“Hey, that’s our food,” Percy complains.
I set him down and he immediately snatches up the box of lo mein he added to the order.
“And it sounded like you worked up quite an appetite,” Fender teases.
“Ooh, Nicolas Cage.” Percy glances at the TV and completely ignores the playful taunting. My heart thuds heavily again. He’s the perfect guy and he can handle my jackass friends, I’m not sure what more I could ask for.
I grab one of the boxes of chicken fried rice and an egg roll before I sit down on the recliner next to the couch. I snag Percy around the waist and pull him onto my lap, and we all settle in to watch a movie and stuff our faces. Ideal Friday night if you ask me.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
PERCY
I pullmy coat tighter around me to ward off the flurries of snow dancing in the air and pick up my pace, breaking into a full-out jog by the time I reach Sweat. I sigh at the rush of warmth that greets me when I pull the door open and step inside.
I can’t believe how familiar and comforting the sounds of the gym have become over the past few months. The clang of metal, grunts of exertion, and the low hum of chatter are welcoming instead of intimidating now. I’m different too. Every time I look in the mirror I see more of the man I didn’t realize I wanted to be until Butch helped me see it. I walk with more confidence, I wear clothes that show off more of my body without feeling any nervousness or shame, I go jogging first thing in the morning for fuck’s sake. Six-months-ago-Percy wouldn’t recognize me, but he would definitely have checked out my rock-hard ass.
Callan is behind the desk, and I spot Butch with a client, doing burpees together near the free weights. The sweat glistening on his skin makes my body heat instantly at thethought of stripping his clothes off and licking every salty drop off of him.
“Morning, Rocky. You’re early. Butch should be finishing up soon,” Callan says, dragging my attention away from my dirty fantasies. I force my eyes off of my boyfriend and lean on the desk with a smile.
“Cool. Can you check my account for me real quick? I don’t think my membership and personal training fee came out this month.” When you’re living on the meager salary of a TA, it’s pretty noticeable when one of your regular payments doesn’t come out. Not that I wasn’t excited for about two seconds to see that I had extra cash, but that feeling was short lived, and luckily, I didn’t do anything crazy like splurge on the new fitness watch I really wanted.
There’s a cold breeze and the brief sound of outside traffic behind me while Callan turns to the computer and looks up my account.
He chuckles after a second. “Looks like Butch took care of it for you. He gave you his guest membership that we each get as part of our benefits.”
“What?” I frown. “He didn’t have to do that.”
“Hey, what the fuck?” Slater leans over the desk right next to me, with flakes of snow still melting in his hair and his gym bag slung over his shoulder. “Why am I still paying every month then? AJ, you ass, you owe me, like, a year’s worth of gym fees.”
“I forgot,” AJ says, hopping off the treadmill he’s on and giving Slater an apologetic smile.
I stifle a laugh as the two of them quietly bicker until they end up kissing.
“Never a dull day around here, huh?”
“We like to keep it interesting,” Callan says with a smirk.
I fiddle with the strap on my bag and step away from the desk. Since Butch is still busy, I shrug off my coat and eye thelocker room. I could go in and hang my stuff up. That wouldn’t be scary at all. Then I wouldn’t be leaving big puddles on the floor either, so it’s the responsible thing to do. I need to dry my shoes since they’re damp from the snow too, otherwise I could slip and break my neck.
I glance over my shoulder, hoping Butch will be there, ready to offer me moral support to overcome this very tiny yet somehow monumental hurdle. But he’s stretching with his client, so I guess I’m on my own.
No big deal. I’m not even getting naked. I let out a breath and march towards the locker room, pushing the door open with more force than necessary. The smell of gym socks and sweat immediately fills my nose. A couple of showers are running, making the air humid, and I can hear laughter and voices echoing thanks to all the tile covering the floors and walls. I step inside and my stomach flutters with a mixture of nerves and excitement. I’m doing it, I’m in a locker room.
A man strides by in a towel and gives me a passing nod of acknowledgment. I nod back and grip my bag so tightly that my hand cramps.
I’m not even getting naked. It’s fine,I remind myself.
My shoes squeak against the floor and I keep my eye on the finish line like Butch has been coaching me to do, focusing on the empty lockers in the first row. Another man brushes past me to get to his own locker, not even looking in my direction as he pulls his sweat-drenched shirt off mid-stride. His lack of acknowledgment loosens some of the tension in my shoulders. Nobody in here cares. No one thinks I’m out of place. I’m just another gym member putting my stuff into a locker.
A quiet laugh vibrates in my chest. I really am being ridiculous, aren’t I? This isn’t high school, where I was hyperaware of all of the girls around me, seemingly so comfortable in their own skin, complementing each other’s brasand giggling together while I tried to figure out the best way to change into my gym clothes without being fully naked in front of anyone. The worst part was, I couldn’t figure outwhyI felt so uncomfortable and ashamed. Maybe it wouldn’t have made it any easier to know then anyway. I’ll never know. What I do know is that this is different. I’m a grown man now, with a body that feels right and nothing to be afraid of anymore.
My next exhale loosens the knots in my stomach and takes with it a weight that’s felt like lead in my gut for too many years. I pull open the locker and hang my bag and coat, then I sit down on the bench and unlace my shoes so I can dry them off under the hand dryer.
I bump into Butch’s client on my way out of the locker room, and we trade brief, friendly smiles. Butch is just on the other side of the door, and his eyes widen in surprise when he sees me step out.
“I saw you come in, and then I thought you must have left or something,” he says.
