Page 88 of Gym Bros
“I need a shower,” he says. “I need to change clothes.”
“Your place?” I ask.
His thumb grazes my jaw, and his mouth feathers across mine. My stomach goes into freefall when he says, “Yeah.”
I’m feelingguilty about Beauty again while I pet Calyx’s cat on the couch and wait for him to come downstairs. What I really would like to do is invite him back to my place, but this is supposed to be a rest stop before we go out, so I doubt he’d agree to it.
The shower cut off several minutes ago, and after several more minutes when he hasn’t made an appearance, I go looking for him.
At the top of the stairs, I find the same sort of minimalist luxury as the living room. Calyx’s bedroom is light and airy, his king-sized bed positioned beneath the bay window the same way mine is at my apartment. The bed itself is covered in pillows, the thickest duvet I’ve ever seen, and a plush gray blanket. His nightstands look like they were custom made to fit into the irregular spaces where they flank the bed. Diamond-shaped pendant lights, rather than lamps hang over each one. There’s an en suite I peek into, where he isn’t, but it’s just as fancy as the rest of the room with marble tile and a separate tub and shower. Beyond it is an open door with the light on that I assume is his closet.
I knock on the door frame. “Can I come in? You’re taking forever.”
He sounds so defeated when he says, “I guess.”
I round the corner into a closet as large as my mother’s, and I thought no one’s could be bigger than hers. Calyx is at the center of a fashion explosion, dressed in a white linen robe.
“What do I wear?” he asks pitifully.
I’m personally happy with what he’s got on, but I say unhelpfully, “Whatever.”
He gestures grandly. “Pick something.”
Another non-opening. “If it’s too much trouble, why not just throw on a t-shirt and sweats and come back to my place.”
He snorts. “Yeah, no. If we’re not going anywhere, just say so. It’ll save me a headache.”
“We don’t have to go anywhere,” I offer.
“No?” he asks, both pouting and hopeful.
I shake my head. “Find some pjs. I’ll order food, and we’ll watch a movie.”
His eyes widen in what could be terror. “A what? We’re doingwhat?”
I let out a soft laugh at his expression. This is definitely going in the win column for me. Who knew it’d be this easy to start racking up victories? “Netflix and chill?” I say.
“Be serious, Samuel. I’m in a robe.”
I have no idea what he’s talking about half the time, which leads me to believe I only get to hear about a quarter of his thoughts. “And you’re welcome to stay in it. You like Marvel movies?”
“What?”
I huff. “That’s what I thought. We’ll start at the beginning then.” I prefer them chronologically, which means we’ll start with Captain America and a pizza.
“Whatever,” he says, pulling open the drawer of a built-in dresser.
I leave him alone, giving a lingering look at the incredible bed as I head back downstairs.
While he’s changing, I open a bottle of red wine with a label I recognize. I figure if I’ve seen this one before, it can’t be too precious. The pizza is on the way, and the movie is cued up when Calyx finally emerges from the bedroom.
“Wow.” He looks at the wine on the coffee table. “This is Netflix and chill?”
“Kinda. Stage one anyway.”
Heiswearing pajamas, but not the kind I was picturing when I suggested it. This is a set with a short sleeved button down top and matching shorts that are quite short. White again, which he looks great in with his gorgeous, sun-kissed skin.
I’m pretty sure it’s a women’s pajama set, but that hardly matters. He looks good in anything. Nothing looks wrong on him. I spare a thought for his undergarments, but before I go too far down that track, I tell him I ordered pizza.
