Cole gave him a blank look, blinking his ice blue eyes for a few seconds. “I don’t think you realize what you’re saying. I’m sure Riley makes things hard for you plenty.”
Josh didn’t understand what Cole was snickering about, but he went to Riley’s side while he stretched and threw his arm around his bestie’s shoulders.
“No way! Riley makes everything easy because he’s the best,” he said as he pulled Riley into a headlock.
“You’ll never take me alive!” Riley shouted as the two of them tumbled to the ground in a wrestling match.
They rolled across the floor as both of them fought to pin the other, a game they’d played since they were kids. Josh always enjoyed it because it made him feel closer to his best friend and he loved being held. Even though they were wrestling, in Riley’s arms was where Josh was safest, where nothing else could touch him. Not even his nightmares. So, yeah, he would end up in those arms every chance he got.
Josh managed to get Riley’s shirt over his head so it covered his face, making it much harder for him to fight back, but also revealing the tight abs he worked so hard for. That, of course, made it much easier to tickle him, and soon his laughter echoed through the space.
A jet of water sprayed Josh in the face. He sprang away from Rileyat the shock of it.
“What the hell?” he said, turning toward the source of the spray that was now being pointed at Riley. Garrett Pearson stood above them with a squirt bottle and an amused expression.
“Tobias, I finally figured out a way to separate the children,” he shouted with an easy authority. Probably why he was a Cherrywood detective.
“Thanks, Garrett,” Tobias shouted.
“Sure, appreciate Garrett. He’s the best. Garrett, Garrett, Garrett,” Cole complained, sounding like a giant baby.
When he went to say more, Garrett sprayed Cole right in his face, making him sputter and stare in shock at the man with the dripping bottle. Josh couldn’t help but notice a rare smirk from Tobias at the exchange, and he shot an amused look at Riley.
Riley’s face clearly said,Someone finally figured out how to shut up Cole.
Josh cocked an eyebrow, saying,Yeah, sure, we’ll see how long that lasts.
After thirty years of friendship, sometimes they didn’t even have to talk to have a conversation.
Luckily, Hunter and Carson strolled in next and distracted everyone from Garrett’s new training technique.
“Thank goodness, help is here.” Cole stood from his spot stretching on the floor. “More witnesses to see thispolice brutality. He’s lucky I can’t fight back.”
Everyone groaned.
“Nope, nope, nope,” Garrett said, backing away and stashing the water bottle with the rest of his stuff in the cubbies where everyone kept their things.
“Cole, what did we say about inappropriate police jokes?” Riley asked, his arms crossed over his fixed shirt covered in little wet spots.
“Ugh, fine, but it was such an easy one,” he whined as he dropped to the ground to start his punishment of five burpees.
A burpee involved dropping into a push-up, then jumping the feet forward, standing and then jumping in the air. Tobias used them as a way to keep them all in line—despite the fact they were all paying him to be here. They were literally paying him to punish them. Did that make him a dominatrix? He’d have to try to remember to ask Riley about that later. Josh sometimes wondered if Cole egged him on to get punished on purpose. He probably drove his girlfriend, Elena, insane.
“Apparently, we missed some Gym Rat Pack shenanigans, huh, Carson?” Hunter said, nudging the smaller guy with his elbow and causing him to get flustered and mutter something inaudible as he pushed his glasses up his nose.
Since they formed their own little group at Gym Rat Fitness, they called themselves the Gym Rat Pack, a nodto Frank Sinatra’s famous Rat Pack. And Josh loved belonging. With his past, he didn’t deserve to belong, but he knew his parents would have wanted him to be happy. And here, with Riley and the rest of their friends, he was happy. If he could be selfish about one thing, it would be that. The secret he’d kept from everyone—even Riley—would stay in a little box in the back of his mind. Until his nightmares brought them all back.
He shook off his dark thoughts and brought his focus back to the gym.
Hunter Dobbs stood there with his arms crossed, his muscles bulging and his long blond hair tied in a ponytail. It was like Thor got lost and somehow landed in South Jersey working as an athletic trainer at Cherrywood High School.
Josh had always figured Carson had a crush on Hunter because of his consistently flustered reaction to him, but he kind of acted that way with everyone. It always blew Josh’s mind how Carson struggled to have a conversation with someone, but if you asked a computer question then he’d suddenly gain all the confidence in the world. Hunter should probably try to talk to him about computers more often.
“All right, guys, gather ’round,” Tobias said as he walked toward their group, everyone making a circle around him like they did before every class. He always did a brief explanation of the day’sworkout and then shared any important changes or announcements. After running through the pain they were about to endure, he moved on to gym news.
“As you guys know, I’ve been looking to add yoga to our program, and I think I may have finally found a yoga instructor who will fit in here.”
“Oh shit, is it Chase?” Cole asked, his whole body practically vibrating with excitement.
