Chapter 8 #2
How interesting and strange.
The yoga instructor, a woman named Dharma who had the kind of serene energy that made you immediately trust her even if she did tell us to put our worries in a bubble and blow them away, guided us through a flow that was challenging enough to be engaging but not so difficult that we couldn't maintain conversation during the easier poses.
“So,” Sean said during a particularly long warrior pose hold, “how's the roommate situation working out? Living with your best friend in a new city?”
Sean's tone was casual, but I caught him glancing toward the camera crew. Why did I have the feeling Sloane had planted that question?
“It's great,” Gryff said, though there was something slightly strained in his voice. “Very... comfortable.”
“Comfortable,” Sean repeated, like the word held some hidden meaning. “That's important.”
We transitioned into downward dog, and I found myself thinking about that word choice. Comfortable. It was accurate, but it also felt insufficient somehow. Living with Gryff was comfortable, but it was also energizing and grounding and a dozen other things that were harder to articulate.
“It is, and that's maybe part of the problem,” I said during the brief rest period between flows. “A problem I think you two might be able to help us with.”
“Do tell.” Sean said it in that gimme-the-tea kind of way.
Everyone in our friend group is either coupled up or actively dating. Gryff and I are the only ones who aren't... pursuing anything romantic.”
“And how do you feel about that?” Sloane called out from behind the cameras, clearly intrigued by this conversational direction.
“Maybe it's time to start thinking about dating.”
Gryff's warrior pose wobbled slightly. “Is it?”
“Why not? We've been in LA for a while now. We're both doing well with our training. We've had enough time to get over our respective breakup disasters.”
“What breakup disasters?” Sean asked, immediately invested.
“We both swore off dating after some particularly spectacular relationship implosions,” I explained. “I gave up women, he gave up men. But maybe it's time to get back out there.”
“Ah, yes. This is a problem that Sean will be thrilled to help you with,” Ren said, speaking up for the first time since we'd started.
Now that it was on camera, Gryff would have to go along with it.
But just for a little extra oomph I poked where I knew he needed it.
“Sweet. Clearly we're both terrible at picking partners for ourselves.
I was thinking maybe we could pick for each other.
There's no one I trust more than my very best friend in the whole wide world to help me find the right person who will treat me like a queen.”
“This is fascinating,” Sloane said, clearly delighted with the direction our conversation was taking. “So you'd essentially be each other's matchmakers?”
Sean was abuzz with excitement, his eyes lighting up. “Oh, this is brilliant. We know tons of people in the city.”
Ren made a noncommittal sound that could have been agreement or mild panic.
“You'd really be up for that?” I asked Sean. “Playing matchmaker for us?”
“Are you kidding? I live for this kind of thing. Finding the perfect person for someone is like... it's an art form.”
“What kind of people are you looking for?” Sloane asked, and I could practically see her mentally planning future episodes around our dating adventures.
I thought about it seriously. “Someone who can handle that I'm an athlete, who isn't intimidated by my size or strength. Someone who sees my ambition as attractive, not threatening.”
“And you, Gryff?”
Gryff was quiet for a long moment, and when he spoke, his voice was carefully measured. “Someone who's interested in me as a person, not as a football player or a celebrity.”
“Those seem like very reasonable requirements,” Sean said. “Definitely workable.”
“So we're really doing this?” I asked, looking around our little circle. “The mutual matchmaking project?”
“If you're serious about it,” Sean replied. “I think it could be fun. And very good for the show,” he added with a grin toward the camera crew. Sloane had definitely coached him.
Gryff nodded, though there was something in his expression I couldn't quite read. Something that looked almost... reluctant. “Yeah. Let's do it.”
After class Gryff waited until the camera crew packed up and we'd said goodbye to Sean and Ren before he swatted me with his rolled up yoga mat. “I know what you're doing, Artemis Ingvar Fraser.”
Uh-oh. “Who me?”
“You can't fool me. This is the perfect distraction from avoiding the decision about Team GB, isn't it?”
The question caught me off guard, and I felt heat rise in my cheeks. “You’re a distraction.”
“Nice try. You've been talking about everything except your dad's offer lately. And now you want to focus on finding relationships in LA. It seems like maybe you're looking for reasons to stay.”
I opened my mouth to deny it, then closed it again. Because he wasn't wrong. The thought of making that decision, choosing between my father and the life I was building here, felt overwhelming in a way I wasn't ready to deal with.
“Maybe a little,” I admitted. “Is that terrible?”
“It's not terrible. It's human. But you should know that's what you're doing.”
“Maybe focusing on building a life here will help me figure out if it's worth staying for.”
“And if I find you someone amazing, that would make the decision easier?”
“Potentially.” I shouldered my yoga mat and looked at him seriously. “Same for you, right? If Sean finds you someone perfect, you'll have more reasons to love LA.”
“Right,” he said, but something in his tone suggested that wasn't quite what he wanted to hear. “More reasons to love LA.”
As we walked back to the parking area, I felt satisfied with our plan.
It was logical, systematic, and had the potential to solve multiple problems at once.
We'd integrate better into LA's social scene, we'd have the support of friends who understood the queer dating landscape, and we'd approach relationships with more intention than either of us had managed in the past.
The fact that it also gave me an excuse to postpone the biggest decision of my life was just a bonus.
And most importantly, if the Kingman family legend was true, getting Gryff happily settled with someone would improve his performance on the field. His rookie season would be successful, he'd make the team, and I'd have helped my best friend achieve his dreams.
“So,” Sloane said, catching up with us as we reached our car, “when do we start filming the dates?”
“Let us actually find some people first,” I said with a laugh.
“Fair enough. But I want to document the whole process. The matchmaking, the preparation, the actual dates. This could be a really compelling storyline for the season.”
Great.
While I wasn't that excited to see my potentially disastrous dates on TV, it was still a good plan.
The only thing I couldn't figure out was why Gryff seemed so unenthusiastic about a plan that was clearly going to benefit both of us.