“I notice you didn’t answer the ‘are you human’ question.”
“Ten. We are all human in our own way.”
Nick rolled his eyes. “You sound like a fortune cookie.” It made him think about the fluffy, lazy, divorced Larry Rupley who hadn’t bothered putting forth any effort until it was too late. On a sigh, he dropped to the floor next to Gabe. “One,” he said, executing a push-up.
“Ten,” Gabe said, now dripping sweat onto a new spot on the floor.
“Two. You do know there’s a difference between having a job and having a life, right? Three.”
“Eleven. I do not understand,” Gabe said, swiping a hand over his sweaty brow while completing a one-handed push-up.
“Fourteen. I mean, no boss gets to dictate how you live your life. That’s your choice. You get to decide. Twenty-three. It’s kinda your fault if you give someone else the right to make your decisions for you,” Nick said.
Gabe paused in a textbook plank, beads of sweat forming glistening rivers of sweat on his bulging biceps and forearms. “Is this true, or are you setting me up for some elaborate and embarrassing prank?”
Nick grinned. “I can see how you’d think that, but I’m being serious. You get to decide who you spend time with and what dairy products you consume by the gallon. Twenty-seven.”
“I do?” Bewildered, Gabe lowered himself to the floor.
“Of course you do. You’re probably human. You’re an adult. You wanna make out with ice cream every night? You pick the flavor. It’s up to you to figure out what you want and whether or not to go after it. Whether the thing you want is worth the consequences of having it.” Nick banged out three push-ups in rapid succession. “Thirty-eight. Thirty-nine. Forty.”
Gabe reached for a water bottle and guzzled deeply. “You are making an intriguing point. I must consider it.”
“Thanks, buddy. Fifty-two. Listen, another thing I learned the hard way. You’re not responsible for other people’s choices. Sixty-three. Riley was the one who stupidly decided to try to solve the problem on her own. You aren’t responsible for that. One hundred.”
“Many of the things you say are nonsensical. Yet now you are providing real wisdom,” Gabe observed with a frown.
“Yeah, I’m a complex guy,” Nick said, rolling over and executing a sit-up. “One.”
“I would never have guessed. Perhaps Elanora’s silent fast opened your mind?” he guessed.
Nick snorted. “Not eating and not talking didn’t teach me a damn thing. I’ve got the whole life experience thing going for me,” he explained. “Two. You know, learning through living. Seven.”
Gabe frowned thoughtfully. “Learning through living. Have you ever considered becoming a spiritual coach? I feel I have much to learn from you.”
“Fifteen. Stick with me, big guy. I’ll show you how to enjoy the world. Twenty.”
“A world with ice cream?” Gabe asked, his arms shaking from the plank.
“Twenty-four. A world with ice cream and pretty girls who like you a lot.”
Gabe smiled shyly. “I like this world you speak of.”
“Me too, Mount Rushmore. Me too.”
Bro time over, Nick took the stairs two at a time. It was time to do some living of his own. On the third floor, he kicked the door open, startling Riley into dropping a piece of fried chicken on the floor.
“What the hell, Santiago?” she grumbled, picking up the chicken.
“You. Shirt off,” he said, pointing at her as he yanked his phone out of the back pocket of his jeans.
“You caveman,” she said. “Why are you all sweaty?”
She was chewing on her bottom lip. A definite sign that she was turned on and trying not to be.
“If you’re not naked by the time I finish this text, I will rip the clothing from your body, Thorn.”
Her eyes widened. “Seriously?”
