“You sayfirstcouple like there’s gonna be more,” Garrett pointed out. “Who do you think is gonna be next?”
With every bit of strength he had, Tobias kept his gaze on his beer, pretending to read the label but not able to read a word of it through his racing thoughts. He thought of what it would be like to be with Chase, physically, romantically, even platonically, but he also thought of the possible repercussions of messing things up with a new employee.
“Elena might join us during the summer break,” Cole said, and Tobias, for the first time ever, was thankful for him. “Then she can kick my ass in the gym and at home.”
“I really worry about your sex life. It sounds dangerous,” Riley said.
Tobias grunted in agreement as the rest of the guys laughed.
“It works for me, and that’s all that matters,” Cole boasted.
“Maybe Garrett will settle down with someone,” Riley said, turning his attention to him. “You’re not getting any younger.”
“Maybe not, but I can still run circles around you,” he taunted, accurately.
Garrett often competed in marathons, Iron Man competitions and triathlons. Tobias had even joined him for some of the shorter ones and had trouble keeping up with him.
“You really can, it’s wild,” Riley said.
“Yeah, maybe we should try running a marathon with Garrett,” Josh said. “I could always use more cardio.”
“You’re not getting enough cardio?” Cole asked. “Riley, you gotta up your game in the bedroom, bro.”
Riley balled a napkin and threw it across the table at Cole, who easily batted it away with his goalie reflexes.
“Denied!” he cheered, then turned to Tobias. “Hey, speaking of amazing goalies, you getting excited for the alumni game, Tobes?”
“Wow, real subtle segue, Cole,” Riley taunted.
“Aw man, we should get a Segway to ride through town. That would be so cool,” Josh said.
Tobias hid his smile by taking a swig of beer. Joshwas such a himbo, and every single person at the table loved him that way.
“Maybe we’ll rent them for a weekend in the city sometime,” Riley said, the smile he and Josh shared sending a pang through Tobias’ heart. He’d never had that kind of connection with anyone.
Somehow, he managed to answer Cole’s original question.
“Uh, getting there,” he said as he squirmed in his seat. “I gotta train some to shake the rust off.”
“Chase would be a good help with that,” Cole said. “He always dominated with the hand-eye coordination drills.”
“Yeah,” Chase squeaked, then cleared his throat. “I mean, if you needed someone to help you with dry land training, I could lend a hand.”
Tobias bobbed his head side to side, considering all the ways he could react, all the ways heshouldreact, but he couldn’t deny he needed the help, and he was too embarrassed to let someone like Shane find out how much his skills had faded. He turned to Chase. “That could be helpful, yeah. I may take you up on that.”
Chase beamed at Tobias, and the world shook under him. His cheeks heated, and he spun away to analyze his beer label again.
The cover band began their set, but it did nothing to quiet the noise in his mind.
Tobias’ head spun as he thought about what it would be like to work with Chase on hand-eye coordination. They didn’t even make it through a yoga seminar without risking everything and kissing. Would this make it worse? Did Chase really want him that way or did he just like to flirt?
His mind jumped to a conversation they’d had at the diner with the rest of the guys a week or two ago. They’d gone out to breakfast one Saturday morning after their workout and were discussing the upcoming yoga classes for kids to exercise alongside their parents.
Cole obnoxiously mused about the new members they’d get at the gym thanks to the new programming.
“Think of all the hot single parents that are gonna fill the place,” Cole said as he turned to Chase. “Maybe you can find a hot DILF to take home. You always loved that ‘daddy’ vibe.”
Tobias immediately choked on his eggs, Chase slapping his back from the spot next to him. Once he got a handle on his breathing and took a drink, Chase smirked at his reaction.
