Page 39 of 10 Ways to Accidentally Fall in Love

There’s an art to endurance. To making yourself last. Sure, hydration and protection are important. They keep you safe. But if you want to cross that finish line in tip-top form, it’s all about beinglimber.

“You, uh…really want those hamstrings stretched, huh?” Joey says, standing beside me as we prep for the 5k charity run.

“Yeah, man. Don’t wanna cramp before the end.”

“Sure, sure,” he says, hands in the pockets of his hoodie. It’s early still, but Joey’s wearing sunglasses and running shorts, ready to go. Dude’s prepared.

“Did you put on your sunscreen?” I check, standing upright and grabbing the mini-bottle of protection I stashed in the pocket of my shorts.

“I’m good,” he says before huffing softly. “You couldn’t have gotten lube that small?”

“Oh shit,” I say in realization. “I left that in the alley.”

Joey laughs, his cheeks doing that squish thing they do when he’s happy. “Someone got a nice surprise.”

“Heh. Guess so.”

There’s a crackle of a speaker a second before someone’s voice carries over the crowd, announcing that the run is about to begin. I haven’t spotted Cas yet, but I’m sure we’ll catch him at some point.

I give Joey’s arm a slap. “C’mon. Let’s raise some money for kids.”

Joey and I step toward the white starting line where everyone is congregated. I’m about to ask him if he wants to grab brunch after this, but as I open my mouth, he grabs the hem of his sweatshirt and tugs the material cleanly over his head.

I break into a sudden and rapid coughing fit instead.

Joey whips his head my way, concern etched across his features. “All right, bub?”

“You’re… You, uh…”

Joey’s shirt is cropped above his belly button. It almost looks like he took a pair of scissors to a regular tee, which may be the case. And with his sweatshirt now tied around his hips, all of his stomach muscles are on full display. Which…is fine. Not like that’s a problem. Adistractionmaybe, for some people.

I look around, but no one seems to be paying Joey any mind. In fact, plenty of people are shirtless or in sports bras. Of course Joey’s outfit is no big deal. Nothing at all to be concerned about.

So why is my heart racing so damn fast?

“Fine,” I manage, giving myself a shake. Totally fine.

“If you’re sure…”

“Yep!” I say cheerfully. “Ready to eat my butt?”

Joey’s eyes flare wide.

“Shit, that wasn’t right,” I mutter. It only takes a second to click. “Ah. Ready to eat my dust?”

“Did you just combine that with the phrase ‘kick my butt’?” Joey asks.

“Sure did.”

He nods. “Yep, that tracks. Bring it, Bradley. You’re going down.”

I grin as the announcer starts the run, a bell chiming just after. Joey gives me a shove backwards before taking off, and I bark a laugh, chasing after him. I catch up quickly, and we settle into a good, swift jogging pace similar to our warm-ups at the gym. It’s a nice morning, the sun not yet high enough for us to be baking.

“Think they’ll have donuts at the end?” I ask.

Joey glances over at me. “Why would they?”

“I don’t know. I thought that might be a thing.”

---