Page 9 of Nate

Chapter Five

Two weeks later, Kevinwas at home, working at his desk. He was sore, although less so than his first week. He didn’t mind the ache. He felt like he’d accomplished something major by making it through his sessions with Nate. He’d been surprised the guy was willing to help him out, especially for free, but he figured it was a good will towards customers sort of thing. Kevin hadn’t been able to say no to the deal, especially if it meant he got to spend time with the hot gym owner.

Nate was hot, no doubt about it. Tall, blond and ripped, with gray eyes so bright they looked like cut crystal. On top of that he was nice. True to his word, he helped Kevin out, instructing him on which moves were best for his fitness goals and the right way to perform them. Nate encouraged and pushed, but never in a way that was abrasive or degrading. He never made him feel like a doofus when it took him a moment to pick up on something.

Kevin really liked Nate, and liked working out with him. Being so close to him that he could breathe in the scent of his cologne, having Nate touch him as he corrected his form and his smile as he told him he did a good job, had him crushing on the tall gym owner.

And that made Kevin feel like an idiot. One, for having a crush like he was in middle school. And two for having a crush on a guy like Nate. Nate probably had girls hitting on him at the gym all the time. No way he was gay, and if he was, he certainly wouldn’t be interested in someone like him. Someone who three weeks ago, hadn’t known the difference between a butterfly press and a reverse fly dumbbell row.

He was a nerd and proud of it. That didn’t bother him. He liked comics and technology and classic grind house movies. But that stuff had become mainstream and people walked around wearing shirts that readI love Nerdsso it was hardly an issue anyway.

The problem was the fact that he was so introverted he didn’t have many friends. He’d never had a long-term boyfriend. Or a boyfriend at all, actually. His shyness kept him away from clubs. He’d just spend the whole time up against the wall trying not to make eye contact with anyone. The dodgy stories he heard about dating sites kept him from trying internet dating, and it was unlikely he’d strike up a conversation with someone he didn’t know out in public. That left him with pretty limited options to meet anyone.

His job as an app-developer was perfect for him. It allowed him to work from home, communicating with his clients through emails and the occasional Skype chats. He was much better at getting his point across through a keyboard. And as far as his looks, cute was the most he could ever hope for. He wasn’t the type of guy that got attention. But maybe being in better shape would give him more confidence to go out and try to meet someone. It would be nice to be in a relationship. He enjoyed his life, but he did get lonely.

Finished for the day, Kevin went into the kitchen to get a snack. Opening the fridge, he saw condiments, milk, and not much else. If he wanted dinner, he’d have to order in or go to the grocery store. It didn’t make sense to ruin his progress by eating junk food, so he shut the refrigerator door and took out his phone to pull up the coupon app for the grocery store where he shopped. After selecting a few discounts, he grabbed his backpack and the keys to his scooter and jogged downstairs.

Kevin smiled as he thought of the fish, chicken and veggies he was about to buy. He was feeling pretty good about keeping up with this fitness plan. And his amazingly hot personal trainer didn’t have anything to do with it. Well... maybe a little bit he did.

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A couple of days later, Kevin was back in the gym. He felt at home there. He already recognized most of the staff members and some of the patrons as well. Surprisingly, he’d begun carrying on conversations with people on the machine next to him during his cardio. He was never the one to initiate the conversations, but he was able to participate with no problem. He figured it was because just about everyone there looked awkward and sweaty while they were working out, so he had no reason to feel like an outsider.

Kevin walked back to the locker room to put his bag away before he and Nate got started. As always, he glanced into the gymnasium to see what was going on when he passed by. So far he’d seen Double Dutch, Tai chi, and yoga. Right now there was a kick boxing class. But that wasn’t all.

Nate was in there too, although he wasn’t a part of the class. Instead he was off to the side, wearing a pair of headphones, probably so he could listen to his own music instead of what pumped through the large room. He was shirtless, stripped down to a loose pair of red gym shorts and tennis shoes. His wrists and hands were taped.

Kevin watched, fascinated, as Nate moved around a standing punching bag. He was light on his feet as he threw quick jabs and punches, retreating from and advancing on his stationery opponent. The muscles in his back bunched and flexed with each of the tight and precise movement of his arms. Overhead lights in the room picked up the sweat on his torso, highlighting the hard lines of his abs. Kevin’s mouth went dry as he watched. Nate looked amazing and hard and strong. And he wanted to lick-.

“Hi! How are you today?”

Kevin jumped. One of the staff members, a woman with bright blue hair, was standing there. He hadn’t really spoken to her before, but he definitely remembered her. “Hey. I’m good. Thanks. Thank you for asking.”

“Are you planning on joining the kick boxing class?”

“Oh, umm... no. I was just watching.” He didn’t say exactly what he’d been watching, but he was pretty sure by the smirk on her face that she knew. There was an awkward silence for a moment before Kevin gave an even more awkward wave and continued on to the locker room.

Forty minutes later, Kevin was on the gym floor. He was nearing the end of his session with Nate. His arms were practically shaking with fatigue as he completed his third set of dumbbell rows. He managed to power through, keeping pace with Nate’s slow, steady count. When Nate called for him to take his break, Kevin set the dumbbells on the floor and shook out his arms.

Nate was talking about the differences in more reps versus more weight, and Kevin was listening. Sort of. He mostly just nodded as he watched him. Nate had changed into his regular attire of tight athletic shirt, blue this time, and loose, black workout pants.

But Kevin kept picturing him as he’d been earlier, bare chested and sweaty. He’d looked amazing. And he could have watched him like that for an hour, at least. Then he could have watched Nate shower, suds slipping down his hard body to take the sweat away. Kevin gave himself a subtle shake to keep from fantasizing about his trainer. It was ridiculous, and probably inappropriate.

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