“I know.” I grinned as I put his old shoes in the box and tucked it under my armpit. “I have the same pair.”
He flexed his fingers like he was uncomfortable letting me spend money on him, but he kept his mouth shut. “Thank you.”
I grabbed two packs of socks since his were a bit threadbare, and then we headed to the apparel section. He really didn’t like shopping for himself, but I managed to find a full wardrobe of casual wear that I was dying to see him model.
"You don't have to do all this." His eyes were like coasters as he watched the total climb on the register LCD.
"I know." I wasn’t rich, but I could certainly handle some clothes and shoes.
He huffed in frustration as my credit card came out. "I'm serious. I'll pay you back."
"I know that too." I smiled at the cashier to ease the concern on her face. "It's fine, Joshua."
He stood beside me with his jaw set and didn't say anything else, but when we left, he held the bag on his lap the whole drive home, so I knew he planned to take care of them.
"Do you run much?" He’d seemed excited by the offer, but we hadn’t talked about his experience.
"I ran crosscountry in high school but not much since then." He shifted in the seat and tilted toward me. “I’ll probably be a lotslower than you, but maybe just going out and back a little bit will be a good start. I’m super outta shape.”
I grabbed his shoulder and gave him a squeeze. "I don’t go fast, and I don’t mind wogging while you get back into it."
"Wogging?" The almost-giggle in his voice made me smile too. “What’s that?”
"A mix of walking and jogging. We’ll go slow and walk as often as we need to. It’s just nice to get fresh air and spend some time outside."
He nodded and sat back in his seat, facing forward. “I guess I haven’t thought about doing either of those in a long time. That does sound kinda nice.”
The coastal trail went through the cypress trees and opened up along the bluffs, with the ocean spread out on our left and long grass on the right. The fog had lifted, so we could see a good distance out over the water, and the view never ceased to take my breath away. That and the rigorous pace I usually ran at.
But we started slow because I didn’t want to discourage Joshua. A quick text from Artie assured me that Joshua was physically healthy but needed stability and time to process his recent decisions. And some wins. He definitely needed some wins.
I figured a rolling jog would be a good starting point, and we could walk if he got a stitch in his side or just wanted to catch his breath. But he settled into a good pace within the first few minutes, and I was the one trying to keep up with him.
“You sure you haven’t done this since high school?” As I said the words, I realized I didn’t know how long ago high school actually was. “Was that like last year?”
He chuckled and glanced at me over his shoulder as he dodged a tree limb in his path. “More like six years ago, but I always liked running. It’s a cheap and easy way to turn off my brain.”
Indeed. And having him a few feet ahead of me gave me an excellent view of his bubble butt in those tight little running pants I bought him. Maybe he needed a few more pairs of those.
We ran along the cliff for a minute, and I did my best to ignore the urge to tell him to be careful. He knew to be careful. And I trusted him. He promised not to leave without telling me, and I believed he meant it, but when he abruptly stopped and turned toward the edge, my heart nearly stopped too.
“Joshua.” I quickly got to his side and held my hand up behind his back, ready to grab his shirt if he leaned forward but not actually touching him. “Everything okay?”
He closed his eyes and threw his head back as he held his arms out wide. “I just can’t believe I’m here.”
Uh… I wasn’t sure what he meant by that. “Like, here on a run?”
“Yeah. Here. Running. Alive.” He exhaled and lowered his arms to his sides before looking straight out at the horizon. “It’s surreal. Just twenty-four hours ago, I was getting rid of everything I own because I wasn’t going to live through the night. And today…I’m out on a run in the most comfortable shoes I’ve ever worn with the hot…um, the nicest guy I’ve ever met.” He shook his head again, seemingly confused by his current reality. “It’s wild, man.”
My shoulders relaxed a bit, and I took a step closer, standing beside him instead of just behind him. “Life is a wild ride, but it’s a lot more fun with friends.”
He turned to me and grinned. “Are you my friend, Matthew?”
Friend. Lover. I wasn’t gonna get hung up on labels. “I hope so.”
“Well, I haven’t had any real friends in a while, so I’m probably shit at it.”
I didn’t believe that for a second. “Jeanette would say otherwise. And Artie seems very taken with you.” The heavy moment seemed to be weighing on him, and I didn’t want to ruin a great day. “Race you to the parking lot.”
