Page 9 of 10 Ways to Accidentally Fall in Love

“I don’t mean blood,” I clarify, accepting his hand so he can pull me to my feet.

“I…didn’t think you did.”

“Okay, cool,” I breathe, shaking out my limbs. “Definitelynot into blood. So…showers?”

“Oh, God,” he mumbles, sounding pained. “Yep. Let’s do it.”

Joey and I wipe down our area, grab our water bottles, and head into the locker room. His locker is in the same place as last time, right near mine. I grab my shower stuff and head into a stall. I can’t help but hum a little as I wash up, feeling good after the workout. I swear I’d go a little stir-crazy without regular exercise. I love my job.Loveit. But I can only sit for so long before I need to run a few laps. Or break a sweat in the gym.

At least now I have another gym-buddy apart from Cas.Oh, maybe I could get them to double-team me sometime.

Fuck, that’d be fun.

When I get out of the shower, Joey isn’t done yet. I dry myself, get dressed, and wait for him out in the main part of the gym. I’mchomping down on a dark chocolate almond bar when he comes out, his hair wet enough for the strands to curl like tiny waves.

“Hey, man. Nuts?” I ask.

Joey blinks at the granola bar I offer him. “Can’t, actually. I’m allergic to almonds.”

“Oh, shit,” I say, whirling around and chucking my half-finished bar into the nearest trash bin. I shove the packaged one in my bag before spinning toward Joey, my heart racing like I just sprinted a mile. His eyes are wide. “Don’t get too close, dude. I’m contaminated.”

His smile is a slow thing. “It’s fine, Brad. I’d have to ingest them to have a reaction.”

“Oh, okay. Phew,” I puff out. “In that case, don’t lick me and we should be good.”

“I’ll try to restrain myself,” he says, sounding amused. “Uh, thanks. For today. This was a lot of fun.”

“Yeah, man, it was awesome,” I agree. “We should do it again sometime. You know, without the near-anaphylaxis.”

The smile that crooks his lips has me feeling bubbly. “Definitely. I’ll text you?”

“You better. Quick question before you go. Are you into hugs?”

“Um… Yes?”

With a wide grin, I swoop in and wrap Joey in my arms. I swear there’s nothing like a hug between bros. And Joey? He’s a great hugger. His arms are big, and he’s warm. Plus, he smells nice, like pine or something. I breathe in happily and let out a sigh.

“Um,” Joey says, voice soft. “Not that I’m complaining, but how long do these hugs normally last?”

“Another ten seconds at least,” I tell him.

He squeezes me tighter.

When we finally part, Joey looks happy. Power of a good hug, I’m telling you.

“Don’t forget to text,” I remind him.

“I will. See you soon, Brad.”

I send him a wink as I toss my bag over my shoulder. “Not if I see you first, Joey-roo.”

He huffs a laugh, grabbing the door for me to walk through.

What a cool dude.

Instead of heading straight home, I make my way to Jason and Cas’s place. It’s not that far, actually, just a handful of blocks in the opposite direction of my own apartment. I don’t bother knocking when I get there. I have a key, and they’re expecting me, so I open the front door, drop my gym bag inside, and head for the couch at a jog.

“Oh, no. No, no, no,” Jason says, trying to scramble out of the way.

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