He walked over to the wall and slapped his palm against it. “We’re doing a wall sit holding weights and facing each other. Last one standing wins.”
Hans crossed his arms. “Wins what?”
Adrik let a slow grin spread across his face. “Control of the evening and topping.”
Hans blinked, then let out a low whistle. “You’re bold today.”
“Bold enough to beat your ass,” Adrik said.
“What is the weight of those barbells?”
“A hundred each. Can you deal with that?” Adrik dropped into a squat against the wall. “Come on. Unless you’re scared you’ll lose.”
Hans rolled his eyes. “You’re insufferable.”
“And you’re stalling.”
Hans stepped to the opposite wall with his weights, lowered himself into position, and exhaled sharply as the burn hit. “Fine. Let’s do this.” His thighs burned instantly, but he kept his expression smooth.
The cottage settled into a quiet rhythm with the faint whistle of wind outside and their breathing. Adrik kept his gazeforward at first, but it drifted. Hans’ jaw was clenched, a muscle ticking there. His hair fell slightly into his eyes, and he kept blowing it away with increasingly annoyed huffs.
“You look like you’re suffering,” Adrik said.
“I’m fine,” Hans gritted out.
“Sure you are.”
Hans shot him a glare. “You’re trying to distract me.”
“Is it working?”
“No.”
It absolutely was. And Adrik was acting like the whole thing with the stranger pounding on his door for an hour didn’t even register, which only made Hans’ nerves buzz harder.
Adrik shifted—barely, just enough movement that Hans couldn’t tell if he was settling in or just pretending to. “You know,” he said, voice maddeningly steady, “I expected you to last longer.”
Hans’ nostrils flared. “I’m not losing to you.”
“You say that,” Adrik said, “but your legs are shaking.”
“They are not.”
“They are.” Adrik smirked. “It’s cute.”
Hans made a strangled sound in the back of his throat. “Stop talking.”
“Why? It’s fun watching you fall apart.”
“I’m not—”
His voice cracked, betraying him. A single, sharp tremor shot through his body, the kind that made him feel like his bones had turned to live wires. He sucked in a breath, eyes squeezing shut as heat rushed up his neck. “Adrik—”
“Yeah?”
“I’m… I’m done—”
Hans dropped first, landing on the floor with a groan and immediately stretching his legs out in front of him. His muscles had betrayed him.
