1
JOSH WU WAS CONFUSED, and not the usual confusion of his daily life that caused him to miss jokes or sarcasm, but confused to the depths of his very soul. He couldn’t understand how he, a man who had lived thirty years, still didn’t know how to work his mouth. He was in the middle of eating breakfast when he bit the inside of his cheek. Hard.
When he was finally able to deal with the pain and continue eating, he managed to bite the same spotagain. How had he not yet learned how to chew without injuring himself?
“You okay, man?” his best friend, Riley, asked from his spot on the couch next to Josh.
“No. I bit the inside of my mouth and it’s awful. And then I bit it again and it’s even more awful. Everything is awful.”
As Josh held his hand to his mouth and kept his eyes shut tight to ward off the pain, he felt the comfort of Riley’s hand squeeze his shoulder before letting go all too soon.
“Life is so hard sometimes,” he said. “I’m here for you, buddy. Together, we’ll get through this.”
The couch dipped and a tiny weight settled on his thigh. Opening his eyes, he spotted a new glow stick lying on his leg.
His hand fell from his mouth and a grin took over his face as he turned to Riley.
“You got me a glow stick?”
Before Riley could even respond, Josh cracked the thin blue stick, put it around his neck and connected the ends, all to the tune of Riley’s chuckles.
“No, actually, I got you one hundred new glow sticks because you go through them so quickly,” he said as he placed the carton of the remaining glow sticks on the couch next to Josh, looking proud of his purchase.
Riley Hanson was the greatest friend in the history of friendship. He always took care of Josh and looked out for him. He always made Josh feel better about himself rather than so many people over the years who made him feel dumb or less than. He offered him friendship when so few others would. He had yet to find a woman who would accept that Riley would always be the most important person in Josh’s world.
They looked so different from each other, but Riley was still his closest family. People told them they looked like the two Kens from theBarbiemovie, but he didn’t see it. Riley had a stronger jaw and honey brown hair, and he was way better looking than Ryan Gosling.Psh. No contest.
“Thanks, Ri. You’re the best!” he shouted, the pain of his cheek long forgotten.
“Anytime. Now, finish up, we gotta get to the gym or Tobias will make us do burpees for being late again.”
Josh groaned as he pushed away his plate and forced himself off the couch, trailing behind Riley as they slowly made their way to their morning workout. Why did they decide the six a.m. class was worth going to?Oh yeah, because my third family will be there.
Josh had always had an unorthodox view of family. His parents emigrated to the United States from China as part of a scientific research program. They moved across the street from the Hansons and the Browns, the three families becoming close friends. Five years later, Josh’s parents were killed in a car accident that he survived, and the Browns adopted him.
That day haunted him, even twenty-five years later, but Riley was still here. He wasalwayshere. Since they lived together, he was here for every single nightmare. Eventually, they figured out using a weighted blanket helped keep the dreams at bay, but Riley was there whenthe nightmares broke through. Josh really didn’t deserve him.
As adults, they’d connected with a small group through their high school soccer team that they still played with once a week—and interfered in each other’s lives seven days a week. They were Josh's second family.
And his third? The other crazy people who joined them at Gym Rat Fitness before the sun had even risen in Cherrywood, New Jersey.
Despite making their own hours with the graphic design business they co-owned, Riley and Josh decided this class was worth waking up for.
They pulled into the mostly deserted parking lot, the gym’s logo prominently displayed over the door. It looked like a tiny operation from the front, but when they entered they were greeted with a cozy lounge that led to a wide open space including everything they could ever need to stay fit. A boxing ring, stand-up punching bags, a huge weight rack that stretched along an entire wall so twenty-five people could do pull-ups at the same time. There was also a huge open space for classes while ropes and rings hung overhead.
Tobias Moyer was at the front of the class space, a quiet sentry standing over his realm. They called out a hello, and he nodded in their direction before turning back to analyzing that morning’s workout. Josh thoughthe would have been amazing as a Buckingham Palace guard. That guy was totally unflappable. A retired pro hockey player, he’d spent years guarding the net for the Philadelphia Inferno until he retired and created this fitness mecca. The six a.m. class was the only one he consistently taught, in order to avoid fans who were only there to gawk at him, which led to their little group.
Cole Durbin, one of their best friends and also a part of the soccer team, the Cherry Stems, sat on the ground stretching his legs and greeted them in typical Cole fashion.
“Thank God other people are here. It’s creepy when I’m alone with Tobias in this giant space and he’s doing that thing where he’s pretending he doesn’t want to talk to me and he doesn’t want to be my friend because he’s trying to look cool,” he said, loud enough for Tobias to hear.
Riley and Josh’s heads snapped toward Tobias, but there was absolutely no reaction from the man, who had his back to them. It was possible he was sleeping while standing.
“See? Just admit you love me, Tobes. It will be so much easier for everyone,” Cole shouted.
Riley pushed Cole’s shoulder playfully. “Don’t antagonize the man right before he makes us work out. He’ll make it harder.”
“That’s why he’s doing it,” Josh joined in. “He likesto make it harder. He makes it harder for all of us and he likes it.”
