Page 9 of Best Friends

No was on the tip of his tongue. The whole point was for them to have a guy’s night—just the five of them. But Benji was often the odd one out in the mix. He and Hayden were close. Adam and Clay were close. Benji just sort of bounced around. “Sure… if he’s not a prick.”

“Seems pretty chill,” Benji said.

“I’ll make reservations for six.”

Benji lifted the weights a couple more times before tilting his head. “On another note… what’s up with Hay?”

Jesse stiffened at the question. “What do you mean?”

“I don’t know… he’s always been… for lack of a better term, a lady’s man, but it seems like he’s been in overdrive here lately.”

“Hay’s just being Hay,” Jesse said. “Women throw themselves at him. He can’t say no. It’s always been that way.”

Hay had that something special that no one could replicate or bottle. Jesse had learned long ago that was just the guy’s thing and had learned to live with it. Even if he was still slightly invisible in Hayden’s presence. The last couple of years had gotten a bit better.

Although, Benji did have a point. Hayden had been jumping from bed to bed more than usual the last few months.

“I just hope he’s being careful,” Benji said before starting another set. “But then, I suppose he is. It still amazes me no women have come out of the woodwork, claiming he’s a baby daddy.”

“Maybe he’s shooting blanks,” Jesse said with a grin. The grin faded though as the image of Hayden settled down with some woman and starting a family came to his mind.

Why that thought unsettled him, he wasn’t sure.

Benji finished his set and slid off the machine. He wiped it down with a towel and began walking over to another piece of equipment. As he walked, he looked over one shoulder at Jesse. “Are you going to work out or just run your mouth?”

Jesse growled. “You’re starting to sound like these gym rats.”

“Thanks,” Benji said with a wide smile.

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