said, starting to feel like he was going a bit crazy.
“It’s my professional opinion that this guy contacting you probably has no life and is only bothering you because he’s ashamed of the minuscule size of his dick.”
“I mean, that’s rude,” Cole said. “I bet he has a huge dick.”
“What the fuck is happening?” Riley asked. This conversation wasn’t going where he thought it would go.
“He knows secret things about Riley and me. You really think we shouldn’t be worried?” Josh asked, aiming his puppy dog eyes at Garrett.
“Yeah, that sounds like a big deal to me,” Hunter said.
“And if Hunter thinks it’s a big deal, that’s saying a lot, since he’s also so… big,” Carson said, returning his attention to his Greek yogurt bowl. It was adorable when he tried to be funny.
“Yeah, are you really sure they shouldn’t worry?” Chase asked.
“Okay, how about this?” Garrett said. “Send me the emails he’s sent you and I’ll look into it.”
“Thanks, man,” Riley said, relaxing a bit at Garrett’s offer. “I looked into him myself a bit, but couldn’t find anything useful.”
“I’ll bet you fifty bucks that it’s some idiot you don’t have to worry about,” Garrett said.
“Bullshit. I bet he’s hot and suave and his dick is bigger than average,” Cole said, glaring at Garrett.
“I bet he lives in his parents’ basement and his only friends are his ant farm,” Chase said.
“I bet he’s a murderer,” Hunter said. “You guys should probably stick together. Never go anywhere alone. Sleep together every night.”
“You should definitely be sleeping together every night,” Tobias said, throwing a meaningful look at Josh that had him looking away. “For protection, of course.”
“If he does anything else, I can send him a digital Trojan Horse and destroy his life, so let me know,” Carson added, keeping his gaze on his yogurt.
Carson was kind of terrifying when he wasn’t flustered by Hunter.
Riley turned to Josh, who was gazing at him with a mix of fear and confusion. “This is a shit show, but it’ll be okay, I’m sure.”
He wasn’t sure, but he was trying to convince himself he could be, as much as he was trying to comfort Josh.
“I’m so lost,” Josh said as he turned to Carson. “How would a horse help?”
Riley only hoped their feelings would be easier to navigate than this clusterfuck, because he was going to make sure they talked about what was happening that day. No matter what.