Chapter 14
CHASE COULD BE PROFESSIONAL. Chase could be so professional. He could be the most professional person in the entire world.
Unfortunately, his brain didn’t keep his thoughts professional.
It had been a few days since the kiss that went nowhere, as he referred to it.
It had a few nicknames.
The biggest tease ever.
The thing that could get him fired.
The moment everything felt right before it all crashed and burned, all before anything even started.
Usually, yoga helped him forget about all his troubles, but today he struggled to keep things boxed up in his brain.
Aside from his unwelcome thoughts about Tobias, his brother, Shawn, had been texting him about getting together again to catch up. They were meeting at Hero’s later to watch the Inferno game, but he was too distracted to think about that at the moment.
Maybe if he gave everyone a new challenging pose to focus on, it would help distract him too.
Chase directed them into a downward dog pose, making them hop forward so they could flow into a forward fold.
“Keep breathing, steady and even. We’re going to try an advanced move that’s not always easy to get on the first try, but the more we do it, the more comfortable you’ll feel.
Roll up, vertebrae by vertebrae. I’m going to demonstrate this for you first, since once you get into the position, it will be hard to watch me at the same time.
Everyone, move your ab mats so they are directly in front of you, maybe a foot in front of your feet, square to your body. This is called crane pose.”
They all watched as he moved into a forward fold, slowly bending his knees and then his arms, standing on his toes until all of his weight balanced on his hands and his knees were resting on the backs of his arms.
Keeping his core engaged, Chase continued his instruction.
“You’re going to use your core to hold this pose.
Engage your muscles and make sure you keep breathing.
If you think you’re going to fall,” he paused and started to lean forward until his head made contact with an ab mat—little arched cushions they usually used for back support when doing sit-ups—“you’re safe to fall forward thanks to the mat.
And if you start to fall backward, you’ll land on your toes. ”
He leaned onto his toes and rose into a forward fold, rolling up slowly until he was back to standing.
Everyone in the gym gaped at him.
“Are you guys ready to try it?” Chase asked.
Josh shouted yes while the rest of them murmured in agreement, and Chase led them in the sequence.
The ab mats were the perfect accessory for the pose, since it gave everyone a safe place to fall if they needed to.
Chase walked around the room, offering encouragement and tips. Tobias nailed it, of course, but Chase did his best not to give him any extra attention.
After Chase directed them from a forward fold to standing, everyone had proud grins. They all did better than they thought they would, making Chase proud.
Once they were finished, he congratulated everyone on their progress. It was amazing seeing how far they’d all come in such a short amount of time.
“How long does it take to get as good as you?” Hunter asked. He’d been the most leery about starting yoga, mostly because of his Thor-like muscles. They’d held him back at first, but he got more limber and confident with every session.
“I’ve been practicing yoga since college, but I also work at Cherrywood Boulders, the rock climbing gym, and that uses a lot of bodyweight strength, too.”
“What’s the craziest move you can do?” Josh asked excitedly.
Chase wondered which pose would impress Tobias the most, and his cheeks heated as he considered how he shouldn’t be thinking that way. To hell with it, though. If he wanted to impress Tobias, there was one surefire way to do it.
“Uh, well, not a yoga pose, but the most impressive one is probably ‘human flag.’”
“So you wave at us? I can do that,” Riley joked, waving like royalty at Chase, and the others chuckled.
“Not exactly,” Chase said as he strode over to the weight rack stretching against the wall. He grabbed onto one of the poles and lifted himself until his body hung sideways, completely parallel to the ground, like a human flag.
“Holy shit, how’d you do that?” Cole yelled.
Chase chuckled as he lowered himself to the ground. A bunch of them raced over to the poles to try, but none of them could manage it, although Carson got about halfway.
“Well, I, uh, used to take a pole dance class for a bit and picked up some things,” Chase said as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously.
He’d participated in just about every fitness class in existence at this point, but pole dancing usually gained the most attention.
Cole spun in Tobias’ direction. “Please, please, please, can we have a pole dancing class next?”
Chase expected Tobias to say something dismissive in response to Cole, like usual, but Tobias was frozen in place and staring, his jaw dropped.
After a moment, Tobias noticed everyone staring at him and shook himself. “Uh, no I don’t think so. Maybe. No.”
“Oh my God, Chase,” Cole crooned. “You broke Tobes.”
Chase could hear laughter around him, but he only had eyes for Tobias, and he vaguely heard everyone else leaving, until Chase and Tobias stood alone in the middle of the gym.
Tobias remained frozen, and Chase spotted a myriad of emotions plaguing him. Part of him wanted to wait until Tobias settled on one, but a much bigger part of him had lost his patience.
“Impressed?” Chase asked, wearing a smug grin aimed at Tobias.
Another moment passed, and Chase wasn’t sure if it had been seconds or minutes when Tobias said, “Yeah,” his voice breathless.
Chase didn’t want to push his luck too much, so he shot his boss a wink and made his way toward the door.
“See you tomorrow, boss.”
He’d made it all the way to the exit before he heard a quiet response from Tobias.
“Yeah. See ya.”
Chase did nothing to hide the wide smile on his face as he exited the gym, leaving Tobias with plenty to think about.
————————
Chase squared his shoulders as he walked into Hero’s Pub and searched the room for his brother.
A Philly Inferno game aired on most of the TV screens, drawing a crowd to the bar.
Philly fans were passionate—and a little proudly unhinged—and loud cheers erupted around the bar every time the hockey team made a big play, along with shouts and curses every time they messed up.
Goaltender Shane Kendrick made a brilliant save as Chase scanned the room.
A large granite bar sat in the middle of the room, with stools and tables scattered around it.
Dark cherry wood accents gave the space an upscale vibe, but it managed a laid-back atmosphere.
Shawn had been texting him about getting together again, and Chase eventually agreed. It wasn’t easy to forgive Shawn for the implosion of their family, but part of him still wanted to hold onto their familial bond. His mom was an only child, so Chase didn’t have any other family left.
Chase spotted his brother sitting at a small table against a wall, perusing the menu in front of him.
As he walked past other tables, Chase removed his winter hat and took a moment to really study Shawn.
He was paler than he remembered, with pronounced dark bags under his eyes, but when Chase reached the table and Shawn’s head popped up, he brightened and rose from his chair, extending his arms for a hug and then hesitating to give it.
Chase gave him a sympathetic smile and pulled him in for a back-slapping embrace.
Shawn gave him an extra squeeze before he let go and gestured for Chase to join him at the table. His brother acted extra polite and awkward, and a tiny part of Chase hated it. He’d give anything to get them back to their childhood relationship, but he wasn’t sure what Shawn was willing to give.
The server came over before they got a chance to say anything beyond hello, and Chase ordered a winter cider while Shawn asked for a glass of red wine.
Shawn fiddled with the edge of his paper menu, something he always did when nerves hit him.
It eased some of Chase’s tension to find Shawn equally anxious, which made him think of Tobias.
Is this how he felt all the time? Plagued by nerves and anxiety?
Hiding made a lot more sense when he thought of it that way.
“So, uh, Philly looks good this season,” Shawn said, tipping his head toward one of the TVs above. “You still a fan?”
Their childhood often involved watching Inferno games with their parents. It was the one interest all four of them had in common, although their parents also enjoyed watching Chase and Shawn play soccer.
Patrick and Monica Townsend were diehard Inferno fans, and had been as religious about watching the games as they were about taking them to church every Sunday.
Chase remembered when they drafted twenty-year-old Tobias Moyer and wasted no time throwing him in net. For twelve years, Tobias anchored his team. And for one year, while Tobias played, Chase and his family cheered together for him—until Chase and his mom moved out.
He smirked. “Yeah, still a fan. I watch whenever I can. You?”
“Oh yeah. That shit’s in our blood at this point.”
The server arrived with their drinks, and they each said thanks. After she left, Shawn raised his glass to Chase.
“Cheers?” Shawn asked, his opposite hand still fidgeting with the edge of his menu.
Chase smirked and clinked his glass against Shawn’s, which earned him a wide grin in return.
As they took a sip of their drinks, the winter cider crisp and refreshing, Chase’s mind wandered back to the Inferno. Part of Chase wanted to keep Tobias to himself, but he couldn’t help but brag to his older brother.
“I’m actually teaching yoga at Tobias Moyer’s gym now. Gym Rat Fitness. Have you heard of it?”
Shawn’s jaw dropped, and it took a long time before he responded.
“Are you for real?” he asked. “Tobias fucking Moyer is your boss?”