Page 45 of Doing Life

“Babe, if you were at work, I wouldn’t be asking you to go get swim trunks because you’d be at work.”

He chuckled, leaning his head back, listening to Rory laugh and scurry back off. He grinned in Luke’s general direction. “You have him wrapped around your little finger.”

“Or somewhere.” Luke laughed. “I love it too.”

“I bet. Is it okay, that Sloan is getting a look from Will?”

“Yeah. I mean, he seems a little like an island. If he needs help and he’s not getting it, then he needs us.”

“That was my thought too.” He grimaced. “I feel like such a fucker, man. Not knowing he was hurting too.”

“Hey, no. No, man. That will make you crazy. You apologized to him?”

“I mean, yeah.” He had. Right?

“Then let it go. He knows how you feel. And he was withholding information too.” Luke sighed. “Trust me. Interpersonal shit is a minefield.”

“Don’t I know it.”

“Trunks delivered to Sloan. That is some nasty scar tissue he has.”

Lance tried not to hunch his shoulders. He knew Luke was probably right. Sloan hadn’t exactly been forthcoming, but it didn’t matter. Physical scars or not, he should have known that just losing his dog would be enough to leave Sloan with more than a little PTSD.

“That sucks, man.” Luke cleared his throat. “Hey, Sloan.”

“Hey. You really okay if I join you?”

“Hell, yes. Come on.”

“Cool.” Sloan climbed up in the hot tub. He slid in next to Lance. “Hey. How did it go today?”

“I was going to chop Will into tiny pieces at one point.”

“Ouch. That sounds painful.” Sloan chuckled.

“He made me do down dogs.” Lance bared his teeth. “That counts as torture.”

Luke hooted. “Oh God. Yoga. That’s so sucky.”

“I like yoga,” Rory said.

“You’re an asshole though,” Luke shot back.

Sloan snorted. “Tell us how you really feel, Luke.”

“I will. Able-bodied jerks like this one do not get how ugly-crying-body-aching yoga can be.”

“Are you kidding me?” Rory splashed Luke, the sound plain. “Yoga is the worst kind of rubber band rigamarole. Only Pilates is worse.”

“Pilates? Don’t you need a machine of some kind for that?” Sloan asked.

“Only if you’re really into pain.” Rory made a grunting sound, and from the way Sloan and Luke laughed, he must have been demonstrating something.

“No fair if there was a visual. I need a description please.”

“Let’s just say I had no idea Rory’s leg would do that,” Sloan said.

“I did,” Luke put in.

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