I think I see Giles’ shoulders fall but I could be mistaken as he’s upped the speed on his treadmill now and is running quite a bit faster than myself.
“I’m still single, yes,” he says through gritted teeth.
“Any chance you’ve changed your mind,” Tony says before stepping back slightly, “about me.”
He is an attractive man, I think as he unabashedly puts his body on display for Giles. Slimmer than Giles, he’s still very toned and there’s not an inch of body fat on him that I can see. His hair is styled neatly and I can smell him from here. Not that it’s a bad smell, not at all. He smells like pears and fresh laundry and I shudder when I think about what sort of stench is coming off me in my 1998 Lazio shirt because I forgot to wash the new gym clothes I bought with Giles.
Tony is so clearly more Giles’ type than I will ever be.
“You know, Tony,” Giles begins, looking at him in the mirror’s reflection. He pauses to catch his breath and I see my opportunity.
“He would love your number.”
I keep my eyes on Tony but in my peripheral vision I’m very aware of Giles’ head snapping towards me.
“Excellent.” Tony straightens up and pulls his phone out of some magic pocket I can’t see on his shorts that are so tiny they make Giles’ look like Victorian bloomers.
“Wait, I…” Giles says but he runs out of breath again.
“Just do it,” I hiss.
“But—”
I glance quickly at Tony who is busy unlocking his phone, eyes down.
“You don’t have to actually call him, but you may want to,” I manage to huff out before I also need to suck in more air. “One day.”
“So, what’s your magic number?” Tony asks expectantly.
“Wait.” Giles pushes the Stop button on his treadmill and grips the sides, lifting his feet off as it slows down.
“Don’t back down on me now,” Tony pouts. “I’ve been waiting for this moment for months. Well, weeks.”
“I’ll get your number,” Giles says and he steps back on the treadmill which has almost come to a complete stop.
My finger hovers over the Stop button on my own machine but Giles bats my hand away with a lightning speed.
“Oh no you don’t,” he says. “You’re going to give me another mile. At least.”
I hear the edge in his voice. The one that is pissed off with me.
But still, Giles takes Tony’s number. He even tells Tony that he’ll be in touch, although he sounds as non-committal as is possible. Yet, Tony doesn’t seem to notice or mind. He skips off after a quick flutter of his eyelashes as he tells Giles, “Make sure you do.”
When my eyes return to Giles in the mirror’s reflection, he is studying me with a blank expression.
“You’re welcome,” I say when I can’t take any more of the empty eye contact, his eyes now a piercing shade of blue in the gym’s fluorescent lights.
His laugh is short and rough, with only a sliver of amusement in it.
Much to my surprise, he starts the treadmill again and in less than a minute is matching my pace and incline.
“I don’t want to date Tony,” he says eventually, keeping his voice low. “I thought I told you that.”
“You did,” I admit and I feel stupid,terrible, for forgetting that in the heat of the moment. But not as bad as I’d feel if I had to admit to him that the reason I effectively made them swap numbers is to cover up the fact that I am finding myself wanting to stake a claim on Giles after one blow job, a hand job and two kisses I don’t think I’ll ever forget. “But who said anything about dating. Maybe recent events have helped you see that there can be benefits to two men having fun together with no strings attached.”
Giles’ mouth opens but it takes a few seconds before he speaks. “No strings attached.”
“Indeed,” I confirm.
