I glanced around until I located Genie, but he had his back to us cleaning off the seats of the stationary bikes on the other side of the room. Was the big guy shy? That had me snorting a bit.
“I’ll get Genie in a minute. He wouldn’t want you to get hurt.”
“I’m Fray.” The boy stuck out his palm.
Shaking his hand, I grinned. “Judge.”
His eyes widened and I couldn’t help but notice they were a crystal-clear blue. “Sick name.”
Groaning, I rolled my eyes. “I’ll make sure to tell my dad that, I’m pretty sure he’s the one who picked our names.”
“Our?”
“I have a twin,” I said.
Someone tapped my shoulder, and I let go of Fray’s hand. Turning, I smiled at Flynn, but his face was a stony mask. Before I could ask what was wrong, he said, “I’m going to run on the treadmill.”
“Okay. I told Fray, here, I’d help him for a few minutes. Can you ask Genie to come over?”
Flynn nodded and moved off without introducing himself, which wasn’t usual for him. I spent a while with Fray explaining what weights he should be lifting at his current build, and which exercises would help him bulk up more. He told me about his diet and it was garbage, so I had to give him some pointers.
I was shocked when Flynn tapped me on the shoulder again and murmured, “I have to shower, I need to be at the office soon.” He walked off to the locker room. I glanced at the clock on the wall with my heart racing. How had it gone from a little after six to almost eight o’clock?
“Oh shit, we talked longer than I thought.”
Fray beamed at me. “Thanks a lot, man. This was fantastic. I’m going to take your advice, I want to look like you.”
Genie came over, and Fray started talking to him, but I couldn’t hear what they were saying as I left and went to the locker room door. Something was definitely off, and I took a deep breath as I barged inside. Flynn was already dressed in his suit for work, so either he took the world’s fastest shower or totally skipped it—and since his hair was dry, I was guessing it was the latter.
“I have to go,” he snapped.
I frowned, a sinking feeling hitting my gut. “Wait! You’re mad at me. I’m sorry. I was talking to Genie and that guy—”
“I’m not mad,” he said and rushed away. He hadn’t done anything like this since we’d moved in together. I gaped after him and had to jog to catch up, and he was almost out the front doors when I snagged his wrist and stopped him. I hadn’t spent time with him this morning and couldn’t believe I’d gotten distracted. I gave his wrist a light squeeze, and he stared out the doors.
“You’re pissed off.” I was shocked because that had to be what was happening.
He shook his head, but when I tried to kiss him, he turned his face away, and I was so stunned I let go of him. He’d never done that in the entire time we’d been together, and he left without a word. I stared after him as he crossed the parking lot to his car.
It didn’t take a genius to figure out he was furious because I’d accidentally ignored him... or if he wasn’t mad, he was definitely upset. I went back to the weights to get in my own workout. I didn’t have work today, and I spent a long time in the gym—at least an hour more than I normally would’ve. A plan formed in my head as I pumped iron until my muscles burned. I had some cash set aside, not much, but I knew exactly what I wanted to do.
After I showered and left the gym, I stopped at a small estate-sale shop, Strunk’s Cargo Trunk. Papa sometimes liked to look here for interesting things to decorate the house. The place wasn’t much on the outside, only a tiny square brick building on the southeast side of New Gothenburg tucked in with a few other businesses. Directly inside the front doors was a glass-fronted jewelry counter, and I glanced over the rings on the top shelf.
“Those are all solid gold,” the man behind the counter said as I perused a row of men’s rings. He was probably about Flynn’s age, with a wide, soft smile, light brown eyes, and white-blond hair he had parted precisely in the middle. The waistcoat he wore drew my eye to his trim hips, and he was about a foot shorter than me. It was odd, but he seemed like he went with the store, almost as if he was lost in time. Shaking off the odd thoughts, I went back to looking at the rings. Flynn’s fingers were at least a size smaller than mine, so it didn’t take me long to pick one out that only cost two hundred dollars and have it in a box in my palm.
I sighed out a heavy breath as I glanced around at the mishmash of furniture, clothes, and decorations that were packed onto random shelves around the large showroom. Flynn deserved something nicer, but I wanted a ring today to let him know how I really felt, so he wouldn’t have to guess. I turned and spied a small gallery of mirrors in the corner near the door. There were four in floor stands, and they had different frames—gold, silver, cherry, and oak. They all seemed like they belonged in a fancy room somewhere.
“How much are those mirrors?” I asked, nodding in their direction.
The man sighed and leaned an elbow on the counter. “Oh, those? They haven’t sold in two years. I’m guessing no one really wants them. I think I have them marked at twenty dollars each, but they aren’t moving.” He rolled his eyes. “I thought they were a good investment when I found them. They were popular for a while, but trends come and go.”
“What if I gave you fifty for all of them?”
He looked at me and laughed, but when I didn’t, his eyebrows climbed on his forehead. “Sure. I’d love to have them gone.”
Smiling, I handed the money over, then went out to the parking lot and pushed down the back seats of my car. He helped me slide the mirrors in through the trunk with some old sheets that he’d had in back layered between them.
“Thank you,” the man said, giving me a wide smile. “Have fun with your mirrors.”
