Page 69 of Gym Bros
Now I’m well and truly blushing, and it’s got nothing to do with how chapped my cheeks are getting from the cold. I am warmallover. “Maybe you should buy me a drink first, then you can tell me.”
“How’s hot chocolate sound?”
“God, what are we twelve?” I ask.
“I don’t think a twelve-year old has moves like that.”
Whether he’s talking about his moves or mine, I’ve got no clue, but I can’t argue his facts. “Are you buying?” I ask.
“The hot chocolate? Absolutely.”
“Fine. I’ll take mine with a shot of Kahlua.”
“You’ll take it however I give it to you.”
I shake my head. “Okay, who are you, and what the fuck did you do with Samuel?”
He smiles at me. “Is this where I get to convince you to call me Saber?”
I laugh. “Absolutely not.”
The ride slows, and we stare at each other, both grinning. “Verdict?” he asks.
“I didn’t hate it,” I tell him.
“Good.”
11
SAMUEL
It’s the sarcasm that’s been fucking with me. Calyx isn’t mean. He’s dry, sarcastic, and yes, cynical like Rachel said. But he’s also funny and smart. Once his sense of humor clicked with me last night on the dance floor, I knew I had to up my game, which means I have to stop walking on eggshells. I have to give as good as I’m getting.
I’m a nice guy—short fuse not included—but I’ve been training with shit-talkers for years. And that’s all this is really, but it’s not a fight I’m looking for, it’s a…
Well…a sober kiss would be a good start.
But to get there, I need to stop holding back. He’s into me—on some level, and if getting physical means I need to show him I appreciate him for more than his looks—fine. It’s not untrue. There’s a lot about him that interests me. He and his friends dropped enough breadcrumbs to leave me with plenty of questions.
I buy us each a hot chocolate, and we walk over to where a bunch of sea lions are showing off for people and being ridiculous.
Calyx watches them like he’s not sure what to make of thespectacle, and I watch him mostly because I’m not sure what to make of him, either.
“Do you like animals?” I ask. “In general?”
“It’s starting to be kind of a theme with us. Dogs, goats, horses—whatever the fuck these are.”
“Sea lions,” I inform him.
“Why are they allherethough?”
“Good fishing? I don’t know.”
Calyx stares hard at a pair of them playing together. “Are they stupid or smart? I can’t tell.”
“Want me to google it?”
He shrugs. “If you want.”
