“No way,” AJ argues. “It’s not too cold until there’s actual frost.”
“You just want the excuse to cram into a one-person tent with that hot ass boyfriend of yours,” Fender teases.
AJ laughs but doesn’t deny it. “Jealous?”
“Of the fact that you have a boyfriend?” he scoffs. “No way. Boyfriends require too much care and attention. You have to feed them, walk them, and they need constant reassurance.”
I frown. “I think that’s puppies, man.”
Fender waves his hand dismissively. “Same difference. At least puppies can be trained.”
“I’d be down for camping,” Silas chimes in.
“Yeah,” I agree. “Let’s pick a weekend.”
Fender might not be jealous that AJ and his boyfriend Slater will be stuffed into a too-small tent together, but I definitely am. It’s been fuckingagessince I’ve had a boyfriend to get all snuggly and cramped with. Maybe it’s time I change the settings on my M4M profile from ‘looking for something casual’ to ‘looking for something serious.’ But the thought alone makes me feel exhausted. I’d rather meet someone organically, like we both reach for the same dumbbell and when our eyes meet, we already know it’s on. You know, the usual way people meet.
“Fine,” Fender sighs. “But that means I need to find someone to keep me warm for a weekend.”
“Crossing Swords tomorrow night?” Callan suggests.
“Hell yeah,” Fender cheers. “Daddy needs to get his dick sucked.”
I snort. “Since when are you Daddy?”
“I meant you. You forget we share a wall and it’s been way too long since I’ve heard any bed shaking coming from your room.”
I wish I could argue with him, but he’s right, I’ve been in a dry spell.
“Creepy that you’re listening, but you’re not wrong,” I agree with a sigh.
Meeting someone at the club is better than an app at least. Who knows, maybe I’ll trip over the man of my dreams on the dance floor, and we’ll live happily ever after. A dude can hope, right?
CHAPTER THREE
PERCY
“I don’t thinkthis is what people usually wear to the gym.” I tug at the crop top uselessly. I don’t even bother to fiddle with the shorts. One wrong tug and I’ll end up mooning Juno.
“What do you want to wear? Khakis?” they say dryly, shoving their sneakers at me.
“And maybe a nice polo,” I mutter sarcastically, taking the ratty shoes and shoving my feet into them. “Seriously though, I don’t think this is what anyone else at Sweat was wearing yesterday.” I screw up my face, trying to picture what exactly theywerewearing, but all that keeps coming to mind is the way Butch’s muscles were bulging with the push-ups he was doing when I walked in, and the big, dopey smile on his face when I told him I’d come back to sign up for a membership this morning.
Ugh. I cannot get a crush on a gym bro. He was only being nice so he could make a commission on my membership fees and sell me an expensive personal training package, I’m sure. Three sessions free is the oldest trick in the book, and I’m notgoing to embarrass myself by thinking it’s anything more than a sales tactic. That’s as bad as the guys who think the stripper is actually into them.
“Seriously, nobody cares what you wear to the gym,” Juno assures me, giving me a little nudge towards the door.
I narrow my eyes at them. “Why are you so desperate to get me out the door?”
“God forbid I try to get my bestie laid.” They roll their eyes, and I snort a laugh.
“You want me out of the apartment so you can take an extra-long shower without me lecturing you about using too much water, don’t you.”
“What? Never,” Juno says unconvincingly, giving me another nudge towards the door. “Now, go learn how to squat or whatever. And I wouldn’t be mad if you picked me up another Danish either.”
“I have to go straight to campus from there. I have to lecture for my one-oh-one class at ten,” I remind them.
“Duh, I forgot what day it was. I’ll swing by your office for lunch?”
