Six, seven, eight.
With his arms trembling slightly, Kaj let out a puff of air through his mouth and rested the bar on the rack. He sat up straight and took a sip of water to give his pecs a break for a minute before the last set.
When he got up to add another 10 kg, He stopped dead as he saw Noah running on the treadmill.What the fuck?The drummer sighed, rolling his eyes. He was starting to worry that they would get stuck in the back of his head, given how often he did it.
Continuing with his life, Kaj grabbed two weight plates and walked toward the bench press.
As he was securing the new discs, a glimpse of movement in his periphery caught his attention. Noah had finished his warm-up and was approaching. The closer he got, the thicker the air became, making Kaj’s muscles tense. Why the hell was he so self-conscious? Sure, they’d had a sexy, weird, and uncomfortableinteraction, but he wasn’t a teenager anymore.
Get a grip of yourself.
Kaj sat on the bench. He considered pretending he hadn’t seen Noah, but since the vocalist was standing in front of him, there was no plausible workaround as to why he’d ignored him.
Stopping the music, Kaj glanced up and unwillingly took off his headphones, leaving them resting around his neck. “How may I help you?” His tone was blatantly sardonic.
Noah flashed him a sly, lopsided grin. “Need a spotter?”
Kaj gave him a once-over, hoping it felt scrutinizing and judgy. He looked strong enough to assist him. 120 kg in a set of 8 repetitions wasn’t as crazy as some might think—not with Kaj’s composition—but he didn’t want to be around Noah. Not alone. Not so close. He’d been avoiding this exact situation for the past six days. Why did he have to be here?
“I don’t know, pretty boy. These are quite heavy. Wouldn’t want you to strain yourself.”
Noah raised an eyebrow, a hint of amusement glowing in his eyes. “You’d be surprisedhow muchI canhandle, Larsen.”
Kaj lay down on the bench, pretending to be unfazed, but the pun intended in his words had sent a jolt of electricity straight to his core. “Be my guest. Might as well make yourself useful. You better not drop it on me, though.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it. Your fans would hunt me down and probably hang me by the balls.” Noah moved into position, his hands hovering just below the bar when Kaj lifted it from the rack.
Hyperaware of their proximity, he pushed through the first rep, the second… He was trying to focus solely on the burn in his muscles and the controlled rhythm of his breathing, but Noah’s presence was impossible to ignore. The slightly rolled-up sleeves of his lightweight zip-up hoodie, showing off those stupidly sexy forearms. The faint scent of soap mingling with sweat. Not to mention his dick. It wasn’t visible, but it was there, tucked behind too many layers of fabric, right above his head.
Fuck my life.
Normally, Kaj wouldn’t think about this stuff. Had never even crossed his mind with his gym buddies, but this was Noah, and Kaj fuckingcravedhim. It was like fighting the hunger sensation caused by an insulin spike.
“You always work out this early?” Noah asked casually.
Kaj huffed as he pushed the bar up.Three.“Only when I’m trying to avoid people.”
“And here I thought we were bonding.”
“Is that what you call this?” Inhaling, Kaj pulled the bar down to his chest and up again. He could feel his face turning red from the exertion.Four. “I’m not sure I wanna know what your idea of torture is then.”
“You know, some people actually enjoy my company.”
“Some people also like getting punched in the face.”
“You’re really committed to this wholealpha-holefake character, aren’t you?”
“Who says it’s fake?” Kaj grunted.Five.
“People say drummers are friendly. You know, the calm peacemakers that regulate the louder guys.”
Six. The weight became almost unbearable at this point. “Stereotypes.”
Noah chuckled. “Beneath all that tough-guy facade, I know the real you, Larsen. No one changes that much over time.”
“Watch me.”
As Kaj started the seventh rep, knowing full well he wouldn’t make it to the eighth, Noah took the hint and stopped trying to make small talk. His stance shifted, ready to assist if needed. Kaj could feel the warmth radiating from his body. Could hear his steady breathing above him. It was distracting in the worst possible way.
