Page 5 of Nate

Chapter Three

Kevin thought aboutjoining Nate’s gym for several days. It seemed like it would be a cool place to work out. He hadn’t seen any meatheads grunting or slamming weights. Instead, there were lots of friendly people, from the staff to the members. And he really liked all the fun ways they had to work out there. That rope pull was PE class meets play town fun center and he thought it was awesome.

He pulled off his shirt and stood in front of the mirror. His new tattoos stood out, full of color under the bright lights in the bathroom. Grabbing up a bottle of lotion, he squeezed out a good-sized amount into his palm. He rubbed his hands together a few times, warming them and the lotion up. Cold hands were the worst. He gently smoothed a lotion covered palm over his chest to moisturize the tattoo. It would help the new work heal cleanly and keep it from itching.

When he was done, he looked himself over. Kevin knew he was lucky to have a naturally slim build. But he wanted to look better. He wasn’t after giant muscles, just healthy definition. He tried to flex his arms, not surprised when nothing much happened. Looking down at Mystique and Jean Grey on his left bicep, he frowned. They deserved a better canvas, and he knew he could get that if he joined Nate’s Gym.

If he did join up, he was going to skip the personal trainer part. He was enough of a klutz as it was. If he tried to work out when he knew someone was watching and judging him, he’d be all over the place. He’d muddle through on his own until he got the hang of things.

Kevin decided to go ahead with it. He really did want to feel confident enough in his body to show his tattoos more often. Not that he intended to walk around with his shirt off, but a tank or sleeveless tee could be cool. Besides, like Nate had said, it was a good idea for him to be active with his sedentary career.

As he thought of Nate, he couldn’t help but remember the wave of attraction that had gone through him when he’d first seen the owner of Nate’s Gym. Nate was tall, his broad shoulders and hard chest tapering to a slim, firm waist. His hips were narrow and his thighs looked hard with muscle beneath the thin material of his track pants. His body was amazing. The type Kevin knew he’d never have, but that was okay. He’d rather look at Nate’s.

On top of that hard, tight body he was gorgeous. He had the face of an angel ... who’d been having tons of fun on earth getting into bar fights and having lots of sex. Nate had gray eyes that were a true gray, no hint of hazel or blue marred their bright, sharp color. His hair was so blond it was nearly white, cut close on the sides with short messy waves on top. A low beard perfectly framed his mouth. Kevin could imagine being scratched by that stubble as they kissed.

He laughed to himself. He’d never feel the scratch of that beard, but he was sure there were plenty of ladies who had. The only thing that wasn’t perfect about Nate was the slight bump in his nose, he’d obviously broken it before.

Kevin shook his head. It wasn’t fair that there were men who looked like him in the world. It was even less fair that Kevin would never have a chance with him. Kevin turned off the bathroom light. Regardless of his drooling over the owner, Nate’s Gym seemed like the perfect place for a guy like him to get in shape.

∞∞∞

A couple of hours later, Kevin rode his Yamaha Vino over to Nate’s Gym. His friend, Alex, teased him for riding a scooter. But to him it made sense. He lived in an area where most everything he needed was within walking or biking distance. He didn’t often go far outside his little nucleus, so he saw no need to have a car. He saved on gas, could always find a place to park, and he wasn’t adding much to Houston’s air pollution. Alex laughed each time he explained all that, before asking if he wanted to take a ride in his Camaro. They’d been joking back and forth on the subject for years, neither of them really attempting to change the others mind.

Once he reached Nate’s, he parked next to the bike rack and stored his helmet under the seat. Kevin walked into the gym, less nervous than he’d been the first time. The same positive vibe was in the air. Early 80’s hip-hop played, and he could see several members bopping along to the happy beat as they worked out. The first Spider Man movie was playing on the TV wall, Peter Parker swinging from screen to screen. Kevin smiled and went to the counter to sign up. This was definitely the gym for him.

Nate finished up his last set on the leg press. He was at the flagship location again. Normally he varied his workouts between his three locations. But over the past week he’d taken to doing his workout solely in the Heights, for the chance of seeing Kevin again. He hoped he hadn’t lost him to another gym, or just deciding not to work out altogether. Like he’d said, they didn’t pressure anyone into joining up. He wouldn’t break that rule to demand Kevin become a member there just so he could hit on him.

Nate slowly brought the weights back to their resting position, taking a second to breathe. It was the end of the week and Kevin hadn’t come back yet. He was disappointed, he’d been looking forward to getting to know him. Kevin, with his shyness and natural appearance, was a welcome change from the slick, overly-styled guys he’d somehow fallen into dating. Not to mention those big Bambi eyes. He was already fantasizing about looking into them as he slid inside of Kevin. Nate sighed and got up from the seat. He had other stuff to do, he couldn’t spend any more time there for the day.

After wiping down the machine, Nate grabbed his water and towel and headed for the locker room to take a shower. Out of habit, he glanced over at the counter on his way back. A familiar figure was standing there. Nate stopped and smiled. Kevin was back. He quickly wiped himself off with the gym towel and changed his path to the guest counter.

“Hey, it’s you again.”

Kevin looked up from the clipboard in his hand. He seemed surprised, like he didn’t expect Nate to remember him. “Yeah, I decided to go ahead and join up.”

“I’m glad.” He gestured at the small tables in the lobby. “You want to sit down over here and I’ll help you fill out your paperwork? That is, if you don’t mind me being a little sweaty.”

Kevin ran his eyes down his body, then looked back at him. Nate kept his smile to himself. Kevin had definitely checked him out there. And going by the slight flush on his cheeks, he liked what he saw.

“No, that’s all right.” Kevin shook his head. “I don’t mean no as in I don’t want your help, I mean it’s all right if you’re sweaty. I don’t mind. I’ll have to get used to it.”

---