Both of the buildings were used as warehouses, but at this time of the morning no one else was around. It was unseasonably warm for January, so Tobias figured a run would be a good addition. The fresh air was crisp andheavenly on Riley's overheated skin.
The complex was on a suburban road off the main street of Cherrywood, surrounded by trees and other commercial buildings. It was peaceful, and Riley took a deep breath to let the chill cool him from within.
Josh had left for his run over a minute ago, but Cole was right beside Riley as they fell into a steady jog.
“Hey, you doing alright?” Cole asked between focused breaths. “I saw you almost eat that kettlebell.”
“Ugh, yeah, that would have hurt a bit. I’m thinking of things, that’s all.”
“Things like Josh?”
Riley’s gaze snapped toward Cole, causing Riley to miss the curb and have to catch himself before he faceplanted into the grass.
Cole had shot his arm out to help Riley stay on his feet. Once they were both running again, he continued his prying.
“So, that was a yes.”
All Riley could do was grunt, trying to focus on his running so he didn’t hurt himself, despite his body’s attempts to do so.
“Look, Ri, I know I’m a jackass sometimes—”
He snorted. Cole was a jackassmostof the time.
“—but I’m still here for you if you need it,” he finished, smacking Riley’s shoulder playfully.
Cole was right. He was one of Riley's closest friends, and if he couldn’t talk to Josh about this yet…
“Fine,” he said, his voice strained from running. “I think I have feelings for Josh, and I don’t think he feels the same way, so I can’t bring it up because it would ruin our friendship.”
He followed the word vomit with a gasp, since he forgot to keep breathing as he ran and spoke at the same time. His body was not the well-oiled machine it usually was.
“What makes you think he doesn’t feel the same way?”
“He said yesterday that the kisses weren’t a big deal, that we didn’t need to kiss again. I thought,” Riley paused, wondering if it was okay to share, until he realized Josh already told Cole about their first time together. “New Year’s wasn’t the last time something happened, so I thought itwasa big deal.”
“Yes!” he shouted, causing Riley to flinch and nearly trip again. “Elena owes me twenty bucks. She thought the forced proximity of New Year’s was the only reason anything happened. Not like you guys are together almost all the time anyway.”
“Forced proximity?”
Cole stumbled a bit but was able to correct himself before he fell. “Yeah, like in all those romance books Elena reads. Not important. Anyway, you gotta talk to him. Josh adores you, and I have a feeling this is all ahuge deal to him, but he doesn’t understand it. You need to help him understand. We both know he’s the kind of horse you gotta not just lead to water, but dunk his head in it before he’ll take a drink.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Riley said as they rounded the final turn, the end of their run in sight. “Thanks for listening.”
“Anytime, man,” he said. “Side note, you should start carrying lube with you all the time. I have some extra in my bag if you want it.”
Jackass.
————————
An hour later, the gym rat pack was seated around a table at the Cherry Meadow Diner, one of the more popular diners in Cherrywood. If there was something New Jersey did right, it was diners.
This one featured a long counter that extended down most of the narrow building, with booths across the aisle that used frosted dividers to offer the patrons some privacy. Chrome and neon accents gave the place a futuristic vibe, while the mixed aromas of coffee and bacon filled Riley with comfort.
It was early on a Saturday morning, but they managed to beat the rush, thanks to their early-as-fuck workouts.
They ordered a mix of meals that shouted messagesof eithermy body is a temple and I shall treat it as suchormy metabolism is insane and I’m going to take advantage of it while I can.
Tobias opted for a protein omelet while Hunter ordered something called the “Ultimate Hungryman” that looked like it could feed four normal-sized people.
