ISAAC
Keeping my breathing steady,I circled the track around the perimeter of the gym. Sweat soaked my loose shirt, but all I cared about was keeping it out of my eyes as I set a steady pace. I had mastered the art of not paying attention to the clock, which was helpful because this gym didn’t have an obvious one. I would have to stop and go over to the care station where they kept bottled water, towels, and medical supplies in order to look at the time since I had started leaving my phone in my room.
Exhilaration filled me as the weakness in my breathing dwindled, and I realized the aches were also fading. It had been a while since I’d felt like that, and I welcomed the sensation that was pleasurable and yet created a mental distance between me and my body. It was the sort of Zen state I had aspired to reach ever since I had first managed it years ago. Now I could feel it wrapping its gentle hands around me as I ran.
It allowed my mind to drift to thoughts that weren’t about moderating my breathing or mentally talking myself through the aches in my body. My mom, as usual, was worried about me when I had spoken to her earlier. I had stopped calling as much compared to the first week I arrived at the resort. Now there were long stretches between messages. I seldom called anyone,and if someone called me, they usually had to wait until I was back in my room for the night and feeling up to a conversation.
So, I’d spent the better part of an hour that morning telling my mother that, no, I had not been sex trafficked, and Arete wasn’t some cult. God, I loved the internet for the vast array of knowledge it provided. Still, it was a double-edged sword because it let people like my mother do research without the slightest awareness that she was feeding into her worst fears. Eventually, I’d been forced to call in reinforcements; my sister was brought in on a group call, and my father was brought in by insisting my mother put me on speakerphone.
At the very least, I could say the rest of my family was convinced I was not just okay but enjoying myself. My silence and delays in responding weren’t because I was being forced to sleep with people or being indoctrinated into a cult, but because the place was...wonderful. I had initially thought of it as a wellness vacation, a place to enjoy myself and not worry about the rest of the world for a while. That had turned out to be true, but I hadn’t realized how therapeutic it would be to have that sort of isolation from the outside world, or how peaceful it was to just sit in my silent room, knowing I wouldn’t have to consider taking on a client, visit my family, be expected to leave to go out for the night, or anything, I could...do whatever I wanted.
My attention shifted as I ran, and I caught sight of Cade standing near the weight bench. Then my eyes drifted down to Clay. I couldn’t hear because of the headphones, but I would bet they were talking shit to each other, Clay, because he was irritated at the antagonism from Cade, never realizing that Cade was irritating him because it was the best way to motivate him to do better when working out. It seemed to be working; Clay’s forehead was shining with sweat. I would also bet the muscles in his arms were shaking as he went through his reps.
My eyes lingered on him for a moment, knowing he was probably lifting more weight than I would ever dare, and he was definitely capable of doing more reps than me. His flat stomach seemed to be sucked in as he pushed outward, making his chest bulk up as he eased the bar back down. Even from here, I could see the distinct shape of his dick in his shorts as his legs hung over the sides of the bench. It would be all too easy to walk over and sit in his lap, maybe tease him, and make him lose focus.
I pushed the thought away before it got out of control. I wasn’t surprised, but it turned out that one of the side effects of getting Clay to talk to me like we were normal people meant his attractiveness crept up. Considering I’d been attracted to him from the moment I’d laid eyes on him, that meant it was becoming harder to keep control around him. It wasn’t like I was constantly having to hold back from ripping our clothes off and having my way with him, or vice versa, but I was beginning to find the dirty thoughts distracting while I was with him.
The sense of calm was fading, and I slowed down as I felt the strangling sense of being out of breath return to my chest, and my legs finally cried out in misery. It had been a while since I’d pushed myself that far; being at Arete had made me a bit of a slacker with my regular workout routine. Since I had been dealing with pent-up energy, now it felt safer to be turned on by Clay’s presence, so I figured it was time to start burning some energy again. It was strange to realize that working out now was purely for my sake, rather than because it made sense to keep in shape for anyone who was going to see me while I was working.
My cooldown stopped, so I could grab a bottle of water from the fridge before going back to the track and running slower to bring my heart rate down carefully. There were a few others in the gym, some I’d spoken to before and others I’d only seen in passing. It was amazing that Arete managed to have just enough people. You didn’t get to know everyone, but those you didn’tknow were still familiar faces. It gave me a small-town feeling, something I knew plenty about, considering I had grown up in the middle of nowhere, Oregon, before moving around the West Coast and settling into Cresson Point.
By the time I felt my heart wasn’t going to beat out of my chest, I made my way over to Cade and Clay. Clay had finished and was sitting on the bench, leaning over as he took deep breaths, his eyes clenched shut. I met Cade’s eyes, who looked at me for a moment before wincing and muttering something quietly. Almost immediately, Clay’s head shot up, and when he saw me, the pinched look disappeared, and he stuck his tongue out, making a show of wiping his brow.
Clearly, I’d interrupted something, but I knew better than to push him for answers. Clay had been a lot better at acting like a normal human being rather than a walking boner over the past week...with me anyway, but he was still prone to keeping a lot close to his chest. That was fine, though; he treated me as an equal rather than a source of his lustful attention, so I was willing to let him have his secrets.
“You do know wearing yourself out with weights isn’t going to get you out of doing yoga with me later, right?” I asked instead of prying, taking a deep drink of my water.
Clay squinted up at me. “How the fuck do you do all this?”
“All what?” I asked, confused, and looked to Cade for answers, only to be met with a shrug.
“You just ran for like...two hours, after you’d done weight training, and now you’re going to go to yoga? Don’t you have to take a break?” Clay asked, and I couldn’t tell if he was impressed or annoyed. Probably both. He wasn’t egotistical in obvious ways, but there were times when the prick of something made him feel like he might not be measuring up.
“You remember that personal trainer I told you about? When he realized I was looking to build muscle and tone, he decidedwhat I really needed was a regimen that emphasized stamina rather than strength,” I explained. “So, long-distance running isn’t unusual for me, and yoga isn’t draining or stressful; I’ve been doing it for too long. I’d have to do repeated advanced movements and poses before I feel anything other than relaxed.”
“Jesus, I’ve seen some of the poses you do,” Clay said with a shake of his head. “I can’t imagine what it would look like if you did advanced shit.”
“And those are just the yoga poses,” I said, watching him until, a split second later, I saw the joke land, and he chuckled.
“Great, now you got him makin’ dirty jokes,” Cade complained, but he was smiling, which ruined the effect.
“Aww, c’mon, I’ve been really good,” Clay protested. “He does those on his own.”
“It’s true,” I explained. “I’m not afraid to make a dirty joke or a come on, but when I’m standing next to the king of jokes and innuendos, what’s the point? Plus, it would have just encouraged him to make more lame comments.”
Cade pointed at me. “See, now that’s a smart man right there. Shoulda waited till you showed up and then become your best friend. Now I’m stuck with this one.”
“More like I’m stuck with you,” Clay shot back with a dirty look.
“More like neither one of you is ‘stuck’ with the other, but you both love each other enough that you’re going to make jokes about it rather than, you know, actually express your feelings,” I said, laughing when I saw them both give me a dirty look. “I’m sorry, does it ruin the bromance when I point it out like that?”
“Yes,” they both said, looking at each other with the same surprise and annoyance, then looking at me with irritation when I laughed.
“Quit it,” Clay muttered, and Cade nodded his agreement.
“I am not responsible for what you two decide to do,” I said with a laugh. “At least I laughed, because that could have been seen asreallycreepy.”
“So glad we can be here for your amusement,” Clay said with a sigh, getting to his feet. “I’m going to go walk this off; my heart feels like it’s trying to escape from my chest.”
