Chapter Nineteen #2
“Damn,” I said with a laugh. “He’s going to spit in your coffee.”
Atlas chuckled. “Your sister said the same thing.”
“He’s probably really upset that you’re getting married. He’s had a crush on Tegan since they were in middle school.”
“Really?” Atlas asked, cocking his head. “She told me he was never interested in her until I came into the picture.”
“That’s because I told him I’d kill him if he ever asked her out.” It was an empty threat, but it was enough to deter a guy like Brian. I guess with Atlas in the picture, he finally worked up the balls to make a move on her. Too little, too late, bud.
Atlas leaned back in his chair. “You really take the role of protector seriously, don’t you?”
“Someone had to. But now that you’re in the picture, I don’t have to worry about it quite as much.”
Cyrus was speechless, his mouth hanging open.
Did I say something wrong? I was just being honest.
Atlas stared at me for a moment before grinning. “I promise she’s in good hands.”
“I know she is.” The more I got to know Atlas, the worse I felt that I’d given him and my sister such a hard time right out of the gate. He really was a great guy.
“Speaking of Tegan,” Atlas said, “she told me she wants all of us to go camping.”
Damn, she was not letting that go. I guess this was happening.
“I was thinking we could go in the fall. Once it cools down and things at the park slow down a little bit. I have plenty of equipment we can use. It’ll be fun.”
“What about you, Cy?” Atlas asked. “You down for camping?”
“I’m usually one for my creature comforts, but I could be persuaded,” he said, staring right at me. “Maybe we can go right before the triathlon. You’ll be finished with your training, so you can just relax.”
Planning a camping trip wasn’t exactly relaxing, but the weather would be perfect. “Uh, sure. Let’s shoot for that.”
Atlas took a sip of his coffee and his ears perked up. “Reece, I’ve been meaning to ask, what made you decide to sign up for a triathlon?”
“I like being the best,” I admitted. It made me sound like a competitive asshole, but it was the truth. “Pushing my body to its limits. A triathlon seemed like a good way to challenge myself.”
“That’s how I felt about competing,” Atlas said, “at least in the beginning.”
“Competing?” I asked.
Atlas nodded. “I was a competitive bodybuilder for years.”
“A five-time physique champion,” Cyrus added. It was cute that he was hyping up his friend’s achievement.
“That’s wild,” I said, eyes fixed on my future brother-in-law. Atlas was already jacked. I couldn’t imagine the shape he was in when he was competing. “What made you give it up?”
He puffed out a breath. “I was just tired of it. Tired of being hungry all the time. Tired of the pressure of cuts and bulks.”
While I kept a clean diet, I wasn’t quite that strict with my meal plan. I was naturally lean, and I made sure I could fit my little sweet treats in and still maintain a calorie deficit.
“I could see that.”
“If you ever decide you want to compete, let me know,” Atlas said. “I’d be happy to train you.”
I laughed. There was no way I’d put myself through that torture. “I appreciate the offer, but I get hangry enough as it is.”
“You certainly do,” Cyrus said quietly, staring at me from across the table with a sensual smile on his face.
What the fuck was wrong with him? Was he trying to blow our cover?
Atlas looked between us and slurped up the last of his iced americano. He could obviously sense the tension. “Well,” he said, rising out of his chair, “I better get back to the gym.”
“Someone has to make sure Fallon is actually training his clients,” Cyrus teased.
Atlas rubbed his temples. “That fucking guy. I swear, if he wasn’t my best friend—”
“Oh, don’t give me that,” Cyrus huffed. “You love him like a brother.”
“I do,” Atlas sighed. Fallon must have had some redeeming qualities if guys like Atlas and Cyrus valued his friendship.
“Thanks for coming with us,” I told Atlas.
“Thanks for inviting me. We should do it again. Oh”—his eyes widened and his ears perked up—“every once in a while, we get together to play video games and hang out. Did you want to join us next time, Reece?”
It caught me off guard because I wasn’t normally invited to those sorts of things. The closest thing I had to a friend was Jimenez, and we didn’t hang out much outside of work. “Uh, sure. I’d love to.”
Atlas’s body started to sway, that tail of his going a mile a minute. He was obviously happy I’d agreed. “Cool. I’ll let you know the next time we get together.”
“Sounds good.”
He tossed his empty cup in the trash, gave us a little wave, then headed down the street toward Leviathan Fitness.
I watched him walk off, waiting until he disappeared down the street to whisper-shout, “Were you trying to blow our cover?”
Cyrus scoffed. “Blow our cover how?”
“You know how! Those innuendos and those—those sultry looks.”
“Sultry?” It was obvious Cyrus was trying to bite back his laughter. “I didn’t know the word ‘sultry’ was in your vocabulary.”
“Oh, fuck off.”
One of his tentacles discreetly brushed against my leg.
“You need to relax. I would never do anything to put things between us in jeopardy. Atlas knows I tease my friends. He’s probably just shocked at how comfortable the two of us are together.
Especially since you got off to a bad start with both of us. ”
Fuck, the truth hurt sometimes. I hated that I’d given them both such a bad first impression of myself.
When I didn’t say anything, he continued, “All things considered, I think you and Atlas get along quite well, don’t you?”
“We do,” I admitted. “We actually have a lot in common.”
He grinned. “Indeed you do.”
“Shut up,” I said, smiling right back at him.
I appreciated that he’d pushed me into this. That he wanted me to connect with Atlas.
We sat in silence for a few beats, watching cars roll down Main Street and the customers filter out of the Busy Bean. It would be time for me to get going soon, but I didn’t want to leave Cyrus yet.
He took a deep breath and forced a smile. “You did well with training today. I think we should do an open-water swim at the lake soon.”
My face pinched into a scowl. I’d swum at the lake a few times before I started training with Cyrus, but it was nothing like the training we did, or what I’d experience during the triathlon.
Leisurely treading water wasn’t the same as front-crawling as fast as I could for 750 meters in ice-cold water.
“You’ve got this,” Cyrus reassured me, obviously reading my expression.
“Sure do,” I said sarcastically.
“Fresh water isn’t my favorite, but I could get in with you.”
“You don’t have to do that.” The pool was one thing; the lake was another.
“But I would.”
I imagined Cyrus jetting around the lake, swimming out to the buoy and back before I was even a few feet offshore. He was probably even more impressive in the ocean, cutting through the rough waves and diving deep on a single breath. Seeing him in his element would be like a dream.
“When’s the last time you swam in the ocean?” I asked.
Rock Harbor was on the bay, but the only ocean access was a few hours down the coastline.
He rubbed his jaw and hummed. “It’s been several years. I could swim through the bay out to the ocean, but the water isn’t the cleanest.”
I didn’t blame him. Even with the massive efforts to clean up the bay, it was still pretty gross. You wouldn’t catch me jumping in that water.
“You never ask Fallon and Atlas to drive down to the beach with you?”
He was taking a sip of his coffee and shrugged.
“Fallon would probably go if I asked him, but I’d hate to trouble him—or trouble myself with him—just so I could swim in the ocean.
Besides, the reason Leviathan has a saltwater pool is because of me.
Atlas wanted me to have room to swim while I replenished my salt stores. ”
I’d been curious about that ever since I saw the gym logo and found out the pool was salt water. That was a pretty big accommodation to make for one of your friends. Add it to the list of things that made Atlas a good guy.
“What the fuck does that mean?”
“What?” he asked. “My saltwater stores?”
I nodded.
He laughed. “Basically, it helps maintain balance in my body.”
Another interesting kraken thing.
“I see.” I grabbed my phone off the table, checking the time. “Fuck,” I groaned. “I don’t want to go.” It would be a few days before I got to see Cyrus again, and I wasn’t ready to leave him yet.
Cyrus sighed. “I wish you didn’t have to go, either.” He spoke the first part, but then his voice echoed in my head: I can hang back and you can walk back to the gym by yourself if you think it’ll look less conspicuous.
Someone laid on their horn, almost making me drop my coffee. It was Jimenez, pulling the Briar Glenn Parks Department work truck into a parking spot in front of us.
“Oh, fuck me,” I said under my breath as Jimenez exited the car. I wanted to sulk about leaving Cyrus in peace.
“Skipping out on work to grab a coffee?” Jimenez teased. He looked like he always did during work, his khaki Parks Department uniform clinging to his chest and arms like a second skin, shifting and straining with each of his movements.
Jimenez tipped his head at Cyrus, giving him his signature handsome smile. Remembering my conversation with Cyrus from earlier and the whole “Parks Department calendar” thing, I wanted to wipe that smile right off his face with my fists. I didn’t want anyone looking at Cyrus like that but me.
“Hey, Cyrus,” he said. “How are you?”
My jaw tightened, my hands clenching into fists under the table.
Down, boy, Cyrus said in my head. He’s just being nice.
He grinned at Javier. “I’m well, thanks. Reece, Atlas, and I stepped out for a coffee this morning, but Reece was just on his way out.”
“Perfect,” Javier said, jostling my shoulder. I fought the urge to shrug him off. He was the last person I wanted touching me right now. “We can head to the park from here and I can drop you off at your car later.”
“Yeah. Perfect,” I grumbled.
Javier pointed to the door of the Busy Bean, his stupid biceps flexing against his stupid tight sleeve. “Let me just grab a coffee and we can roll.”
I waited for Javier to go inside before I murmured, “I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault,” Cyrus said.
But it was. We had to keep this a secret because of me.
Apparently, now that the rush had died down, the Busy Bean was slinging out drinks right and left, because Jimenez was already on his way back with his coffee.
I stood up and stared down at Cyrus. “I’ll text you later, okay?”
He glanced up at me with this painfully sad look on his face. I wish I could kiss you goodbye.
I mouthed, Me, too.
Javier stepped outside and slipped on his sunglasses. “Ready to hit up these parks, boss?”
I nodded. “I’ll see you at our next session,” I told Cyrus.
“See ya then.” He tried to sound upbeat, but I knew this was hurting him. It made me feel like shit.
“Bye, Cyrus!” Javier said with a friendly wave.
“Bye,” he murmured.
I spun my keys on my finger and headed toward the driver’s side door.
“But I wanted to dr—” Jimenez started.
“Nope. Not today.” I needed something to focus on other than the heartbroken look on Cyrus’s face as we pulled away.