“Did the other guys at the gym think it was a big deal or a problem?” Uncle Zac asked.
“Well, no, not really. It’s just, like, a fact, or something.”
Riley cleared his throat and finally made eye contact with him for a moment. “I think Josh is asking if you all support LGBTQ+ people or not.”
“I never understood why people care so much about it when it doesn’t affect them at all,” his dad said. “So there’s a bisexual man at your gym. Does the fact he’s bi affect your workouts in any way? Is he making you uncomfortable?”
“No, of course not,” Josh said, defending Cole. Sure, sometimes he caused chaos and discomfort with some of his jokes, but it never had to do with him being bi. “It’snothing. We don’t really think about it during workouts.”
“I think what your dad was trying to say is that if someone isn’t hurting someone, or even trying to hurt someone, then what does it matter who they love?” Leigh Anne said.
“Yeah, so long as he isn’t throwing it in your face or trying to make you bi, too,” Aunt Allison said, and Riley stiffened next to him. Not in a good way.
“I don’t think anyone does that, do they?” Riley asked his mom.
“Well, you know there are some people who throw Pride flags everywhere and talk about it all the time. I wish they’d keep it in the home, the same way we don’t shove our relationship in other people’s faces, right, Zac?”
Uncle Zac squirmed in his seat. “Well, I don’t think they’re trying to shove anything in anyone’s faces. They just want equal rights and to be able to hold their partner’s hand while they walk down the street without worrying about someone giving them shit. Or worse.”
Riley was still tense, but Josh thought he looked slightly less uncomfortable thanks to his dad’s statement.
“I’m all for it. They’re not hurting anyone. In fact, in lots of ways they’re helping the economy. Their weddings help the economy, and they adopt kids who otherwise would be sent to foster homes,” Eddie said, giving Josh a sympathetic smile. “I’d ratherworry about things that are actually a problem for everyone, like adults wearing Crocs.”
Everyone chuckled at his dad, and thankfully the conversation moved on. Sophie looked at Josh and Riley quizzically from her spot across from them, perhaps sensing the tension radiating from them. She couldn’t have guessed about them, could she?
Maybe being bi with Riley wouldn’t be as simple as they thought. It was another thing standing in their way, the first being that Josh wasn’t anywhere near good enough for Riley, even though he wanted to be.
15
THE TONE RANG THROUGH the gym, echoing in the giant space.
Those beeps meant it was time to work.
Tobias was making them suffer with an AMRAP workout, which stood foras many rounds/reps as possiblein the allotted time.
That morning they were tasked with completing five pull-ups, ten push-ups and fifteen air squats as many times as they could in twenty minutes.
Riley was already sweating before the workout even started, thanks to the segment of weight lifting they’d already completed.
“Drop lower, Riley,” Tobias said from the front of the room. “You’re only cheating yourself.”
He grunted as he dropped lower in his air squats, but his legs weren’t meant for this kind of mobility.
He took a peek at Josh working out next to him, and groaned at the sight of Josh’s ass nearly touching the floor at the bottom of his squat. How did he get so freaking low?
It was mesmerizing watching Josh dip over and over again. Watching his strong ass and legs move made Riley think about having all that power behind him. Thrusting in and out with Josh’s long and thick—
“Clock is running out. Move it,” Tobias shouted, interrupting Riley’s unhelpful thoughts. Josh’s deep squats were making Riley’s look bad.
After hitting that round’s fifteen squats, Riley jumped on the pull-up bar to start a new round. He had a feeling both his arms and legs would be useless tomorrow, but it was worth it to keep the physique he was used to and the stamina he needed to play soccer with his friends.
Plus, when they weren’t working out, he always had fun at Gym Rat Fitness.
When Riley got to another round of squats, he gazed at everyone else in the gym.
Hunter was moving the fastest and may not have even been sweating, the bastard.
Carson was slowing through his reps, and looked a little green. It probably didn’t help that he practically stumbled every time he glanced over at Hunter, which was a lot.
